Innovative Therapy Resources

Innovative Therapy Resources Treatment of individuals ages birth and up!

A licensed speech-language pathologist who specializes in feeding and swallowing disorders, expressive and receptive language, gestalt language processing, disfluency and more!

Dysphagia is a super complex thing! There are different phases that each have all kinds of things we see go wrong in the...
06/12/2021

Dysphagia is a super complex thing! There are different phases that each have all kinds of things we see go wrong in these phases which is what is causing the dysphagia!

One common misconception is that dysphagia and aspiration are the same and they are not!

Dysphagia can be struggles with motor planning, muscle tone, breath support, and so much more!

Dysphagia often doesn't occur in just one phase either!

Please check out the IGTV posted today for more in depth info!

I get the question all of the time... "when do I know my child is ready for real food?"Short answer.. They will let you ...
06/04/2021

I get the question all of the time... "when do I know my child is ready for real food?"

Short answer.. They will let you know.

There is so much to consider in the world of food introduction and with all of the information out there it is easy to feel overwhelmed! (as if being a caregiver wasn't hard enough!)

1st and foremost...keep YOUR cool 😎. Things happen and you need to be the rock in this situation. Be ready to take action but also know that being anxious and showing your nerves will only teach anxiety around meals... So take a breath... You've got this!

Readiness isn't an age, it is a demonstration of skill! If your child is sitting upright in the highchair with the harness straps on and isn't tilting over or leaning and shows interest (reaching for your food. Opening their mouth for bites) then you know they are ready.

Now it's time for the method. There isn't a right or wrong here! Choose what feels most comfortable for you and seems more natural for you. I've don't both methods with my kids and from my own case study... Well... The baby led weaned child is more picky... Sooo there is that! 😂

Whatever you choose, choose safe foods. Avoid nuts, popcorn, uncut baby carrots or hotdogs, uncooked hard fruit and vegetables like apples.

Drop your questions below 👇

Swallowing pills can be an adventure! 💊When I learned that breathing and swallowing were CONNECTED...🤯This goes for if w...
06/04/2021

Swallowing pills can be an adventure! 💊

When I learned that breathing and swallowing were CONNECTED...🤯

This goes for if when you're eating you feel like you get food stuck on the way down too... But when you take a pill, place it on your tongue, take a sip of water. Then, nice big inhale through your nose, swallow the pill, then big exhale out.

I used to choke on pills all of the time! When I implemented this, my anxiety went down and the so did the pills!

Also! With those lighter pills that float, put your chin down and do the pill swallowing process, that way gravity will allow it to float towards the back of the mouth. Heavier pills... do the opposite, tilt your head back slightly and follow that process!

Best of luck and happy swallowing! 😛

My goal this month is to share a little about everyday! Today I'd love to talk about just SOME of the things I help fa...
06/02/2021

My goal this month is to share a little about everyday! Today I'd love to talk about just SOME of the things I help families with in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders

For starters these topic areas don't even start to cover the many things that can be accomplished in feeding therapy but they are some of my favorites!

Expanding diet and variety is so important for so many reasons. It is less stressful for child and caregiver, it allows to child to be able to explore safely with new foods, and also allows the child a sense of control in how they allow these foods to be in their environment and how they are apart of their meals.

Gagging and choking during a meal for a new eater can mean that the child is learning how to move this new food around and is NORMAL! It is when we see this persists and see signs that may indicate that the food is going into the lungs (or aspirated) that we take a bigger look into things. Testing for aspiration may include but is not limited to and oral feed observation and a modified barium swallow. Feeding evaluations can be very useful even if aspirating isn't a concern to help navigate how and when to introduce new foods.

Improving oral motor movements can help decrease gagging and choking during meals. We achieve this through using oral stimulation, which is essential to wake up our mouth before and during meals, and other strategies such as positioning or breath support!

Of course the outcome of feeding therapy is to increase quality of life! Food is so much a part of most celebrations and when we can ENJOY eating in a SAFE way then we can relax! 💗

06/01/2021

Dysphagia awareness month!

Happy dysphagia awareness month! I love learning and growing in the area of pediatric dysphagia and I want to take this ...
06/01/2021

Happy dysphagia awareness month! I love learning and growing in the area of pediatric dysphagia and I want to take this month to really shed some light on issues that are often times overlooked by pediatricians.

Pediatricians are great at spotting areas of development that may seem behind and things like swallowing issues aren't always easy to identify during a 15 minute well visit!

Follow me for more info about what dysphagia is and what it might look like and when to seek help! 💗

I am back and with a new name, and at what a better time that better hearing and speech month! I look forward to providi...
05/14/2021

I am back and with a new name, and at what a better time that better hearing and speech month! I look forward to providing resources and services to those in need for feeding and swallowing, to fluency, to AAC, to articulation...you name it and I've got resources!

I am back and with a new name, and at what a better time that better hearing and speech month! I look forward to provid...
05/14/2021

I am back and with a new name, and at what a better time that better hearing and speech month! I look forward to providing resources and services to those in need for feeding and swallowing, to fluency, to AAC, to articulation...you name it and I've got resources!

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Pittsburgh, PA
15227

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Monday 7am - 4pm
Tuesday 7am - 4pm
Wednesday 7am - 4pm
Thursday 7am - 4pm
Friday 7am - 4pm

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+14128628704

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