Author: Julie Levin MS CCC

Do you wonder if your child is too young to begin speech and language services?  Children are referred for speech therapy for many different reasons.  Infants may see a speech pathologist if they are having difficulty feeding or swallowing (latching to the breast/nipple), if they struggle to easily transition from the breast to bottle/cup or solids, coughing or choking during feeding) or if their sound production is narrow or limited.  Toddlers may benefit from therapy if they begin to display frustration due to limited or impaired articulation or language development.  Signs of that your child may be frustrated include increased tantrums, refusal to repeat themselves or reduced attempts to communicate. A parent is often the first to identify a problem

  Developing intelligible speech is not so easy. It means that your child has to correctly produce enough sounds to be understood. So what could be causing your child’s difficulty in producing intelligible speech? There can be several causes. It may be because he hasn’t learned the correct placement or manner of production for certain sounds. It could be because he is only able to inconsistently produce the sounds he has mastered. It is also possible that your child’s speech is difficult to understand because of structural problems or oral weakness. The role of a speech pathologist is to evaluate why your child’s speech is difficult to understand.  Finding the underlying cause/s for your child’s reduced speech intelligibility is essential to correctly treating the condition.

It is common for infants to drool.  Although less common in the very young child, mild drooling is still considered normal.  Drooling in infants and children to age 2 is generally due to an immature neurological system and or teething.  Over the age of 2, drooling is no longer considered typical and further assessment is warranted. After age 2, drooling is less socially accepted.  If there is no direct medical cause, drooling may be secondary to the poor development of oral motor skill and or strength of the muscles of the head and trunk.  This lack of development can lead to difficulty managing saliva.  Chronic droolers may show minimal or reduced awareness of saliva loss. When to seek help: Does

As speech and language pathologists it is our job to evaluate your child to determine the need for therapy. But how do you know when your child should be evaluated? Dr. Ann Kummer , speech and language pathologist and child psychologist, Dr. Leslie Rescorla conducted a study to assess children who were considered “late talkers”.  Late talkers were children between the ages of 24-31 months.  These children were followed until 17 years of age.  Results revealed that most children “caught up” by the age of 5 years. However, in comparing these children to a comparison group, the majority of late talkers continued to have significant weakness in language skills. It is recommended that parents monitor their child’s language skills from

This is the best time of the year? It can be. So much to do, so much to see, so much excitement for everyone. Lots of hustle, many parties, family visits and maybe a long awaited vacation. This all seems to be so much fun! Except if you’re a young child who may be reactive to stress. Yes, this is stress! Young children may experience stuttering (dysfluent speech) as part of typical development. Your 3-5 year old may be working hard to formulate lengthier sentences and convey more information. However, holiday time can excacerbate these dysfluencies resulting in several weeks of heightened repetitions of words and phrases. Be aware of your child’s level of stress during the holidays. Try to

Summer is a time for picnics, barbeques, sandwiches and light meals. It is exciting to explore the foods that can be a part of our summer meals. Taking a trip to the grocery store and the farmer’s market can be educational for the child who is picky about eating. Teach your child where fresh fruits and vegetables come from and the ways in which they can be prepared and eaten. Allow your child to smell and touch foods without having to eat them. Fruits and vegetables are plentiful and generously offered at one or more meals daily. These offerings can be new opportunities to try new foods or learn to eat familiar foods in new ways. For example, maybe your