Tips from a Speech-Language Pathologist and Lactation Counselor Breastfeeding is natural but is not always intuitive! Babies are capable and love to nurse however the breastfeeding dyad must learn to breast feed collaboratively. Establishing a good partnership for nursing, at the time of birth, can help with building positive and effective patterns for nursing at…
Fears, uneasiness, and worries are typical emotions for children. When the fear or worries become so big that they impact day-to-day functioning and interfere with home-life, play activities, school, and social relationships- this could be an indicator of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety diagnoses can manifest in many shapes and forms and contain many subcategories underneath…
Our Speech and feeding team worked together on this article to help you and your family achieve a more peaceful mealtime experience at your home. They came up with 4 foundations that can be easily implemented into your daily routine, here they are: 1. Schedule It is important that we establish predictable routines with mealtime…
Most people, young and old, love the Holidays! They are filled with fun unique activities, time spent with loved ones, and lots of delicious food! Although these reasons are something for many to be excited about, these same reasons are why the Holidays could be difficult for your picky eater. Here Are Examples…
Trying new foods can be a thrilling experience, especially if you’re a parent of a picky eater. We know the struggles that you may come across with a child that is particular about what they eat. That is why our feeding therapy team came up with this list of 5 Ways to Encourage Trying New…
Before introducing your child to self-feeding with whole/solid foods, it is important to know and understand the difference between gagging and choking. They are two very different experiences! What is Gagging? Gagging is common and developmentally appropriate for all babies throughout infancy. Gagging is the body’s way of protecting the airway of any foreign substance…
While many pediatricians have guidelines for when to start spoon feeding, the most important thing to consider is your own child’s readiness. The following items are excellent indicators that your child is prepared to sit in the highchair and happily engage with food: Your child can sit independently and hold his/her head upright steadily to…
Whether your child struggles with picky eating or not, food play is a great way to create positive experiences with a variety of foods. Food play is important for many reasons: – It allows for the child to interact with foods outside of mealtimes – It encourages development of fine motor skills – Food play…
Food Chaining is a therapeutic approach that helps introduce new foods while building on successful eating experiences. It is an approach that can be effective for all ages, specifically, selective or picky eaters that have a limited number of foods in their repertoire. Creating Food Chains In this approach, the child is presented with new…
In February of 2022, the CDC released an update of expected skills for speech and language development. This update lowered developmental milestones with no involvement or consultation from speech-language pathologists. The new milestones released by the CDC will likely result in a decrease of early identification and early intervention. Additionally, children may later be affected…
Interaction, Language Activities, & Development Whether it’s tucked away in your garage, covered in mud, or somewhere under your couch, we all have one of these in our house: a Ball! Read on to find out how to use it in a Language Activity! No matter what age, all children and adults alike find…
Typical language development consists of parents, family members, and professionals talking to babies for almost a whole year before anyone expects them to produce words. We often put augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and AAC devices in front of a child and expect them to functionally use it right away. We need to use…
AKA: Tongue Ties, Lip Ties and Cheek Ties Firstly, tongue, lip and buccal (cheek) ties or tethered oral tissue can have a significant harmful impact on orofacial development. It can also cause issues witb sleeping, breathing and eating. Keep an eye out for these red flags. Do not hesitate to reach out for a myofunctional…
With the cold weather taking over Chicago, and the ebb and flow of the pandemic, it’s important to know that Teletherapy is a useful and viable option for all families looking for help for their children from the comfort and safety of their homes. But did you also know that all insurance plans (as of January 2022) are still covering Telehealth…
If your child uses an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, chances are you have heard about the importance of modeling. Modeling, aided language stimulation (ALS), natural aided language, aided language modeling and partner augmented input (PAI) all refer to the same thing: providing the AAC user with language models using their communication device. Think…
