7 Communication Skills A Child Should Display Before They Speak Their First Word

7 Communication Skills A Child Should Display Before They Speak Their First Word

Speech pathology experts and speech therapists will all tell you that, whilst a parent might regard their child’s first word as the first milestone in their journey to communicating, it is not. Before a child utters the word ‘dadda’ or ‘mamma’ or whatever that first word might be, they will have demonstrated numerous other language and communication behaviours.

Bear in mind that a child will normally say its first word from around the time it is 12 months old, so that means there is a whole year beforehand for it to begin developing language and communication skills. What might seem to a parent like an adorable action by their 6-month-old baby, such as them ‘cooing’, will also be a sign that they are developing as expected regarding communicating.

Now, when we say communicating, we are not talking about a child who is less than 12 months old having a conversation or even saying a word, but instead, that child displaying actions, behaviours, and signs that, in linguistic terms, it is learning and developing. Outlined below are 7 such communication skills that speech pathology experts tell us that parents should expect to see from their children.

Attention/Joint Attention: Attention occurs when a child can be seen focussing on something such as a new toy, or they recognise a familiar voice, sound or song and remain attentive to it for some time. Double attention is when the child can show attention to both an object or activity and another person such as watching another child play with a toy or an adult singing.

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5 Dog Coat Types And How They Should Be Groomed

5 Dog Coat Types And How They Should Be Groomed

How you should approach dog grooming for your beloved pet, unfortunately, does necessarily depend on how you want them to look, or even their personality, but the type of coat they have. This invariably will be determined by the breed of dog they are. Whilst some general dog grooming principles apply to all dogs, many of their grooming needs will depend on the dog’s coat type.

For this reason, it is important to know what type of coat your dog has, and it is a fact that many dog owners are unsure how they should categorise it. If you are in any doubt too, the best person to ask is a dog groomer who will know exactly what type of coat your dog has based on the dog’s breed and by seeing it when they examine your dog. From this, they can advise on and implemented the best grooming regime to suit your dog.

In truth, different groomers will identify more cog coat types than others which means that whilst one dog groomer might classify one dog as having a long, silky coat, another might just call it long. This can lead to some confusion for dog owners but be assured that the categorisation is not as crucial as a professional dog groomer knowing exactly how to groom your dog’s coat.

To give you a heads up on some of the main dog coat types and their basic grooming needs, below are some examples

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Important Advice For Parents Of Toddlers Who Do Not Speak

One of the reasons why parents of a toddler will contact a speech therapy centre for advice is when they fear their child has language issues as they are not speaking. For parents of toddlers who show no inclination to speak it can be worrisome, especially when other toddlers the child mixes with, seem quite happy to chat away, even if not everything they say makes perfect sense.

The first advice we would give is that if your toddler has reached 18 months and is not saying any words, then have them assessed by a speech pathologist. What a speech and language assessment will do is indicate if a toddler requires speech therapy.

If your toddler’s assessment indicates speech therapy for them, please do not panic. Children all develop at different rates and each element of their development will differ from other children of a similar age. Simply needing speech therapy does not mean your child is in any way “backward” or has learning deficiencies that will hinder their long term education.

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Don’t Ruin Your Carpets By Making These Carpet Cleaning Mistakes

Of all the domestic cleaning chores that have to be done in a home, carpet cleaning is the one that most often results in problems. Not because you should not clean your carpets, but because all too often householders make crucial mistakes when cleaning their carpets.

Thankfully, some damage to the carpet is not terminal and mistakes can be reversed by professional cleaners from gleamcleanwa.com.au. However, on far too many occasions, their error ruins the carpet, and given that quality carpets are not the cheapest purchase you will make for your home, it makes it an expensive mistake.

Evidence shows that certain carpet cleaning mistakes occur more often than others. So, to give you a heads up to ensure you do not make these same carpet cleaning errors, here are seven of the most common mistakes to avoid when cleaning your carpets.

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7 Awesome Tips for Keeping Your Oriental Rugs In Prime Condition

7 Awesome Tips for Keeping Your Oriental Rugs In Prime Condition

One matter that often gets ignored, or at best, forgotten about, when a discussion about upholstery cleaning takes place,  is rugs. In some homes rugs tend to be the poor relation compared to the carpets with them often placed where they will take the most abuse such as doorways, never cleaned, and simply discarded when they become soiled and threadbare.

However, some rugs deserve far greater care than what we have just described, and a prime example is oriental rugs. Oriental rugs are often given pride of place in a lounge or dining room and seen as part of the overall ambience in a room. They also cost a lot more than basic rugs. To prolong their life and keep them in the best possible condition they require special care over and above basic carpet cleaning. Here are seven examples of that.

Vacuuming: It is a common issue when vacuuming takes place in a home, that rugs are lifted out of the way, and when placed down again, they are not vacuumed. It is essential for the long term condition and cleanliness of your oriental rug it is vacuumed at least twice per week.

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Steps to ordering personalised pyjamas for your big day

Steps to ordering personalised pyjamas for your big day

Everything about planning a wedding can be unchartered territory. If it’s your first marriage, everything from booking the caterer to ordering personalised pyjamas for your bridal party is something that takes research. After all, you’ve never done it before.

However, even if you have to go through the ordering process on your own with personalised pyjamas, you’ll soon find that it’s reasonably straightforward. Just follow the steps below.

Step 1: Choose Your Supplier

When you search for personalised pyjamas online, you will soon realise there are dozens if not hundreds of different options.

However, you may be able to significantly narrow them down in a few ways, such as:

  • Country
  • Delivery timeframe
  • Reputation

Choosing a supplier in your country means you may be better positioned to contact them over the phone or by email. Having them in your country can also offer more confidence that they will meet your delivery timeframe requirements.

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Landscape Design Challenges to Overcome

Landscape Design Challenges to Overcome

One of the primary reasons homeowners decide to focus on landscape design is to solve a problem. They might not have somewhere lovely to sit outside with family, no privacy, or issues with drainage or general aesthetics.

All these problems must have solutions, but finding those solutions is a challenge all on its own. Below, you can learn more about the most common landscape design challenges and how they can be entirely solvable.

Slopes and Hills

If you live on a steep street, you will be all too familiar with the challenges of trying to make your property look nice. You can’t just plant a flat garden since there’s simply no flat area available.

With the help of a Sydney landscape architect, or even just some research on your own, you can come up with some solutions to combat slopes and hills. One of the most common options is retaining walls. These can assist with soil stability and stabilisation while also being lovely seating areas.

Terraced levels are also another preference for many people, as is just letting the slope exist as it is with groundcover plants to add beauty and soil stability.

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5 Ways To Turn Your Landscape Design Into A Tropical Paradise

5 Ways To Turn Your Landscape Design Into A Tropical Paradise

There are lots of ways in which you could ask your landscaper to redesign your garden, and one which is always popular, as well as eye-catching, is turning your garden into a tropical utopia. By following a few simple rules regarding the layout and including the appropriate foliage and features, your tropical nirvana can be created.

Some might question why you would want tropical landscaping in your garden rather than something more contemporary and functional. Not that there is anything wrong with contemporary and functional but, would it not be amazing to have a landscaped garden that is awash with colour, can transport you to a tropical paradise just a few steps from your door, and makes the jaws drop of anyone who walks into your garden for the first time? Of course, it would.

The question is how to create your tropical landscaped garden, and that is a process that we hope to help you with here. We have outlined five ideas that your landscaper can incorporate into your new landscaping design to produce your dream tropical garden.

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Why Social Media And Family Court Cases Do Not Mix Well

Why Social Media And Family Court Cases Do Not Mix Well

Over recent years and certainly, the last two years, as the world has dealt with coronavirus, social media has been playing an ever-increasing role in our lives. From simply chatting to friends, through to an advertising channel that has made millions for some businesses, social media shows no sign of going away. Whilst it has many positive attributes, social media does not always lead to good outcomes in some circumstances, and within that category, we include its misuse by someone going through a case related to family law. Whether that be divorce, a separation, or an issue relating to their children, the use of social media treads a fine line between positive and being detrimental to one’s case.

By its very nature, social media sets several traps for users, and given the high emotions that often occur during family law cases, social media can seem like a welcome outlet to vent one’s frustrations and even anger. However, whilst it might seem therapeutic to call your ex-partner out for what you perceive to be their failings and how unfairly they treated you during your marriage, the family court will almost certainly not see it that way. The risk goes further than posting unacceptable statements about your ex-partner yourself, as it also extends to what your friends and family do on social media too. It might not be you, but by liking or sharing such posts you are guilty by default as in effect you are republishing those insults and abuse.

Bear in mind it is not difficult for anyone to find what you have been publishing and sharing on social media. That includes your ex-partner and their legal team. In a case relating to child visitation, your family lawyers painting you as the perfect mother or father is completely undermined if minutes later the other party’s lawyer can show a litany of insults, abuse and threats made directly or liked and shared by you.

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How Family Of New Zealand Citizens Can Obtain A Visa To Live And Work In Australia

How Family Of New Zealand Citizens Can Obtain A Visa To Live And Work In Australia

Given the close geographical, cultural, and political ties that exist between Australia and New Zealand it is of little surprise that the Australian immigration regulations and criteria that apply to the family of New Zealand citizens differ somewhat from those for citizens of other countries. This is a positive although it can sometimes lead to confusion, especially when some New Zealanders are not aware that the process for their family applying for an Australian visa is different.

The routes towards living, working, and studying in Australia as they relate to visas provide numerous ways family members of New Zealand citizens can make Australia their home. One such visa is the New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship Visa, which has the subclass number, 461. This is also sometimes referred to as the New Zealand Partner Visa as it is used primarily by the partner or spouse of a New Zealander who lives in Australia. For more specific and in-depth information relating to your specific circumstances, we would recommend speaking directly to expert migration agents.

Requirements For the New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship Visa

There are several requirements and criteria that must apply before someone is eligible to apply for this visa.

Relationship Status: The applicant for this visa must either be

  • The spouse of a New Zealand citizen
  • The de facto partner of a New Zealand citizen
  • A child of a New Zealand citizen

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