Casey Oliver, M.S., CCC-SLP

There are many wonderful resources on the internet about speech and language, voice, Catholic schools, liturgy, and other related topics.  I have listed some of my favorite websites below.  They are organized by topic.  Please check this section often.  I will be updating it as I discover new online resources.  In this section, a website will be listed and then followed by a brief description.  In the description, click on any highlighted text to go to recommended pages within that website.

Speech and Language Development

www.asha.org

The American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists.  The ASHA website has information about  normal speech and language development and speech and language disorders in children.  The ASHA website also has important information about speech and language disorders in the school setting.  

www.nidcd.nih.gov

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is one of the Institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The NIDCD website has informational sections about hearing, ear infections and deafness and voice, speech and language.  The section about speech and language developmental milestones has interactive developmental checklists that are very helpful for parents of young children ages 0-5.

Catholic Schools and Curriculum

www.csdsac.org

The Catholic School Department is responsible for the overall supervision, administration, and organization of elementary schools and high schools in the Diocese of Sacramento.  Please visit their website for more information about language arts curriculum standards.  The "Written and Oral English Language Conventions" and "Listening and Speaking" standards help illustrate just how important well-developed speech and language skills are for academic success.

www.ncea.org 

The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) is a professional membership organization that provides leadership, direction and service to fulfill the evangelizing, catechizing and teaching mission of the Catholic Church.  This website has information about special education services and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) that parents of Catholic school students should know.

Educational Resources

www.pbskids.org

This website, along with PBS KIDS Island, has great educational games to help young children get ready for school and to learn how to read.  These games target vocabulary, basic concepts, rhyming, phonological awareness skills, and much more!  These games are all free, and they also offer a subscription service called PBS KIDS PLAY.

 

www.pbs.org/parents

PBS Parents has great information about child development and education.  I recommend the Reading and Language and the Children with Disabilities sections.

www.ldonline.org/parents

LD Online is a website for parents wanting to know more about learning disabilities and ADHD.  Check out the Speech and Language section to learn more about nurturing language skills and how language and learning disabilities are related.

www.starfall.com

This website has wonderful and free games and activities for preschoolers and children grades K-2 to help them learn to read with phonics.  This website is definitely worth checking out!  I especially like it because it helps children learn letter sounds and offers great visual and auditory cues for sounding out words. 

Voice and Liturgical Music

www.voiceproblem.org

The Voice Problem Website has detailed information and resources for people with voice problems.  I recommend the website for anyone who wants to know more about the human voice.  The section about the anatomy and physiology of voice production is very educational and enlightening, particularly for singers and professional voice users. 

www.ncvs.org

The National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) is a multi-site research, clinical and teaching organization that studies voice and speech enhancement.   The NCVS website has information about vocal health, "Science for Singers" articles, and features The Voice Academy, a "virtual school built for the vocal health of U.S. teachers."     

www.npm.org

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) is an organization that fosters the art of musical liturgy.  NPM publishes a wonderful magazine called The Liturgical Singer that I highly recommend.  There is a section on the website devoted to cantors which includes information about the process for earning the Basic Cantor Certificate.  NPM also conducts yearly conventions and institutes for liturgical musicians.

OSLPVA Articles and News Links

Periodically, there will be informational articles posted on this page of the website.  The articles will be about speech and language, academics, liturgical music, voice care and more.  Relevant news links will also be posted here.