Making the decision to hire a tutor is not an easy one.  As a parent, you want to ensure that your child has time to play sports, socialize, take dance class, and enjoy some R&R.  

On the flip side, you also want your child to learn the academic skills necessary to live a happy and successful life.  You likely could be tired of seeing the struggles, lack of engagement, and signs of anxiety and decreased confidence.
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Let's start by looking at 5 red flags that may indicate your child would benefit from tutoring.

Now that you have been on the look-out for red flags and asked yourself some questions go ahead and click the button below to schedule a free initial consultation.  We can help you move forward in the decision-making process and see if our tutors might be a good match for your family!

Parent interactions can have a HUGE impact on a child's speech and language skills.  By taking a small amount of time each day to do one (or more!) of these things you can make a difference!

1.  Listen.  Being available to listen gives your child the opportunity to communicate thoughts, feelings and events.  Knowing you are there to hear them makes children feel supported and can help with emotional and behavioral regulation.  Let your child know he or she is being heard by summarizing and repeating back the message that was shared.

2.  Talk to your child about feelings and events, both past and future.  Exposing your child to hearing these types of conversation introduces them to the language they will need to understand stories, make connections in the classroom, and become good writers.  

3.  Read books together.  You have heard it a million times but it is so very important to read with your child.  Talk about the pictures using language that describes.  Ask deep questions that go beyond the words on the page.  Make personal connections to the story.

4.  Play games.  Play games that encourage language use and description.  Rhyming games, category games (see how many items in a given category you can name), "simon says", "telephone" and "I spy" are all wonderful choices and a good use of car time!

5.  Ask open-ended questions.  These types of questions require more than a one-word response.  Question starters include "What would you do if.....", "Where would you go if....", "Tell me what could happen if...."  ​

Do you think your child is struggling with speech-language skills please give us a call or send an e-mail, we will be happy to help!  Also, please share this video or post with anyone you feel would find it helpful!

Happy Better Speech and Hearing Month everyone!  This month is all about promoting better communication skills as well as an understanding of the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  I imagine many of you have wondered how speech and language skills impact a child within the classroom which is why we have created this little graphic for you!  If you find it helpful, please share with others!

Dear Hyperion Families,

I learned something important recently. Well, I learned multiple things of importance, but there is one particular piece of learning that I feel applies to many of you.

Backstory-  I live in a house that was built in 1880. It is thought to originally have been a boarding house for the immigrants who built the trolley tracks running behind it and eventually became my great grandparents farmhouse. It has been in my family ever since.

Back to the present day- It is a cold, drafty house in need of some new windows. My husband and I have many skills, but home repair skills aren’t one of them. So, we called some professionals. Therefore on a cool Friday in October, two men in their early thirties showed up, took a look at our windows, made a diagnosis, and then attempted to share their findings with us. I say they “attempted” because they didn’t do it well.  I only understood about every other word. They used terms and acronyms like “low E glass”, “IGU”, "buttering" and "casement". I stared blankly and nodded like I understood. I felt inadequate and undereducated. When I reflected later, I realized that I should have asked them to define terms, explain, and slow down.  

Fast forward to 2 days later-  I attended school meeting for one of our students here at Hyperion Language and Learning Services.  I sat there and listened while the school professionals spoke about a “prior written notice” and of the student’s "present level of performance", "lexile levels", and "orthographic processing abilities”.  As a professional who has worked in schools for the past 12 years I easily followed the conversation and thought nothing of it.  That is until I looked over at the parents. They stared blankly and nodded like they understood.

The realization that I probably use terms that our families don't understand on a daily basis hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was making people feel exactly how the window repair men made me feel. The lack of understanding does not happen because a parent isn’t properly educated, doesn’t care, or is lacking anything at all.  The terms are being tossed around like popcorn because when we work within a specific field, be it education or window repair, we use the lingo so easily and effortlessly.

As a result of my window repair experience, it really hit home how important it is for me to change the language I use, slow down, and explain terms.  To all of you wonderful parents and caregivers, if I (or another educational professional) am using terms or sharing information about your child that you don't understand, please please please feel empowered to ask for definitions, explanations, and clarifications.  I know I should have done just that with the window repair men!  In the following weeks I will be posting several articles covering specific terms related to Individualized Education Plans, evaluations, and academic performance so stay tuned!   Thanks for reading and reach out if you need help navigating your student's educational plan!

Sincerely,
Emily

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