The following page details strategies that parents can use at home to facilitate language and encourage communication with their child from birth through age three. These strategies are designed to help children meet their developmental language milestones. From Birth-1 year: It is important to reinforce your baby’s communication attempts by looking at him or her,…

Does it seem like your child is a picky eater? Do you dread every mealtime because you feel like you are force feeding your child? Does your child refuse to put certain foods near his or her mouth? If this sounds familiar, don’t worry—there are methods to introduce foods into a child’s repertoire in fun…

There are so many options for shoes for kids. From the day you bring them home from the hospital, you could have your child in light-up sneakers or bright and sparkly sandals. Though it’s exciting to find the cutest little shoes out there, deciding on appropriate footwear for your child is an important task! Shoes…

What is elastic therapeutic taping? Elastic therapeutic taping is used as an adjunct to physical therapy. It is used to increase carryover from a child’s treatment session to when they are at home. Therapeutic tape is a cotton tape with elasticity woven in, which means that the tape will not restrict movement. There are several…

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING THIS TREATMENT FOR MY BABY? In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics began their “Back to Sleep” campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The campaign was successful in reducing SIDS by 40% in the United States, but has resulted also in contributing to the development of torticollis in…

As pediatric physical therapists, we commonly treat babies that have atypical or asymmetrical head shapes as a result of positioning or a variety of other factors. With early intervention, a number of techniques and positioning strategies can halt this asymmetrical shaping and avoid corresponding facial asymmetries that are often seen in conjunction with abnormal head…

Lift the flap, turn the page, lift the flap, turn the page. This is what many of us think about when envisioning an interactive story time with our kids. But, there are numerous other ways to engage your child in books! Building a bond with books can start when babies learn to hold objects in…

Encouraging your child to assume more developmentally appropriate positions during play I see W-sitting everywhere – in my daughter’s play group, at the park and even on TV commercials. As a PT I often get questions from parents asking, “Is W-sitting really a problem?” or “My child seems most comfortable when W-sitting. Should I really…

Copyright 1995/2022 by Dr. Kay A. Toomey   Does your child choke or gag during meals? Does he/she have difficulty eating any of the foods in a texture group or a nutrition group? The SOS Approach to Feeding is a developmental feeding therapy that allows a child to interact with and learn about foods in a…