20
Sep

Top 10 Reasons to Seek Speech and Language Therapy

The ability to effectively communicate with others affects all aspects of our daily lives.  Children that struggle with any aspect of communication can feel frustrated, embarrassed, or isolated.  When this occurs, it may be time to seek professional support for your child. The top 10 reasons to seek speech and language therapy include: 1. Limited …

14
Oct

Executive Function Challenges and Strategies to Improve Them – Part 1

  Executive Functions are higher level thinking skills that allow us to use our cognitive skills to plan and carry out behaviors. Whether we are planning out our day, getting chores done, or making sure we are on time for a meeting we are using executive function skills to plan, organize, and appropriately carry out …

19
Aug

Responding to Boredom

In my last article, I discussed the benefits of boredom. So it’s okay to be bored from time to time, and it’s important to allow boredom; but what about too much boredom? As summer quickly approaches, it’s important to think about how you are going to respond to “I’m bored” without panicking and handing over …

8
Jul

Integrated Listening Systems and Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing

No matter what job you have, I’m sure you have some favorite tools to do it.  When you find something that works, you always want to use it.  Sometimes you even try to find multi-purposes for the tool.  I am no different, and love to find tools that are useful in many situations. In the …

24
Jun

The Benefits of Boredom

Thinking back to my childhood, television shows for kids were only available about 30 minutes a day; and the 4 stations our television received were the only options to explore. Recording shows was not an option (until the VHS tape came out), nor a phone or tablet to fall back on when bored. Video games …

27
May

Selective Mutism Tips

Imagine you are a seven year old boy at school. You are sitting in class listening to your teacher, when all of a sudden you have to use the bathroom. You raise your hand to tell the teacher; but when you speak, nothing comes out. Everyone is looking at you and wondering what the problem …

13
May

Electronics and Communication

Let’s face it, we live in an electronic world.  Almost every home has at least one cell phone, computer, tablet, smart television, or video gaming system.  I’m sure many of you remember a time when there wasn’t easy access to electronics, and we spent our days playing and talking to each other. Not to date …

22
Apr

Sleep Problems Associated with Stimulant Medications: Trading Attention Deficit for Sleep Deficit

Sleep problems caused by stimulant medications commonly used to treat ADHD could negate the benefits of these drugs. It’s estimated that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 11% of children and adolescents in the United States. Despite the fact that there are many effective non-medication treatments available, the most common treatment is medication.  Over 3.5 …

15
Apr

ADHD Treatment for Children in Grand Rapids

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed primarily in children.  Some of the symptoms people often associate with ADHD include inability to pay attention or follow tasks, trouble staying organized, fidgety behavior, excessive talking and trouble following directions.  Other less obvious symptoms include difficulty planning and problem solving, impulsive decision-making, and challenges …

7
Apr

Strategies to Cope with Dysregulation in Children

A dysregulated child can exhibit intense behaviors that cause immense stress and quickly put a family into crisis mode. It is not fun to deal with dysregulation, and it can be very confusing to know how to best handle each situation. While working with families, I have often noticed that one parent tends to be …

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