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10 Communication Habits Everyone Can Benefit From

Know the difference between hearing and active listening:

Just hearing a child or adult does not mean you actually heard them. For example make sure you are paying attention, making eye contact and try to avoid distractions in the environment. Show your communication partner you’re listening by asking questions and try paraphrasing what you heard.

Ask open-ended questions:

This helps children and adults give and explain opinions rather than giving quick yes/no answers that can terminate a conversation quickly.

Be aware of wait time:

Giving extra time in conversations will give children and adults time to process information. Especially when communicating with children who may have speech or language delays. A good rule of thumb is to wait about 10 seconds for your child to answer.

Avoid over correcting:

This could cause communication stress and negatively affect children’s progress towards communication goals. With adults, this can cause embarrassment and discourage communication.

Model effective communication interactions:

Especially in front of children! Kids are always watching and listening; they are more observant than we think! Examples include how you talk to older siblings, spouses or family members.  For older children or adults, modeling interactions throughout the community can be very helpful to promote independence.

Limit distractions:

When possible modify your environment to boast communication opportunities. This could mean turning the T.V off or shutting down tablets and phones for set times throughout the day.

Think of every activity as a communication opportunity:

Children learn best during familiar routines filled with rich language. For adults, even the simplest routines or activities can provide communication opportunities to share experiences or problem solve.

Create communication opportunities:

This could mean putting toys in hard to reach places to encourage children to request or making toys difficult to open. For an older communicator, this could mean actively thinking of how to make an interaction meaningful and interesting. This could mean taking a grandparent to a car show knowing their love for antique cars.

Listen with your eyes and your ears:

Children and adults communicate with non-verbal cues just as much, if not more, than using true words. Keep your eye out for communicative gestures in children such as reaching, pointing and eye contact. In adults, be aware of non-verbal body language such as body position, eye contact and facial expressions to guage their involvement in the conversation.

Know your communication style:

Being aware of how you communicate represents how you perform when engaging with others. Your individual style can affect how you act in conversation and how others perceive you. Styles can include passive, assertive and aggressive.


 

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Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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