Reach Your Child's Potential with Professional Insights
One thing all parents know is that babies don’t come with instructions. While most of us strive to be the most educated, well rounded parents possible, we are limited by the time we have and the knowledge we currently possess. I was about three months pregnant with our third son when our oldest son was [...]
Persuading a child on the severe end of the autism spectrum to engage in verbal exchanges can be quite a challenge, and I’ve found that ENJOYMENT works better than anything else. I’m super grateful for the Dr. Seuss classic . My son, Jake, just turned 17 and we both still enjoy that book! Over the years [...]
Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of all the therapeutic benefits of swimming and playing in the pool. Many children who have difficulty controlling their bodies for sports and gross motor activities will have success moving in the water. Its also such a calming and organizing sensory environment that it can provide a [...]
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 [...]
Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of all the therapeutic benefits of swimming and playing in the pool. Many children who have difficulty controlling their bodies for sports and gross motor activities will have success moving in the water. Its also such a calming and organizing sensory environment that it can provide a [...]
Here’s a fun little activity for kids who crave oral motor input. Use a straw to blow the “sheep” (cotton balls) out of their “pen”. We used our trampoline as our “pen”. Our goal was the blow all the “sheep” outside the red line. There are lots of variations to this activity: Use different types [...]
Children on the autism spectrum frequently have speech and language disorders with related attention and sensory processing problems. This combination of factors makes speech development and learning particularly complex. Speech and Sensory Systems Speech is one of the most refined fine-motor functions in the body. Several sensory systems need to work together for speech to [...]
School is still in session, but summer is just around the corner. How can you embrace the ethereal joys of summertime, while attending to the edifying tasks of school-time – and all while attending to SPD needs and honoring Better Hearing and Speech Month? Perhaps by grabbing your SPD Lenses and looking at something common [...]
If your child seeks oral-motor input, consider enriching his sensory diet with Fruit Roll-Up Fingers. My occupational therapist suggested this fun and tasty activity for my little sensory-seeker several months ago. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it. Here’s a little system that’s been working great for me: Step 1: [...]
Seeking Advice “Our 7 year old son has just been diagnosed with mild autism. He interacts well but sometimes, he goes into his own world and shuts everything out. He is always the “difficult” one, not eating what the others eat, not sleeping when he should. He has no empathy at all. Loud sounds are [...]
