Sitting down with my darling Sophie before her nap, and reading her a book is one of my favorite times of the day. There is something so rewarding about watching her learn to identify new pictures or say new words. Reading books with toddlers is a great way to help […]
Author: Heidi Hanks
How to Teach the K Sound & G Sound
I recently had a reader ask how to help her 4 1/2 year old daughter say the /k/ and /g/ sounds. These sounds can be tricky for little ones. Typically most children have mastered the /k/ and /g/ sounds by about 3 1/2 years of age. In this post I […]
Using Bubbles to Encourage Language Development
My sister was visiting the other day and asked me for some suggestions on how to encourage her son to speak more. I suggested trying bubbles. Bubbles are one of my favorite therapy tools because they can be used in so many different ways to both assess language skills and […]
My Child Has a Lisp, Should I Be Concerned?
My neighbor came to me about her 5 year old daughter wondering if she should be concerned about he daughter substituting her /s/ and /z/ sounds for TH sounds. I explained that this is known as an interdental lisp. Interdental lisps are often developmental disorders and usually resolve themselves by […]
How to Find a Speech-Language Pathologist
There are a few ways to find a Speech-Language Pathologist in your area. Depending on your needs, here are a few tips: How do I Find a Speech Pathologist for a 2 year old? Your local early intervention program serves children birth to three years old. Each state has a […]
Tonsillectomy-Adenoidectomy and Hypernasality
My sister-in-law called me today with questions about her son that recently had his tonsils and adenoids out. She was saying that since the surgery he received one week ago he suddenly has a very nasal quality about his speech. Temporary change in voice following surgery is common. In response […]
Do Pacifiers and Sippy Cups Cause Speech Delay?
People often ask me, “Should I use a pacifier with my child?” As a speech pathologist and a new mom to my first child, I had resolved to never use a pacifier with my son. I didn’t want to have to worry about weaning him off of it knowing the […]
Sign Language With Your Infant & Toddler
For those of you wondering if signing with your infants and toddlers really helps promote language development I am here to tell you it does! Definitely! Several months ago I had a friend start asking me questions about her two year old that was using very few words. When her […]
At What Age Should My Child Be Talking?
I had an interesting experience last week. I was picking my kids up from my sister’s house when her in-laws pulled up with their children. When they got out of the car she introduced me as her sister speech therapist. She immediately began telling me how her, two year old, […]
Cochlear Implants
I went to an amazing conference the other day on cochlear implants put on by the Cochlear Foundation. When I finished grad school 7 years ago cochlear implants were still pretty controversial. I never knew quite what to think. I left this conference deeply impressed that implanting children with a […]
Speech… Teach Your Kids Early!
Welcome to Mommy Speech Therapy! I hope I can keep this up since responding to email in under a month has been a challenge I am still working to overcome. My motivation for starting this blog is to have a place where moms like me (and dads too of course) […]