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 designed for parents to administer to their children, but …
Speech Therapy: The phonological process of fronting
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 speaking which involved the same substitutions? What if he always replaces the …
Chicago Speech Therapy: Coping with Stuttering and Developing Stutter-Free Speech
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 public speaking or social situations. Communication is something we perform daily, and when the …
Speech Therapy: What is Cluster Reduction?
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 actually called cluster reduction. Cluster reduction in speech is when a consonant cluster, that is …
Chicago Speech Therapy: The Difference Between ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder
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 be at the heart of the problem: sensory processing disorder (SPD). What is Sensory Processing …
Chicago Speech Therapy: ‘Backing’ of Speech Sounds and Your Child’s Speech Development
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 them. However, this process also intrinsically involves making mistakes and …
Articulation Disorders and Learning to Speak Effectively with the Help of Speech Therapy
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 completely natural when first learning how to form words. Should your child continue to make these mistakes for …
5 Ways to Encourage Speech Development in Your Child
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 are talking. These are the first …
Chicago Speech Therapy: In Film, Stuttering Symptoms Reflect Current Research
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 from the get-go, blocked by sputtering pauses. His stutter is aggravated by stressful situations, …
Late Talkers and Speech Therapy
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 communication disorder (which includes hearing problems).” As a parent, you want to …