Steps 2 Speech

06/03/2023

New study reveals that daily book reading to babies from 2 weeks old is linked to a boost in language scores at 9 months. While I am not surprised by these findings, it is still exciting to see research proving that caregivers can actively contribute to a measurable gain in language skills in their babies before their first birthday with something as simple as book reading.

bit.ly/daily-book

01/10/2023

🌟 3 FAVORITE FIRST MATCHING GAMES 🌟

—> Three of my favorite first ”games” to introduce to older toddlers or young preschoolers are “Barnyard Bingo,” “Candy Land Castle Game,” and “Lucky Ducks.” These are simple, early matching games that kids just love to play. The skill of matching is an important one to teach, and I like starting with simple concepts of matching colors and animals. Even though I do not prioritize teaching color names, it’s a simple way to introduce a matching game when the child is ready for this type of activity.

➡️ 💰 Money saving tip: You do not need to break the bank constantly buying new toys from retailers. Check Facebook marketplace or local parent groups for hand me down toys and great deals. Sometimes the best finds are here!

—> Parents are always asking me for toy and game suggestions and these are always my top 3 first games!

—> Do you have any other favorites? Share them in the comments!

10/22/2022

Today is National Stuttering Awareness Day! The theme for this year is “Being seen, being heard: Representation and normalization of stuttering in the mainstream.” Swipe to read facts about stuttering! Images courtesy of

05/08/2022

This sums it up nicely! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there who rule the world! 🌸 💪

05/06/2022

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!
This is National Screen Free Week, a time to remind families about the many benefits of offline time. Here's a great resource for parents and caregivers of toddlers. Setting healthy boundaries with entertainment technology allows more time for talking, reading, and interacting.

05/05/2022

This is National Screen Free Week, a time to remind families about the many benefits of offline time. Here's a great resource for parents/caregivers of toddlers. Setting healthy boundaries with entertainment technology allows more time for talking, reading, and interacting.

04/08/2022

As speech pathologists, why do we focus on play skills for a very young child presenting with a speech-language delay? Why don’t we just jump right in and try to teach a child who isn’t yet talking to repeat sounds and words? Because cognition, play and language develop in sequence; they are inextricably linked. We need to help caregivers understand the importance of play skills when working with babies, toddlers, or young preschoolers.

—> Play is the best way for us to measure a child’s cognitive development.
—> True language skills are never going to be higher than play skill development.
—> Pretend play lets us know a child is becoming symbolic.
—> If a child isn’t yet understanding symbols, we know he can’t understand words.

Moral of the story, play with your child as much as possible every day! As a parent, have your therapist guide you so you know what level of play is most appropriate for your child and what skills you should be working on. When a child can engage in symbolic play, we know that we have built the foundation for language skills!

02/27/2022

—> “Urgency of Normal” is a group of scientists and pediatric, infectious disease, emergency, and ICU doctors concerned that COVID-19 mitigation measures for children are doing more harm than good.

—> They acknowledge that the unintended consequences of pandemic restrictions are now a greater risk to our children than COVID, and we must act on that reality.

—> They believe it is time to allow children the same return to normalcy that adults have enjoyed. Children’s schools, athletics, and activities should be restored to their 2019 norms. Children – and their parents – have shouldered an outsize burden long enough. Restoring normal childhood is a moral imperative, based on the balance of today’s evidence.

—> There are currently over 1280 medical and health professionals who have joined this call to return normalcy to our kids. They have signed their names to demonstrate their commitment to this cause. They invite other health care professionals to sign as well.

—> Please visit www.urgencyofnormal.com to learn more. Share this link with parents and professionals. We encourage all health care professionals to get on board and sign their name in solidarity with our children and their families.

Children, COVID, and the Urgency of NormalAn advocacy toolkit and companion webinar for parents, students, mentors, teachers, administrators, and everyone invested in taking the best possible care of our childrenAhora disponible en español The ToolkitWe have created an advocacy toolkit intended ....

12/25/2021

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!