Blog

            Blood supplies brain cells with essential nutrition, such as glucose and oxygen. Oxygen supply by the bloodstream is vital to normal brain function. A cerebral vascular accident (CVA) occurs when there is an interruption in the supply of oxygenated and bloodto the brain. This can be caused by an artery that has ruptured or

Developmental apraxia of speech is characterized by the inability to plan and execute motor-speech tasks. More specifically, it is the inability to coordinate oral movements that are necessary to form syllables and words in the absence of oral paresis or paralysis. The speech of children with developmental apraxia of speech is filled with inconsistent articulation errors. The errors in this population

I was recently asked  the question “Should I concerned about my child’s sensory development?”  The answer is YES!  Children are oriented toward sensory experiences.  Children experience the world by tasting, touching, smelling, seeing and hearing. Stimulating the senses sends signals to a child’s brain that helps to strengthen the neural pathways.  What is sensory development? It is the journey that

REFLEXES A reflex is a voluntary action in which the body responds without thinking about it. Often when we think of reflexes we think of the doctor hitting your knee with a hammer. Reflexes are used to assess and determine the health and development of a baby’s nervous system. Many infant reflexes will diminish over time, and are considered abnormal

What is sensory defensiveness? Sensory defensiveness is a type of hypersensitivity that often includes anger or fear towards certain stimuli, and is highly emotional. The stimuli can be tactile, auditory, smell, or taste. When children experience this with food texture or taste, they can get very defensive and refuse food altogether, become fearful of food, and begin to thoroughly examine

After reading last month’s excellent blog post about Apraxia of Speech, I began to reflect on memories back in graduate school, when I was first taking Neurogenic Speech Disorders and Neurogenic Language Disorders. I thought about the initial excitement I felt about preparing to learn about the myriad of neurogenic disorders including diagnosis and treatment. I remembered how overwhelmed I

Today, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism. Autism is diagnosed based on the child’s presenting symptoms. Children with autism often present with deficits in social communication, speech and language, and restricted activities and interests. Although there is an increased prevalence, children may not be diagnosed with autism until at least four years of age or older. However, children can

I recently came across an article on the ASHA Leader Blog that took me by surprise. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport detained a college student who was returning from studying abroad because of her stutter. The student was questioned for an hour after stuttering when telling the staff member she had travelled from Costa Rica.

I recently came across a great blog post on the ASHA Leader, about a speech-language pathologist who had previously successfully treated clients with apraxia of speech. However, because apraxia of speech presents differently in each individual, she had missed her own child’s symptoms of the motor planning disorder. Continue reading to learn more about apraxia of speech and early symptoms