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PediaSpeech Blog

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

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PediaSpeech Goes Virtual

By Jennifer McCullough | Mar 19, 2020

Over the past several weeks, we have seen our lives quickly turn upside down as schools, events, restaurants, and therapy clinics have shut down due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The last thing we want as clinicians is to pause therapy, as we know it may be a critical part of your child’s development. PediaSpeech has…

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Retained Primitive Reflexes- The Basics

By Maria O'Farrell | Feb 11, 2020

I have several children on my caseload that are smart, sweet kids, but have so many challenges with sensory processing, behavior and attention.  They hate writing, can’t sit still, and attempt to control situations whenever possible.  If this sounds like your child, the answer to these challenges may be found in his or her brain-stem,…

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Using Pictures & Illustrations with Beginning Readers—Is it Helpful or Hurtful?

By Sydney Ponce de Leon | Jan 29, 2020

Learning to read can be such a difficult task for young readers. Research shows that beginning readers who use pictures and illustrations to assist with learning to read have several advantages. However, when addressing reading difficulties, those illustrations can sometimes hinder progress. Using illustrations helps with children learning to decode (sound-out) words, make predictions, sequence…

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OT Holiday Gift Ideas

By Maria O'Farrell | Dec 13, 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays are a great time to enhance your toy closets with fun toys that promote the most important developmental skills.  Here are some great ideas from our OT department at PediaSpeech Services, Inc. Happy giving! Squigz-  These are a favorite in the clinic!  They are suction…

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Handwriting, Fine Motor Skills & Pencil Control Oh My!

By Maria O'Farrell | Dec 13, 2019

By Cayla Woodburn As surprising as it might sound, fine motor skills impact nearly every aspect of life. Without fine motor skills, we wouldn’t be able to button our pants, brush our teeth, open our lunch, write our name, and so many more everyday activities. Many children struggle with their fine motor control, precision, grasp,…

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Sensory Tips for Back to School

By Maria O'Farrell | Aug 7, 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  The start of the school year is upon us, which can be great for maintaining consistent schedules, but can be daunting due to the amount of ‘new’ for those that have difficulty with change and transitions. It is essential to manage sensory needs in the classroom for…

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Toe Walking: What Can I Do to Fix it?

By Maria O'Farrell | Mar 1, 2019

Toe walking occurs for various reasons which could involve children with Autism who seek certain sensory input or can be caused by spasticity in the calf muscles in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Toe walking is often overlooked, however, it needs to be addressed due to the physical limitations the can come from it. Is…

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What’s the deal With Weighted Blankets?

By Maria O'Farrell | Feb 28, 2019

Weighted blankets are growing in popularity.  They claim to reduce anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, sensory disorders, ADD, and the list goes on.  So do they really work?  The answer is not as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no.’  It truly depends on each individual’s sensory needs. What is the science behind weighted blankets? Weighted blankets provide…

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Imitating Speech: What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech(CAS) and How Might It Affect My Child?

By Carly Cumberlander | Nov 16, 2018

By Carly Davis M.Ed. CCC-SLP Early intervention (for everything!) has exploded in the past 10-15 years regarding getting additional help for our little ones in whatever they may need. That being said, you have probably been at your child’s checkup where the pediatrician went through the checklist of developmental milestones. One milestone that sticks out to…

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