AAC Awareness Month: Let’s Model, Model, Model!
Written By: Alia Shoemaker, MS CCC-SLP October is AAC Awareness Month, and at Child’sPlay we will take any opportunity to celebrate our incredible AAC users and their families! We appreciate your dedication to supporting AAC users outside the clinic – it’s not easy, but you’re crushing it! Carryover is important for all our clients […]
Trick-Or-Treating Through the Lens of the Sensory Profile
Written by: Cydia Walker, OTR-L We all experience the world through different “lenses” or profiles informed by our sensory preferences. Have you ever wondered how your child may experience Halloween through their sensory profile? *Disclaimer: One person can fit more than one of the following sensory profiles. However, we hope this will help parents […]
Introducing Infant Massage
Infant Massage is a positive interaction between infants and their caregivers. It connects the caregivers and child through an intimate, securing pattern on touch and response that enhances attachment and teaches the caregiver to recognize communication cues from their child. Child’sPlay Therapy Center has a physical therapist, Laura Lee, in the Chelsea office certified in […]
Finding Balance: Navigating the Demands of Parenting and Self-Care
Written By: Larry “Odele” Prentice MS, LPC, NCC, CCTP, CYMHC, Mental Health Clinical Supervisor-Birmingham, Chelsea, & Huntsville The Importance of Self-Care When I was training to become a mental health therapist, my instructors and supervisor always emphasized the concept of self-care. The idea is that self-care enables therapists to maintain an optimal level of functioning […]
Why Won’t My Baby Eat?
Written by: Martha Davis, M.S., CCC-SLP Helping your baby transition from liquids to solids is a common stressor for parents. In typical development, the transition between bottle or breast to purees/solids is fairly smooth. There may be some gagging or refusal, but after a short period of time (a couple of weeks), they get the […]
Language Processing
Written by Anna Woodfin, Speech-Language Pathologist Did you know that there are different types of language development? As an SLP working with younger children who are not talking or talking very little, this is something that I regularly think through about my clients. One type of language development or processing is called “Analytic Language Processing.” […]
Four Practical Tips for Screen Time with Your Toddler
By: Rachel Evans, Speech-Language Pathologist In today’s tech-savvy world, we are inundated with screens. From smart phones and tablets to computers and TVs, these devices have made their way into the fabric of our daily lives. For children, a myriad of apps, games, and shows are right at their fingertips to consume. Since the onset […]
Handwriting Assessments in Occupational Therapy
Handwriting is an incredibly complex skill. Many times, the difficulties might get overlooked. Here is a list of what an occupational therapist might observe or assess during a routine handwriting assessment: Depending on your child’s specific needs including motivation level, age, current handwriting level, and ability to complete certain functional tasks, a therapist may observe […]