December 23, 2014
An informational update from the Western PA School for the Deaf November 13, 2014 Training Summary & Additional Info by Tamara Guo, M.Ed. Developmental Specialist […]
December 9, 2014
The term 22q refers to a missing part of Chromosome 22, specifically in the area of 22q11.2. It used to be referred to by several names, […]
December 2, 2014
During the first year of life, a child develops and gains new skills at an amazing rate. The infant goes from not having any voluntary control […]
November 25, 2014
This question comes up very often when a child seems to understand everything you tell her, yet she isn’t talking. Many parents report that they feel […]
November 18, 2014
Having been lucky enough to grow up with a family member with Williams Syndrome, it’s almost difficult for me to describe the diagnosis when asked what […]
November 10, 2014
As a physical therapist, I receive questions surrounding orthotics quite frequently. Parents and caregivers may have heard from other parents about his or her child wearing […]
October 28, 2014
Occurring in 1 in every 600 births, clefts are one of the most common birth defects in the US. Clefts form early on in pregnancy (between […]
October 21, 2014
Kids naturally like and need to move around to explore their environment and socialize with family and other children. Mobility is an important milestone for our […]
October 14, 2014
As a physical therapist, I encounter this question quite often when treating infants. I also receive questions such as, “If we do our physical therapy, will […]
September 30, 2014
Hearing loss in children can cause delays in speech and language as well as academic skills later in childhood. Early intervention speech language pathologists work with […]
September 23, 2014
As a mother, therapist, friend, and neighbor, I hear people say all the time, “Oh he/she is the best baby…he/she never cries, fusses, puts anything in […]
September 15, 2014
In our previous article, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, we discussed some characteristics of suspected apraxia of speech in toddlers. To redefine childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), […]
August 26, 2014
Parents are very aware of the motor milestones their baby will meet in their first year of life. Sitting independently is a big one because now […]
August 20, 2014
The crawling stage of a child’s development has many benefits. These include increasing core musculature, overall strength and balance, and coordination in the upper and lower […]
July 29, 2014
Many parents whose children exhibit speech and language delays are immediately concerned that their child may have autism. In early intervention, we cannot diagnose a child […]
July 24, 2014
My son is 3 years and 3 months old. He is funny and very outgoing, but he has always been aggressive in his play, when expressing […]
July 24, 2014
As a therapist, I often hear parents make statements such as “He walked really late, at age 14 months,” or “Her sister was so much farther […]
July 15, 2014
With summer halfway over, perhaps you’re already thinking about Back to School shopping. In addition to the exciting preparations, you may also be thinking, “How will […]
July 8, 2014
Childhood apraxia of speech, or CAS, has many different names. You may hear verbal apraxia, developmental apraxia of speech, or dyspraxia, among many others. For purposes […]
July 1, 2014
My son just turned one. I’m concerned about his gross motor skills. He crawls and can sit up on his own but he doesn’t pull himself […]
June 24, 2014
The vestibular system is involved in balance, coordinating movements and the development of muscle tone. It is also important in maintaining a stable visual image, maintaining attention, and some parts of language development through its interaction with our senses of sight and sound.
June 16, 2014
One of the things we love to see newborn babies do is discover things. Around 6 months of age, a rattle will fit comfortably inside the […]
May 27, 2014
Infantile Spasms usually start between the ages of 4 to 8 months and occur in clusters, where often a baby is flexing his arms, legs, trunk or neck. Colic, on the other hand, does not typically occur in clusters and colic is often associated with feeding, where Infantile Spasms are not. Sometimes they are mistaken by parents as a “startle reflex.”
May 20, 2014
All parents must face the task of weaning their children from a bottle at some point, but when is the best time to do it? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends doing it by the time healthy children are 15 months. If there are significant concerns regarding the child’s health and nutrition, it is always advised to check with a child’s pediatrician before weaning from the bottle.
May 16, 2014
The following account describes one family’s journey with their child, who was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia, received intervention, and is now successfully navigating college as a junior in Mechanical Engineering.
May 13, 2014
Tongue-tie, or what is commonly referred to in the medical community as ankyloglossia, is a partial or total fusion of the tongue to the floor of the mouth due to an abnormality of the lingual frenulum. It is present at birth.
April 30, 2014
Do you see your child or someone else’s child sitting with their bottom on the floor and their legs out beside them, forming a “W” shape? This is commonly called “W sitting.” You may think “wow, look how flexible they are.” Although flexibility in your muscles is a good thing, “W” sitting is not.
April 21, 2014
Shoes or no shoes? This is a question many parents of young children who are learning to walk will eventually ask. Do shoes make their child more stable? Or, will shoes hinder their ability to progress? Varying opinions of friends and family may add to the confusion.
April 14, 2014
The type of hearing loss involved with getting a cochlear implant is called sensorineural, which means that there are abnormalities in the hair cells in the cochlea. With this type of loss, sound cannot reach the auditory nerve. With a cochlear implant, sound bypasses the damaged parts of the ear and reaches the auditory nerve.
April 3, 2014
Communication comes in many forms. From a cry to express hunger to rhythmic kicks of their feet to show excitement, children begin communicating in the earliest years of their life. For most, communication continues to develop and becomes an everyday effortless activity; however, for individuals with disabilities, communication can be a constant obstacle.