As a parent, you can transform your iPhone into a powerful resource for your children simply by downloading a few great apps to have handy for those situations at the grocery store, restaurant, or doctor’s office when a picture book or a stuffed animal just can’t keep your toddler’s attention read more

While there are several articulation apps available for speech-language pathologists to use on their iPhones or iPads, the new app Articulation Station is the clear choice for children’s speech therapists. I love this app and so does our team of speech-language pathologists at Chicago Speech Thera read more

The /p/ sound is a bilabial sound, meaning that it involves both lips being pressed together to create. Air is then released through the lips and slightly open teeth, creating the /p/ sound. Unlike the /b/ sound, which is made with the same mouth position, the /p/ sound is an unvoiced sound. The sou read more

The /m/ sound is a nasal sound, which means that all passage through the mouth is blocked and air instead has to travel through the nose. It is also a voiced (vs. unvoiced) sound, which requires the vibration of vocal cords. Closing your mouth and lips and using your voice to make a sound creates read more

The /h/ sound is one of the easier sounds to articulate. It does not involve any special arrangement of the lips or tongue or complicated movements. In order to produce the sound, simply open your mouth and breathe. The sound is unvoiced, which means that what you hear comes from the movement of t read more

Like the /m/ sound, the /n/ sound is a voiced, nasal sound. This means that the sound is created by the speaker vibrating their vocal cords while pushing air through their nose, or nasal cavity. The /n/ sound is distinguished from the /m/ sound by the placement of the speaker’s tongue. To make t read more

The /w/ sound is considered a glide or a semivowel sound by speech-language pathologists. In other words, /w/ sounds a lot like a vowel and sometimes even acts like one, even though it is technically a consonant. To make a /w/ sound, form a tight circle with puckered lips brought out and away from read more

The /b/ sound is a bilabial sounds, which means the lips are pressed together while producing the sound. It is also a voiced sound, which means that the vocal cords are vibrating when the breath is released from the lips. This is different than the unvoiced /p/ sound, for example, which gets its sou read more

The /k/ sound is very similar to the /g/ sound because they both use the same mouth position. Both are stop consonants, which means the airflow while producing the sound is first stopped, and then released. /K/ is different because it is an unvoiced sound – the only sound you hear when making it read more

The /g/ sound and the /k/ sound are very similar and use the same mouth position. So what makes them different? The /g/ sound is a voiced sound and the /k/ sound is unvoiced. That means that your vocal cords are vibrating as air is passed through the mouth to make the /g/ sound. Position the back o read more

The /d/ sound is made in almost the same way as the /t/ sound is made. Place the tip of your tongue on the little ridge on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth, then release the tounge, allowing air to rush through your mouth. The air is temporarily stopped by your tongue in this po read more

The /t/ sound and the /d/ sound are very similar because they are both made with the same positioning of the mouth. To say either sound, simply put the tip of your tongue on the small ridge just behind your teeth. Both sounds are stop consonants, which means that they are produced when air that is read more

The /ng/ sound is a single, distinct consonant sound, even though it is spelled with two letters and sounds similar to /n/. Like the /n/ sound, /ng/ is a nasal sound. This means that the air passes through the nasal passage instead of through the mouth when making the sound. To make this sound, li read more

In order to make the /f/ sound, all that is required is to rest your front teeth lightly on your bottom lip and blow. The /f/ sound is a voiceless sound, so you are simply passing air through your mouth. You do not need to vibrate your vocal cords at all. Children usually master this sound by age read more

The /y/ consonant sound is made by placing the tip of the tongue just behind the lower front teeth and raising the middle of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth. The sides of the tongue actually come in contact with the top of the mouth, but the middle of the tongue does not touch the roof, c read more

The /r/ sound is a particularly tricky letter to teach because the way your mouth produces the sound changes depending on the other letters it is combined with. In fact, there are 8 different vocalizations of the letter /r/: /ar/, /air/, /ear/, /ire/, /or/, /er/, /rl/, and the simple /r/ by itself read more

The /l/ sound is made by placing the tip of your tongue on your alveolar ridge, the small bump on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth. The sides of the tongue do not touch other parts of your mouth, and the air travels around your tongue to produce the sound. The /l/ sound is a voi read more

The /s/ sound is made by placing the tip of your tongue just behind the front teeth, very close to the roof of the mouth but not touching it. The sides of the tongue are raised to touch the roof of the mouth, leaving a passage for air down the middle of the tongue. The sides of the tongue should a read more

The /ch/ sound is actually a combination of the /t/ and the /sh/ sound. To make the sound, begin with your teeth together and bring the tip of your tongue to the small ridge just behind the front teeth. The corners of the lips are puller together so the lips pucker. This is a voiceless stop conson read more

The /sh/ sound is made by putting the teeth together and bringing the corners of the lips towards the middle, so the lips pucker like a kiss. The middle of the tongue comes up only slightly and barely touches the corners of the top teeth without touching the roof of the mouth. The front of the ton read more

The /z/ sound uses the same mouth position as the /s/ sound, but the /z/ sound is voiced whereas the /s/ sound is unvoiced. This means that the passage of air through your mouth combines with the vibration of your vocal cords to create the sound. To position your mouth, place the tip of your tongu read more

The /j/ sound is made with the exact same mouth positioning as the /ch/ sound, but the /j/ sound is voiced. This means that the sound is produced comes from both the vibration of the vocal cords and from the movement of air through the mouth. To make the sound, put your teeth together and pull the read more

To make the /v/ sound, bring your bottom lip up to your top teeth so that they are just touching. The /v/ sound is made with the same mouth positioning as the /f/ sound. The only difference is that the /f/sound is unvoiced and the /v/ sound is voiced. This means that as air moves through the mouth a read more

If you listen closely, the /th/ sound in the English language is really used in two distinct ways, creating two separate sounds. Even though both versions of the /th/ sound are produced with the same mouth position, the voiced /th/ uses the vocal cords to amplify the sound, such as in “this”, � read more

The /zh/ sound is the sound you hear in the word “measure” or “decision”. It uses the exact same mouth position as the /sh/ sound, but the /zh/ sound is voiced. This means that the /zh/ sound includes the sound produced by vibrating the vocal cords along with the air passing through the mout read more

Karen George, local Chicago children’s speech therapist, recently wrote and released the book A Parent’s Guide to Language Development Milestones from Birth to 3 Years, as a leading resource for parents and pediatricians. With the success of George’s rapidly growing practice Chicago Speech The read more

Beyond knowing vocabulary, a crucial component of children’s language development is the ability to bring words together into a grammatically correct sentence to communicate their ideas. Speech therapists work on this with many of their students, and great iPad and iPhone apps like the LanguageBu read more

Speech with Milo: Sequencing uses the same fun, playful mouse named Milo to engage children in learning valuable speech development techniques. This time Milo shows kids how to put actions into a sequence, which will ultimately help your child develop their own ability to construct language. In the read more

The app series “Pocket SLP”, or Pocket Speech-Language Therapist, by Synapse Apps is exactly what it claims. Each of their state-of-the-art apps includes almost anything a practicing speech therapist would need or want in a language development intervention. From data tracking, to specific spee read more

iPractice Verbs, a fun and educational app for the iPhone and iPad developed by Smarty Ears Apps, focuses on increasing your child’s mastery of verbs and verb forms. Developed with the help of a certified Speech-Language Pathologist, the app offers an in-depth review of verbs, their conjugations, read more

The ArtikPix app for both iPhones and iPads is a great portable tool for travelling speech therapists and busy moms to help their children address speech and sound delays as well as to improve their articulation. ArtikPix uses a combination of flashcards and matching games to help your child focus read more

Parents looking for resources to teach their children language skills have a unique ally in Milo the Mouse. The main character in the critically acclaimed iPad and iPhone app Speech with Milo: Verbs, Milo bounces around a colorful screen performing actions for your child to identify. This innovativ read more

As a parent, you can transform your iPhone into a powerful resource for your children simply by downloading a few great apps to have handy for those situations at the grocery store, restaurant, or doctor’s office when a picture book or a stuffed animal just can’t keep your toddler’s attention read more

Learn to Talk is a best-selling iPhone and iPad app that encourages language skills by using interactive flashcards to build your toddler’s verbal abilities. Unlike other digital flashcard sets which focus primarily on building vocabulary, Learn to Talk follows a developmental progression designe read more

What Is Stuttering? Stuttering is a communication disorder involving disruptions, or “disfluencies,” in a person’s speech. The word “stuttering” can be used to refer either to the specific speech disfluencies that are commonly seen in people who stutter or to the overall communicat read more

Milestones Critical speech-language development occurs in the first few months of life. Exposure to different sounds, tones and interactions builds your child’s familiarity with language. Receptive language skills, or the ability to listen and interpret language, are forming and limited to reactin read more

The Animal Fun app, available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, uses technology to dig deeper into the idea of flash cards. By adding layers of engaging sounds and visuals, the app transforms ordinary flash cards into a fun, interactive learning experience that will help to develop your toddler’s read more

Flash cards are a great, interactive way to introduce new language to your toddler. With the new technology of smart phones and tablets, engaging your child with stimulating sounds and visuals on the go or at home has become as simple as touching a screen. Kindergarten.com, which specializes in cre read more

Speech-language pathologists help people regain or strengthen their ability to communicate. Many of the people that speech-language pathologists work with have impediments like stuttering, speech delays and learning disabilities. Some clients have physical impediments, such as a cleft palate, heari read more

There are several different types of sensory processing disorder symptoms ranging from oral, visual, tactile, auditory, and receptive dysfunctions. Tactile Dysfunction - Hypersensitivity: Your child dislikes touch, going to the pool or beach, bathing, rough clothes, or rough play with other childre read more

As adults, we take speech for granted. Adults can talk all day and sometimes not even think about it, so it’s difficult to comprehend why your child is struggling with something as natural as speech. However, in reality, the oral-motor skills needs to speak properly are very complicated – and th read more

In most situations it is important to diagnose problems sooner than later.  How can we diagnose issues when our children aren’t even communicating yet?  They can’t say, “Mommy I don’t feel like talking,” or “Daddy I don’t want to play with the other kids.”  So how is it that infan read more

There are two very important things to remember when teaching your child how to speak: play and repetition.  These two ingredients make it easier for children to learn and process language. What Are the Benefits of Play? Play is the encouragement and allowance for your child to experiment with soun read more

Some children are late bloomers; this is not a disorder of any kind.  If you are a parent, you are familiar with the concern that accompanies parenting – you cannot help but worry about your child’s progress and growth.  Communication between children and parents begins with the first moments read more

The Effects of Picky Eating Growing up, children usually go through picky eating stages – it is a very common occurrence.  Broccoli and brussel sprouts can still be difficult to get down even once you’ve approached adulthood.   Most children go through changes and can find something palatable read more

Depending on your child’s age, drooling can be something that he or she is a temporary side effect and byproduct of teething.  If your child has already begun teething and isn’t able to stop from drooling, there are a few things you can do to help him or her exercise the oral muscles and gain c read more

Knowing your child has a speech problem, and knowing how to treat it are two different scenarios that can be quite intimidating.  With a few pointers and assessments, you’ll be on the path to therapy and away from the anguish of speech problems. It’s quite easy for parents to lose track of time read more

The almighty “binky” – it is something that has saved mothers from colicky babies, restless infants, and just plain tired parents looking for one moment of rest.  It is strange to think that this tool could actually be doing more harm than good; the truth of the matter is that the advantages read more

One of today’s most debated topics for parents of young children is the connection between autism and vaccinations.  As autism numbers in youth continue to rise, some speculate that the intense vaccination schedule for babies and toddlers is playing a part. Parents struggle with the weight of the read more

Here are a list of milestones to keep in mind as you observe your child’s speech and language development. Take note of any inconsistencies and share them with your speech-language pathologist. While some inconsistencies may not be alarming, it is still better to check to make sure your child is o read more

Two Types of the Disorder Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder is when your child displays problems with speaking and understanding others. There are two types the disorder: Developmental mixed receptive-expressive disorder usually appears when a child is learning how to talk. The cause is read more

The Anatomy of Speech Disorders Language develops naturally, starting when the child is just an infant. In order for a child to develop language, he or she must be able to effectively see, hear, understand and remember, and process any information he or she absorbs to make sense of it. Although this read more

Even if your child has not started using words, you can still communicate with your baby.  By now you have probably deciphered what certain cries and coos mean; and your child has most likely learned the sound of your voice and turns his or her head toward you when you speak, acknowledging that you read more

Most parents are familiar with the idea of milestones in speech development – children first babble, say their first word, string words together, etc. – and that these milestones generally happen within specific age ranges. It is understandable to be concerned if your child is not developing spe read more

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which sounds, syllables, or words are repeated or prolonged, disrupting the normal flow of speech.  It is one of the most common speech disorders among children, and can have a big impact on a person’s life if left untreated.   Occasionally, stuttering is acco read more

The Difference Between Speech and Language Disorders A speech disorder is when a child is unable to produce speech sounds effectively or correctly; or, when there is a problem with his or her voice. Stuttering would be an example of a speech disorder. A language disorder is when a child has trouble read more

Identifying the Symptoms Do you ever get the feeling that your child is having trouble listening to you? Maybe he or she doesn’t seem to be interested when you read story books aloud. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that your child has trouble following spoken instructions. Does he or she ofte read more

As adults, we take speech for granted. Adults can talk all day and sometimes not even think about it, so it’s difficult to comprehend why your child is struggling with something as natural as speech. However, in reality, the oral-motor skills needs to speak properly are very complicated – and th read more

What is Stopping in Speech? When a child has a difficult time pronouncing some sounds, they might make substitutions. For example, a child might say “shtip” instead of “ship” or “dope” instead of “soap.” This particular type of behavior, when a child inserts a “stopping” consonan read more

Auditory processing disorder (ADP) is characterized by an inability in children to process the information they hear in the same way as others. Children who have ADP often cannot recognize the small differences between sounds in words no matter how clearly the word might be spoken. While this disord read more

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to carry out skilled or planned movements and gestures, specifically those movements having to do with speech production. Though doctors are uncertain what causes this disorder, they do know that while your c read more

Do you wonder if your child’s speech is comparable to other children of the same age and background?  Are you worried about your child’s ability to understand and communicate with you?  Here is a quick list of milestones that you can use to gauge your child’s progress in his or her first fiv read more

What is Receptive Language Disorder? Receptive Language Disorder affects the brain’s ability to understand either spoken or written language. It can be directly impact a child’s speech development if left unaddressed. Up to one out of every 20 children has symptoms of either a Receptive read more

What is the Picture Exchange Communication System? The picture exchange communication system (PECS) is based upon pictures and focuses on helping children to communicate “wants.”  Pictures of food or activities are drawn onto cards or photographed by the communication partner (parent or therap read more

Do you have a child who only eats certain things and refuses to try new foods? Does your child refuse to eat food altogether? If you answered yes to either of these questions, your child might be a picky eater or problem feeder. For proper physical, emotional, cognitive, and speech development, you read more

Children do not begin to master language until they are 5 to 6 years old but they begin learning words and their meanings earlier than that. Parents can do a lot to ensure the progressive development of language in their child. Studies have shown that a child’s ability to learn can increase 25% or read more

It is very natural as a parent to be concerned about your child’s speech development, especially since children often experience various speech abnormalities as a course of learning language. How do you know if your child is developing normally? Is it typical for a child to be experiencing a certa read more

What is PROMPT? PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), is a system used to treat speech disorders. The PROMPT technique has many facets to support speech change and is mainly used to treat apraxia.  This system takes into account all the different ways we use our bodies read more

Consult with a Speech Therapist Early language development in children does not happen overnight and can be a slow process, but with a proactive attitude, eager parents can do a lot to help their child along as he or she learns to speak. If you feel that your child has a speech or language difficult read more

What is the M-CHAT? The M-CHAT, or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, is a test used for toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age to screen for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).  Developed and copyrighted by Dr. Diana Robbins Ph.D. and translated into over 30 languages, the M-CHAT was d read more

Learning language is a tough process for children and often involves small steps and substitutions as your child masters new sounds. For example, your child might have started out saying “wawa” but has since advanced to saying “water”. But what if your child has developed a pattern of speaki read more

Stuttering is quite common throughout the world; it is estimated that at least 1% of the entire population suffers from this speech disorder.  This common disorder is something that can practically hinder a person’s progress in various situations, as well as emotionally cause a discomfort with pu read more

What is Cluster Reduction in Speech? Children can encounter many different kinds of mistakes while learning to speak. We’ve all seen sitcoms or movies during which the younger sibling adorably mispronounces words, saying things such as “fren” instead of “friend.” This type of mistake is ac read more

The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise in America’s youth, affecting 2 to 16 percent of school-aged children. Symptoms such as difficulty in listening, focusing, and processing information often lead to an ADHD label, but a different, underlying issue may b read more

What Is Backing? Every language has rules about how sounds can be combined. There’s even a name for the science of speech sounds and sound patterns; it’s called “phonology.” As children listen and learn speech, they naturally pick up on these rules and learn to speak like the adults around t read more

We all know the cute mispronunciations children make when learning to speak.  For example, a four-year old may substitute a multi-syllable word like “spaghetti” for a jumbled up “bisketti”, or pronounce “aminal” instead of “animal”.  These kinds of mistakes are common and completel read more

Even if your child has not started using words, you can still communicate with your baby.  By now you have probably deciphered what certain cries and coos mean; and your child has most likely learned the sound of your voice and turns his or her head toward you when you speak, acknowledging that you read more

By Pam Belluck In the Oscar-nominated movie “The King’s Speech,” King George VI begins stuttering at 4 and struggles with it throughout his life. But he rarely talks like the stereotypical stutterer, Porky Pig, rapidly repeating letter sounds; usually the king has trouble getting sounds out read more

The book The Late Talker: What to Do if Your Child Isn’t Talking Yet (Agin, et al.) published this shocking statistic: “Sixteen million Americans have a speech or language disorder. An estimated 15 to 25 percent of young children and approximately forty-six million Americans have some kind of co read more

Emma’s Story Picture this scenario: Emma, who just celebrated her first birthday last month, is vehemently refusing to eat any pureed vegetables. She cries and moves her head to the side in defiance even when her mother playfully hovers the spoonful of puree in the air and makes noises to simulate read more

Most parents are overjoyed when they hear their baby slowly pronounce his or her first word. There is an indescribable feeling of awe and excitement when your babbling baby, who just a few months ago was just learning to smile and crawl, can begin to enunciate the word “mama”, “dada”, or “ read more

What is Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder? Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder is defined as a language disability that impairs both the understanding (reception) and speaking (expression) of language. This is a disorder that is generally more prevalent during childhood, and affe read more

Steven’s Story When Steven was three years old, he started developing a slight stutter. His parents assumed that it was probably an emotional condition due to the passing of his aunt (his main caregiver) and moving to a new city – both events that transpired in the same year. They chose to ignor read more

Caring for a child is a humbling experience. As a parent, you are probably often struck by your child’s vulnerability, innocence and high level of dependence on you as their parent and caregiver. For instance, you can easily make or grab a sandwich when hunger pains strike during your workday; but read more

If you have a child who is struggling with a speech disorder, there are many things you can do as a parent to make sure that your child is learning at a normal rate as compared to his or her peers. We cannot overstress the importance of early intervention during the critical period of development, d read more

As you know and have likely experienced in your own life, well-established habits are difficult to break. As a fully developed adult, if you have grown accustomed to a particular way of speaking, writing or reading, you will likely face numerous challenges if you attempt to change your habits or rec read more

This past Monday, dozens of young, in-shape, energetic moms gathered (with their children close by) to hear a talk given by Karen George, a prominent pediatric speech therapist and owner of Chicago Speech Therapy, LLC. Sounds very cool – what kind of gathering could this be? It is Stroller Strides read more

What is GERD? Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a serious condition that is often misdiagnosed by physicians because many children experience regurgitation symptoms throughout early childhood. Babies spit up all the time and this gastro reflux is normal in all children for the first several read more

Whether your child has been diagnosed with a speech-language disorder, or if you’re speculating that he or she is developing a disorder, parent involvement is not only useful, it is essential. When parents are involved and staying up-to-date with their child’s progress, the chances of the child read more

What is the Goldman Fristoe Articulation Test? The Goldman Fristoe Articulation Test is widely used by speech pathologists throughout the United States as a tool to assess children’s speech development.  Developed by Dr. Ronald Goldman and Dr. Macalyne Fristoe, this test can assess and yield info read more

If your child suffers from a Receptive Language Disorder, you know how difficult it can be for him or her to communicate effectively. You worriedly watch as he or she struggles to comprehend the meanings of your words when you speak to him/her, or witness a loss of interest in story books and childr read more

Teaching a child with a sensory processing disorder to communicate effectively can be extremely difficult. That difficulty is compounded by the vast amount of misinformation which exists surrounding the subject of speech development. The following are a number of popular falsehoods about sensory pro read more

What is stuttering? Stuttering, also termed ‘stammering’ in the UK, is a disorder characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, such as prolonged or repeated syllables, or ‘blocks’ in speech during which the individual is unable to produce a sound for a few seconds. It oft read more

Feeding therapy is the needed treatment for infants and young children who are experiencing feeding difficulties. Because feeding difficulties can lead to more serious problems for health and development, it is important to address these problems quickly.  If your child experiences feeding problems read more

What is the Goldman Fristoe Test? The Goldman Fristoe test of articulation is a tool which can help examine a child’s ability to pronounce different speech sounds in order to diagnose different disorders which can inhibit a child’s articulation. It is the most popular articulation test and provi read more

Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder is characterized by a child’s inability to express himself or herself using spoken language and by exhibiting problems understanding what people say. This disorder is diagnosed in approximately 5% of preschool children and 3% of school-aged children. Th read more

What is Stuttering? Stuttering, or the repetition or prolonging of sounds and syllables during speech, is a communication disorder that can affect a child’s quality of life. The negative effects of stuttering can include loss of confidence, embarrassment, low performance in academic matters, and b read more

What is the Lidcombe Program? The Lidcombe Program is a form of therapy for stuttering that is specifically designed to treat children under the age of 6, though it has also been used successfully with school-aged children as well. The most important thing to know about the Lidcombe Program is that, read more

Articulation refers to the way humans produce sounds which includes the adjustments and movements of speech organs, such as the tongue or the lips. Sometimes, children will mispronounce a speech sound resulting in speech that is difficult to understand. When they make these same speech errors on a c read more

What is the PROMPT Technique? PROMPT stands for “Prompts for Restructuring Oral and Muscular Phonetic Targets.” It is used to restructure the speech production capabilities of children with a variety of speech disorders, including apraxia. PROMPT utilizes specific techniques based on touch press read more

If your child seems to be struggling with speech development, or if you think that s/he should have a more complex vocabulary by a certain age, you’re not alone.  Though speech comes naturally for most of us, it can be frustrating to know that your child is able to comprehend the world around him read more

Sensory processing disorder, also known as sensory integration disorder or sensory integration dysfunction, is a neurological disorder dealing with the improper processing of environmental stimuli. Individuals with this disorder struggle to correctly absorb and react to sensory outputs such as light read more

When your child is diagnosed with a speech disorder, one of the most challenging steps can be finding a good speech therapist. On paper, many therapists may appear similar, boasting similar credentials and proper licensing; but anyone who has ever sought medical attention from a professional can tel read more

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a disorder in which individuals experience difficulty with processing information from their surrounding environment and reacting accordingly. Based on a physiological condition in the brain, common symptoms of sensory processing disorder in children include anxi read more

Individuals struggling with sensory processing disorder (SPD), a neurological disorder that affects the proper processing of environmental stimuli, have trouble functioning when presented with seemingly benign daily interactions with his/her surrounding environment. For example, typically normal occ read more

A study based on research on deaf people in Nicaragua who never learned formal sign language showed that people who communicate using self-developed gestures, called homesigns, were unable to comprehend the value of numbers greater than three because they had not learned a language containing symbol read more

Children with feeding and swallowing problems have a wide variety of symptoms. Not all signs and symptoms are present in every child. The following are signs and symptoms of feeding and swallowing problems in very young children: arching or stiffening of the body during feeding irritability or la read more

If you suspect that your child is having difficulty eating, contact your pediatrician right away. Your pediatrician will examine your child and address any medical reasons for the feeding difficulties, including the presence of reflux or metabolic disorders. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) wh read more

Treatment varies greatly depending on the cause and symptoms of the swallowing problem. Based on the results of the feeding and swallowing evaluation, the SLP or feeding team may recommend any of the following: medical intervention (e.g., medicine for reflux) direct feeding therapy designed to me read more

Feeding disorders include problems gathering food and getting ready to suck, chew, or swallow it. For example, a child who cannot pick up food and get it to her mouth or cannot completely close her lips to keep food from falling out of her mouth may have a feeding disorder. Swallowing disorders , read more

Feeding therapy helps infants, toddlers and children with a wide array of eating and feeding difficulties which may include one or more of the following: Reduced or limited intake Food refusal Food selectivity by type or texture Dysphasia (swallowing difficulty) Oral motor deficits Delayed feeding d read more

Chicago speech therapist Chicago speech therapy Chicago speech pathology Speech therapy online Speech therapy ideas Private speech therapy Speech therapy games Pediatric speech therapy Speech therapy goals Aphasia speech therapy Speech treatment Occupational therapy children Down syndrome speech Spe read more

Like all lists, this isn’t perfect. Use this as a rough guideline when considering your child. If you have any concerns as a parent, see my information at the bottom of this page. Your toddler may benefit from speech therapy. General Oral Motor/Feeding Milestones • 4-6 months- Babies introduced read more

Natural environment speech therapy refers to speech and language therapy services being given in the client’s natural communication environments; whether it is his or her home, school, or after school care facility. Chicago Speech Therapy  is proud to offer natural environment (in home) speec read more

During my time as a speech pathologist, I’ve often heard parents say in distress, “I never thought feeding my child would be so difficult.” If you have felt this way, don’t worry you’re normal. This is very common. If your child is struggling with texture sensitivities, reflux, or read more

I provide unique, in-home speech therapy on the north side of Chicago. Right now I am able to serve families that live in or around: Downtown (the Loop) West Loop River North Gold Coast Old Town Lincoln Park Lakeview Bucktown Wicker Park Roscoe Village Uptown If you are concerned with your child’s read more

Screening and Initial in-home meeting (no charge or obligation) Screening of speech and language development Pupose of meeting to talk through concern and determine if speech evaluation should be scheduled Speech Therapy may not be what is needed Evaluation Speech and language evaluation Includes st read more

After conducting speech therapy with toddlers for years I saw a huge need on the near north side of Chicago. Many parents wanted to help their child receive speech therapy, but didn’t have the time or ability to drive them back and forth, wait in the car, and manage other kids in the meantime. read more

Take this quick quiz (for children 2 years and older): 1) Does your child use at least 6 consonant sounds (examples: m, d, p, b, etc.)? 2) Does your child have a vocabulary of at least 50 words? 3) Does your child follow simple directions? 4) Do strangers have difficulty understandin read more