Probiotics or prebiotics have been studied and used to improve various functions including healthy development of the immune system, prevention of infection from pathogenic or opportunistic microbes and maintenance of intestinal barrier function ~ International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics Probiotics and Prebiotics A huge and diverse range of bacterial species colonize the human body. The…
Pursuit
Stuffed Animal Sleepovers Promote Reading
“Sending stuffed animals for a sleepover at the library encourages children to read with them, even long after the sleepover took place, say, researchers.” When I was little I was convinced that my stuffed animals came to life at night. Perhaps it was a movie I saw, or a book I read, or just my…
Ph.D. (MOM)?
“I can’t count the number of books, articles, websites, studies, etc. I have devoured on the subject of motor speech disorders, autism spectrum disorders, treatment methods, and anything remotely associated with the subject.” ~Lindsey My son Quinn’s initial official diagnosis was PDD-NOS (today known as ASD) Other dx considered at the time: -Global Developmental Disability…
Why More Should Know What Oral Apraxia Is
My son Tanner was diagnosed with both oral as well as verbal apraxia. When my son Tanner’s neurodevelopmental pediatrician, a Medical Director for Early Intervention in New York, saw Tanner for the first time at 3 years old, she shook her head and said, “I could have told you a year ago this child had severe…
4 Tips To Help Your Child With Straw Drinking
“My son Tanner had severe oral apraxia -so we had to work on drinking from a straw too. Even though there are other methods -here are the key things I found to be awesome for tricking his body into drinking from a straw.” MY CHILD CAN’T DRINK FROM A STRAW- ANY TIPS?! There are therapies…
Study Finds Lack Of Eye Contact While Speaking May Be Natural
In watching YouTube videos of children with apraxia for example many times you’ll see their gaze glance up or down while speaking. I had been pointing this out for over a decade, but now there is research that explains why this is a natural behavior in anyone. Your child is a late talker, or maybe has…
Study: Children Learn Who’s “Naughty or Nice” Through Nonverbal Signals
My son Tanner was diagnosed with verbal as well as oral apraxia. Most don’t know what apraxia is, but even fewer understand the difference between oral and verbal apraxia. With oral apraxia my son didn’t even have the ability to make facial expressions on command. Being essentially nonverbal is difficult enough, but not having the…
Scientists explore how nutrition may feed mental health
Good nutrition has long been viewed as a cornerstone of physical health, but research is increasingly showing diet’s effect on as well A special section in Clinical Psychological Science highlights the different approaches that psychology researchers are taking to understand the many ways in which nutrition and mental health intersect. Clinical Psychological Science is a…
Don’t Let The Turkeys Get You Down This Holiday Season
“At about 16 mos. I called for an evaluation for Oliver and boy did all hell break loose! My husband came home shortly after the evaluators left to find me sitting in the middle of the dining room floor holding Oliver and crying” Having a special needs child can put stress on your marriage. If can affect…
Apraxia First And Now Stuttering Too
If your child has apraxia, sometime after speech starts to comes in, perhaps around the age of 4 to 6 years old, there are a percentage that go through a developmental stuttering stage. This is a stage that can happen in neurotypical children and it’s not the same thing as true stuttering. My son Tanner…