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Dear Speech Therapist: What is “Normal” for a First-Grader?
Reading, Writing, Language, Executive Functioning Hollis Thomann Reading, Writing, Language, Executive Functioning Hollis Thomann

Dear Speech Therapist: What is “Normal” for a First-Grader?

When we think about what is “normal” for a first-grader in terms of their speech and language skills, a few questions might resonate with parents.

Is my child “typical?”

Is my first-grader on track?

Does my child in first grade need speech therapy?

Is my first-grade student falling behind?

Is my kid okay?

When I’m asked these questions as a speech-language pathologist, I think about what I would expect a child to be able to do in first grade. I think about the skills a six-year-old usually has in speech, language, reading, writing, and executive functioning as a basis for beginning my evaluation.

In this blog post, I’m going to break down what I expect a first-grade student to be able to do in each of the above areas. Feel free to jot down notes about what you notice your child is doing well with and what they might be struggling with. This will help your speech therapist know where to start with evaluating so you can get the best care for your child.

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How to Take Notes in Class: High-school and College
Writing, Reading, Executive Functioning, Language Hollis Thomann Writing, Reading, Executive Functioning, Language Hollis Thomann

How to Take Notes in Class: High-school and College

Many high-school and even college students have never learned how to take notes, but thankfully speech-language therapy can help. I often work with high-schoolers and college students who struggle with not only reading and writing but also understanding lectures and staying focused. Learning how to take notes can help them practice summarizing information, organizing information, and developing self-awareness of whether they understand and are focused.

Students have to find the note-taking system that works best for them, something we work on in speech therapy, but I’ll give you a little sneak peek into some popular note-taking methods to help you begin to imagine what might help your teen.

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The Best Way to Start an Essay
Writing Hollis Thomann Writing Hollis Thomann

The Best Way to Start an Essay

There’s one absolute first step in writing a good essay, starting a great proposal, and writing a book report.

Look 👏 at 👏 the 👏 prompt.

I often find that the clients I work with skim the prompt, get a vague idea to “summarize the book,” and want to jump right into writing. They want to be DONE WITH IT ALREADY.

They have video games to play, friends to see, and usually a lot more work to get done before tomorrow.

But how are you supposed to write a good essay, report, or proposal if you don’t know what they are asking for?!

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at Mindful Speech’s Instagram.

Children need to be able to independently follow through on tasks that require many steps. Many children, adolescents, and adults who struggle with reading, writing, and executive functioning need individualized support, like speech-language therapy
The summer is one of my favorite times for speech-language therapy sessions. Why? Because we can get into the nitty-gritty of what is difficult without the looming deadline of an essay that needs to get done like NOW, we can avoid a summer setback of
Another school year finished! To help your child develop their self-awareness, help them reflect on the past school year. What was good? What was not so good? What needs to change? ​Think your kid won't talk to you in a million years? Check out my fu
Whether you are writing an essay for school, creating a cover letter for a job, or drafting a grant proposal, you need to read the prompt! ​ ​If you read and understand the prompt, you will know what you need to do in order to deliver on what i
Reading and writing have enriched my life today by (1) connecting me to my friends, (2) challenging me intellectually while reading for work, and (3) immersing me in a different world while reading a novel.  ​ ​How have reading and writing helpe
Really think about it! Try to trick me! Tasks like checking your email, writing a text, taking notes, planning your day, even choosing which podcast you want to listen to all require you to read on some level.  ​ ​Reading is important, reading i
Being able to tell a good story is important for establishing relationships with friends and family members. ​ ​If that's not enough to convince you that storytelling is important, did you know that understanding and telling "narratives" i
Speech-language therapy isn't just working on speech sounds!
Mindful Speech - speech therapy for children and teenagers in Chicago, Illinois - headshot of speech therapist Hollis licensed in Illinois and Chicago headshot in white sweater.jpg

Hi, I’m Hollis, the owner of Mindful Speech.

I’m a speech-language pathologist licensed in Illinois and Colorado.

I specialize in providing speech therapy to help children, teens, and young adults to improve language, reading, writing, and executive functioning skills.

Learn more about me on my About Hollis page.

Let’s work together!

Mindful Speech would love to help your teenager in college develop their language, reading, writing, and executive functioning skills.

Click the link below to schedule an initial consultation and make sure that I’m a great fit for you and your family.