Reach Your Child's Potential with Professional Insights
Have you been told that your child has CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech)? Have you had difficulty understanding what this is and what to do about it? YOU ARE NOT ALONE. This three-part article series will cover: The definition of CAS and who has it (Part I) The specific characteristics that distinguish CAS from other [...]
There are days when I wish I came home from work and my six year old son, Norrin, would run and greet me at the door, bombarding me with questions before I had a chance to take off my coat. My Reality Most days, I have to initiate. I’ll stand at the door, call out [...]
If your child is like mine, following multi-step instructions can be an enormous challenge for them. Sequencing and planning out the steps, remembering everything you’re supposed to do, and then actually doing it can be really hard. The Challenge of Vague Requests and Directions Autistic children struggle with vague requests and directions, or they may [...]
If you are reading this article, you probably have a child with an “ism” or a challenge. Yet, when you think about it, everyone has “isms.” I have been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for over 30 years. I am also a mom and have had two siblings with defined “isms.” So I have been around [...]
Communication is difficult for many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Even verbal individuals with Autism can struggle with communication. It is important to remember that there is more to communication than being able to speak. I am very verbal and enjoy talking to people every chance I get. Yet I still struggle with communication. [...]
Drill, baby, drill! That can be the first instinct when you are a parent of a child with a communication or language disorder. When that child is nonverbal and you so desparately want that child to be verbal. To talk. When J-man was still nonverbal, I dreamed about hearing him say even the most mundane [...]
March is nationally recognized as Reading Month and for the past fifteen years, the National Education Association (NEA) has sponsored the Read Across America Day. It takes place yearly on or near March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. To promote March as Reading Month, let’s revisit some wonderful articles. Developing a Love for Reading and [...]
It’s that time of year in our family, where there is excitement over crocus popping through the earth, song birds returning, and seed packets being sifted through. Since I was a little girl, my family always had a small garden on the side of the house. Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, cucumbers and carrots were some of [...]
I hate to “let the cat out of the bag” or “turn you off,” but I “smell a rat” and I would like to “spill the beans” and “bend over backwards” to let you know that there is, what I call, a Secret Society of Idioms. You don’t have to pay for membership or take [...]
JJ, my 22-year-old with ASD, was taught everyday social skills visually as a child through the form of story telling. In 1991, Carol Gray created “Social Stories” as a vehicle to teach social skills to children on the spectrum. Originally fueled by grassroots enthusiasm, she later confirmed this technique as an evidenced-base practice, and earned [...]
