Children respond with language, laughter, and enthusiasm while running through the woods with a friend to find a special stick, or watching a baby sheep sleep with a mother, or while jumping off logs and pretending they fly. The combination of the outdoors and nature and play helps children much more than sitting at a desk at school with a therapist looking at pictures. I do my best work with young children in the natural environment.
Children learn communicate with each other as they play in the natural setting and have fun.
Children are more fluent when they talk to animals.
Three friends are playing a pretend game that will lead to complex language and socialization.
When I work with a dyad, two children who are compatible, I take them outside. While they are engaged in a motor activity, I teach them the rules of speech pragmatics: turn taking, eye contact, sustaining an interaction on one topic, listening to a peer, narrating actions and commenting. This environment helps them engage and remain present in their interactions.