During the The Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing® (LiPS®) program Individuals become aware of the mouth actions which produce speech sounds. This awareness becomes the means of verifying sounds within words and enables individuals to become self-correcting in reading and spelling, and speech. It is common for individuals to gain several grade levels in decoding ability in four weeks to six weeks of intensive instruction, or to make further gains in speech-language after hitting a plateau under traditional speech therapy approaches.  Visit Lindamood-Bell

Auditory-Oral therapy is provided for children with hearing impairments. The goal of the auditory methods is to teach a child how to use his residual hearing so that he may have access to spoken language. The brain, which develops rapidly in the first few years of life, needs rich language input during that time. Additionally,there may be an emphasis on speech and speechreading. The ultimate educational goal is to place the child in a mainstream school environment. Visit AG Bell

The prefix “myo” stands for muscle. Orofacial Myology is the study and treatment of the oral and facial muscles as they relate to to speech, dentition, chewing/bolus collection, swallowing, and overall mental and physical health (Sandra R. Holtzman). Amy is a Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM®) and has completed the 28 hour intensive course with International Association of Orofacial Myology. She has also achieved her QOM with http://www.orofacialmyology.com

The SGM® is an acronym for The Story Grammar Marker®. “Story Grammar” is the technical term for the parts of a story (narrative).   Schools in many countries, including the United States, use the “goal-directed” style of a narrative. The Story Grammar Marker® is a hands-on, kinesthetic tool designed with patented icons that represent the parts of a story. Children (and adults) can use the icons to “mark”—and keep track of—the situation unfolding in a story in an organized way for themselves, and for others to understand. The SGM® is used to help children, adolescents and adults think, communicate and learn through stories.

Amy became a Certified Narrative Professional in the Story Grammar Marker approach in 2021.

Language is the basis for most learning. Without language there is no communication. While there are varying degrees of language disorders, the ultimate goal of all people is to  comprehend all that is heard and express ideas in all that is spoken.

Oral motor skills are critical to basic functions that occur even when we are asleep, such as controlling secretions, swallowing, and maintaining alignment of the oral structures so that breathing is not interrupted. Oral motor skills impact basic survival such as sucking and swallowing by infants that begin by the third month of gestation.
Development of these skills enhance the progression from breast milk or formula, then to pureed foods, and on to table foods, as well as the skills needed to progress from sucking a nipple, to using a wide variety of utensils, including straws, cups, spoons, and forks. Oral skills also impact the control needed for speech development, from producing the cooing sounds as an infant, to articulating complex words in conversational speech. Poor oral motor skills can result in delayed or reduced skill development for the areas listed above. The individual may be described as hypersensitive, a lazy talker or a picky or messy eater. Problems such a drooling, bruxism (tooth grinding) and gagging may occur.
Visit Beckman Oral Motor

Unlike traditional phonics and word study programs which begin with the written letter and teach students to match the letter to a sound (print to speech), SPELL-Links helps students first learn how to attend to the sound structure of spoken English words and then how to connect and combine sounds, letter patterns, and meanings to read and spell words (speech to print). This is exactly how the brain works in good readers and writers!

SPELL-Links students also learn meta-linguistic strategies and develop the executive function skills that empower them to independently apply their word study knowledge, skills, and strategies to independently read, write, and spell.