All Entries in the "Featured" Category

Guidelines for Referral for a Speech-Language Assessment for Toddlers

I recently found a great article written by Marilyn Agin, M.D., and author of The Late Talker.  It was written for a pediatrics journal, but it also has great information for parents who might be on the fence wondering if their child will catch up on his own, or if they should go ahead and be referred for a [...]

Popularity: 41% [?]

NEW TO THIS SITE? A User’s Guide

If you are just now joining us, WELCOME!  I feel that the best way to begin to read information on this site is to start with our January 2008 archives (located in the left side column about half way down the page) and then work your way forward.  So many of my posts build upon information in a [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Pictures from Teach Me To Talk - The DVD

Pictures from our shooting days from Teach Me To Talk - The DVD.   
Here’s the link to order ”Teach Me To Talk - The DVD.”
 

Popularity: 16% [?]

Popularity: 16% [?]

Are My Child’s Language Skills Normal? Compare your child to the standards listed below.

Age Ranges

Minimal Expectations
(If your child cannot perform these skills by the end of the age range, an immediate referral to an early intervention program or speech-language pathologist is warranted.)

Typical Expectations
(Most children can perform these skills by the end of the age range.  In other words, this is “typical” or “normal” development.)
 

0-3 months

-Communicates with cries, [...]

Popularity: 24% [?]

Communication Basics

As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I often get referral information for a child with the primary concern listed as “speech delay” or “communication delay.”  These are often “catch-all” terms that can mean anything from a child is not saying as many words as other babies his age, to a child who is talking but is [...]

Popularity: 18% [?]

What Doesn’t Work - Unproductive Strategies For Helping Toddlers Learn To Talk

(Edited with the addition of #9 on March 18. 2008.) 
Here’s what I’ve learned, the hard way unfortunately, about behaviors that do not help babies and toddlers learn to talk.  All of these are helpful for not only parents, but also professionals working with young children.  Most of these are common sense, but worth repeating.
1.  The adult interacting with the child is (yawn) boring.
As even two-year-olds know, interacting with a [...]

Popularity: 22% [?]

What Works - Strategies That Help Toddlers Learn to Talk

Here’s what I know after spending nearly 30 hours a week for the past 10 years in the homes of my little clients.  Listed below are the 10 best ways to entice a child to interact, then communicate, then (FINALLY) talk!
1.  Play, play, play, and when you’re tired of all that, play some more! 
You absolutely, positively have to [...]

Popularity: 22% [?]

When To Worry… Signs of Speech & Language Delays

What’s the number one factor that unites good mothers across cultural, social, and economic boundaries?  (I’ll give you my take on those “other” mothers in another blog!)  It’s worry.  Most of us obsess about our kids.  In the first few months it’s all about their regulatory needs, basically if they are sleeping, eating, and even [...]

Popularity: 17% [?]