Empower Therapeutics

05/01/2026

This amazing non-profit is looking for donations to give the gift of peace ♥️
Please share! Learn more or give now👉🏻 https://eden-landing-page.replit.app/

04/29/2026

Today was a blessing ♥️ We had our third speech and language enrichment lunch bunch following Toddler Tuesdays at Echoes of Eden Care Farm. Thank you to the farm for providing a peaceful space to host this event. Shout to Blissful Bites for the delicious and adorable farm animal cookies! Grateful for all the families that were able to join us today.
We discussed /m/ and /a/, sang songs with associated hand movements, and discussed literature and repetition to build language.

04/20/2026

Grateful to Blissful Bites for the beautiful and delicious cookies for our Speech and Language Enrichment Lunch Bunch tomorrow ♥️

04/15/2026

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series
Next up… How Swallowing Changes After Birth: Building Better Oral Skills

Newborns feed using strong pressure from the front of the tongue against the ni**le in a rhythmic suckle-swallow pattern. As babies grow, they learn to control and propel a bolus (mouthful of liquid or food) from the front to the back of the mouth for safer, more efficient swallowing. This leads to the mature swallow pattern, where the tongue tip lifts to the roof of the mouth in a wave-like motion — skills that also support speech development.

Encouraging this progression strengthens lip, tongue, and cheek muscles, improves feeding efficiency, and supports overall oral motor development.

Around 6 months: Start offering small, parent-held sips from an open cup and a straw cup. Both help promote mature tongue movements, lip seal, and controlled swallowing.

Limit traditional hard-spout sippy cups: They often maintain the immature forward tongue pattern babies use for ni**les and provide fewer developmental benefits. They’re convenient for occasional no-spill use, but straw and open cups are better for building important skills.

These tips align with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) guidance on pediatric feeding and swallowing milestones.

Every child develops at their own pace — follow your baby’s cues and check with your pediatrician or SLP if you have concerns.

If feeding transitions or oral motor skills feel challenging, a speech-language pathologist can provide personalized support. Reach out to Empower Therapeutics — we’re here to help your little one thrive.

Have you tried open or straw cups with your little one? What’s worked or been tricky for your family? Share below!

03/31/2026

Pragmatics communication 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Teaching Polite Interruption: A Pragmatic Skill for Young Communicators

Young communicators are often so eager to share their thoughts that they pipe up like an excited puppy that can’t sit still. This enthusiasm is wonderful, but it can lead to interruptions during conversations.

In my time in a Montessori classroom, I learned a simple tip that I’ve used in my practice and at home. If a child needs to interject but it’s not an emergency, they hold the hem of my shirt or the edge of a pocket. I then place my hand over theirs on the hem or pocket to acknowledge them while I finish speaking. Once I’m done, I thank them for waiting and ask what they need.

Why It Matters: Pragmatic skills, like waiting your turn in conversation, build social awareness and reduce frustration in group settings. Mastering these helps children become effective communicators who value others’ words.

Try these steps at home to teach polite interruption:
Observe: Notice when your child interrupts and gently remind them to wait for a pause, explaining why conversations flow better that way.

Model: During a chat with another adult, show the child how to hold your shirt hem or pocket edge if they need to speak. Place your hand over theirs and say a quick “I see you, just one minute.”

Practice: Role-play conversations where the child practices holding the hem or pocket edge, then waiting for their turn. Place your hand over theirs, thank them for waiting, and ask what they need. Praise patience with “Great waiting!”

Build Independence: As they get the hang of it, expect them to use the cue on their own. Remind with “Hold my shirt if you need to talk,” and celebrate when they do.

Sometimes pragmatic skills like this need a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the shirt-hem trick for polite interruptions? Share your experiences in the comments, we’d love to learn together!

03/27/2026

Digraph TH - tongue-biting sound 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Teaching the Tongue-Biting Digraph [th]

The digraph [th] is one that many children need extra help with, especially bilingual English-Spanish speakers because [th] does not exist in Spanish. It is typically mastered by age 6–7 for monolingual English speakers. A little more exposure and playful practice usually does the trick.
And yes, now that Thanksgiving has just passed, some of us probably heard “Tanksgiving” at the table more than once. That little mix-up is actually the perfect reminder that [th] is worth working on.
In my years as an SLP, the easiest way to explain [th] is simple: it is the tongue-biting sound. We stick the tongue out just a bit and lightly bite the tip while air comes out. There are two kinds: voiceless [th] (quiet, as in think, thumb, thank, bath, Thanksgiving) and voiced [th] (noisy, as in this, that, the, mother, brother).

Try these steps at home to teach clear [th]:

Mirror Play: Sit together at a mirror. Say, “Let’s bite our tongues, but not too hard, we still want to keep them!” Make it silly and fun while showing the tongue peeking out between the teeth.

Start Voiceless: Practice the quiet [th] first in isolation, just blowing air while lightly biting the tongue. Celebrate every clear puff of air.

Teach the Difference Between Voiceless and Voiced:
• Tongue tickle: Tell your child, “When we make the noisy [th], your tongue gets a tiny tickle, like a butterfly landed on it. Try it and see if you feel it!” (Most kids love this part and start giggling right away.)
• Hand on throat: Place a hand on the front of the neck. Voiceless [th] has no buzz, voiced [th] has a gentle vibration. This trick works for any voiced versus voiceless sound.

Build Up: Move from the sound alone, to syllables (th-ee, th-ow), to single words (think, thumb, thank, this, that, the), to short phrases, sentences, and finally conversation.

Keep practice targeted, fun, and simple to get the most without frustrating the learner. A few quick rounds several times a day beats one long, exhausting session every single time.

Model and Recast: When you hear “fank you” or “dis,” calmly repeat the word or sentence the right way (“Thank you!” or “Look at this!”). Auditory bombardment, hearing the correct sound over and over in natural conversation, is what provides the strongest natural cues and drives real change.

Sometimes the [th] digraph needs a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the tongue-tickle trick or the hand-on-throat cue for [th]? Share your experiences in the comments, we’d love to learn together!

03/24/2026

Easter is around the corner! Here is some help with those tricky R’s

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Working on the Tricky /r/: Two Ways to Shape It
The English /r/ is one of the most complex sounds in our language. It is a resonant sound with many variations, prevocalic “red”, postvocalic “car”, vocalic “ear”, “air”, “ire”, “or”, and more, and can be produced two main ways: bunched, tongue pulled up in the back, or retroflex, tongue tip curled back.

In my experience as an SLP, the quickest early trick, even before the sound is age-appropriate, is a big smile. Smiling naturally pulls the back of the tongue up and gives an instant approximation of /r/.

When children are ready for real work, usually after good tongue elevation and lateral control, we use verbal directions, mirrors, recordings, and tactile cues to build the correct tongue tension and resonance.

Why It Matters: Weak or inconsistent shaping leads to “wabbit” for “rabbit” or a “slushy” sound. Untreated /r/ errors can affect reading and spelling later on.

Try these /r/-focused steps at home to teach clear production:

Big Smile Trick (early or anytime): Practice saying “rrrr” with a huge smile, the cheeks pull the tongue back automatically. Use it for “red”, “rabbit”, “roar” and celebrate the growl!
Auditory Discrimination Game: Record yourself saying words correctly and incorrectly, “wed” vs. “red”, “caw” vs. “car”. Let your child be the judge: “Which one was right?” No pressure on them to produce yet.
Mirror + Recording Practice: Sit together at a mirror. Model the tongue shape, bunched or curled, while keeping tension in the back and sides of the tongue. Record attempts and play back to hear the resonance.
Build Up: Start with growly /r/ in isolation, syllables, single words, phrases, conversation, always checking the mirror or recording for that clear resonance.

Sometimes the /r/ sound needs a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the smile trick or recordings for /r/? Share your tips in the comments, we’d love to learn together!