The Speech Cove

07/14/2023

Feeding therapy is an exciting journey that sets the stage for your child's healthy relationship with food. By teaming up with a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), you're embarking on a transformative experience that focuses on five key areas of growth. Let's dive in!

1️⃣ Oral motor skills: We'll work on improving your child's mouth muscles to strengthen their eating and swallowing abilities. By building coordination and strength, your little one will conquer mealtimes with ease.

2️⃣ Sensory processing: Textures, flavors, and temperatures can be overwhelming for some children. Our feeding therapy will address any hypersensitivity or aversions, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable eating experience for your child.

3️⃣ Mealtime routines: Establishing structured and positive mealtime experiences is vital for creating healthy eating habits. Together, we'll develop routines that promote engagement, excitement, and exploration during mealtimes.

4️⃣ Developmental milestones: We'll target age-appropriate skills like self-feeding, chewing, and drinking from a cup. By setting achievable goals, we'll guide your child toward mastering these milestones and celebrating each victory.

5️⃣ Behavioral strategies: Feeding-related behaviors, such as refusal or food selectivity, can hinder your child's progress. Our experienced SLPs will address these challenges with effective strategies, expanding your child's food repertoire and fostering adventurous eating habits.

Unlock your child's potential through feeding therapy! These five key areas are the stepping stones to a lifetime of healthy eating habits and joyful mealtimes. Let's embark on this extraordinary journey together and watch your little one thrive! 🌟🥕🍎

07/09/2021

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Blackwell. Hi Asia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today? I started my Speech Therapy private practice journey in 2018 however...

06/10/2021

When you think of COVID-19’s impact, respiratory issues, a loss of smell or taste, and other problems in the brain or heart may first come to mind. However, you may not have known how much the coronavirus can negatively impact your speech, cognitive function, and ability to swallow. Speech language pathologists (SLP) play a vital role in rehabbing people with COVID-19 who have lasting voice, swallowing, and cognitive impairments.

Patients recovering from COVID-19 may face complications that require the care of a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Learn how SLPs help patients regain cr...

04/22/2021

Though many have good intentions, we can often increase pressure on children during meal times. Bribes, distractions, and threats can lead children to eat for the wrong reasons. When kids feel pressured, this can create anxiety which decreases a child's appetite. We want them to fell comfortable and safe at mealtime!

04/12/2021

Concerned about your child's feeding/swallowing?

A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) will perform an assessment and suggest methods to improve your child’s feeding and swallowing. They may suggest tactics such as medical treatment, feeding therapy, increased food variety, switching the child’s position while eating, or methods to handle their behavior. An SLP can also work directly with your child to:
- Strengthen mouth muscles
- Improve tongue movement and chewing technique
- Try new foods and drinks
- Learn how to safely swallow
- Teach proper meal behavior
- Help with sensory issues

12/31/2020

Feeding disorders make it difficult for a child to eat, drink, or digest food normally which can comprise their health and development. The causes of these feeding disorders are often a mix of medical, developmental, and behavioral factors. Evaluation and treatment of feeding problems require the expertise of a speech-language pathologist. SLPs take an active role in treatment to facilitate development of oral motor skills for the advancement of the family’s feeding goals. Interventions often include therapies therapies to improve chewing and swallowing coordination, strengthen oral structures, and improve oral tolerance to a broad range of flavors, textures, and temperatures of foods.

12/28/2020

Articulation is the production and clarity of how speech sounds are produced. Above is the approximate order that children's speech sounds develop. If you are concerned about your child’s speech development, you can direct your questions/concerns to a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.

12/04/2020

Concerned about your child’s speech development? Refer to a local Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). To find an SLP in your area, visit http://www.asha.org/findpro/. A certified SLP administers standardized tests comparing your child’s skills to other children his/her age. These results along with other information can determine whether your child requires speech therapy services.

10/12/2020

“Cultural differences should not separate us from each other, but rather cultural diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity” ~ Robert Alan

10/09/2020

Are you Culturally Competent?

Cultural competence encompasses being aware of one's own world view, developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences, and gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views.
Understanding various cultural variables (age, ability, ethnicity, experience, gender, gender identity, linguistic background, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status) fosters positive professional and patient/client relationships. If we are biased towards our patients can we cannot provide the best quality services.