Preventing Voice Disorders in Children

by Jacky G. Speech Disorders
Close-Up of Child Screaming

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If you’re a sports fan, you’ve probably watched or listened to “Mike and Mike” on ESPN. The duo are among the funniest sports broadcasters around, but even the mighty Mike Golic was not immune to something that your child might experience at some point: a voice problem. Golic tried to work on the show this morning, but he was sent home pretty quickly when his voice simply couldn’t handle it.

Everyone comes down with a sore throat every now and then, but what happens when it turns into a voice disorder? We all know that taking vitamin C and other healthy supplements can help carry you through cold and flu season, but how do you prevent voice disorders in children?

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An Interview with Jen Krause on Childhood Apraxia

by Jacky G. Interviews
The Krause Kids

Courtesy: Jen Krause

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurological motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have difficulty producing sounds and words because their brains cannot properly control the muscle movements that are required for sound. However, with intensive speech therapy, verbalization is possible. Jen Krause of JenKrause.com offers hope of progress for parents of children with CAS. Her son Luke was diagnosed with CAS when he was about two years old and today, he has progressed to the point at which he no longer has a diagnosis of apraxia. Read on to find out Jen’s tips for parents of children with speech disorders. She shares her family’s story of coping with the diagnosis, and Luke’s speech therapist, Elyse Sutherland, discusses the techniques she uses to encourage speech and language development.

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Apps for Phonics

by Jacky G. Language Development
Economy in Trouble Cartoon

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Times are tough these days, economically speaking, and many families are even tapping into their retirement savings to pay for debts and day-to-day living expenses. Families of children with special needs are hit even harder; speech therapy isn’t cheap. Fortunately, speech therapy activities at home don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are plenty of low-cost methods of teaching your child phonics, for example. (Speech Buddies are also cost-effective – after the initial investment, you’ll have countless speech therapy lessons in one simple tool.) If you’re not certain about what phonics actually is, or about its importance in speech and language development, check out our post from last week. And then mosey back over to our recommended apps for teaching phonics, listed below. You can also check out a whole bunch of useful speech therapy apps at SpecialNeeds.com.

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Educational Apps for Kids: Problem Solving

by Jacky G. Speech Therapy Techniques
Child Working on Problem Solving

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Speech and language disorders in children can affect so much more than just a child’s ability to produce sounds, words, and sentences. They can also affect how a child is able to process and analyze information, problem solve, and make himself understood by others. Speech Buddies can help with many speech disorders that affect articulation, but you might also consider using educational apps for kids to address other areas of concern. Many educational apps for kids are available to improve problem solving skills. As a bonus, they tend to involve fun games to keep your child engaged in learning. He might not even know it’s an educational app. Check out our list below to get started.

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Treatment for Apraxia

by Jacky G. Speech Therapy Techniques
Child with Apraxia of Speech

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For a parent of a kid with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. There are countless occupational therapy and speech therapy sessions to rush off to for treatment for apraxia. There are IFSPs and IEPs to deal with, and a whole host of other acronyms to learn. And when your child has trouble pronouncing two-syllable words, it can be difficult to imagine him as an adult. Will he go to college? Will he have a career? These are overwhelming questions. Although speech therapy progress may seem slow at times, children with apraxia who receive intensive speech therapy at an early age often grow up to do remarkably well. Your child may even grow up to become a keynote speaker at childhood apraxia of speech conferences. In the meantime, work closely with your little one’s speech-language pathologist (SLP) and other professionals to develop the right treatment for apraxia to suit his needs.

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