No Stairs, No Problem! Tips to Help With Stair Climbing Skills

CME WebsitesChild Development, Toddlers 12 - 36 Months, Walking

Stairs are an important part of our everyday lives.  Many families have stairs inside or leading into their homes.  Other families may not have stairs in their home but will visit friends’ or relatives’ houses that have stairs. Common questions that parents often ask therapists are: “When should my child be able to crawl or walk up the stairs” and …

Early Intervention - Early Intervention Support

The Early Intervention Foundation for Success

CME WebsitesChild Development, Parenting a Child with Special Needs, Resources, Special Needs Diagnoses

The birth of our beautiful daughter, Chloe, in 2003 placed our family on an incredible journey that has allowed us to become strong voices for children and families. We had no prenatal testing during my wife’s pregnancy, and we were informed shortly after Chloe’s entrance into this world that she had characteristics of Down syndrome. Genetic tests confirmed Chloe’s diagnosis, …

gross motor skills for infants

Gross Motor Skills for Infants Aged 0-12 Months

CME WebsitesChild Development, Infants 3 - 12 Months, Newborns 0 - 3 Months

You can help support the development of your baby’s gross motor skills from the moment you bring them home. Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body, such as the arms and legs. – In early child development, it’s the strengthening of these muscles that enable infants to hold their head up, sit up independently, crawl, and eventually walk. Find out …

fine motor skills activities

10 Fun Sensory and Fine Motor Skills Activities

CME WebsitesChild Development

Have you found yourself asking any of the following questions: “How do I help my child improve his or her fine motor skills?” “How do I help my child tolerate touching things that are slimy?” “How do I help my child improve his or her self-feeding?” “How do I help my child tolerate touching things that have different textures?” If …

hearing loss in children

Understanding Hearing Loss in Children

Tamara GuoChild Development, Special Needs Diagnoses

An informational update from the Western PA School for the Deaf November 13, 2014 Training Summary & Additional Info by Tamara Guo, M.Ed. Developmental Specialist   The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development reported in 2012 that 1 in every 33 babies are born with some type of birth defect. Prematurity and low birth weight …

digeorge syndrome: 22q deletion

DiGeorge Syndrome: What is 22q Deletion?

Katie BlauthChild Development, Special Needs Diagnoses

The term 22q refers to a missing part of Chromosome 22, specifically in the area of 22q11.2. It used to be referred to by several names, such as velocardiofacial syndrome, DiGeorge Syndrome, conotruncal anomaly face syndrome, Opitz G/BBB syndrome, and Cayler cardiofacial syndrome.  All of these syndromes have been found to have the same core issue, the deletion of the …

fine motor development in toddlers and preschoolers

Fine Motor Development in Toddlers and Preschoolers

CME WebsitesChild Development, Pre-Schoolers 36 - 60 Months, Toddlers 12 - 36 Months

During the first year of life, a child develops and gains new skills at an amazing rate. The infant goes from not having any voluntary control over his or her arms and hands to being able to grasp a small raisin with the thumb and index finger in a mature pincer grasp by his or her first birthday. But, fine …

selective mutism

Language Delay or Selective Mutism?

Katie BlauthBehavior, Child Development, Expected Behavior by Age

This question comes up very often when a child seems to understand everything you tell her, yet she isn’t talking.  Many parents report that they feel that their child is able to talk, but is refusing to do so. Selective Mutism Characteristics of selective mutism are described by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association as: consistent failure to speak in specific …