Cost of Delayed Intervention in Texas

Research shows many benefits to early intervention and speech therapy for children. However, many children do not have access to services in Texas. The cost of delayed or absent therapy is significant for our society. Read more about the importance of early intervention and where to find help. Without early and appropriate intervention, there are […]

Pretend Play

Research indicates there are several risk factors for delayed language skills, developmental delays, and cognitive delays. One of the risk factors is decreased pretend play skills. Pretend play begins to develop around 12-18 months, but isn’t mastered until 3-5 years. What is pretend play? Children develop pretend play skills later, after functional play and constructional play […]

Top 20 Everyday Non-Toys for Language Development

Why is it that I’m always more excited by a new toy than my toddler? He’s perfectly happy with the diaper wipe box, kitchen utensils, and my scarf. Actually, most of his favorite play things aren’t toys at all. The everyday items he finds around the house and yard are where his creativity, curiosity, and […]

Helping Parents and Children with Independent Play

I’ve come to absolutely love playing with my toddler. His little belly laugh is delightful and his imagination surprises me daily. But as a first-time parent, I thought play had to be extraordinary to be “right” and that allowing independent play was lazy on my part. Admittedly, I’m not super creative and don’t set aside […]

Stages of Play Development

We know play is an important part of a child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and social language development. Play is fun, but it’s also how they learn about their world! Play development promotes language skills, social skills, and cognitive skills. If you’re wondering why play is so important, read about it here! Stages of Play Development […]

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 […]

Screen Time – What parents should know

Screen Time –Is it harmful, or can it be used to help children learn and develop? As a speech-language pathologist, my opinion is screen time can be both. Interactive media and technology can help children learn if used appropriately and intentionally, guided by an adult, and accompanied with language-rich interactions. On the other hand, using […]

Routines-Why are they so important?

Routines for Children Today, I watched my two-year-old walk in from playing outside, remove his shoes, and immediately take them to the basket where I keep his shoes by the front door. Without me saying one word! All those times I gently reminded him of my desired routine actually became his own little routine he […]

Summer Speech & Language

Summer Speech & Language Building Parents and caregivers may feel both relief and stressed at the thought of summer vacation, but –Good news! – we’ve got you covered for summer speech and language building! School Speech Services For children who receive only school-based speech services, summer means no more “speech class.” However, language development does […]

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 […]