I have a 12 month old little girl with Down Syndrome. We participate in an early intervention program. Currently, she receives 2.5 hours a week of PT,OT, and developmental and 1.5 hour a week of speech. My question is two fold: First, how do you know if your child is receiving good quality therapy, and second, how much therapy should …
Top 4 Questions About Speech Therapy for Infants & Toddlers
Can you provide therapy for an infant as young as 3 or 6 months? How do you go about getting a child of that age to understand and respond? Children are interactive from birth and are learning the building blocks of speech, language and overall communication from very early in life. Even a newborn child is communicating! There are very …
Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
The optic nerve serves as a connector, carrying visual information from the eye to the brain. Those that have optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) have an underdeveloped optic nerve in one or both eyes. Typically each optic nerve has about 1 million connections. However, those with optic nerve hypoplasia have far fewer connections. Optic nerve hypoplasia is one of the three …
What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)?
AAC is a form of communication an individual uses that is not verbal/oral speech. This form of communication can be anything from facial expressions to high technology that communicates what the user tells it to. People who communicate using AAC can be verbal but use additional methods such as facial expressions or pointing to express themselves. Others may be nonverbal …
What is Torticollis? Treatment Options and When You Should Seek Therapy
Torticollis is the shortening of a neck muscle called the sternocleidomastoid. The side that is affected causes a child to have their neck tilted to the side of the shorted muscle and their chin rotated to the opposite side. The child has difficulties tilting their head the opposite direction of the tight muscle and turning their head to the involved …
What are the Symptoms and Treatment Options for Spina Bifida?
Spina Bifida (SB) is a neural tube defect (a disorder involving incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord, and/or their protective coverings). SB is caused by the failure of the fetus’s spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. Infants born with SB sometimes have an open lesion on their spine where significant damage to the nerves and …
How to Manage Spasticity in Children: Tips for Parents
Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and may interfere with movement, speech, and manner of walking. Causes of Spasticity? Spasticity is usually caused by damage to the portion of the brain or spinal cord that controls voluntary movement. It may occur in association with spinal cord …
What are the Symptoms of a Sensory Processing Disorder?
A child with this neurological disorder, also called Sensory Integration Dysfunction, experiences difficulty processing information from the five senses vision, auditory, touch, taste, and smell. In addition, Sensory Processing Disorder can cause problems with a child’s sense of movement and/or the positional sense, called proprioception. The child can sense the information normally, (for example, he or she can hear), but …
What are the Treatment Options for a Child with Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a disorder that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, or backbone. Usually the cause is unknown. What is Scoliosis? There are five types of scoliosis. Three types are based on the age at which scoliosis develops: A child who is less than 3 years old is diagnosed with infantile idiopathic scoliosis. A child between 3 and 10 …
What is Rett Syndrome?
Rett Syndrome is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder that affects females almost exclusively. What is Rett Syndrome? Loss of muscle tone is usually the first symptom. Other early symptoms may include problems crawling or walking and diminished eye contact. As Rett Syndrome progresses, the child loses purposeful use of her hands and the ability to speak. Compulsive hand movements such as …