FIRST WORDS

Preschool Speech and Language Program of Ottawa

www.firstwords.ca
Program Basics
 Offshoot of Best Start Network in Ottawa (1997)
 Formed after the provincial government's Best Start Plan

 Integrated system of PRESCHOOL speech and language services (PSL)

 Children between 0 and eligibility for senior kindergarten (5 years)
 Some mentally fragile 6 year-old, not in school

 Facilitates the transition to school by providing:

 Health promotion
 Assessment
 Treatment
Mandate
 Education is an integral part of the program

 Provided to parents, teachers, health professionals, and the general population

 Resources related to their child's disorder and needs
 Information on services available in their local community.

 Respond to any request for education received by the community and adjusts its
formats, times and locations accordingly

 Health promotion workshops and activities specifically designed to educate

parents and providers in language stimulation strategies as well as normal speech
and language milestones

 Program newsletter "Chatterbox” mailed quarterly

Partnership
Public Screening Clinics
 They're free of charge!
 No appointment necessary—first come, first serve
 Open to Ottawa children from birth - 5 years
 Provide parents with an opportunity to consult with a speech-language
pathologist
 Serve families in both official languages
 Assistance with transportation and cultural interpretation available
 Online Calendar
A Parent’s First Steps
1. Call the Ottawa Public Health Line (partner) and speak to a Public Health
Nurse
 Nurses provide advice and refer families to the First Words community
screening clinics
 All nurses are trained and provided with comprehensive information by a
First Words SLP

2. Bring child to a First Words screening clinic

 Family meets with a SLP for roughly 15 minutes
 SLP will request either a full evaluation of consider delay typical for age
 Can provide parent-training
 Parent-child interaction groups (with facilitator and SPL)
 Direct therapy (small group and individual)
Then what?
Q:
If a family is involved with First Words and then the child enrolls
for junior kindergarten, will First Words make any contact with the
child's new school and help to put a plan in place?

A:
There is a committee made up of Speech-language Pathologists
from First Words and both school boards who support the
transition from Preschool Speech & Language Services to School.
Steering Committee
 Steering Committee which comprises representatives
from:
 School Boards, the Children’s Hospital, The Ottawa Children’s Treatment
Centre, Children’s Aid Society, Headstart Nursery schools, OEYC, child
care sector, public health, and the Young Single Parent’s Network.

 Once a child leaves First Words to go to school, a

comprehensive report is sent to the school board, who
in turn disseminates the information to the school that
the child will attend.

 Ultimately the board takes over from there.

Workshops
 Provided to parents, early childhood educators, community workers,
volunteers, home childcare providers and speech and language
professionals

 Make & Take a Book

 First Words - Get to know our services...
 Talk by Two
 Baby Talk

 Offered to the community by direct facilitation or in a train-the-trainer

format

 ANY LOCATION!

 Lunch and learn opportunities offered to working parents

 Hanen Workshops
HANEN CENTRE

 Canadian charitable organization (1975)

 Committed to helping young children

communicate by supporting their parents,
teachers and caregivers.

 Train speech-language pathologists/therapists

to lead Hanen Programs for parents and
teachers
 Three-days

 Provides intensive, small-group training to Hanen Certified Speech

Language Pathologists/Therapists who work in integrated or segregated
pre-school programs in childcare, nursery or educational settings.

 SLP then provide workshops to pre-school teachers

 Intensive 7 nights
 Learn how to structure/scaffold language development when working
with groups of children
 Video tape teacher in classroom
 Provide immediate feedback on teaching style and techniques.
Referral

 Any parent who has questions about their child’s

speech and language development is welcome to
call the Ottawa Health Information Line
staffed by City of Ottawa Registered Nurses

 Can come from parents, caregivers, physicians,

teachers etc.

 No need for doctor referral

Funding—Future Plans
 Provincial funding

 All services are free!

 Upon receipt of increased funding expansion of services will include:

 Extension of PSL services from SK to grade one entry by
enhancing school board speech and language services
 Increased coordination of therapy services between First Words
and School Board SLPs
 PSL to integrate into identified hubs where possible
Discussion

1. Has anyone seen speech or language

delays in the classroom?
2. What resources did you draw upon?
3. What difficulties might a child with SLD
encounter in the classroom?
4. What can we as teachers do to help?