Top 4 Cleft Palate Speech Therapy Techniques

by Jacky G. Speech Therapy Techniques
Child with Cleft Palate

Image source: Nhs.uk

Orofacial clefts, or cleft lip and cleft palate, are among the most common birth defects. In fact, according to KidsHealth, about 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 babies in the U.S. is born with clefts. This medical condition occurs due to improper development in the womb. If your baby has a cleft palate, it will almost certainly be diagnosed at birth. Your child’s pediatrician will evaluate him for treatment. Most of the time, surgery can help. However, surgery may not be performed right away, and your baby may need additional surgeries later on. Your little guy might still experience speech difficulties after surgery, which can be addressed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP).

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Conquer the High Cost of Speech Therapy

by Jacky G. Financial Resources
Healthcare Cartoon

Image source: Naturalnews.com

Families with a speech disordered child often face a financial burden due to the high cost of speech therapy and other needed treatments. In fact, a survey published in Public Health Reports found that 40% of American families with children with special needs report feeling the strain of the financial toll that those healthcare needs cause. The survey further reported that children with disabilities are more likely to grow up in single-parent households, and that those parents often hold lower-paying jobs.

As you can undoubtedly attest to, the mere cost of speech therapy isn’t the only factor in the equation. You’ve probably had to take time off of work numerous times to take your child to speech therapy sessions and other treatment sessions. And you probably spend much of the rest of your time researching new at-home speech therapy techniques and working on articulation practice with your child. In fact, you probably spend your nights in realistic, lucid dreams rehearsing speech therapy techniques. But that’s vastly preferable to dreaming about speech therapy bills and denied insurance forms. And after developing a financial plan of attack with our tips, you may be able to reduce the nightmarishly high cost of speech therapy.

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Best Speech Therapy Techniques for Children with Cerebral Palsy

by Jacky G. Speech Disorders
Cerebral Palsy Infographic

Image source: Nursingcrib.com

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a congenital disorder that can cause a wide range of health issues. It is typically diagnosed in infancy or around the time that a child enters preschool. There are three types of cerebral palsy: spastic, athetoid, and ataxic. Although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, treatments such as speech therapy can vastly improve the child’s quality of life. The child will most likely require speech therapy on a long-term basis. If your child is diagnosed with CP, consult his pediatrician, speech-language pathologist (SLP), physical therapist, occupational therapist, and other specialists to develop a treatment plan that suits his needs.

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Speech Disorders in Children: What to Do About Dysarthria

by Jacky G. Speech Disorders
Dysarthria Speech Disorders in Children

Image source: Novamind.com

As a parent, you do whatever you can think of to keep your child safe. You make sure he rides his tricycle with a helmet, you strap him snugly into his car seat, and you even have your mechanic check out every unusual noise to make sure the car is safe. But accidents have a way of happening even when you take every safety precaution. And if your child suffers a head injury, he might also develop one of the many possible speech disorders in children, such as dysarthria.

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Attention Parents: Real Advice from the Mother of a Special Needs Child

by Jacky G. Interviews
Laura's Kids on the First Day of School

Courtesy: Laura

This week, Laura of Down Syndrome – Up Up Up and Away! is sharing her family’s story of life with Down syndrome (DS). DS can cause a range of physical and cognitive symptoms, including speech and language delays. Laura’s daughter K has Trisomy 21, which means that there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. Like other special needs children, K has more than proven that she can flourish with the proper therapies and treatments. Not only did K begin reading before she was 2 years old, she also began reading new books by the time she was 3 1/2. Laura also points out that for the typical special needs child, reading is a visual form of speech, and it can positively impact verbal communication.

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