Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- How do I know my child's schedule?
- How do I contact my child's therapist?
- What is the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?
- What is fluency in reading vs. fluent speech?
- What is vocabulary?
- What is comprehension?
- What is memory?
- What is attention?
- What is processing?
- What is sequencing?
- What do I do if we are moving or changing schools?
How do I know my child's schedule?
You may contact your therapist at Lyon Elementary at 892-0869.
How do I contact my child's therapist?
There is a link on this website to email each therapist. You may also send
a note or call the school to leave a message. We are located at the back of
the campus and are not convenient to a phone. We will try to return your
call as soon as possible.
What is the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate sounds of
spoken language and to understand that words are made of sequences of
phonemes, the smallest units of sound that make a difference in the meaning
of words. Teaching rhymes, songs and short poems and simple word games will
help children develop phonemic awareness.
Phonics is the understanding that there is a predictable relationship
between phonemes and graphemes, the letters and spellings that represent
those sounds in the English language. Parents should help younger children
practice the alphabet by pointing out letters whenever they see them and
teaching them their name and other everyday words. Playing games like, "How
many words can you make using the letters in spaghetti?" works well with
older children.
What is fluency in reading vs. fluent speech?
Fluency in reading is the ability to read text accurately and quickly.
Fluent readers can recognize words automatically and understand their
meaning at the samr time. To help develop fluency, children should be
encouraged to read aloud to their parents and even re-read the same story
several times. Parents should read to their children as well and have then
follow along as they read.
Fluent speech is the ability to speak without repetions, elongations, and
additions of sounds and/or whole words. While most children go through a
stage of normal dysfluency, anything that significant interferes with their
ability to communicate should be referred to the school speech pathologist.
What is vocabulary?
Vocabulary is the words readers must know to communicate effectively.
Parents can help children build a strong vocabulary by teaching them the
meaning of important words and promoting the use of a dictionary. they can
also teach their children how to use context clues while reading to figure
out unknown words and learn base words and affixes(additions) to decode
words.
What is comprehension?
Comprehension is the ability to derive meaning from language (oral,
nonverbal, and written. Good readers have a purpose for reading, which is
why parents should help their children find time to read for pleasure and
find interesting books they may want to read on their own. Parents who
discuss with their children what they are reading are also helping them read
for meaning.
What is memory?
Memory is the ability to store information and ideas, which is essential for
word recognition, comprehension of complex sentences and remembering
instructions. Engaging children in memory games like "Concentration" and
encouraging them to retell stories or tell about their day help improve
memory skills.
What is attention?
Attention is the ability to focus on information and tasks, while ignoring
distractions. Fluent reading requires sustained and focused attention. To
increase attention span, parents should have children set time goals for
sticking to a task, like doing homework or reading quietly. Children should
also learn to read or study in a quiet room, free from television, radio and
other distractions.
What is processing?
Processing, in the context of reading, is the ability to distinguish and
associate individual speech sounds with their corresponding letter and word
forms. It is also the speed and accuracy in which language in any form is
comprehended and acted upon. Listening games, such as identifying sounds in
words that sound like something else (e.g., the sound s sounds like a
hissing snake), help train the ear to capture and interpret sounds clearly
and accurately.
What is sequencing?
Sequencing skills are used for maintaining order, such as the order of
letters within words or words within a sentence. Creating picture stories
in which the order of images is used to tell the story is an effective way
to develop sequencing skills in young children. For those learning how to
spell, mixing up letter tiles and having them unscramble the letters to form
a word also helps.
What do I do if we are moving or changing schools?
Always keep the copies provided to you of evaluations, IEPs, and progress
notes together with other important school papers. When moving, do NOT pack
these papers. Services will smoothly continue if the receiving school has
copies as soon as possible.