Speech Pathology Associates

05/04/2022

03/17/2020

A Comprehensive Guide to Expanding Your Toddler's Language like a Pro

03/08/2020

03/08/2020

This picture thrills me. And it gives me hope! If you’ve followed my work, you know that I have been writing and speaking more publicly about parenting in the digital age. I have great concerns about how much of our children’s childhoods are being given over to a screen, giving up the vital expe...

03/07/2020

I ❤️ Janet Lansbury!

02/01/2020

Concentrated white matter invariably results in better cognitive performance in the kids who stay off screen time: they focus better, learn faster.

01/26/2020

How to Kill Your Child’s Creativity Kids are born creative geniuses. But unfortunately, by the time they reach the third or fourth grade, their creativity has sunk. With intelligence, there is a phenomenon called the Flynn effect: each generation, scores go up about 10 points because enriched envi...

01/23/2020

6 ways electronic screen time makes kids angry, depressed and unmotivated.

01/13/2020

Children learn their most important lessons on the playground, not in the classroom, researchers say.

01/09/2020

I have been preaching this forever. I hope parents are listening!

Lets get some real eye-to-eye contact going - dads included! J Molet, K Heins, X Zhuo, Y T Mei, L Regev, T Z Baram, H Stern. Fragmentation and high entropy of neonatal experience predict adolescent emotional outcome. Translational Psychiatry, 2016; 6 (1): e702 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.200

University of California - Irvine. "Put the cellphone away: Fragmented baby care can affect brain development: Maternal infant-rearing link to adolescent depression." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160105132724.htm (accessed January 8, 2016).

01/07/2020

Experts urge early identification and referral for treatment, even if a formal diagnosis has not been confirmed.

12/13/2019

Smartphones and tablets are causing issues for kids as young as two years old.

12/09/2019

There's no need to stress about getting them everything on their wishlist. Spending time with your kids is far more valuable.

12/06/2019

Out research showed that motor skills in 7-month-old babies predicted the rate of language development in children that went on to develop autism spectrum disorder.

11/30/2019

One-quarter of children who start school aren't developmentally ready. Play-based learning in the early years of school can help with the transition, as well as providing a host of other benefits.

11/26/2019

My child is not that different. She is not some mystical creature that nobody has ever seen or met before.

11/22/2019

Family Appreciation week at SPA.
We LOVE you all and so appreciate the things you do in helping us to be successful with your children!

11/16/2019

One of my favorites in this “Don’t let baby skip this step” series... Messy Food Play! 😆
Messy play with food can make a world of difference for little ones, especially if done early and in a fun, playful way!
One mom shared, “My baby hates solids. I put him in his chair, offered a bite, and he closed his mouth and turned away. What do I do now?”
This can be so frustrating for parents, especially when they did their research, prepped food, and can’t wait to see their sweet baby with that cute eating face. I’m here to tell you, it’s gonna be okay. 👌🏻 If this is you, start with messy play!
Rather than loading up that spoon and heading right toward baby’s mouth, stop and dump it right on the tray. I’d suggest putting baby in a diaper, laying a big sheet under the high chair, and letting baby have a little fun. (Just close your eyes and hold your breath if this mess is anxiety provoking for you 😂 I promise it’s SO good for baby)
Sit with baby, dip your fingers in the purée, paint with baby, smash food, taste food, and have a little fun. There are so many benefits. Look at this messy little guy 😆 He’s
✔️Developing his sensory system
✔️Working on fine motor skills
✔️Practicing his hands to mouth
✔️Smelling new flavors
✔️Touching new textures (with hands, face, and body)
✔️Tasting with his fingers (soon)
✔️Best of all: having fun (see that big smile) 😁👏🏻👏🏻
Messy food play is good for ALL babies (even those without feeding challenges)!Give this a try. Your baby will thank you!