Jumpstart Therapy Center

10/06/2025

07/06/2025

SLPs are often referred to as “Speech Therapists” or even “Speech Teachers" (which, admittedly, flow off the tongue more easily than our full title). But let's not forget the "L" in favor of brevity, it's such a crucial component of our role and an area (language!) in which we are uniquely qualified to contribute.

We all know language shapes everything from cognitive and academic development to social-emotional and pragmatic skills. Including "Language" in our title adds a few extra seconds but honors (and reminds everyone) of the important role SLPs play in supporting children across various domains.

Head to https://www.theinformedslp.com/review/How-language-defines-learning to read our research review, "How language defines learning," and deepen your appreciation for the way language underpins pretty much everything. Oh, and you'll earn 10 minutes of CEUs, too.

The research:
https://doi.org/10.1177/07319487241288531
https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415241275775
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-025-01302-4

[Visual description: Cartoon of two houses. One house is labeled “Academic Achievement” and the other “Social Development". Both houses are built on a shared foundation labeled “Language Skills.” The academic house shows symbols like math signs, books, and pencils, while the social house includes emojis and words like “emotion” and “friendship.” The foundation below both houses is made of stones labeled with language skills like vocabulary, syntax, sounds, and semantics. Image text reads, "Now those are some great bones.No matter the goal, language is the foundation."]

31/05/2025

Our DIR Floortime workshop helps parents understand how to connect, engage, and support their child’s development in a relationship-based way.

Next batch: Saturdays, June 7 and 21, 2025, 8:30 - 10:30 am via Zoom
Sign up: bit.ly/dir-parents

26/05/2025

Teacher Franzene recently attended the Social Thinking Conference with sessions focused on “Social Thinking is Academic Thinking: Making the Connection Relevant and Practical” and “Building Self-Regulation through Executive Functions Using Motivating Tools.”

It was led by Social Thinking founder, Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP and Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP.

Social Thinking is a cognitive-based approach that teaches individuals how to understand understand how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect social interactions to foster stronger communication, perspective-taking, and self-regulation skills.

At Jumpstart, we are committed to supporting continuous learning and professional development to ensure our team delivers the most effective, evidence-based care to our clients.🌟

23/05/2025

📝 If you’ve been worried that your child isn’t hitting certain milestones…

If you’ve heard things like:
“She should be talking by now.”
“He should be potty trained already.”
“You need to get her into therapy before it’s too late...”

It’s okay to feel the weight of those messages.
It’s okay to have questions. And yes—trusting your instincts and seeking support early is important.

But also—please hear this:
You are not behind. You are not failing. You are not late.
You are exactly where your child needs you—beside them.

Getting support doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means you’re paying attention. And at the core of any meaningful progress is not a race to fix—but a relationship to grow.

🤔 Things to think about:
In DIR Floortime, we honor each child’s individual profile—including sensory, motor, language, and emotional development. We don’t ignore red flags—we explore them with curiosity and care. But we also know that true development unfolds best through attuned, joyful, regulated interactions—not pressure or fear.

💡 Tip for Parents:
If you’re feeling unsure about your child’s development:
(1) Seek a developmental screening or evaluation with a trusted professional
(2) In the meantime, begin with connection
(3) Set aside just 5-10 minutes to follow their lead today. No questions. Just noticing and joining what they're doing.
(4) Even while waiting for answers, you can be your child’s safe space right now.

20/05/2025

𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.

Make sure you check our Dr. Binns' DIR 350 course beginning tomorrow!

18/05/2025

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮.

We carry stories, goals, and the silent hopes of families — session after session, case after case.

We write reports late at night, stay up thinking about therapy plans and progress reports, and sometimes give so much of ourselves that we have nothing left for our own families.

Yet still… we show up.
We advocate.
We fight for voices that are not always heard — even when our own feels tired.

To every SLP reading this:
You are not just a therapist.
You are a bridge — connecting families to hope, to understanding, to progress.
Even with your limitations, you chose to lift up others.
That takes courage.

Kahit medyo naiiyak ako writing this, Happy World Speech-Language Pathology Day!
May you remember to save a little of the compassion you give… for yourself, too. 💝

(P. S. Happy Birthday to my dad! - the one who pushes me to show up but shows me that rest is helpful too)
👉 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗟𝗣 who inspires you.
💬 SLP’s, tell us: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀?

18/05/2025

16/05/2025

Did you know that Baby develops 8 (!) senses in their first year?

The interoception sense helps us understand our body's internal sensations. This sense lets us know if we're hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, and identify any other feeling that begins within our bodies. It also helps with emotional regulation, as some of our emotions are linked to physical sensations.

Check out our full therapist-approved article on the interoception sense and activities to promote it: https://pathways.org/what-is-the-interoception-sense

Check out our free app if you're looking for even more therapist-approved activities. Simply enter Baby's birth date and receive a custom feed of milestones, videos, and games.

Sign up for free here: https://pathways.org/sign-up

11/05/2025

Today we honor all mothers — your strength, love, and resilience break barriers every day. Happy Mother’s Day!

07/05/2025