Does Your Child Use Jargon?

First time mothers You’re a first time mom, which is like going on an exciting journey with no roadmap whatsoever.  You’re in a constant state of both buoyant joy and crushing exhaustion. That’s why you appreciate the advice from your mom, your sister, all the moms in your life who love you and want you to succeed.  Even though you’ve read all the books, done all the online research and then some, it’s reassuring to see what people you know have actually gone through. The changes are coming so fast.  Constant crying turns to gurgling and sometimes laughter.  Erratic sleep, to snatches of sleep, to sleep training…eventually.  Breastfeeding becomes bottle feeding and then eating solids.  I don’t understand And when it comes to communication, random sounds become gurgling, then babbling, then…nonsense?  The books didn’t mention this!  And come to think of it, your circle of moms didn’t either.  What’s going on? What is jargon? Your … Keep Reading…

You Can do Speech Therapy at Home

Kids and the new normal Kids have really had it rough this year.  With a few exceptions, they are cooped up at home a lot of the time.  School was cut off several months early, and summer vacation has been pretty lousy.  And to top it off, Disneyland AND Disneyworld were closed! It’s definitely for their safety, as well as ours, but it still takes a toll. And kids continue to face a new normal, especially as it relates to education.  This fall schools will be run completely differently than ever before.  Some schools may not even open. For families who rely on schools for speech therapy, this is a big problem to overcome. There is an answer.  It may not always be easy, but it’s possible: you can do speech therapy at home. Evaluation Let’s start with the basics: your child needs to be evaluated for services.  Speech therapists are professionals with the education … Keep Reading…

Is my Child Ready for Kindergarten?

The First Step Kindergarten is a very important event in a child’s life.  It can be the start of a lifelong love of all things educational, the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.  Or, it can be a painful, intimidating process that can teach a child to dread the start of school every September.  Love, or hate, of the academic journey can flow from that first year of kindergarten. This naturally leads to two questions:  How can my child be successful in kindergarten? What can I do to make sure my child is ready for kindergarten? No parent can guarantee that their child will have a successful future.  But at the very least, they can make sure their child is in the best possible position to enjoy kindergarten and is ready and eager to learn. Milestones Developmental milestones help to chart the progress a child is making.  They can also be used to determine whether a … Keep Reading…