Dysphagia therapy encompasses many treatment options and approaches. There is always considerable debate about the efficacy of one treatment approach or another. This week, as I continue on with my advice for new clinicians in the SNF, I'd like to focus on swallowing therapy. Firstly, let me remind everyone that the resources and equipment ...

I'm still focusing on therapy materials that new clinicians in the SNF or geriatric setting might want to collect. One of the most versatile therapy tools you can use are everyday objects, which work for naming, following directions, describing, attention, memory, orientation, speech intelligibility and auditory comprehension. So many skills can ...

As we consider sensory changes that occur throughout the aging process, it is important to remember the subtle differences that will manifest and how they might affect a patient's participation in therapy and daily activities, as well as his or her quality of life. My colleagues and I often notice that while we are usually warm, often ...

Earlier this past week, one of the teachers I work with, Jamie Zarmanian, shared with our preschool classes this fabulous recipe for pumpkin spice Play-Doh. The entire classroom smelled like cinnamon cookies! The texture was perfect - soft, but not sticky and children really seemed to enjoy using a different type of Play-Doh to roll, ...

Writing a post about food allergies is not an easy task to master. There are many different types of allergies: the allergy to nuts, soy, seafood/shellfish, milk, dairy, eggs, gluten, and wheat. So, for today instead of focusing on just one, I thought it best to provide some overall information from a reputable source. According to the Mayo ...

For today's post, I have chosen a list of questions and created a survey specifically designed for speech therapists working in early intervention. The survey looks at a variety of topics and issues which we face as therapists and my hope is that the results of this poll will be very beneficial to all of us as therapists and maybe even beyond as a ...

For today's post I will continue to address reader questions regarding feeding. The following question was submitted by the parent of a child diagnosed with CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech): My son is 2.2 years old and has been diagnosed with suspected apraxia. He has rec'd speech therapy and some feeding therapy through a SLP.  We are ...

Over the past year this blog has addressed a variety of syndromes, disorders and conditions that affect the many children we treat in early intervention. Due to my lack of time (but not lack of interest!), I do not always have a chance to research all the suggestions that people post and share on the blog. I always find this frustrating because I ...

On Tuesday, I submitted a post discussing the dangerous presence of toxic chemicals in toys. As I had stated in that post, parents will often ask for suggestions regarding toys that would be appropriate and helpful for their child with a diagnosed speech and/or feeding delay/disorder. Especially at this time of the year with the holidays and ...

As a follow-up from Tuesday's post, today's topic will highlight kid-friendly recipe ideas therapists (and parents!) can make with children. With all of these recipes, it is important to have the child participate in the process - let them crack the egg, stir the batter, pour the milk etc. It's ok if they get their hands dirty or spill some the ...