Ho! Ho! Ho! Fun Holiday Gifts for Speech, Language & Coordination Skills
It’s the holiday season! Although many children might have tablets or video games on the top of their lists, it is a great time to look for fun games and activities that do not involve a screen and actually promote children’s speech, language, fine motor skills and coordination.
Communication is key...Read More »
20 minutes can go a long way!
Reading with your children just 20 minutes a day will have a significant impact your childs language development. To learn more and some interesting statistics click here.
...Read More »Yoga and Kids: What Are The Benefits?
You might have wondered why your first grader is coming home and saying that the class did yoga during gym. Yoga is becoming more common in school and in after-school programs, and there is good reason. A growing body of research has already shown that yoga can improve focus, memory,...Read More »
Decoding Dyslexia: October is National Dyslexia Month
This month is National Dyslexia Month, and I wanted to help spread awareness and share some important facts about this neurological condition that affects 1 out of 5 children. When most people think about dyslexia, they thing about struggles with reading. However, dyslexia can also affect speaking, spelling and other...Read More »
Ready, Set, READ!
Understanding the Link Between Speech, Language and Multi-Sensory Reading & Writing Programs
Did you know that children who require speech therapy are at a higher risk for reading problems later on in life? Developing strong phonological awareness skills in children with speech delays proves helpful in learning to read, and even...Read More »
A True Connection: Speech and Occupational Therapy
It is not uncommon for a speech therapist to recommend Occupational Therapy for certain children. Although speech therapists are working on a child’s ability to communicate effectively, they are also looking at the overall development of the particular child. Often, other aspects of development impact speech and language. In...Read More »
Back to School! The Connection between Spoken Language, Reading & Writing
It’s almost time to head back to school! That means it is also time to make sure your school-aged child is getting what they need in reading instruction. According to the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), emergent literacy begins at birth and continues through the preschool years. Initially, pre-school children learn...Read More »
When Traditional Speech Therapy Might Not Be Enough: Could PROMPT Therapy help?
Traditional speech evaluations include the identification of sound errors through standardized assessments and conversational speech samples. Therapy is then targeted for the individual, based on those assessments. Typically, children and adults are instructed how to modify their speech errors using visual support, models and tactile clues.
For parents of children whose...Read More »
Difficulty with Jumping Jacks? Eating? Coloring?
The World of Pediatric Occupational Therapy
As parents and adults, we often take certain motor skills for granted and expect our children to develop them at a normal pace. Pediatricians ask those key questions during early well visits: Is the baby sitting up? Crawling? Picking up toys easily? As the child...Read More »
May Is Better Speech And Hearing Month!
May is a month dedicated to raising awareness about communication disorders and to promoting treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing.
Let’s take a moment to highlight the important role that Speech Language Pathologists play in communication.
Here are some facts...Read More »
What You Should Know About Autism
April is Autism Awareness Month, a time for everyone to encourage, learn more, and understand all aspects autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Speech Language Pathologist’s play an integral roll in therapy treatment for kids with ASD. Many children with ASD have difficulty with social communication. Speech Language Pathologists bring value by...Read More »
From Crawling to Walking to Talking
Should we worry when our children don’t crawl? Is there a connection between motor skills like crawling, walking and language development? Current research continues to focus on the fascinating relationships between motor and cognitive development in babies, and it is becoming evident that there are some interesting relationships between motor...Read More »
Are Lazy Summers Harming Our Children?
This is the time of year when I hear parents talk about how they look forward to sleeping in a little more, running to fewer after-school activities and simply relaxing at the beach or pool. Should we encourage our children to sit back and do nothing this summer when experts...Read More »
Tongue Tied: Could the Need for Speech Therapy Indicate a Future Reading Problem?
I recently read a fascinating book, Overcoming Dyslexia, by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, the co- director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention. According to Dr. Shaywitz, dyslexia is very common, affecting 20 percent of the population and representing 80– 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities....Read More »
Bilingualism and Language Delays
There are speech therapists, teachers, principals, pediatricians and special education instructors who continue to encourage parents to drop a second language when they see a speech delay in a young child. In the past, most experts recommended that bilingual families pick one language to speak at home and school and...Read More »
Can Sippy Cups Become “Thippy” Cups? Speech Therapists Think So.
It is the cup of choice for parents of babies and toddlers. They are portable, convenient and most of all prevent a mess. But did you know they can also cause delays in the proper formation of oral muscles that are so necessary for proper speech and articulation?
Sippy cups force...Read More »
Screen Time and Speech Delays: Is There a Connection?
Screen time refers to any time that your child is in front of a television, movie theater screen, smart phone, tablet, computer, or hand-held video game device. Even if your child is watching an educational video, it’s considered screen time. Is there a possibility that prolonged exposure to screen time...Read More »
School Speech Therapy or Private Speech Therapy: Or Both?
Why do certain kids qualify for private insurance but not for school speech therapy? What is the difference between a school-based speech language pathologist and a private one? Should my child receive speech services in school or privately? Or both?
There are two models in the world of speech and language...Read More »
My Child is a Late Talker: Should I be worried?
Is your child a late talker? Have relatives assured you that it might be normal since he or she is from a bi-lingual family or maybe a third or fourth child? Did the pediatrician confirm that the speech milestones were being met, but you still are not 100% sure? Were...Read More »
When it's beyond a lisp or stutter
Does your three-year-old use sentences that consist of 3-5 words? Do they know the difference between “on the table” versus “under the table”? If you give them two-step directions, can they follow your command? Do they use plurals such as “cars” or “elephants” ?
The above questions...Read More »
Identifying Red Flags for Language Delays
When is it time to seek out professional help for a speech language evaluation? The answer? Maybe not so cut and dry. Most developmental milestone timelines are slightly different for everyone. Is their difficulty with communicating a sign of just a late bloomer who will eventually catch up? Or maybe...Read More »
