Episode 124
Play Dumb and Sabotage: A New Approach to Language Learning
Jeaneen Tang, a seasoned speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience, joins the podcast to discuss her mission to empower parents and educators with effective language development strategies for children. Her new book, "Play Dumb and Sabotage," emphasizes the importance of mindful anticipation and the need for caregivers to allow children to express their needs rather than over-assist them. Throughout the conversation, Janine shares inspiring stories of her work with children, including a remarkable transformation of a non-verbal child who gained the ability to converse after addressing vision issues. She also highlights the significance of understanding that communication includes moments of frustration, such as crying, and how these instances can help stretch a child's abilities. With practical tips and insights, Janine aims to reduce the number of children needing speech therapy by equipping caregivers with the knowledge to foster language growth in everyday interactions.
The insightful dialogue with JeaneenTang invites listeners into the world of speech-language pathology, where she passionately advocates for empowering children through effective communication strategies. With a career spanning over 20 years, Janine aims to reduce the need for speech therapy by equipping parents and caregivers with the knowledge to foster language development in their children. Her book, 'Play Dumb and Sabotage,' serves as a practical guide, urging adults to step back and allow children the space to express themselves rather than immediately fulfilling their needs. This philosophy not only nurtures communication skills but also builds confidence and independence in young learners.
Jeaneen shares her life-changing experiences with children in her practice as the conversation unfolds, including a compelling story about Rose, a child on the autism spectrum who transformed from being non-verbal to actively engaging in conversations. Jeaneen’s approach emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the underlying issues that may hinder a child's ability to communicate, such as uncorrected vision. This pivotal moment in Rose's life illustrates how small changes can significantly improve a child's ability to express themselves. Jeaneen Tang, a seasoned speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience, joins the podcast to discuss her mission to empower parents and educators with effective language development strategies for children. Her new book, "Play Dumb and Sabotage," emphasizes the importance of mindful anticipation and the need for caregivers to allow children to express their needs rather than over-assist them. Throughout the conversation, Janine shares inspiring stories of her work with children, including a remarkable transformation of a non-verbal child who gained the ability to converse after addressing vision issues. She also highlights the significance of understanding that communication includes moments of frustration, such as crying, and how these instances can help stretch a child's abilities. With practical tips and insights, Janine aims to reduce the number of children needing speech therapy by equipping caregivers with the knowledge to foster language growth in everyday interactions.
The insightful dialogue with JeaneenTang invites listeners into the world of speech-language pathology, where she passionately advocates for empowering children through effective communication strategies. With a career spanning over 20 years, Janine aims to reduce the need for speech therapy by equipping parents and caregivers with the knowledge to foster language development in their children. Her book, 'Play Dumb and Sabotage,' serves as a practical guide, urging adults to step back and allow children the space to express themselves rather than immediately fulfilling their needs. This philosophy not only nurtures communication skills but also builds confidence and independence in young learners.
As the conversation unfolds, Jeaneen shares her life-changing experiences with children in her practice. One compelling story is about Rose, a child on the autism spectrum who transformed from being nonverbal to actively engaging in conversations. Jeaneen’s approach emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the underlying issues that may hinder a child's ability to communicate, such as uncorrected vision. This pivotal moment in Rose's life illustrates how small changes can significantly improve a child's ability to express themselves.
The episode is rich with practical advice for parents, including strategies to create opportunities for language practice during everyday activities. Janine's insights challenge common misconceptions about child development, particularly the tendency to avoid letting children experience discomfort or challenges. She encourages parents to embrace those moments as opportunities for growth and learning. This discussion serves as a vital resource for anyone involved in child-rearing or education, providing actionable strategies and a renewed perspective on the importance of fostering communication skills in children.
The episode is rich with practical advice for parents, including strategies to create opportunities for language practice during everyday activities. Janine's insights challenge common misconceptions about child development, particularly the tendency to avoid letting children experience discomfort or challenges. She encourages parents to embrace those moments as opportunities for growth and learning. This discussion serves as a vital resource for anyone involved in child-rearing or education, providing actionable strategies and a renewed perspective on the importance of fostering communication skills in children.
Takeaways:
- Jeaneen Tang emphasizes the importance of treating others with kindness as the golden rule.
- Effective communication with children involves understanding their needs without overanticipating or doing too much for them.
- Parents should be encouraged to seek professional help if they suspect their child needs speech therapy.
- Jeaneen shares a touching story about a non-verbal child whose communication improved significantly with proper support.
- Her book, 'Play Dumb and Sabotage', aims to educate parents about language development strategies.
- The future of speech therapy may involve AI tools to support communication practice in children.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
My guest today is Janine Tang.
Host:She's a speech language pathologist with over 20 years of experience with working with children in school age and early intervention populations.
Host:Although she's able to personally help hundreds of children and families directly, her dream is to increase her impact exponentially and help children and families around the world the strategies for developing language in our youth.
Host:Welcome her to the podcast.
Host:Well, good morning.
Host:How are you doing today?
Janine Tang:I'm doing well, thank you.
Janine Tang:How are you?
Host:I'm good.
Host:It's so good to have you on.
Host:Looking forward to this conversation.
Host:I'm sure so many people will benefit from our conversation, so I'm looking forward to diving right in and seeing where this takes us.
Janine Tang:Awesome.
Janine Tang:Thank you.
Host:I love to ask my guests this question.
Host:First though, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Janine Tang:You know, I think, you know, leading your life by the golden rule, right?
Janine Tang:Treat others like you want to be treated.
Janine Tang:So I think I, I, I try to do that as much as possible so I can be the best person I can be.
Janine Tang:And hopefully the people that I interact with will be the best people that they can be as well.
Host:That's such a good piece of advice.
Host:It's so, so true.
Host:I've heard so many people talk about how important that rule has been for their life and just the way they interact with people and show people respect and honor, especially in the work that you do.
Host:I think that's critical to be able to see people as individuals who are unique and have something special to offer to the world.
Janine Tang:Yes, absolutely.
Host:So tell me about some people in your life who serve to inspire you or be a mentor for you on your journey.
Janine Tang:Yeah, my, my biggest mentor, you know, was her name is Kathy Mayamori.
Janine Tang:And when I graduated from speech pathology school, you know, if they have a mentor for about nine months, so you're not, you know, just flailing around in the world.
Janine Tang:And I worked in the school district and she was my mentor for nine months and I literally called her every day and know she was such a resource for me.
Janine Tang:She was never stressed.
Janine Tang:She was never like overwhelmed.
Janine Tang:She always was smiling.
Janine Tang:She was always so helpful and never, she was never too busy to help me.
Janine Tang:And, you know, it really helped me be a better therapist because then I could mirror what she was doing, how she was interacting with kids and parents, and it was just super helpful.
Janine Tang:And you know, the team that we worked with as well, the other speech therapists on our team, they were also great mentors and they've all retired now, so I was like, the young one.
Janine Tang:And I was going into.
Janine Tang:To work in the schools, and.
Janine Tang:And I was able to learn from these really great, seasoned therapists.
Host:So what got you into that line of work?
Host:I know something my wife always thought she wanted to do.
Host:So what led you into that particular field?
Janine Tang:You know, I really didn't know what I wanted to do exactly in life, you know, but I think when I was about eight years old, my grandfather was ill.
Janine Tang:He had lung cancer, and he ended up passing away.
Janine Tang:And I remember feeling at that time, very helpless, like I wanted to help him and I wanted to do more.
Janine Tang:But being eight years old, you can only do so much.
Janine Tang:And so I wanted to be helpful or be, you know, be a positive thing in people's lives.
Janine Tang:And I think that sparked this need to help people and.
Janine Tang:And nurture people.
Janine Tang:And so going through school, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do.
Janine Tang:I thought maybe I'd want to be a teacher, because I had really great teachers.
Janine Tang:I loved, you know, teaching other people things.
Janine Tang:And when I was in high school, I played sports, and I learned about physical therapy because you get injured and, you know, you learn about all these things.
Janine Tang:And I was like, well, maybe that could be.
Janine Tang:Could have been somebody that could have helped my grandfather.
Janine Tang:So I looked into physical therapy school, but you needed a master's degree at the time.
Janine Tang:And.
Janine Tang:And so I figured, well, why don't I get my bachelor's degree in something else I love, which was English literature and creative writing?
Janine Tang:And so I was going through my bachelor's program, and when it came time to apply to physical therapy school, I was not 100% sure that I wanted to do that.
Janine Tang:And someone said, well, have you thought about speech therapy?
Janine Tang:Because I was doing competitive speech in high school and college competitions.
Janine Tang:And I was like, well, let me take a look at what that is.
Janine Tang:And I was going to school in Oregon at the time, but I'm from Hawaii.
Janine Tang:And so I looked at our University of Hawaii at Manoa, and they had a graduate program for speech therapy.
Janine Tang:So I thought it was kind of perfect.
Janine Tang:I could go back home, I could apply and.
Janine Tang:And be home and study at grad school and then come to find out, you know, there's a shortage of speech therapists in all different areas, right, in the schools and the hospitals and all that.
Janine Tang:And so the school district was really, really desperate for therapists.
Janine Tang:And so they gave us a stipend and said, well, if you work for us for three years, we will literally give you.
Janine Tang:I think it was like, $113,000.
Janine Tang:And that covered, you know, I was in state tuition, so it pretty much covered my graduate school program.
Janine Tang:So I thought of it as a automatic job.
Janine Tang:And then I got to, you know, not have debt for grad school.
Host:That's amazing.
Host:I always think I know people who have had a need of speech therapy.
Host:My church has all had schools, and we had various different levels of kids with particularly learning issues that they struggled with.
Host:Maybe think about one case that you worked with, one student that particularly resonated with you and tell us how that turned out.
Janine Tang:Yeah, we have so many kids that I worked with, but one child that I still work with today.
Janine Tang:You know, I started working with her when she was about two and a half years old.
Janine Tang:Her name is Rose, and she's on the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
Janine Tang:And she was basically non verbal.
Janine Tang:You know, very few words.
Janine Tang:She would vocalize a little bit.
Janine Tang:Come to find out, she was very farsighted, right?
Janine Tang:She could see far, but she could not see near.
Janine Tang:So everything up close was very blurry to her.
Janine Tang:And they finally did get her glasses and the whole world just opened up and she just turned five.
Janine Tang:And now she's like, having conversation.
Janine Tang:She's very funny.
Janine Tang:She still.
Janine Tang:She still needs, you know, special education services because she does still have the diagnosis and a lot of the characteristics that go along with it.
Janine Tang:But she's so verbal.
Janine Tang:You know, she's always like, greeting me with, hi, Ms.
Janine Tang:Janine, like, how was your day?
Janine Tang:You know, just little conversational exchanges.
Janine Tang:And then her parents are always telling me, oh, we went to a birthday party and Rose is talking to so and so just like a.
Janine Tang:A different person, like she's not used to.
Janine Tang:And, you know, she's able to converse with a stranger and, and relate to somebody that she would not have been able to a couple years ago.
Janine Tang:So that's like one of the great, you know, stories that I love to tell because, know, it's.
Janine Tang:It makes me happy.
Janine Tang:It makes the parents happy.
Janine Tang:And, and the, you know, the parents reaction is really a reflection of the work that I try to put into the therapy sessions because the.
Janine Tang:To see them smile and be like, you know, Rose did this and this today.
Janine Tang:I'm like, oh, wow, it's great.
Host:That's amazing.
Host:So what.
Host:What inspired you to write the book Play Dumb and Sabotage?
Janine Tang:I wanted to create a greater impact on the world.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So I saw as a.
Janine Tang:I work with early intervention speech therapy a lot, which is zero to three years old, and I was seeing a lot of kids that were late Talkers, but physically they were sound.
Janine Tang:They didn't have any physical disabilities.
Janine Tang:They didn't have any cognitive disabilities.
Janine Tang:They had a lot of understanding.
Janine Tang:They understood what the, what we wanted from them.
Janine Tang:Like if I said, you know, pick up the book or you know, where is the dog?
Janine Tang:They'd be able to tell me by pointing, but they wouldn't express.
Janine Tang:And I was finding that a lot of parents did not have the training to work with their kids.
Janine Tang:They didn't have the knowledge of how to expose language, how to practice language, and even new therapists.
Janine Tang:I work with a lot of speech therapy assistants and they were still learning how to expose language and practice language with their clients and everything.
Janine Tang:So I felt like there was a greater need to train and educate and we could really decrease the number of kids who are getting speech therapy or need speech therapy that may not need, that may not have needed it if their parents or caregivers or educators were better trained and educated on how to expose language, how to practice language, and different strategies to incorporate that into their daily lives.
Host:I love that one of the themes of your book is, is mindful under anticipation.
Host:Tell us more about that.
Janine Tang:Yeah, absolutely.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So the title is Play dumb and Sabotage.
Janine Tang:And the, the play dumb part of it is we are as caregivers, teachers, parents, we over anticipate what the child might need, right?
Janine Tang:So if we're a parent and we have a little baby, we're going to make sure that the baby's fed, that the baby's dry, that the baby has a blanket or a toy or whatever they might need.
Janine Tang:We over anticipate what they need and in turn, the child or baby doesn't have to really do anything.
Janine Tang:Everything is done for them.
Janine Tang:And sometimes even as educators, we might over anticipate what the children might need and prepare them too much and not really think about what the child needs to naturally interact with in their environment.
Janine Tang:So mindfully under anticipating means to know what the child might need, but to reel that back and wait for the child to either be able to indicate either through a cry or for a reach or through eye contact or some kind of simple sign, and then to, to be able to interact, have that child interact naturally with their environment.
Janine Tang:So it's, it's knowing what the child might need, so not neglecting the child's needs at all, but knowing what they need, but also reeling that back and letting that natural interaction happen.
Host:So as parents, we always have that desire to want to do everything for our child.
Host:And so it's hard to kind of know the proper balance you're talking about.
Host:How do we do just enough but not do so much that we cripple our child while they can't do things for themselves?
Host:I think the hardest thing for me, I have six kids, is the point where our kids don't need me as much.
Host:And you feel like as a parent, somehow you want to do more, but it's like, no, they need to do this.
Host:And so you want to kind of push back and let them find their own way.
Janine Tang:Yeah, absolutely.
Janine Tang:Absolutely.
Janine Tang:Yeah.
Janine Tang:It helps with communication.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So if you're always doing things for the kids, then they learn to just be waited on in a sense.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:And so a lot of these kids, especially, we don't want the kids to cry.
Janine Tang:We don't want them to be uncomfortable or sad or, you know, we want them to be happy.
Janine Tang:And so to be good parents.
Janine Tang:We think that by not having them cry, by having them be happy all the time, we're being really good parents.
Janine Tang:But in actuality, in the terms of communication, it's really doing them a disservice.
Host:I love the fact your book also provides strategies, because if you're trying to figure this out as a parent, you need advice, practical tips.
Host:So talk about how you create opportunities for parents every day to kind of practice language with their kids.
Janine Tang:Absolutely.
Janine Tang:So the.
Janine Tang:The other side of the title is to sabotage.
Janine Tang:Right?
Janine Tang:And that's the practice part.
Janine Tang:So think about it as, like, if you're going to play basketball and you're going to be shooting free throws, you don't just shoot it every once in a while.
Janine Tang:You're going to practice it and have it be up to mastery.
Janine Tang:You know, you want to be good at it.
Janine Tang:So practicing little things, like during snack time, you know, you want to give the child a little bit of snack rather than the whole bowl of snack, so that you can ask for more, indicate more, or they can.
Janine Tang:You can model the sign for more, or you can do hand over hand if they can't even do the sign themselves.
Janine Tang:So you can just give them a couple goldfish or a couple blueberries or a little bit of juice or water so they can ask for more.
Janine Tang:And then you can also have like, a favorite toy inside, but out of reach.
Janine Tang:So the child might reach for the toy, or they might, you know, indicate they want it.
Janine Tang:They might grunt or something.
Janine Tang:And then you can be like, oh.
Janine Tang:And you can give them the vocabulary.
Janine Tang:Vocabulary like, oh, bear, I want bear.
Janine Tang:Here you go, here's the bear.
Janine Tang:And then model, I call it scaffolding.
Janine Tang:So you don't want to say like a whole sentence all at one time.
Janine Tang:You want to start off with the target vocabulary and then kind of build slowly and slowly, a little bit of a longer phrase and then the whole sentence or question.
Janine Tang:And then another thing.
Janine Tang:When I was, you know, would dress my son in the morning when he was little and could not even talk, I would say, what do you want to wear?
Janine Tang:Do you want to wear the red shirt or blue shirt?
Janine Tang:And I would hold it about shoulder width apart so he could look at one of them even if he can't speak.
Janine Tang:And then I would, you know, say, oh, the red shirt.
Janine Tang:I love red.
Janine Tang:Red is the color of strawberries, you know, and, you know, give him that kind of vocabulary so he's hearing all of this.
Janine Tang:And we call it language bombardment when we talk about something, a vocabulary term and then also expand on what we're talking about.
Janine Tang:So when you're holding things shoulder width apart, you can see where they're looking, even if they can't point or reach.
Janine Tang:But if you hold it too close together, you're not sure where they're looking at.
Janine Tang:Does that make sense?
Host:It does make sense.
Janine Tang:Yeah, absolutely.
Host:Yeah.
Host:You know, as I think about what you're talking about, you know, there's always some common misconceptions we have about language development.
Host:What do you hope that your book addresses about some of those common misconceptions?
Janine Tang:I would say that, you know, it's okay for a child to cry.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:There's this, there's a chapter in my book that says, you know, child's ever died of crying as far as we know.
Janine Tang:Right, right.
Janine Tang:So it's just appearance.
Janine Tang:Yes, I know, I know.
Janine Tang:We've all had that child in the restaurant.
Janine Tang:They're just like, oh my gosh, they're not.
Janine Tang:They just won't stop crying or on the plane.
Janine Tang:But there's this communication part of it.
Janine Tang:You know, crying is part of communication and whining or whatever it is.
Janine Tang:So there's this part, a part of the communication that the child needs to be able to express.
Janine Tang:And also, you know, when the child is crying, when they're a little bit older I saw, I say it's like stretching their ability.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So you have, you wouldn't tell a child who's not able to stand to run.
Host:Right?
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So I'm not going to tell a child who's non verbal to speak in sentences.
Janine Tang:But I might have them reach, I might have them sign, I might have them try to imitate a vocalization or a sound, right?
Janine Tang:But if I know that they can.
Janine Tang:Like, for instance, a lot of kids, they are so dependent upon their parent or caregiver to just provide something for them that even though they're able to use words or sounds, they will just cry because they know their parent will provide whatever they want.
Janine Tang:So if a child's able to say a word or part of a word or maybe even a couple words, but they're not doing that task, they're not saying, like, more.
Janine Tang:More cracker, more puzzle, but I know that they can do it, right, then I'm going to stretch their ability.
Janine Tang:And if they throw a little tantrum or something, I'm going to say it's okay that they do that because they are testing if I'm going to give in.
Janine Tang:And you have to be a little bit more stubborn than they are.
Janine Tang:So a lot of parents, they don't want their child to cry.
Janine Tang:So once a child cries or throws a little tantrum, they provide that the thing that the child wants right away because it's make the child stop crying.
Janine Tang:So it's okay for the child to cry, especially if, you know that they have the ability to use their words.
Janine Tang:So, like one example, my niece, you know, it's not really about language, but it's about being independent.
Janine Tang:So when she was little, but she was still at this age where she was able to feed herself, but she really wanted my brother to feed her.
Janine Tang:And my brother made a really nice peanut butter jelly sandwich.
Janine Tang:He cut it into little tiny squares.
Janine Tang:So all she had to do was literally pick it up and put it in her mouth.
Janine Tang:And he was in a rush.
Janine Tang:He wanted to go run some errands.
Janine Tang:And he's like, we have to go.
Janine Tang:Come on, you have to eat.
Janine Tang:And she's like, I want daddy to feed me.
Janine Tang:So she had work, she had this language so she could do this, right?
Janine Tang:And I said, well, you know what?
Janine Tang:I don't have to go anywhere today.
Janine Tang:I'll.
Janine Tang:I'll sit with her at lunch.
Janine Tang:And he's like, are you sure?
Janine Tang:I'm like, yeah, go, go.
Janine Tang:I'm fine.
Janine Tang:And so I said, you're gonna feed yourself today.
Janine Tang:And she goes, no, no.
Janine Tang:And I was like, no, you can just pick it up.
Janine Tang:You can do it.
Janine Tang:So she picked it up and I go, feed yourself?
Janine Tang:No, no.
Janine Tang:She would cry and whine.
Janine Tang:So I said, okay, well, go to your corner.
Janine Tang:Because she had a little, you know, timeout corner, and you go, sit there until you're ready.
Janine Tang:And she would cry, and then she Are you ready?
Janine Tang:She's like, okay.
Janine Tang:So she'd come back.
Janine Tang:I said, okay, feed yourself.
Janine Tang:No.
Janine Tang:So we went back.
Janine Tang:We went back and forth with this a number of times.
Janine Tang:It took a while, but in the end she fed herself.
Janine Tang:So I wasn't like, you know, you're, you're crying now.
Janine Tang:I'm gonna feed you.
Janine Tang:I'm like, I know you can do this task and it's very simple.
Janine Tang:So you're gonna do it.
Janine Tang:So it's, you know, maybe not that long for a lot of things.
Janine Tang:You don't want the child to cry for too long.
Janine Tang:But I knew that she could do it.
Janine Tang:So me being, you know, her auntie, I was like, no, we're, we're getting this task done and it's okay if you're crying.
Janine Tang:Because I knew that her ability was greater than what she was showing me.
Host:So that example you just gave, how do parents in that situation stay motivated and consistent in their efforts to nurture their child?
Host:Because your temptation is, I don't have the time for this.
Host:I don't have the patience for this.
Host:And so if you give in, then the child wins and you kind of sabotaging whatever progress you've made before.
Host:So how do you encourage parents to stay engaged in this?
Janine Tang:Oh, absolutely.
Janine Tang:It's a struggle, right?
Janine Tang:I've been there where I'm like, okay, we have to go now, so let's just do it, get it done.
Janine Tang:We're putting your shoes on, we're going.
Janine Tang:But there is.
Janine Tang:When you think about the long, the big picture, right, the long term goal of what you want your child to be able to do by just doing things for the child once they start crying or whatever is really sabotaging their progress in a way, right?
Janine Tang:So thinking about the long term goal, thinking about how you as a parent need to set a good model for your child, I think that's what the motivation is.
Janine Tang:Because otherwise there's going to be this control, right, by the child and yourself, and the child's going to win.
Janine Tang:If you just keep giving in, then the child, then the child is running the parenting rather than the parent is running the parenting.
Janine Tang:So I think that just understanding that the control needs to be in the parent and not in the child, but it is situational, right?
Janine Tang:So if I'm in a rush, I might say, okay, you feed yourself with one, I'll feed you with one.
Janine Tang:So we'll do like something where we can alternate, or I might have a reward system and say, okay, if you feed yourself for three, then we can do this game afterwards or whatever it is.
Janine Tang:So having a reward system in place so, you know, to get things done.
Janine Tang:So if you dress yourself in the morning, then we get to go to the park.
Janine Tang:Or if you, you know, things that kids know are very dependent upon their parents.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:Even my son who's 12, he's like, mom, you gotta help me change.
Janine Tang:I'm like, dude, you can do it.
Janine Tang:I mean, granted, my, my son does have a disability.
Janine Tang:I'm just like, I know you can get your pants on, you can do that.
Janine Tang:But sometimes I'm like, okay, we're in a rush, we're going to be late for school, we need to go now.
Host:Right.
Host:I love that as you did research for this book.
Host:What, what research?
Host:Data surprised you?
Janine Tang:A lot of this.
Janine Tang:The things in my book are from my experience, right.
Janine Tang:So I, they don't have a lot of actual scientific research per se.
Janine Tang:So it's really about factual things that I've experienced throughout the years that I've been doing this for 23 years.
Janine Tang:Right.
Janine Tang:So it's, it's a lot of hands on experience.
Janine Tang:But the writing the book was just a monster.
Janine Tang:I don't know if you've written a book, but it's, it's.
Janine Tang:I think the hardest part is getting the words on the, on the computer because, or sitting down to do the words on the computer.
Janine Tang:But yeah, getting, getting things done was, being, being consistent with myself was probably the hardest part, I would imagine.
Host:So I'm curious, as also a foreign writer, how did you set time apart in your schedule to write?
Host:Did you have a consistent schedule?
Host:You have a certain pattern you wrote?
Host:Did you write a certain time?
Host:Time?
Host:How did you pour into this?
Janine Tang:Absolutely.
Janine Tang:I think I, I kind of approached it like the gym where I would avoid it as much as possible.
Janine Tang:And I found that I wrote better at night.
Janine Tang:I'm more, more of a night owl.
Janine Tang:So if I, you know, put my son to sleep and everything, I would take the last couple hours of the night to think about what I'm going to write and kind of sit down and try to do it.
Janine Tang:You know, I wasn't doing it every day.
Janine Tang:I probably would have gotten it done faster.
Janine Tang:But you know, like, once I had the outline of the book done, then I could go into each different section, each chapter, and then I would kind of free write in that chapter.
Janine Tang:When I got stuck, I would go to another chapter and I would free write and do that and I would jump back and forth rather than try to, you know, begrudgingly trudge through chapter one until I got to the end and go to chapter two.
Janine Tang:Because I think I would have avoided it much more had I tried to get from beginning to end in one linear pattern, like pathway.
Host:No, that's so true.
Host:I tell writers, especially new writers, write the easiest chapter first.
Host:Because at least you can say I got that done.
Janine Tang:Absolutely.
Janine Tang:Absolutely.
Janine Tang:When I finished, like my first chapter, I was like, oh, wow, that's done.
Janine Tang:And then, you know, you, you go back and you go like, well, I don't have that much more in this one.
Janine Tang:And then I have, you know, because I was jumping around and, and filling in things with different chapters, I was like, well, I have a lot written, which is good.
Janine Tang:Rather than like, oh, I got one done, and then I have like 10 more to do.
Host:Yeah, I love that.
Host:As you look at your field and with all the technology and the new innovations, where do you see the future of speech without.
Janine Tang:You know, I would have to say that with the technology these days, with AI, I think that there's going to be a lot of abilities to have conversations with AI and to have speech sessions with AI, even though there's nothing that's going to replace the human aspect.
Janine Tang:But for, especially with, you know, patients that have strokes or kids with autism that need to have a conversation, practice, social conversations, I think that there's going to be an app or something that has conversation.
Janine Tang:Like you can have a conversation with Siri, right?
Janine Tang:You can say, you know, how are you?
Janine Tang:How are you doing today?
Janine Tang:And Siri will answer you back.
Janine Tang:And there's a little short conversation.
Janine Tang:I think that there's going to be something like that for speech therapy down the road.
Janine Tang:And I think it's going to help to complement the in person and human touch of speech therapy with a therapist.
Host:I love that.
Host:I'm curious, now that you got your book done, what's your next initiative, your next project that's on the docket?
Janine Tang:Oh, I have a few things that I have lined up.
Janine Tang:I would like to create my first webinar and then an online course, and then within the next year, I'd like to do a TED Talk.
Janine Tang:So I need to get every.
Janine Tang:All my ducks lined up in a row.
Janine Tang:And, you know, with the new year coming and everything, it's, it's, it's a good time to get things down on paper and really set goals.
Host:Yeah, that's so cool.
Host:So I love to ask my guests this question.
Host:What do you want your legacy to be?
Janine Tang:Oh, I would love, you know, as far as, like, speech therapy, I would love my legacy to be, you know, she helped to decrease the number of children that needed speech therapy or also educated parents, educators, and caregivers on how to introduce language and practice strategies.
Janine Tang:Because that's so much.
Janine Tang:So much of what I'm trying to do is educate.
Janine Tang:And if everybody could be educated, that'd be amazing, because I think we could really.
Janine Tang:It would decrease the number of kids that would need speech therapy, but also be able to address the kids that, you know, need speech therapy that have autism or something else that.
Janine Tang:That maybe the parents are unsure or educators are unsure how to approach, how to work with them.
Janine Tang:So I think overall would just help everybody to be able to work with kids and to develop language, and that'd be really helpful.
Janine Tang:And, you know, personally, my legacy would be my son because he is an amazing person, and I would love for him to.
Janine Tang:You know, he loves music, he loves dancing.
Janine Tang:So I would love for him to be able to achieve whatever he would like to in the world.
Host:So what advice do you have for parents who has a.
Host:As a child that has some speech issues, what.
Host:What words of wisdom do you have for them?
Janine Tang:Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't be afraid to set your ego aside.
Janine Tang:Especially, you know, if someone says, I think your child might need speech therapy, you should, you know, why don't you reach out either to your pediatrician for a referral or to your local agency to get an evaluation?
Janine Tang:Because some parents, you know, unfortunately, they take it very personally, right?
Janine Tang:They think, oh, if there's something wrong with my child, there's something wrong with how I'm parenting.
Janine Tang:And, you know, they are not a speech professional.
Janine Tang:So there's no.
Janine Tang:There's no expectation that they should be able to know how to work with language or articulation there, to have the ear to hear different AR sounds or how to repair language and grammar.
Janine Tang:They don't.
Janine Tang:They don't.
Janine Tang:They're not expected to do that.
Janine Tang:And so, you know, when.
Janine Tang:When my toilet is broken, I call a plumber, right?
Janine Tang:You know, when my car is broken, I call a mechanic.
Janine Tang:So when something is wrong or needing attention, you should really turn to the professional and get some training and help, because that's the best way to help your child.
Host:I love that.
Host:Is there anything I haven't asked you that I should have asked you?
Janine Tang:Maybe just where to get my book.
Janine Tang:I'm just kidding.
Janine Tang:I know you can.
Janine Tang:I know you're gonna ask that later.
Host:But since you brought that up, where can people find your book?
Janine Tang:The best way to find me and find my materials is on my website.
Janine Tang:It's called play dumbandsabotage.com and from there they can contact me.
Janine Tang:There's a free PDF on how to play dumb and Sabotage, and then they can find links for my book, my social media, and then any of my podcasts that I've been on and any upcoming events that I might have.
Host:Well, Janine, thanks so much for taking the time and for writing this book.
Host:It is so important because so many kids have some levels sometimes of language that they can work on and parents can know exactly what to do with some practical tips your book gives them and connecting with you, it can find out more resources.
Host:So thank you for taking the time to make this an important aspect of what you do and your mission in life.
Janine Tang:Thank you so much.
Janine Tang:I think this book really is for any parents and any caregiver educator that that interacts with children because, you know, as a parent, we go through birth training right when we have a child, but we don't go through language development training.
Janine Tang:I think this is a really great conversational handbook that anybody can pick up and understand.
Host:Yes.
Host:Well, you have a great new year and blessings on the work you do.
Janine Tang:Awesome.
Janine Tang:Thank you so much.
Janine Tang:Happy New Year as well.
