Addressing the misconceptions and commonly asked questions.
As an occupational therapist, the number one question I get from parents, caregivers, and even other professionals is “What is pediatric OT?”. Occupational therapy encompasses so many areas of function, it can be hard to button down pages and pages of information into a succinct blurb in the moment. Below are some clarifications and answers to the most common questions surrounding occupational therapy.
Occupational therapists can work on many different areas including: dressing skills, grooming skills, feeding, sensory processing, handwriting, and pre-writing, attention and executive function, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, emotional regulation, etc.
Why do you find jobs for children?
Short answer is, “We don’t!”. The term “occupation” used to mean anything you do, and in more modern iterations has taken on meaning for “work or career”. Occupational therapy focuses on promoting independence with anything you need to do, want to do, or have to do as part of your daily life. Brushing your teeth, going to Target, getting dressed, swinging on a swing at the park can all be considered occupations. And those are the areas OT’s work on with children and adults!
So, you are basically a PT, right?
Nope! While we love our PT colleagues, and there can be a lot of overlap, we actually have very different jobs. Physical therapists work to “improve their [clients] ability to move, reduce or manage pain, restore function, and prevent disability” (APTA, 2021). Occupational therapists work to promote independence in daily occupations – whether that be improving strength, coordination, balance, fine motor skills, adapting the environment, etc. in many different performance areas.
Why do your sessions look like play?
If you have ever seen an occupational therapy clinic or an OT session, it probably looks like the clinician is just playing games with the child or being silly. In reality, we want the sessions to look like that. In order to develop rapport with your child, and to keep little ones engaged, we often disguise our exercises in games or movement activities. This way, your child has fun with their OT, while also working towards their goals. Rest assured, we are making progress towards the goals and improving function while being silly and fun.
Do you have any other questions about occupational therapy, or if your child would benefit from occupational therapy services?
Kaelyn Green is a licensed occupational therapist at Valued Voices. She is certified by the University of Southern California in Sensory Integration and is an advocate for addressing underlying sensory functioning in order to improve occupational performance. She is passionate about meeting children and families where they are at and seeks to tailor interventions to the unique needs of her clients. When she is not working, you will find Kaelyn taking care of her two goldendoodles, working in her garden, or taking trips to the Central Coast.
Let’s be real, we all know what a temper tantrum is. Whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist, or just someone at the grocery store, we have all seen a child having a moment of dysregulation, or what we know as a temper tantrum.
For parents, temper tantrums can be very difficult. You are going through a whirlwind of emotions: empathy for your child, trying to figure out how to help them and keep them safe, feeling frustrated, and often times when it happens in front of others, feeling embarrassed and like you have no control. Often times, when I speak to parents about tantrums, they really believe they are alone, that their child is the only child that has their moments. Well, believe me when I say: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Tantrums are completely normal and in fact, a typical part of growing up. There are different types of tantrums, and of course, many different reasons a child throws a tantrum. There are also several ways we can better understand, support and guide our little ones on how to manage a tantrum. Let’s take a closer look:
It is not uncommon for temper tantrums to start around 1 year of age. At this age, infants do not have a clear means of communication and don’t have a way to express their wants, needs, and feelings in a way that they feel understood, which leads to feelings of frustration. So, what does your baby do when they feel frustrated, they cry-otherwise known as a tantrum. This is the only way that your baby can communicate with you. During this stage, parents can learn to recognize their baby’s needs through the different cries (hunger, gas, discomfort, sleepiness, etc.)
In the toddler years, tantrums can look a bit different and feel a bit more intense. Toddler tantrums sometimes lead to meltdowns, which can include kicking, hitting, screaming, and biting. The difference between a tantrum and a meltdown is:
A tantrum is an expression of a want or need A meltdown is the result of too much sensory input or a feeling of dysregulation
Again, it is important for parents to understand that tantrums are a very typical part of the development and very common for children between the ages of 1-3. As mentioned in the last blog post Communication & Behaviorit is very important for parents to connect to their little one’s need, as often a tantrum is the result of an unmet need. This does not mean you are doing ANYTHING wrong. This is just your little one’s form of communication at the moment.
Around 4-6 years of age, most children begin to outgrow tantrums as they have learned more coping strategies and ways to self-regulate. Your little one may have also learned more ways effective ways to express themselves. Still, around this age, you may see tantrums occurring. The most common reasons for tantrums during this age are difficulty regulating emotions and/or testing the limits of authority.
Are There Other Reasons for Tantrums?
While most tantrums are completely normal and a result of an unmet need and/or difficulty in expressing that need, there are times that they can also be a sign of something deeper going on.
A study by Manning et al., published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology looked more closely into the connection between late talkers and tantrums. The results revealed that little ones between 12-to-38 months of age with fewer spoken words demonstrated more frequent and severe temper tantrums. Toddlers who were late talkers also had more severe tantrums when compared to their same aged peers with typical language development.
Handling a Tantrum
Now you may be wondering: “how do I help my little one express their wants and need without having a tantrum?” The answer is: PREVENTION, PATIENCE, PRACTICE & CONSISTENCY. The good news is TANTRUMS CAN BE OVERCOME. It is all about connecting with your little one’s needs and finding coping strategies that help your child in these moments of frustration or sadness.
You can reduce the likelihood of tantrums by:
Tuning into your child’s needs
Connecting & validating your child’s emotions and feelings
Identifying and removing triggers
Reducing stress
Identifying and using positive reinforcements
When a tantrum does occur, because the truth is, they will likely happen once in a while, you can manage the tantrum by:
Staying calm. Children are sponges and absorb ALL of our energy. If you can angry, sad, or scared they will pick up on that right away and the tantrum will likely escalate. Stay calm, stay grounded and do not get overly emotional.
Waiting it out. Be patient. Let your child have their emotions, while of course making sure they are safe. When your child is in their tantrum or having a meltdown, there’s no point in trying to get their attention or reason with them. Let them go through the feelings and connect with them when they are ready.
Acknowledging emotions. Once you and your little one are in a calmer space, talk to them about their emotions and show them you understand. Also, talk to them about your emotions. This will help provide support and guidance, and even ways to self-regulate.
Being consistent. Be consistent with your approach. Children thrive off consistency and if they feel surprised or caught off guard by a reaction, or if they are feeling like they have the control, the situation could escalate. Connect to your little one’s need and your own. Consistency is key.
If your child is experiencing frequent and severe tantrums, and they are leading to aggression and behaviors that you just know are not common for your little one, seek out the support! Often times, delays in speech, language and communication, can cause a lot of frustration for our little ones. That is why early intervention is so critical and why I NEVER have the “wait-and-see” philosophy. In fact, my motto is “when in doubt, rule it out.” When you can support and guide your little one’s expression in their early years, you are having a direct impact on their adult years
If you feel like your little one’s behaviors are rooted from delays in their speech, languge and/or communication, book a complimentary parent consult with me today and let’s dive deeper into ways we can work together to support and guide you and your little one.
Sholeh Shahinfar, MA, CCC-SLP, RYT
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
As school is winding down, and the weather is warming up the first thing on my mind is heading to the beach. Is there really anything more relaxing than a day at the beach? With the waves gently crashing on the shore, the sea breeze in the air, the palm trees providing just the right amount of shade, your child crying about the way the sand feels….wait, that is not right. Why is my child crying about the way that sand feels? I mean no one really likes sand getting stuck in your swimsuit or between your toes, but is it worth a gigantic meltdown?
The reality is for a lot of children with sensory processing differences, heading to the beach for an afternoon is a nightmare. If you think about it, there is so much sensory stimuli at the beach that can overwhelm the nervous system. Between the noise of other children and families playing on the sand, to the textures of the sand and seaweed, to the bright, and the unpredictability of where the waves will brush up against your body, it is a lot to process!
Tactile defensiveness is the technical term for when the nervous system has difficulty determining which kinds of touch are dangerous and which are not. For example, if I feel a tarantula crawling on my arm, my brain processes that stimuli as harmful and throws my body into fight, flight, or freeze (and you can bet I will be running away from that spider as fast as my legs will carry me). When that filtering process is not functioning properly, stimuli like the sand can be processed as harmful, and red alerts are sent up to the brain triggering a fight flight or freeze reaction.
So, all this information is wonderful, but how can I enjoy a family day at the beach when my child is panicking in the parking lot?
Do not surprise your child with a beach excursion. No one likes to be surprised with an experience they are afraid of; this can result in increased fear and jeopardize your child’s trust in you.
Start slow. Start with driving by the beach, or even looking at a picture of sand. Talk about how fun the beach can be, and the activities or foods you would eat at the beach the next time you go. Then maybe progress to having lunch in the parking lot, with no expectation to walk on the sand. Make this clear to your child and perhaps do not even put bathing suits in the car. Then slowly move to touching the sand with hands, and gently increase the exposure to the sand as time goes on and your child’s comfort level increases.
Validate, Validate, Validate. Remember, even though sand at the beach is not something you are afraid of, or even other children are afraid of, it is still a very real fear for your little one. Validate and gently encourage your child, but never disregard their feelings or fears.
If tactile processing seems to be an issue for your child, and anxiety around textures is impacting feeding, teeth brushing, hair brushing, or other everyday functions, contact Valued Voices for a screening and additional resources.
Kaelyn Green, MA, OTR/L
Kaelyn Green is a licensed occupational therapist at Valued Voices. She is certified by the University of Southern California in Sensory Integration and is an advocate for addressing underlying sensory functioning in order to improve occupational performance. She is passionate about meeting children and families where they are at and seeks to tailor interventions to the unique needs of her clients. When she is not working, you will find Kaelyn taking care of her two goldendoodles, working in her garden, or taking trips to the Central Coast.
A Month-by-Month Guide to Speech, Language and Communication Development
Your little baby turned one! This is a huge moment to cherish and celebrate! This is also a time when your little love is absorbing even more of the world around them. There is so much that is in store for your little one as she continues on her journey of self-expression!
Child development is highly individualized and dependent on so many factors. So, when you begin searching the internet for “what is my 1 year old supposed to be doing,” take into account your little one’s unique set of strengths and use the milestones as a guide to help support you in empowering your little one’s voice.
I am also a big supporter of parental instinct. If you are feeling like “I feel like my 1 year old is behind in her development,” then chances are you are picking up on something that may need a bit more support. This could be anything from parent coaching and education to direct therapy for your little one-either way, my motto is “when in doubt, rule it out.” Do not follow the “wait and see” philosophy when it comes to your little one’s self-expression.
As a professional and child communication expert, I am not a fan of developmental milestones. I find they bring unnecessary stress and worry for many families and it takes the focus off your child and onto a version of success that truly has no clear meaning. Every child is different and there are so many factors, in any given moment, to take into consideration when assessing milestones and norms.
In this article, I have outlined for you a month-by-month guide to your little one’s speech, language and communication development during between 1-2 years of age. Remember, simply use this as a tool in helping guide you towards empowering and elevating your little one’s expression:
MONTHS 12 – 15
Imitates other children
Initiates turn-taking routines
Uses vocalizations more frequently than gestures
Attempts to feed adults and comb hair
Shakes head to indicate “no”
Explores toys
Follows one-step commands/directions
Maintains attention to pictures/books
Responds to “give me” command
Identifies 3 body parts
Demonstrates symbolic and functional play with objects
Understands 50+ words (including mostly nouns and some verbs)
Says 8-10 words (either independently or imitated)
Makes animal noises
Attempts to combine vocalizations with gestures to get needs/wants met
Demonstrates emergence of early developing consonants like /p/, /b/, and /m/
MONTHS 15 – 18
Plays away from familiar people
Shows, points to, or gives objects to familiar people
Uses words to protest
Plays with toys in multiple/different way
Requests assistance from adult by handing them a toy
Identifies 6 body parts
Understands simple commands with gestures
Understands 50+ words
Uses about 15 word meaningfully
Demonstrates emergence of consonants like /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/
Asks “what’s that?”
Asks for “more” (by saying, gesturing or signing)
Names familiar objects
Uses more words than gestures to communicate wants/needs
Moves objects from one hand to the other
Recognizes books
Recognizes intonation and familiarity in books
Plays peek-a-boo
Responds to name
Shows interest and curiosity about objects in environment
MONTHS 19 – 21
Uses vocalizations and words during play
Leads adult towards a desired object
Pretends to play an instrument or dance to music
Puts on / takes off clothes
Increases in pretend play skills
Uses two objects tighter during ply
Identifies clothing items and body parts
Understands simple commands
Identifies pictures/objects when named (with 5 or more objects)
Understands the meaning of common action words/verbs
Frequently uses single words to communicate wants/needs
Imitates 2-3 word phrases
Demonstrates emergence of spontaneous 2-word phrases
MONTHS 22 – 24
Gestures to request actions
Gestures to indicate toileting needs
Engages in symbolic and pretend play routines
Stacks and assembles objects/toys
Puts away objects when requested
Follows 2-step commands
Understands and uses new words regularly
Uses 2-word phrase frequently
Uses 50 different words with an associated meaning
Uses 3-word phrases at times
Refers to self by name
At Valued Voices, we are big believers and advocates for early intervention. Do not let anyone (even yourself) tell you to “wait and see.” If you feel like your little one needs support, the earlier you provide her with the quality of care and support she needs, the more present and connected she will feel.
Sholeh Shahinfar is the Founder of Valued Voices, a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, Sholeh embraces a vegan lifestyle, loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
Child speech, language and communication development can be so complex yet so rewarding! That moment when your child looks up at you to be picked up, puts her arms up and says “up” or runs over to you and says “mommy, I want to go up” are all pieces of a larger puzzle that creates connection between you and your little one and that nurtures your little one’s self-expression.
Expression can come in so many different forms.The earlier we expose our kiddos to the many ways we can communicate and express, the more empowered they become.
The journey of self-expression starts from within the womb and along the way, there are so many ways to help your little one become more connected to her voice. As your child neared her 1 year mark, you may be longing to hear her first words. So, what happens when you don’t hear those first words, and you are struggling to understand your little one’s wants and needs? Parents often go into a cycle of blame-shame-guilt, but I am here to tell you to let that go!
There are many ways to connect with your kiddo, and by following these tips you will find yourself talking with your toddler! Now let’s be clear, every child is different so try out these tips and see what works best for your child. Don’t compare, don’t rush the process, be patient and be mindful that talking is not just with our words, we can communicate and convey our thoughts, needs, wants, and feelings in many ways!
So here it is, my 25 tips to talking with your toddler:
REPETITION: Repeat words and phrases over & over. Think of repetition when you are selecting books to read with your toddler or toys to play with.
SIMPLIFY: Use short phrases and sentences. Continue to model grammatically correct and complete sentences so that your little one is hearing the right form, but when it comes to structured activities, use a few words drawing your little one’s attention to that main vocabulary.
PARALLEL TALK: Narrate everything your child is doing, Talk out loud, putting language to your little one’s actions. For example, if your little ones pushes a car, you say “push car” if she is running you can say “run, run, run”
SELF TALK: Narrate everything you are doing. Similar to parallel talk, but here, you are talking out loud about everything you are doing. For example, if you are cutting up an apple for a snack, you can say “cut apple” or “mommy is cutting apple.”
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES: Choose a daily routine (something that happens almost the same way, everyday) and focus on implementing the above concepts into that routine. The more you practice, the more your kiddo is absorbing! You can also create opportunities by the way you structure your environment and daily routines.
GIVE CHOICES: Choices are an amazing way to create an opportunity for language and give your child a sense of autonomy. Start with 2 choices, then expand from there. For example, “do you want apple or banana” (while holding up the objects).
USE VISUALS: Show your little one objects or photos to represent objects/actions when talking. For example, when giving the choice of an apple or banana, hold up the real objects and see if your little one will reach for, point to, or name the object she desires.
IMITATION: Have your little one copy you. Important tip here, avoid saying “say ….” that puts unnecessary pressure on communication, simply provide the language “apple” and see if your little one imitates you. Give it 2-3 attempts before you hand the object to her, we never want to cause frustration and inside tip: if you cut up the apple slices into bite-sized pieces, and each piece gets 2-3 tries, that is lots of opportunities to practice “apple”
MODEL: Model the language that you want your child to say. Start with simplified language (i.e. push car) then move into more grammatically correct and complete sentences (i.e. you are pushing the car). I love to use a combination of both when working with my kiddos!
EXPAND: Use one-or-two more words than your kiddo is using. For example, if your kiddo says “ball” while rolling a ball, you say “roll ball.” If she says “roll ball” while rolling the ball, you say “I roll ball” and if she says “I roll ball” you say “I am rolling the ball”
ROUTINES: Take a few routines that happen every single day and use the same words, phrases and/or short sentences to talk about the daily routines. For example, during bath time you might say “wash, wash, wash” when washing your toddler, or you can say “wash head,” “mommy washing head” or “daddy is washing your head.” Common routines include: bath time, bedtime, getting dressed, morning/night routines, meal/snack time, and car rides
SING: Songs are a great way to teach language. When singing songs, start out singing it a few times together, then try a version where your toddler fills-in-the-blank. For example, when singing ‘Wheels on the Bus,” say “the people on the bus go up and ____” and see if your kiddo fills in with “down.”. You can then increase the number of words that you omit.
FOLLOW CHILD’S LEAD: Let your toddler explore and discover her interests, likes and dislikes. Follow her lead as she moves around the room and follow her lead when she is using words, gestures, and/or signs to communicate. For example, if you are playing with cars and your toddler gets up to go play with the balls, get up and go with her. Acknowledge and embrace your toddler’s curiosity!
WAIT: It is SO important to give your toddler some wait time. Oftentimes, we feel uncomfortable with silence and we feel the need to fill in those quiet moments by talking more. This isn’t always so effective. Pause and give your toddler time to respond.
SIGNS & GESTURES: Let’s remember, self-expression comes in many forms and it is important to use many modalities when connecting with our kiddos. Do not limit your modeling to just words, give your kiddo options of self-expression. Early signs, gestures, and other forms of communication are so important to teach at an early age.
ONE-BY-ONE: When playing a game, playing with objects or having a snack, make sure to hold onto objects/items so that your little one gets the opportunity and repetition to ask you for something multiple times. For example, when playing with cars, hold onto all the cars and have your little one request the item by saying “car,” “more car,” or “I want car” for each car that you have. Think about, if your little one has 10 cars, that is at least 10 opportunities to develop and expand her language skills, as opposed to giving her all 10 cars right away.
SET THE STAGE: Set up your environment so that your little one needs to ask you for something. For example, give your little one the house without opening it up for her to encourage the word “open” or “help.” Setting up our environment is crucial when addressing and empowering our little one’s communication skills!
PRETEND: I like to have fun with this one and kiddos love it too! I sometimes pretend that I don’t know how to do something or that I need help. For example, if I am trying to open a toy garage door, I might tug and pull at it and say “oh no, it’s not working, what should I do” and when my little one signs “open” or uses the word “open” or “open door” it is the magic in making the door work-viola, all of a sudden, the door opens!
UP & AWAY: The first homework assignment I often give to our toddlers is homework for the parents! I almost always tell parents after our first session to “go home and put most of your little one’s favorite toys up and away, out of reach, so that she has to ask for it.” Let’s remember, this can be through pointing, gesturing or spoken words. This is a bonus tip because it also works on foundational pragmatic language skills, such as initiating conversations.
GET SILLY: This is one of my favorites! I love getting silly with my kiddos! Making silly faces, over exaggerating my emotions and facial expressions, getting into character when I am reading a book…all great ways to shift and explore with different kinds of body language, vocal qualities, emotions and ways to self-express!
EXPLORE: If you had to eat the same meal every single day for the rest of your days, how would that make you feel? Bored, frustrated, annoyed…just to name a few. Well, the same is true for our kiddos. If we do the same activities, even during play, with our little ones, the excitement tends to wear off quickly. So, switch things up, explore something new every week and try out new things!
MAKE COMMENTS: Be mindful of having a good balance of questions and comments. Too often, we over do the questions with our kiddos: “who did you play with,” “what did you do at school,” “what did you eat for lunch”-this can be overwhelming at times so create a balance. When you ask your kiddo “what did you eat for lunch” and she excitedly shouts “celery and peanut butter,” instead of bouncing to the next question right away, make a comment instead: “wow, that is a yummy snack and it sounds like you really enjoyed it.”
ASK QUESTIONS: This is another tip we must be mindful of: what types of questions are we asking. Oftentimes, we want our kiddo’s talking in sentences, but when we ask them a question, it really does elicit a 1-2 word response. For example, when you ask your kiddo “what did you eat for lunch” and she say “sandwich” and you think to yourself “ahh-why isn’t she answering me in a full sentence”-take a minute to reflect on your question. If she can answer it with one-word, then change up your question to elicit a longer response. Shift friend “what did you eat for lunch” to “tell me about your lunch”-you can see how the shift in the type of question, shifts the type of response we get.
SAY IT BACK: Repeat back what your little one is saying to draw awareness to the correct form or pronunciation. For example, if your little one says “daddy goes outside” you can model back “yes, daddy went outside”-putting the emphasis on the correct grammatical form while also validating and acknowledging your little one’s beautiful communication.
SLOW IT DOWN: Most of us tend to live in a fast-paced world and not only are our bodies moving fast, but so are our words. Practice the art of slowing down. When we move slow through life, we realize all the opportunities that are right in front of us, we become more present to how we can use the moment to increase our child’s development, and we model a more clear and articulate way of speaking-all of which our children are observing and absorbing right up!
These tips are designed to make you aware of all the amazing things you are likely doing, but not giving yourself enough credit for or it could be that you just needed this little nudge to connect with your kiddo with confidence! Whatever brought you here, I am here to tell you that you are doing great and by incorporating these 25 tips when talking with your toddler, you are creating an atmosphere of acceptance, trust, safety and empowerment!
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
The moment you found out you were going to welcome a new human into your life, you must have been filled with so many emotions! Becoming a parent is such a huge moment, filled with a lifetime of excitement, joy, laughter, love and bliss and also worry and fear. Much like the rest of our lives, raising a child is filled with lots of ups and downs. When it sinks in that “I am becoming a parent” your child’s entire life flashes before your eyes and you get this deep desire to provide your little one with the best life possible.
When it comes to child development, there are so many resources out there, and this can become quite overwhelming, especially for first time parents. I find that many of us use milestones as a marker for success. For example, for a woman my age, the “norms” for an “average” amount of push-ups is between 7-12, while “below average” is considered 3-6. Well, some days, I can do about 20 push-ups, whereas other days, I need to do a modified version and I feel like I am struggling with even 5. If I go by the “norms,” I would just be stressing myself out unnecessarily, instead, I listen to my body and my body tells me what it wants to do that day (side note: big difference from what the mind will tell you and what your body really wants). The point is, I don’t let the “norms” define my success.
As a professional and child communication expert, I am not a fan of developmental milestones. I find they bring unnecessary stress and worry for many families and it takes the focus off your child and onto a version of success that truly has no clear meaning. Every child is different and there are so many factors, in any given moment, to take into consideration when assessing milestones and norms.
Do I find milestones and norms extremely useful as a means to help us guide our little ones: absolutely! Do I let it dictate and define my kiddo’s success and my success in helping children connect to their expression: absolutely not!
In this article, I have outlined for you a month-by-month guide to your little one’s speech, language and communication development during his first year of life. Remember, simply use this as a tool in helping guide you towards empowering and elevating your little one’s expression:
MONTHS 1 – 3
Responds to noise by crying or quieting
Smiles purposefully in response to caregiver’s face or voice
Seeks to make eye contact with adults
Shows more interest in people rather than objects
Looks at objects
Cries to get attention
Attempts to imitate facial expressions
Attends to others voices
Moves in response to voice
Looks at adult’s mouth and eyes
Coos and vocalizes in response adult’s voice
Vocalizes to express discomfort and/or pleasure
Reaches for objects
MONTHS 4 – 6
Head control when supported in sitting positions
Smiles and laughs to get adult’s attentions
Rolls overs
Understands object permanence
Mimics facial expressions
Developing awareness and understanding of cause-effect relationships
Babbles with consonant-vowel combinations
Reaches for a toy that is out of reach
Moves objects from one hand to the other
Recognizes books
Recognizes intonation and familiarity in books
Plays peek-a-boo
Responds to name
Shows interest and curiosity about objects in environment
MONTHS 7 – 9
Objects if you take away a toy
Can hold a cup
Can drink from a cup
May babble “mama” or “dada” without associated meaning
Begins to understand the word “no” (but may not always listen)
Responds to name
Tries to clap hands
Understands the meaning of a few words (mostly nouns)
Looks for a favorite toy when out of sight
Gestures and makes sounds back and forth with adult
Waves hand for “bye-bye” or “hi”
MONTHS 10 – 12
Performs for social attention
Vocalizes to get others attention
Will indicate a desire to change an activity
Reaches upward to be picked up
Waves “hi” and “bye”
Engages in a game of “peek-a-boo” but covering/unconvering face
Sholeh Shahinfar is the Founder of Valued Voices, a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, Sholeh embraces a vegan lifestyle, loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
It was about two years ago, I was in invited to do a speaking event for a room full of parents and preschool teachers, my topic was of course my passion: childhood self-expression. I started with a little experiment: “raise your hand if you think speech, language and communication are the same thing,” about 70% of hands went up. Now I know this is a common misconception, but I wanted to understand why the audience thought these three things were the same. Once person asked “well isn’t it all talking”, another said “because it all has to do with how we communicate.” Interesting points and I can see where their minds were going, but I was also secretly super excited that I was about to turn their worlds upside down!
Often, when people ask me “what do you do,” I find it unbelievably hard to explain and not because I don’t know how to put it into words, but more so because Speech Language Pathologists do so much. So, if there are any fellow SLPs, parent, or anyone for that matter, reading this that wants to help me narrow it down into 1-2 sentences-please, send me all you have!
One of the places I love to start when speaking to others about the role of a SLP is to break down the difference between speech, language and communication, because (in case you haven’t figured it out yet) they are very different, yet very connected:
Speech: the sounds we use for talking and the way we say those sounds and words. This includes fluency, volume, pitch, rate and intonation.
Language: understanding and using words and their meaning, understanding how words go together, putting words together using grammatical markers to make sentences, as well as higher level skills such as drawing inferences and making predictions.
Communication: nonverbal and verbal language skills used to share and exchange thoughts, feelings and ideas.
If your child has a speech, language, and/or communication delay this has a ripple effect into many other aspects of their life. Let’s look at this in terms of some examples:
Joey is 4 years old; he is at the playground and notices some other kids coming over, he runs over to invite them to play but none of the other kids understand what Joey is saying. He keeps repeating himself, over and over, but the other kids continue to not understand him. Joey begins to feel frustrated and walks away. The impact of Joey’s speech is not only affecting his verbal expression but it is now also the cause of behaviors, as well as emotional and social development.
Sara is 2 years old; she is in the kitchen with dad. Dad takes Sara over to the fridge and says “what should we eat for lunch today?” Sara replies by saying “mmm…mmm” while pointing to the yummy snack she wants. Dad asks “apples?”, Sara shakes her head no and points again saying “mmm…mmm,” “juice?” guesses Dad; again, Sara shakes her head no and continues to point. After a couple more guesses, Sara begins to get frustrated and begins crying and hitting dad. Sara’s language is affecting her expression and she is becoming frustrated because she isn’t getting her wants and needs met. Because of this, Sara begins to hit and cry, behaviors which can impactsocial and emotional development, as well as learning.
Zach is 6 years old; he is in class and the teacher says “okay kids, after you finish your art project, put it in your cubby, go sit back down and take out your pencils and blocks for math.” Zach feels lost and confused, the teacher just gave a pretty long and complex direction and he only got the first part. Zach looks around to copy his peers, but they are all at different parts in the direction. Zach decides to just sit back down at his desk and not participate in the direction. His teacher thinks he isn’t listening. Zach’s difficulty with comprehending/understanding this language has an impact on his learning, ability to participate with others, and the confidence he has in himself, demonstrating impacts in most areas of development.
You can see from these three examples above how deeply connected speech, language and communication are to the way your little one is being and feeling in this world, as well as the impacts it has on many areas of development. My mission is to connect children to their voice through whatever modality of expression resonates best with them and to provide parents and professionals with the tools necessary to empower our children’s voices!
Want to know how your kiddo is progressing with speech, language and communication skills? Book an appointment, with me today!
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
First off, let me say that thumb sucking is a completely natural reflex. In fact, babies have a natural rooting and sucking reflex that sometimes even begins in the womb, around 29 weeks gestation. According to Stanford Children’s Health “about 90% of newborns show some form of hand sucking by 2 hours after birth.”
Thumb sucking is a common habit in most infants and little ones, often serving as a sense of security. The act of thumb sucking has actually been shown to release endorphins and acts as a self-soothing action. So, when you wake up at 3 AM because you hear your little one crying, and then within moments it gets quiet and you think “am I sleep deprived and imagining things,” it may be because your little one just discovered his thumb, a way to self soothe and fall right back asleep-bet you don’t mind thumb sucking now, do you?!
Because thumb sucking can make a baby feel secure, some little ones may develop a habit of thumb sucking when they are going to sleep or feel the need for soothing, however, we do want this to become habit for too long. Most children stop sucking their thumbs on their own, often between 2 to 4 years of age, and some even sooner, between 6-7 months. Thumb sucking isn’t usually a concern until your little one’s permanent teeth start coming in. During this time, thumb sucking can have an adverse impact on the development/shape of the palate and alignment of teeth, which may lead to difficulty with speech sound production and overall speech clarity.
So, what do you do if your child is getting older and still sucking their thumb? Some tips can include:
Raise Awareness: talk to your child about thumb sucking and get him involved in becoming more aware about what he are doing and why he might be doing it, then brainstorm some alternative ways to self soothe.
Identify Triggers: some children will present with thumb sucking in times of stress, so instead of saying “don’t do that” or “no thumb sucking”, identify the reason behind the behavior and provide comfort in a different way.
Use Positive Reinforcement: use positive praise and recognition for when your little one isn’t sucking his thumb. Don’t scold or criticize, but rather praise the moments when he isn’t sucking his thumb or when he comes up with a different way to self soothe, like hugging a stuffed animal or getting a hug from mom or dad.
Keep in mind, your little one started sucking his thumb as a way to self soothe, and then this may have become habitual over time, so be gentle and patient with how you address and redirect your little one, and most importantly, stay connected.
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
Let me start off by making a confession: I don’t own an iPad. When it comes to technology and therapy, I am a bit old school, however, despite my opinions on screen time, I also have to stay connected to the needs of my families, and something I get asked quite often is “what are the best apps for speech and language development?”
For children under 18 months of age, avoid the use of screen time all together. Video chatting, through platforms such Facetime, Whatsapp or Skype, can be used in moderation, for example: if a parent is out of town or a long distance grandparent. Pediatricians report that video chatting with family members can help build relationships, however, the AAP reports that more studies are needed to determine the cognitive and behavioral impacts of too much screen time, particularly with babies and toddlers.
If choosing to introduce media to little ones 18 to 24 months of age, parents should choose high-quality programming, always be present, and more importantly be interacting and playing with their children. Devices should not be a replacement for interactions, but rather a shared activity and experience.
For ages 2 to 5 years old, doctors recommended 1 hour or less per day of screen time, and urge parents to continue choosing high-quality programming and to continue parent involvement: watch the program with your little one to help them understand what they are seeing.
Screen time is a personal and family decision, so whether or not you choose to allow your kiddo to have some screen time depends on what is best for your child and what feels most aligned with your family values. As I said, I don’t own an iPad and have never gravitated towards apps in my sessions, but I have used a few and seen the benefits they can have when done right. Also, because this is an important topic for many families and professionals out there, it makes it important to me, so I have come up with a few of my favorite apps that are engaging and interactive, and that encourageconnection and expression! All of my recommendations are apps that are intended to be done with your little one!
Apps for your Toddlers & Preschoolers:
Wheels on the Bus: this is a fun, interactive version of a favorite song! You can sing-a-long by recording your own voice, learn and label various nouns and actions, and interact by spinning the wheels, opening the doors, swishing the wipers, and so much more!
Baby’s Musical Hands: another great musical activity that will allow your little one to explore and create their own music, inspiring so much self-expression. Your little one can learn about instrument sounds (like the drums, piano and guitar), as well as colors. Not only is this a great fine and gross motor task, but also a great task for eliciting language to label and request!
Peakaboo Barn:in this app, friendly farm animals are waiting to be make friends! Help your little one guess who the animal is based on the sounds you hear. This is a great way to work on identifying and labeling animals, making animal sounds, using consonant-vowel or vowel-consonant combinations, and making predictions! A great cause-effect game for our little ones!
Toca Boca: there are many Toca Boca apps that are great for identifying and labeling nouns, verbs, and attributes (such as color, size, shape, etc.). Many are theme-based so you can encourage lots of expression here. Take a trip to the hair salon or invite your friends to a birthday party!
First Phrases HD: this amazing app works on identifying and labeling nouns and verbs, and is a multi-modality approach to learning language (you hear it, see it and can record your own voice). This is a great way to increase your little one’s sentence length, moving from one word to two-or-three word combinations and then your little one watches as their character follows their command! A must have for increasing expressive language! There is also a version that targets following directions of increasing complexity, check that out here: Fun with Directions HD.
Remember, apps can be a great way to supplement speech and language development when they are used in collaboration with real-life events and interactions. Play and connection with your kiddo is the number one best way to empower, encourage and expand speech and languagedevelopment!
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
Have you ever gone into a store or visited a website and just stared aimlessly at all the products, feeling overwhelmed by the vast selection and thought “which one will be best for my kiddo?” I definitely have! When I first started my career, I definitely overdid it and overspent on my toy inventory, I thought “the more, the better.” Well, I was wrong!
Through experimenting and experience, I have discovered the magic sauce when shopping for toys for toddlers and want to share some of my favorite toys with you today! Also included are some of my pro-tips on how to use these toys to develop, expand and support your toddler’s speech, language and communication skills:
Speech: Work on early developing consonant and vowel combinations like “buh” for “ball” and “ha” for “hammer” Language: Work on identifying and labeling colors, counting, and spatial concepts, such as “in” and “out,” as well as “up” and “down” Communication: Work on eye contact, attention and turn taking
Speech: Work on animal sounds and increasing syllable length Language: Work on following directions with various linguistic concepts, as well as identifying and labeling shapes, colors, and animals. Also work on commenting, requesting, and narrating play Communication: Work on eye contact, attention, turn taking and play skills
Speech: Work on early developing consonant-vowel combinations like “puh” for “push” and “ha” for “hammer” Language: Work on identifying and labeling colors, counting, and spatial concepts, such as “in” and “out,” as well as “up” and “down” Communication: Work on eye contact, attention and turn taking
Speech: Work on vowel-consonant or consonant-vowel combinations like “up”, “pop”, “hi”, and “bye-bye”, also work on animal sounds Language: Work on 1-2 word combinations by labeling the animal, action and/or color (ex: “dog down”, “blue up”), also work on requesting (i.e. “more pop”) Communication: Work on eye contact, attention and turn taking
Speech: Work on later developing phonemes like /k/ and /g/ for “car” and “go” Language: Work on identifying and labeling colors and numbers, as well as following directions using more advanced spatial concepts such as “on top” or “bottom.” Work on requesting using 2-4 word phrases (ex: “blue car” or “I want blue car”), as well as commenting using prepositional phrases (ex: “car on top”) Communication: Work on eye contact and turn taking using “my turn” and “your turn”
Are you interested in discovering more:
Ways to use these 5 toys to create speech and language opportunities for your toddler?
Toys that encourage and expand speech and language opportunities for your toddler?
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!