Oh sippy cups, how you have become a parent’s best friend. Who wants to clean up spills on the floor, in the car, and well….everywhere? As a parent, we totally understand that it’s easy to grab a sippy cup and get out the door.

Unfortunately, as convenient as sippy cups are, some sippy cups can actually be detrimental to your child’s speech and feeding development. GASP! I know some parents are having heart palpitations just thinking of getting rid of some of their beloved sippy cups, but let me explain why some cups can be damaging. Unfortunately, there’s a lack of information for parents regarding what kind of cups a child should transition to after the bottle but tons of marketing telling our parents they need get a sippy cup for children to learn cup drinking. What marketing doesn’t show is that SOME sippy cups are actually harmful, just ask any speech language pathologist (speech therapist). Don’t worry though, we can help you make a better choice for your child’s development.

Read More

To Crawl or Not to Crawl:

The Developmental benefits of crawling and potential deficits for non-crawling infants

All parents want the best for their children and want to encourage them to develop their fine motor and gross motor skills within age appropriate time frames. As pediatric therapists, we are keenly aware that the developmental skills acquired through infancy and early childhood significantly impact a child’s later performance with academics and within activities of daily living. Although missing one or two milestones here and there isn’t necessarily cause for concern, missing or skipping some critical developmental milestones can significantly impact a child’s performance later in life, which most families we speak to find surprising.

So, what’s the big deal with learning to crawl and why are more children skipping this stage of development? Read More

What does a Speech Language Pathologist do?

Surprise….it’s MORE than you think!

 

What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

A Speech-Language Pathologist (commonly called a Speech Therapist) is a skilled, licensed, master’s level health care professional who diagnoses and treats communication and swallowing disorders.  In order to practice, A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) must obtain Read More

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

& Sensory Processing Disorder

What’s the difference?

At first, a description of a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and can sound the same as a child with Sensory Processing Disorder. Constant fidgeting, difficulty paying attention, getting easily frustrated, being impulsive, having meltdowns in public, difficulty focusing with distractions, playing roughly and taking physical risks can be a sign of BOTH ADHD and SPD. Although ADHD and SPD share similar characteristics, treatment for ADHD and SPD are very different because they address different underlying causes/issues. Read More

Let’s face it, getting children to try new foods can be difficult for any parent. Often times, parents attribute their child’s picky eating to “typical toddler behavior”, “being stubborn” or “having control issues”; however, there is a fine line between a child being a “picky eater” versus a “problem eater”. Read More

Circle time can be challenging for most 4 to 5 year old children from time to time. When a child has recurring difficulty with staying seated, touching other children or is in constant motion, he/she could have an underlying sensory processing issues. Read More

Sensory and motor interaction provides for the foundation for a child’s growth, development and learning within the world around them.  Sensory stimulation/feedback and motor go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. The motor system drives the sensory stimulation and sensory stimulation/feedback drives the brain. It is critical for these skills to improve and develop to aid in behavior and academic learning. Often times, children struggling with learning or behavior have inadequately developed sensory and motor systems. Read More

Spring is finally here and children are excited about playing outside. Outside play times are perfect opportunities to encourage motor skill development while spending quality time with your child.

As children grow, they should be exposed to a variety of experiences that encourage their motor skills to develop. Simple things like choosing to walks on a gravel paths, soft sand or spongy playground mulch can challenge a child’s coordination and balance.  Playing on a variety of “unstable ground surfaces” will increase your child’s proprioceptive drive into the muscles which causes them to work harder than doing the same movements on more stable surfaces such as a road, wooden floors or concrete. Challenging your child with exposure to these unstable surfaces can encourage growth of motor skill coordination and postural control. Read More