Little Ears & Voices

08/17/2026

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN LAKE COUNTY! 🤟🏼

Have you been wanting to learn ASL, refresh your skills, or find an in-person ASL class that doesn’t require a drive to Orlando? We’re excited to share a new opportunity for the Lake County community! 🎉

This 6-week class is designed for adults (18+) with little to no ASL experience, as well as those who have learned basic ASL and want to refresh their skills.

Classes will meet once a week, with each session taking place at a different local location based on the vocabulary being taught. This unique format gives participants the chance to practice signs in real-world settings while exploring and supporting local businesses! ❤️

Courtney is a Deaf adult and phenomenal ASL teacher who has worked so hard to create this opportunity for our community.
Learn more about her on slide 3!

This class is a chance to:
🤟🏼Learn or refresh basic ASL
🤟🏼Practice ASL in real-world settings
🤟🏼Learn about Deaf culture and the Deaf community
🤟🏼Expand your communication skills
🤟🏼Meet others in the community
🤟🏼Support local businesses and a local Deaf small-business owner (Courtney Cannon)

We’d love to see this class become a part of our community and help make ASL learning more accessible! 💛

Interested in joining? Fill out the sign-up form using the link in my bio! (Link tree)

Questions? Feel free to reach out! We hope to see you there! 🤟🏼

08/17/2026

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES!

🤟 Have you been wanting to learn American Sign Language (ASL), refresh your ASL skills, or find an in-person ASL class that you don’t have to drive to Orlando for?

We’re excited to share a new IN-PERSON ASL class opportunity right here in our community! 🎉

This 6-week class is designed for adults (18+) with little to no previous ASL knowledge, as well as those who have learned basic ASL before and would like to refresh their skills.

The classes will meet once a week for 6 weeks, with each class taking place at a different local location based on the vocabulary being taught that week. This unique format allows participants to practice using new signs immediately in real-life settings and conversations, while also getting to explore and support local businesses in our community! Courtney and I have been working together to come up with some really fun and meaningful locations.

Courtney is a Deaf adult and phenomenal ASL teacher who has worked so hard to create this opportunity for our community. ❤️

This class is a wonderful opportunity to:
🤟 Learn basic ASL
🤟 Refresh previously learned ASL skills
🤟 Practice using signs in real-world settings
🤟 Learn more about the Deaf community and Deaf culture
🤟 Expand your communication skills
🤟 Meet others in the community
🤟 Support local businesses
🤟 Support a local Deaf small-business owner (ASL with Courtney!)

We would love to see this class become a part of our community and help open doors for people who have been wanting to learn ASL but haven't had an accessible opportunity to do so!

Interested in joining? Fill out the sign-up form here:

https://forms.gle/obADendRLXenW43v6

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. We hope to see you there! 💛🤟

08/08/2026

This past month has been wonderfully busy! I’ve been a little quieter here on Instagram because I’ve been spending a lot of time out in the community, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I had the privilege of partnering with Silent Hope and presenting to families at Camp We Sign this year, and I also loved being part of the Calm & Connect Wellness Event in our community.

I have a few more exciting partnerships and free community events in the works, so if you’re in the Lake County area, keep an eye out for upcoming announcements!

I’m looking forward to being back on Instagram this month and spending more time connecting with the amazing community we’ve built here. Thank you for being here! 🫶🏼

______________

Slide 1: Emily presents alongside an ASL interpreter during a presentation on communication options for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children, standing in front of a presentation screen.

Slide 2: Emily speaks to a group of parents and families during an educational presentation about communication, language, and access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children, with an ASL interpreter beside her.

Slide 3: Group photo of community members, business owners, and professionals smiling together at a local wellness and community event.

Slide 4: Little Ears & Voices Speech Therapy booth at a community wellness event featuring informational resources, sensory activities, and speech-language therapy materials.

Slide 5: A sensory bin activity with kinetic sand, toy insects, toy dishes, and communication boards designed to encourage language development through play.

Slide 6: A bug-themed sensory exploration bin with magnifying glasses, toy insects, fine motor tools, and communication supports for interactive, language-rich play.

07/18/2026

07/13/2026

One mistake I often see is putting too much focus on teaching children to say niceties like “please” before they have functional language.

Instead of focusing on polite words first, help them learn words that support them in communicating their wants, needs, and ideas. Functional language reduces frustration, builds confidence, and creates the foundation for more complex communication. Once children can communicate effectively, social words like “please” become much easier to teach.

(VD: A 30 year old woman with long dark hair sits in the driver’s seat of a parked car, speaking directly to the camera. She wears a bright yellow T-shirt with colorful ASL handshapes across the front. Her long dark hair is worn half up and half down).

07/10/2026

🦋 Vendor Spotlight Friday 🦋

At Calm & Connect, we're celebrating the businesses that help create life's most meaningful moments—and this week, we're excited to introduce two incredible vendors who know exactly how to make memories unforgettable!

🎈Poppy & Pearl Parties

Poppy & Pearl Parties specializes in creating beautifully styled, memorable celebrations that bring people together. From custom balloon installations and eye-catching décor to thoughtfully designed event details, Poppy & Pearl Parties transforms ordinary gatherings into extraordinary experiences. Whether it's a birthday, shower, corporate event, community gathering, or special celebration, they combine creativity, professionalism, and a passion for bringing joy to every occasion. Proud to support local events, Poppy & Pearl Parties believes that meaningful moments deserve beautiful spaces where connections can flourish and memories can be made.

🎁 Special Event Offer:
Book your event during Calm & Connect and they'll **waive their delivery and installation fee!**

📸 Picture This Rentals

🎉 We’re excited to be part of the community on July 18! 🎉

Picture This Rentals will be joining the fun and we’d love to meet you! Stop by our booth to learn more about our photo booth experiences, see our setup in person, and snap a few photos while you’re there.

We’re passionate about helping families, friends, and local businesses create memories that last a lifetime, and we’re excited to connect with our community face-to-face.

📸 Come say hello
✨ Check out our photo booth experience
🎈 Learn how we can make your next event unforgettable

We can’t wait to see everyone on July 18!

Together, these amazing businesses help us celebrate, connect, and preserve the moments that matter most.

✨ And we're especially excited because **Poppy & Pearl Parties will be decorating Calm & Connect this year!** Their creativity and attention to detail will help make our event even more beautiful and welcoming for our community!!

📅 July 18, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 The Nest Schools Winter Garden
🎟️ FREE Community Event

Come meet these wonderful vendors, explore local businesses, and enjoy a morning of connection, wellness, and community. We can't wait to see you there! 💙🦋

07/08/2026

We are sooo thrilled to announce a new resource: After the Appointment! 🥳

✨After the Appointment is a free monthly Zoom conversation designed for families who have recently learned that their child is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH).

✨ Leaving a diagnosis appointment often brings more questions than answers. This informal, supportive session gives families the opportunity to meet a Deaf adult and a speech-language pathologist, ask the questions they didn't think to ask at the appointment, and gain practical guidance and evidence-based information.

✨ Whether you're wondering about communication, sign language, cochlear implants, school, family life, or simply what the future might look like, no question is too small. Our goal is to provide evidence-based information, lived experience, and a welcoming space where families can leave feeling more informed, more connected, and more hopeful about the journey ahead.

✨ ASL-English interpreter provided

After the Appointment is:
✔ held on select Sundays
✔ on Zoom
✔ free to join
✔ for parents who found out their child is DHH within the past year

Find out more at bit.ly/aftertheapp

06/23/2026

One thing I wish families knew when I was a school-based speech therapist… 💭

School-based speech therapy serves an important purpose, but it’s also important to understand what it is designed to do.

✔️ Services are often provided in a group setting, so therapy minutes may be shared among multiple students.
✔️ Goals focus on skills that impact educational access and success.
✔️ Eligibility and service frequency are guided by federal and state regulations, and there are limits to how often students can be pulled from class.

Because of this, school-based therapy is not always “enough” support or even the right fit at all for every child.

When I worked in the schools, there were many times I wished I could tell families that their child may benefit from private speech therapy in addition to school services. In my district, making those recommendations was prohibited.

Many families rely on school teams to help guide them and may not realize that additional supports are available outside of school. I wish I had been able to share that information more openly.

School-based therapy and private therapy are not competitors. They serve different purposes and can work beautifully together to support a child’s communication goals, when necessary. 💗

Disclaimer: This was my experience in one school district and may not reflect the policies or expectations of every district. I am simply sharing something I wish I had more control over as a school-based SLP and something I think parents should be aware of.

:Visual Description:
A 30 year old white woman sits in a speech therapy office and speaks directly to the camera. Her hair is long and dark and worn in a ponytail. Behind her are speech and language therapy materials, including an AAC/core vocabulary poster, children’s books, a printer, and colorful storage bins. Closed captions appear on screen for the duration of the video. The speaker uses natural facial expressions and hand gestures while talking.)

06/16/2026

Have you ever gotten your child’s audiogram and thought, “What am I even looking at?” 🤔🦻🏻

As a speech-language pathologist (not an audiologist!), I work with many deaf and hard of hearing children and spend a lot of time helping families understand hearing test results.

In this reel, I’m breaking down the basics of how to read an audiogram 📊

An audiogram is one of the many tools audiologists use to gather information about a person’s hearing. It can help describe:
✨ The degree (severity) of hearing loss
✨ The shape of the hearing loss (how hearing varies across different pitches)
✨ The type of hearing loss

It’s important to remember that audiologists use a variety of tests (not just the audiogram) to come to these conclusions.

This reel is a simplified introduction designed to help you feel more confident when looking at an audiogram for the first time. 💗

Want to dive deeper? I created a step-by-step guide to reading audiograms, complete with practice pages for parents, students, and professionals. You’ll find it in my TPT store linked in my bio! 🔗

(Visual Description: A vertical Instagram reel opens with a close-up view of a laptop screen displaying an audiogram chart. The creator scrolls through and points out different parts of the audiogram while a voiceover explains how to interpret the graph. Various audiogram examples, labels, and diagrams appear on screen as concepts are discussed, including hearing thresholds, frequencies (pitch), hearing levels (loudness), symbols for the right and left ears, and examples of different hearing loss configurations. The visuals consist primarily of educational slides and audiogram graphics with text overlays highlighting key information. No people appear on screen; the focus remains on the audiogram examples and instructional materials being discussed in the voiceover.)