litchfield | Team 4 Kids

App of the Week: Articulation Flip Books

April 24, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

This week’s app is recommended from our Speech Therapy Team – The app is called: Articulation Flip Books.

This app is a great way to practice articulation therapy at the word, phrase or sentence level at home or on the go. Each page reveals a silly story to entertain your child, and like we spoke about in our last blog post – Marking Articulation Therapy Practice Fun, we know entertainment is key to success for children. This app can also be used to practice verb tenses, pronouns, prepositions, vocabulary and who, what and where questions; which are all essential in speech therapy practice!

As always, feel free to share with friends and family who could benefit from this app!

Making Articulation Therapy Practice Fun!

March 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Making Articulation Therapy Practice Fun!

Need some ideas on how to spice up articulation practice at home? Articulation practice at home is very important, but many parents tell us they struggle with getting their child to practice the words that they are working on in speech therapy.

One of the things we know about children is that they learn best when they are having fun! There are many opportunities throughout the day to turn simple activities into practice for your child. Here is a link with some excellent ideas to make articulation homework fun.

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?p=2676

Enjoy!

Katie, Speech Therapy Team

When should I worry about my child’s stuttering?

March 3, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

When should I worry about my child’s stuttering?

Many children repeat words or phrases as they learn to talk or when they are excited or tired. Stuttering is also more likely to occur in children who are under a lot of stress, for example, after starting a new day care, moving, birth of a new sibling, etc. Stuttering can happen for short periods of time and then disappear. However, if you notice that this is happening frequently and for more than 4-5 months, you should have your child evaluated by a speech language pathologist.

Check out the link below to find out 7 tips for talking with your child. It’s even printable so you can share this resource with others!

http://www.stutteringhelp.org/sites/default/files/Migrate/seven_tips_for_parents4_08.pdf

Jennifer, SLP

Picky Eater vs. Problem Eater

February 18, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Picky Eater vs. Problem Eater

Parents often wonder if their child is a just a picky eater or if it’s something more that may require Feeding Threapy. Below are some basic characteristics of picky eaters versus problem eaters.

As always, if you have concerns, please contact your pediatrician so that he/she may decide if an evaluation for feeding therapy may be appropriate. Upon evaluation from a feeding therapist, it will be determined if your child would benefit from therapy, how often therapy would be recommended, and strategies to help safely increase food intake.

The following information is shared from the SOS Approach to Feeding website*.

What the picky eater may look like:

Decreased range or variety of foods, but will eat around 30 foods or more
Foods lost due to “burn out” because of a food jag; usually re-gains interest after a 2 week break
Able to tolerate new foods on plate and usually can touch or taste a new food (even if reluctantly)
Eats at least one food from most all food texture groups
Frequently eats a different set of foods than the rest of the family, but usually eats with the family
Sometimes reported by parent as a “picky eater” at well-child check-ups

What the problem eater may look like:

Restricted range or variety of foods, usually less than 20 different foods
Foods lost due to food jags are NOT re-acquired
Cries and “falls apart” when presented with new foods
Refuses entire categories of food textures
Almost always eats different foods than the family
Persistently reported by parent as a “picky eater” across multiple well-child check-ups

There is a multitude of reasons for why a child may be a problem feeder, ranging from aversions due to sensory processing, to having poor strength and coordination to physically be capable of chewing. Your feeding therapist will help to determine why a feeding disorder may be present and if feeding therapy would benefit your child.

~ Kristina, SLP

* Resources: http://www.sosapproach-conferences.com/articles/picky-eaters-vs-problem-feeders

Tips to Help Families Make the Most of Each Pediatric Therapy Visit and Their Therapist

January 28, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Tips to Help Families Make the Most of Each Pediatric Therapy Visit and Their Therapist

“A good therapist treats the disability; the great therapist treats the child who has the disability”. (William Osler)

At T.E.A.M. 4 Kids, the therapists work very hard to treat each child and not just the disability. An important part of the pediatric therapy session is the education that is provided to the families. We encourage our families to be advocates for their children’s healthcare while they are with us and beyond. These are some simple tips to help families make the most of each visit and their therapist.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

The therapists at T.E.A.M. 4 Kids have a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be shared with you. Don’t be shy about asking questions; we love it!

2. Make a list.

If you’re like me, the moment you leave the building is the moment you think of all the questions you wished you had asked. Before you see your therapist or between each therapy session, write down the questions that you have. This will make it much easier to get the answers you are looking for. It is also helpful to keep notes with the answers to these questions so you can share the information with other important people in your child’s life. For example: grandparents, parents who are not attending the therapy session, siblings, teachers, etc.

3. Explain the healthcare jargon please!

Just about every area of healthcare comes with its own list of jargon. These medical terms can be confusing so don’t be afraid to ask for some simplification. This applies to your therapists as well as our office staff. We are here to help you and your family and thrive on the interpersonal relationships we build. We would be happy to explain, elaborate, and answer questions you may have in person, via phone, or over email. This includes the therapy process, short and long term goals, the insurance verification process, prior authorizations, and more.

4. Research/Study.

Understanding the disability that your child has will help give you insight into how best to help them. Your therapists at T.E.A.M. 4 Kids are happy to suggest places to find good credible information. However, if you wish to pull up you laptop and surf the Internet be cautious what websites you research. Not every website with your search is accurate. If you are going to research online ask yourself these questions:

Who is responsible for creating the web page?
What is the content of the web site?
How recent is the web site?
Is the web site relevant to your research topic?

I hope these tips can help you and your family to make the most of each visit and your therapist!

– Josh

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