Category: blog

‘Technoference’ refers to the interruption of social interactions by personal technology. An example of this might be if you’ve ever been out with friends at dinner and someone repeatedly checks their phone. This can happen when interacting with children as well. Correlational research suggests that technoference is associated with increases in challenging behaviors for children, relational difficulties for couples and co-parents, and aspects of parent- child attachment. It’s easy to just suggest to parents to “get off your phones” but consider a more compassionate and empathetic viewpoint: in a survey of mothers of children under six (self- reported,) mothers with higher levels of stress engaged in more problematic smartphone use, such as checking notifications. This use was then associated with

Reading aloud aloud to your baby is a fun shared activity— plus it's important for your baby's brain! It encourages your baby to look, point, touch and respond to questions. Your child can develop their language skills through recognizing pictures, copying sounds and learning words. You can start reading books to your baby as early as 3-6 months, or once they are able to focus on items such as a toy or mirror. For very young babies, whose vision is developing, you can start with high-contrast black and white books, like, “Look Look!” by Peter Linenthal or “I Kissed the Baby!” by Mary Murphy. By age 5 months, babies have good color vision and will enjoy bright and colorful pictures.

  With all of the holidays involving meals and food, now is the perfect time to invite your child into the kitchen and have them help with cooking. Cooking provides many opportunities for learning and skill development including: Following directions – model them, practice them, and enjoy the benefits of having their tasty food they made as a direct result of following the recipe. Reading skills – a chance to learn and practice reading about something new and exciting in a fun environment using the recipes and labels. Math and measuring – learning about various units of measurements and fractions, while using measuring cups and spoons to make a recipe. Descriptive language – use vocabulary to describe the different senses of smell,

  Attached are a few resources to learn some early signs with your toddler.  When teaching signs, I always begin teaching the following signs first and then building up from here.  These specific signs can be found on the PDF document attached below: “Hi”, “Bye”, “More”, “Done”, “Me”, “Help”, “Open”, “Eat”, “Stop”, “Play”, “Jump”, “Go”.  I might begin first by choosing 1-2 target signs to focus on in the initial session.  From here, I will consistently model and demonstrate the sign paired with the verbalization of the sign while engaging in play based tasks.  My expressions and motor movements will likely be dramatic and aim to excite and engage the toddler with my actions.  Once I am engaged in a

Jen Richardson is an educational audiologist who works with those with hearing needs in grades K-12. She was recruited by a young client’s mother who worked for the American Girl company. Richardson provided her expertise on creating a hearing aid for the company’s new doll, Joss. In addition to providing pediatric hearing aids and various accessories to the company to help with the physical design, Richardson provided information that contributed to the character’s story. According to the book, Joss wears a hearing aid in her right ear due to a bilateral hearing loss and occasionally utilizes sign language. Richardson was also contacted for her input on a new Barbie doll. This posed a challenge due to Barbie’s tiny features but

The kids’ TV show “Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go” recently introduced a new character who has autism. The character’s name is Bruno the Brake Car and he is voiced by child actors who also have autism. Chuck Smith voices the U.S. version of the show, while Elliot Garcia voices the U.K. version. The TV show’s production company, Mattel Television, consulted with various autism organizations and Autistic people when developing the character. Refer to Shelley D. Hutchin’s article from the ASHA LeaderLive listed below. Hutchins, Shelley D. (2022). Thomas the Tank Engine Introduces Autistic Train Voiced by Autistic Actors. The ASHA LeaderLive. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/2022-1011-thomas-autistic-train-slp/full/

As the holiday season quickly approaches look out for some of these recommended toys on Amazon! Here is a list along with some speech/language targets to be utilized at home: https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Laugh-Stages-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B00OZAI56M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=29CBTRJ4CXNYH&keywords=piggy+bank+game&qid=1666710133&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjQzIiwicXNhIjoiMi4xMyIsInFzcCI6IjEuNTcifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=piggy+bank+gam%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-2 Piggy Bank: requesting, turn taking, expanding utterance length , identification/labeling qualitative (color)/quantitative (numerical) concepts, following directions https://www.amazon.com/B-Critter-Clinic-Toy-Play/dp/B00B16U50C/ref=sr_1_2?crid=XCV4FUUXNI98&keywords=animal+hospital+toy+with+keys&qid=1666710316&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjUwIiwicXNhIjoiMi41NiIsInFzcCI6IjEuOTcifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=animal+hos%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-2 Critter Clinic: understanding concepts (open/close), identification/labeling vocabulary (hiding animals/food/objects inside the doors), categorization of vocabulary (variety of objects in the doors and sort into each category once opened). https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Pig-Bigger-Belly-Busting-Burgers/dp/B091DSN2XG/ref=sr_1_3_mod_primary_new?crid=3MWBX4JZY67FC&keywords=pop%2Bthe%2Bpig&qid=1666710389&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjQ4IiwicXNhIjoiMy42OSIsInFzcCI6IjMuNTIifQ%3D%3D&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=pop%2Bthe%2Bpi%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-3&th=1 Pop the Pig: turn taking, following multi-step directions involving qualitative and quantitative concepts, functional language, language expansion, production of bilabials (pop, pig, big, more, me)   https://ganbino.com/product/john-deere-gearation-magnetic-board/ TOMY Gear Magnretic Toy: understanding concepts/following directions involving stop/go, on/off, fast/slow, more/all done, production of s-blends (spin, stop, start, smile,

Recently children have been prone to excessive screen time use due to greater accessibility from tablets and smartphones.  It is understandable parents are busy and need rest time themselves, however, excessive use can be damaging to a child’s growth and socialization.  Here are some recommendations on how to use screen time appropriately and reduce potential damage that excessive screens may be causing your child. How to cut down on screen time: Lead by example Children follow what they see.  If the child’s caregiver is scrolling on their phone while the family is at the dinner table, the child is watching and may internalize this as acceptable behavior. Have designated times and places where screen time is restricted If possible, try

Although there are many types of visual schedules, they all typically contain images, symbols, photos and/or words to help communicate a task or activity. Depending on your child’s age and specific needs, their visual schedule may contain activities by the minute, hour, day, or week. For example, if your child requires more structure, they may use a visual schedule that uses “first, next, then” language to communicate activities for the next few minutes. If your child requires less structure with their daily activities, their visual schedule may list tasks for the entire day. Visual schedules are a powerful tool that can help kids perform complex tasks, organize their day, or follow a routine. Benefits include providing structure and predictability and supporting independence. Here are

  Speech Pathologists and other service providers are often complimented by parents as being “patient” in their work with the pediatric population. It is said that having patience (by maintaining a reduced pace or giving adequate wait time to children) is not only a virtue but also a necessary skill for interacting with young children. Many parents might find it challenging to provide this wait time when interacting with their children as it can feel forced and time consuming in our busy day to day lives. However, implementing use of pausing, silence, and delayed response tactics are important traits of strong communication partnering that all children need. This wait time strategy, often referred to as The OWL strategy (Observe, Wait,