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 »
