Let’s Talk about First Words Resources

Let’s Talk about First Words Resources: Updated E-Learning Modules Available to Parents and Educators

By Roxane Bélanger, M.O.A., SLP-C, Reg. CALSPO

Speech Language Pathologist,

First Words Preschool Speech and Language Program of Ottawa and Renfrew County

First Words has a long-standing history of providing health promotion and outreach in the community since its inception. Far-reaching in Ottawa and Renfrew County, our vision is to facilitate increased awareness, prevention, early identification, and intervention for early speech, language, and overall communication development for families of preschool children. We want parents of young preschool children to feel empowered by accessing resources, tips and strategies to support their children in reaching their optimal communication development. 

To achieve this gargantuan goal, we offer workshops, visit community sites and playgroups and participate in parent-child expositions in the community. We are present on social media through our very own First Words Instagram page, we are guest speakers on the OPH’s Parenting in Ottawa Facebook page and visit local television shows. We take much pride in developing resources that parents, educators and the community can access on our website. We want to empower them so they can access the tools necessary to take action in their learning journey about communication. This Fall, First Words came out with four new and updated e-Learning modules to support parents, educators and community workers.

New & Updated E-Learning Modules

Our new e-Learning modules are available to families, community workers, home childcare providers, early childcare educators, teachers, health professionals, primary care professionals and anyone interested in learning more about communication development. 

To access our e-Learning modules, go to the First Words website www.firstwords.ca and click on the WEBINARS tab. Once you do, you will then have access to all our modules, including the recently updated modules. 

The following modules have been updated:

This module reviews the research on early identification and access to services. You will also learn about the various risk and protective factors that can impact communication development in a young child. In this module, all are invited to test their knowledge with a friendly and interactive quiz. 

With this module, you learn about how children’s communication should develop as they grow. This module reviews the speech and language milestones from 6 months to 48 months. You can access any milestone range in one single click. Parents, educators and community workers can then determine if the child is reaching the minimum requirements when it comes to communication development. If not, the First Words  Communication Checkup online tool is available to immediately refer the child. This is a great module for parents to bookmark so they can come back every 6 months to check if their child is meeting the next milestones.

This module is surely the most sought webinar as it focuses on helpful communication strategies for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Parents, educators, community workers and health professionals can access various strategies such as communication temptations, imitation, offering choices and much more! Icons have been added to label each strategy by age range (babies, toddlers, preschoolers) to help you access strategies that are age-appropriate. This module is for anyone working with preschool children who wants to help children achieve their communication potential. This module supports all children who are on the trajectory of communication development. 

Learning a first language provides the foundation for both brain and communication development. In this module, learn about the recent research on how children learn more than one language. Tips and information on how to help a child on their journey of learning their first language or becoming a dual-language learner. 

Recognizing speech and language problems early on is the best approach!

Check out our First Words Communication Checkup tool to know if your child is

meeting communication milestones. Refer online if necessary. For more information, visit