A Parent’s Guide to Tongue-Tie
The information and resources in this article are not a substitute for professional advice. If you have concerns about your child, seek help and support from an appropriately qualified practitioner. What is a tongue-tie? Most simply put, tongue-tie or Ankyloglossia, is a common condition present at birth that restricts the tongue’s ability to move […]
How to Connect with Your Baby
Many parents describe absolute bliss snuggling their sweet new baby right after birth, but sometimes the feelings of doubt creep in when we try to soothe a crying baby. One of my babies had “colic” which resulted in relentless crying and endlessly long days in her first few months. No matter what we tried, she […]
5 Ways to Be a Responsive Parent to a Newborn
Responsive parenting (also called “sensitive” or “gentle” parenting) views young children as capable and independent beings and respects their developing autonomy. One of the leaders of responsive parenting with newborns is Magda Gerber, founder of the RIE philosophy. She teaches “respect and trust in the baby to be an initiator, an explorer, and a self-learner.” […]
Communication with Connection
It’s likely when you think of a speech-language pathologist, you think of them teaching a child to speak. And while that’s true, there’s so much more to communication than just talking or using words. Connection is just as important. Communication is a two-way exchange of information, feelings, and ideas between two parties. If I only […]
Why is play important?
As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I’ve been asked by other parents in therapy “When will he talk? All you do is play!” I’m pretty sure my husband thinks I only make playdough creations and play Go Fish. Actually, he’s not wrong – I do A LOT of play in my job, but purposeful play is […]
Bilingual Facts: What parents should know
As a bilingual speech-language pathologist, I am honored to serve culturally and linguistically diverse families daily. Through my education and experiences, I have learned so much about bilingualism and the importance of celebrating all languages around the world. Nearly 25% of public school students now speak a language other than English at home across the […]
Communicating with Baby: 0-12 months
I recently visited a friend with a newborn baby. As I sat and listened to his beautiful story of the first few weeks of his baby’s life, I remembered my first days as a first-time parent. The exuberant joy. The overflowing love. The exhaustion. The adrenaline. The anxiety. The awe. The feeling that you actually […]
The Dangers of “Wait and See”
I worked with a mother of a bilingual child with a significant language disorder who was told by the pediatrician to “wait and see” for TWO YEARS. This mother told me her gut feeling started when her child was three years old. She shared how she stopped speaking Spanish at home to focus only on […]
Speech & Language: What parents need to know
There’s so much information available to parents that it can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when you have concerns about your child. You may hear “children develop on their own time” or children “catch up” without therapy, but what does the research actually say? Here’s answered to some of the most common questions regarding speech and […]
Milestones for All Ages
Here’s a list of more milestones and ways to track your child’s development: Download the CDC Milestone Tracker App Learn about more speech and language milestones from CHOC Children’s or Tyke Talk