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PediaSpeech Blog

News, announcements, and feature articles of interest to our PediaSpeech families

two young kids on floor

Infant Tongue Tie- My Experience with Tongue Tie Release as a Mom and OT

By Maria O'Farrell | Mar 20, 2024

What is a Tongue Tie? Tongue ties have become a hot-button issue lately, yet many remain unfamiliar with what they entail or how to recognize them. Essentially, a tongue tie occurs when excess tissue tethers the tongue to the floor of the mouth, either anteriorly (at the front) or posteriorly (in the middle). Typically, accompanying…

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baby in womb

Expressive or Receptive Language: Which One Comes First?

By Joanna Leonardo | Feb 9, 2024

Expressive or Receptive Language: Which One Comes First? Have you ever been chatting around your baby or toddler thinking they can’t understand you, but come to find out they could understand you the whole time? Maybe you were watching football and yelling at your team’s quarterback “Throw it! Throw it!” and next thing you know,…

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young boy speaking

What Does the Kaufman Apraxia Test Assess For?

By Kayla Bates Santoro | Feb 5, 2024

If you look back at our previous blog, Imitating Speech: What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and How Might it Affect My Child, you will see a breakdown of what Childhood Apraxia of Speech is and how it presents in young children. In a nutshell, CAS involves lack of planning and coordination of the…

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toddler drinking from cup

Fostering Independence: The Importance of Cup Drinking for Toddlers and Choosing the Right Cups

By Julia Marvil | Dec 12, 2023

As toddlers grow and develop, mastering new skills becomes vital to their daily lives. One such skill that holds a good deal of significance is cup drinking. In this blog post, we’ll explore the developmental benefits of cup drinking for toddlers and delve into preferred cups in occupational therapy, speech therapy, and feeding therapy.  …

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Screaming African-American girl with letters in background

Gestalt Language Processing

By Julia Conley | Dec 11, 2023

Why does my child repeat everything they hear?    We’ve all seen it. The dreaded moment when a toddler is beginning to acquire language, and they repeat something they really shouldn’t. It happens to the best of us. And it happens in every family, whether people care to share the story or not! For most…

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eating baby

What is Modified Baby Led Weaning?

By Jennifer McCullough | Dec 1, 2023

These days many parents are giving their babies control of what they eat at an early age. Instead of preparing separate meals and pureed foods for every meal for their baby, parents are giving them solid table foods, a version of what everyone in the family may be eating for the meal. This method, termed…

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phonological awareness game

Help Your Child Learn to Read: Phonological Awareness Games for Preschoolers- Deletion/Substitution

By Kayla Bates Santoro | Nov 28, 2023

We have finally arrived at the final part of our Phonological Awareness Games for Preschoolers series! In my three previous Phonological Awareness posts, we have identified the areas of Phonological Awareness that are vital for the foundation of reading, and we have also dug a little deeper into specific games/materials you can utilize at home…

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young boy with bubbles

How Does Sensory Integration Help Our Kids Learn to Talk!

By Sydney Ponce de Leon | Nov 28, 2023

It is no secret that movement is beneficial. It is touted as one of the most important daily activities to manage our mental and physical health and improve brain function. Movement for children is equally important, especially those with sensory dysfunction. Children with sensory processing difficulties have trouble understanding and interacting with the sensations in…

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young kid climbing wall

What are The Main Stages of Gross and Fine Motor Development?

By Maria O'Farrell | Nov 10, 2023

Fine Motor and Gross Motor Development Motor skills are at the forefront of development and affect all areas of daily function.  However, it is sometimes unclear what constitutes a gross motor skill and what constitutes a fine motor skill, and how you know if your child is on track for both. Gross motor skills are…

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