Communication Matters

Selective mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s lack of verbal communication in select social environments, such as school. Children with selective mutism possess the ability to speak, but are selective of the settings in which they choose to speak. They will often speak in environments where they feel safe, relaxed, and calm with familiar people such as parents or siblings, but will choose not to speak in environments where they are less comfortable. A common misconception is that selective mutism is a form of autism. Children with selective mutism may demonstrate lack of appropriate social language use that mimics those on the autism spectrum, but selective mutism is not indicative of autism.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Stuttering, Learning, Voice, talking

A cleft is any opening in a normally closed structure. A cleft lip is an opening in the lip, typically the upper lip. These clefts are more commonly unilateral (on one side of the lip) as compared to bilateral (on both sides of the lip). Unilateral clefts occur more frequently on the left side of the mouth. A cleft palate is an opening on the roof of the mouth. Clefts can be found in the hard palate (towards the front of the mouth), soft palate (more towards the back of the mouth) or both.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Voice, talking, Cleft Lip, Cleft palate

Parents often wonder what they can do to help their child improve their speech and language skills. Many families seek additional private speech therapy to supplement school-based treatment.

While added speech therapy may be an advantage, it depends on the unique needs of your child. School-based speech therapy and private speech therapy differ in many ways. Before determining if your child would benefit from additional speech and language therapy, it is essential to know the difference between the two.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Teens, Stuttering, Voice, toddler, talking

Angelman syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder that occurs in about 1 out of every 15,000 people. Most people with Angelman have very limited speech, or no speech at all. If you’re the parent of a young child with Angelman, you may be wondering how you can help your child learn to communicate, since speech is not going to be their main way of communicating. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Voice, toddler, talking

Early in infancy, you will see signs that indicate that your child is hearing, listening, and understanding what is going on around him/her. Your child is learning language long before he/she produces that first word.

There is a typical progression to language development. Initially, your child will turn to find sounds, follow with his/her eyes when something moves in their view, look at what you are looking at (joint attention). All of these skills are part of language development. Later, your child will respond by pointing or may get your attention by touching you or vocalizing.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Voice, toddler, talking

Aphasia is a language disorder resulting from an injury to the brain, such as stroke or head trauma. Aphasia involves varying degrees of communication difficulties in these areas:

Spoken Language Comprehension - otherwise known as “Receptive Language” or “Auditory Comprehension.”

Symptoms may include:

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Support, Stroke, Brain Injury, talking

There aren’t any magic tricks that we can use to prevent all tantrums, but there are some tips to help avoid some of the outbursts that may be happening more regularly.

First, make sure that your child is getting enough sleep, has a healthy diet, and has lots of time to run and play every day. Look at the big picture, and from there start to identify if there are triggers that will set-off a tantrum.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Voice, toddler, talking, tantrum

Playing with your child is a essential way to improve his/her speech, language, and social skills! Below are five different toys and ways to play with your child to encourage language growth and development:

Mr./Mrs. Potato Head:

• Following Directions: Ask your child to give you various parts. If this is too simple, ask him/her in a more complex way. For example, instead of asking for Mr./Mrs. Potato Head's shoes, say "the ones you put on your feet.” Sometimes this works best after the child has built Mr./Mrs. Potato Head and is asked to follow the directions of placing each part back into the box.

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, Support, Learning, Voice, toddler, talking

Did you know…

• An estimated 40 million Americans experience speech, language, and/or hearing disorders.
• The second most common reason for special education services in public schools is speech/language impairment.
• 36 million American adults report so

Tags: Speech, Hearing Aid, Audiology, Language, Hearing Aids, Communication, Hearing, reading, literacy, Hearing Loss Prevention, Teens, Support, Caregiving, Hearing Loss, Stuttering, Learning, Voice, toddler, talking, Autism

Teaching your infant Baby Sign Language can help improve his or her communication skills. This is particularly appealing for new parents, given that there’s a gap between what babies and toddlers want to say and what they can verbally express.  

Tags: Speech, Language, Communication, American Sign Language, ASL, Learning, Voice, toddler, talking