If you’re in the TikTok world you probably know all about Ms. Rachel, a mom of a speech-delayed child who created the largely popular YouTube channel Ms. Rachel Songs for Littles.
Now you may be thinking, well if Ms. Rachel had a son with a speech delay, they must be great for kids with speech delays!
You would be correct, Ms. Rachel created this show to help her child with his speech, using proven techniques that I’ve been using for the last two decades and even created my own “Ms. Mary” videos.
This week, we are discussing how you can use the same techniques as Ms. Rachel does at home to help your child or client who has a speech delay or autism. I will even share how you can use these videos that I made!
The current recommendation is that children under 2 should have little to no screen time unless video chatting and children over 2 should be limited to 1 hour of traditional screen time a day.
I’ve talked about why screen time can be necessary, especially for busy moms who need a safe tool to get their own needs taken care of.
But is all screen time the same? Using videos like the content Ms. Rachel produces, like this learn to talk video, are examples of video modeling. Even though this is still screen time, video modeling is a great resource for learning and expanding your child’s speech.
Another great characteristic of Ms. Rachel’s videos (and my own) is that her video modeling takes the form of a Video Chat or Zoom Therapy where she is engaging with the viewer.
She asks the viewer questions, pauses, and creates a familiar script that can be easier for children with speech delays or autism to imitate. Many children may imitate the videos before their caregivers.
Videos can be a great tool because they can eliminate other distractions and allow the child to hyper-focus on just the skill at hand.
We can then expand what words the child has gained from Ms. Rachel videos by using these words in my early learner programs that we teach within the online courses.
Ms.Rachel is not a speech therapist and her videos alone should not be used as the sole intervention for a child with speech delays or signs of autism, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a great resource.
Ms. Rachel uses a variety of proven techniques that can expand and build a child’s language skills.
These include:
All of these are tested proven techniques that allow the child to engage and participate in their video-developing the ability to request, label, and even answer questions.
Rest assured, despite not being an SLP, you will find many of the same strategies that are used in speech and language sessions in Ms. Rachel learn to talk videos.
Ms. Rachel has a lot of great content on her YouTube channel, but there is a benefit in using the same techniques as her to create your own individualized videos that would appeal to your child or client.
If you have specific skills, names, or words you want to work on with your child or client you can create your own videos.
With iPhones, or any smart phone, it’s a lot easier and quicker to create these resources than it was when I made my very first Ms. Rachel like video with a camcorder and VHS.
When making your videos be sure to include people your child knows: Parents, Siblings, Pets, Therapists, etc. Also use toys, pictures, foods, and songs that they are interested in. This will help develop speech skills relevant to their lives.
Next, label their favorite items and people, using the one-word times 3 strategy. Perhaps even sing a song they love with their favorite toys.
Children will love seeing faces of those they love, and seeing their familiar favorites in the video.
I’ve linked to my Ms. Mary videos I discussed in today’s episode so you can see examples of how you might make your own. One boy that I made these for was barely talking, but had a language explosion after watching these videos.
In conclusion, yes, whether you watch Ms. Rachel videos or create your own using the same framework, video modeling can be very helpful for young children with speech delays, or autism.
If you are on TikTok and not yet following me or Ms. Rachel, please do that. I highly recommend her channel, you can find her longer-form videos on YouTube at Songs for Littles. And if you decide to create your own videos, be sure to use the tips and advice I shared.
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