Category Archive

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 an approaching train. Moreover, she even has an obvious …

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 “toy.” It really is amazing to observe the speech …

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 affects about three to five percent of all children, who display symptoms of either receptive or expressive language disorder, or both. …

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 ignore the stutter and instead showered Steven with …

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 your young infant is incapable of chewing a sandwich, …

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, during which the brain is …

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 rectify an incorrect learning technique. It can be argued that …

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 Chicago. Stroller Strides is a proven, yet original way of …

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 weeks of development but when it occurs more frequently as the child grows it …

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 reaching his or her full potential greatly increase. The first thing you should …