Getting the Words Out: milieu

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MiliWHO??

Posted by Dani, Speech-Language Pathologist MA CCC-SLP

Milieu! Milieu teaching is pretty much the most accurate way I can describe the way I do therapy given my population and their needs.

I subscribe to the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research and I received an article that caught my eye the other day. Long story short, it led me to a really old article (1993, I was only in 3rd grade!) entitled "Facilitating Prelinguistic Communication Skills in Young Children with Developmental Delay" (Warren, Yoder, Gazdag, Kim &Jones, 1993).

OK don't worry this isn't going to be a boring journal article post but the speechie geek in me got really excited while reading this. Why? Because it literally describes EXACTLY how I do my therapy!! Specifically the article highlights the effectiveness of milieu approach to teaching prelinguistic (before speaking) communication skills. So get ready to learn a new word and feel smart: MILIEU! (To all my professors and speechies, yes this word rang a bell from the days I spent studying, just never stuck with me so meaningfully!)

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As professionals, our mission is to provide excellent and meaningful services in the world of autism, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Early Childhood Special Education. As colleagues, our mission is to drive and support one another. As bloggers, our mission is to share our process with other professionals, individuals, and families affected by autism. We have created this forum as a place where we can get our words out, and hope that we will inspire others to do the same. Change and progress often begin with conversation. Simply getting the words out—sharing a thought, asking a question, reaching out for help—is often the start of something wonderful. As we take this journey together, we reflect on our thoughts, experiences, mistakes and victories along the way. With every amazing child we work with, we become increasingly aware that they too are our teachers. This is a learning process for us all, and the best teachers are the ones who always remain students. It is our wonderful, talented, and unique children who inspire us to learn more. It is for them that we strive to be our best and to do our best. We do not have all the answers, but we are committed to the search. This is a place for us to share our journey and to invite others into our team. We hope that you will join us in getting the words out.