To Our CPTWC Families: You’re Doing Great! Parents always take on many roles in their children’s lives, but due to the shelter in place order parents are doing more than ever. You are now your child’s parent, caretaker, teacher, playmate, therapist, and more. You may be juggling this with a new work-from-home schedule, or you…
Birthdays are incredible milestones—but for parents of children with autism, creating a joyful birthday party for your child can also bring unique challenges. The sensory overload, social expectations, and unfamiliar routines can be overwhelming for a child on the spectrum. However, with a little planning and understanding, birthday celebrations can be tailored to your child’s…
Mealtime is often a cherished family experience, filled with laughter, bonding, and nourishment. But for some families, it can become a source of daily stress and worry when a child struggles with mealtime success. If you’ve ever watched your child refuse food, cough while swallowing, or struggle to gain weight, you know how emotional and…
When your child is diagnosed with autism, it’s a life-changing moment that brings both uncertainty and hope. As a parent, one of your first steps is finding the right therapy center. This needs to be a space where your child can thrive and reach their full potential. Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA Therapy is known…
Speech is a complex motor activity that involves the coordination of muscles in the mouth, face, and respiratory system. For some children, this coordination comes naturally. However, some children experience challenges or speech sound disorders that make speaking clearly a significant hurdle. As pediatric speech therapists, we work closely with children facing speech sound production…
A calming corner can be a great tool to help support children’s self regulation needs. These spaces are designed for children to isolate, calm, and re-organize in a meaningful way. A self regulation calming corner can be used to take a sensory break and calm down when they are feeling upset, overwhelmed or overstimulated. A calming corner…
Bottle refusal is defined as when a baby refuses to accept milk from a bottle, either initially or ongoing. Parents often seek support when their baby consistently refuses to take milk from a bottle and they are in need of: A nursing mother who needs to return to work. A nursing mother anticipating a separation…
A weighted feed is a procedure that measures a baby’s weight before breastfeeding and after breastfeeding to see how much milk has been transferred/consumed during that feeding alone. At CPTWC, our Lactation counselors have the equipment to weigh baby and assess feeding consumption. To perform a weighted feed, you can: Place the scale on a…
October is AAC awareness month! You might be thinking, “I’ve heard the term AAC used often, but what is it?” Let’s break it down and teach you the AAC Basics for you. AAC Defined: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or…
Many parents involved in speech therapy are concerned about speech sound production. They are also worried about the level of language their child is able to produce. It is equally important for the speech therapists to consider a child’s hearing and the way they receive auditory input. All Sounds Are Not Created Equal If your…
An IEP meeting has been called on behalf of your child: now what? The process can quickly become overwhelming and daunting for parents. Especially if it is your first time navigating the process. So, it’s important that you know what to expect! Also, to keep in mind your rights as a parent throughout the process….
At our center, the feeding team is frequently asked what cups/straw cups are beneficial in facilitating strong oral motor, dentition, and speech development. That is why we have compiled some of our favorites with links attached. If you have someone in your family or know someone that may benefit from one or more of these…
Need to spice up playtime at your house? Need toy options that are not only fun for your child but also help stimulate your child’s speech and language skills? Well we have just the list of toys for you! We have created a list of our favorite toys! Also, we have suggestions on how to…
Read the latest Tribune Article to feature our clinic and one of our kids! In the middle of May we were visited by John J. Kim, photographer for the Chicago Tribune. He spent time with two of our therapists, Alex Meeske and Jessie Smith. Additionally, he met with one of our incredible clients, Hayden Cheng….
Just like us, children go through feeling hard emotions, such as anger, worry, disappointment, and sadness. As a kid, they may not have the words or skills to communicate and overcome those emotions on their own. As caregivers, we need to be there to help them gain these skills of knowing how to self-regulate and…
