As many of you probably remember, last summer I went to China with Operation Smile. In January, I had the opportunity to travel across the world again….this time to the Philippines. This time, I went with the International Children’s Surgical Foundation (ICSF), which was a much smaller group, though no less effective. Two other therapists and I spent…
I talk about milestones on a near-daily basis with my patients and their families, but I’m also watching out for early milestones with my own son who was born in August – especially since he was born prematurely. As a parent, we hear a lot about early milestones from so many sources—our pediatrician, grandparents, friends,…
While eating is second nature to most of us and our biggest concern regarding food is when/what we will eat next, it is not that straightforward for many kiddos. The act of eating involves many different components that go unnoticed by most of us – things like the surrounding environment, what the plate looks like,…
Recently, I shared how you can turn almost any game you have at home into a language game, often without your child even realizing what you’re doing! The example I provided used the game “Pop the Pig” and I thought it would be helpful to actually show you via video what this looks like. Click the video…
Why isn’t my child talking? Although you may think this question is only for a speech therapist, occupational therapy may provide some answers, as well. I frequently notice a child start to babble and talk more as I work with them in the gym and on the swings. Why does this happen? Occupational therapists help children find their optimal…
Often, parents ask me about the best games to develop language. I have my favorites, of course, but the truth is most any game can be turned into a language game – the best part about using games you already have at home is that your child may not even realize what you’ve done! “Pop the Pig” is one of my…
Why isn’t my child talking? I get asked this question a lot as a speech therapist. Sometimes the answer is easy and sometimes the answer is complex. Some children have language delays which impede their ability to talk, but other children have the ability to communicate but don’t or won’t do so. Sometimes the actions…
When children come to see me for speech therapy, it’s pretty common for me to ask, “What did you do today?” Although the responses vary, this summer (when school was out) many of them responded, “watched TV” or “played video games”. It’s no secret that electronic devices have become immensely popular over the last decade and…
I used to be a little jealous of physical and occupational therapists. If you can’t get a patient to move her arm, you can move it for her. If you can’t get a patient to hold a pencil correctly, you can move her fingers into the correct grasp. Even if a patient is unable (or unwilling) to cooperate, you…
There are many things to love about traveling to another country. Learning about different cultures is very exciting, because there is always something new to discover. Yet, what I like more is identifying the similarities – it is always fascinating to find out about what makes us the same across different cultures. I recently had…