More than Child's Play

Often times there are roadblocks that get in the way of natural child development.  These roadblocks are sometimes created by adults caring for children and are sometimes biological factors that go undetected.  In this podcast series we will identify eight of the most common roadblocks and share strategies to address them.  In this episode Nicole discusses how undetected vision loss impacts a child's development and Lacy discusses how undetected hearing loss impacts a child's development.  Be sure to listen to the other podcast episodes in this series highlighting other roadblocks to natural development: lack of tummy time, prolonged sucking, media and screen time exposure, missed diagnoses, nutrition and allergies and over-parenting/a faulty sense of what's typical.  To learn more about these Top Roadblocks to Natural Development visit the Milestones & Miracles website, use our discount code to save money and check out our continuing education courses offered through Medbridge Education:

https://milestonesandmiracles.com/for-professionals/online-ceus/ 

Holiday shopping may be more challenging this year with supply chain issues, and many small businesses are still working hard to survive in the midst of ongoing pandemic challenges. As small business owners, Nicole and Lacy wanted to include and highlight small businesses this year as part of their Holiday Gift Guide. Take a listen as Nicole and Lacy discuss the items they chose for the list this year and why.  They hope you'll enjoy these options and consider shopping local in your corner of the world this year.

Blog post with images and links to all of the products mentioned in this episode:

https://milestonesandmiracles.com/2021/10/15/2021-shop-local-small-business-centered-holiday-gift-guide/

Laura Brown, early intervention speech-language pathologist, joins Lacy in a conversation about early communication.  Laura lists skills that we see in children before they begin talking.  She discusses the importance of modeling and using gestures to help develop communication skills in little ones.  Laura and Lacy discuss why introducing sign language as a means of communication is always a good idea and how signs and gestures can be used for a lifetime to communicate.  Lastly, Laura identifies common mistakes parents make that may not encourage their child's communication development as much as they had hoped.  Laura and Lacy's conversation is filled with good information for parents and families of young children to better understand all that must be mastered before first words emerge as well as how best to support preverbal skill development.  For professionals, this conversation will deepen your knowledge and give you great talking points when discussing early communication development with the families you serve.  Be sure to follow Laura's business, Mommy & Me Milestones, on Facebook and Instagram and visit her website for more information about all that she has to offer including her First 50 Words Course:

https://www.mommyandmemilestones.com

Physical and occupational therapists often advocate for children to climb UP the slide, hang from the monkey bars, spin upside, and climb trees. But why? There are many benefits to taking age typical motor risks. Join us for a delightful, fun, and informative conversation with expert Dr. Stacy Menz, PT, DPT, PCS. Stacy is the owner of Starfish Therapies in the San Francisco Bay area and brings her experience as a clinician, professor, and mother of a climbing and bouncing toddler to the table as we tackle why physical risk matters, what constitutes a developing balance system, if seats/containers affect balance for infants, and practical ways to expose children to relatively safe risk taking in daily routines.  Therapists, teachers, students, and parents will all be inspired by this conversation!

Mentioned in this episode:

https://starfishtherapies.com/

Playground Ideas

This episode is for any parent or caregiver with children or teens participating in organized sports, considering venturing into the world of youth sports, or for any coach or therapists working with student athletes. Sports medicine experts Dr Brad Dinklocker, PT, DPT, MS, ATC and Larry Shipley, LPTA, Performance Coach from Pro Physical Therapy join us to provide expert opinions on common questions and concerns in an evidenced based and fascinating conversation. We cover whether young athletes should specialize in one sport or play more than one and why, injury prevention and in and off season training tips, how long single sports seasons should last and how many hours a week of training are safe, when weight training should begin, and we take questions from parents and coaches.  This conversation is one that everyone involved in youth sports needs to hear to ensure not only safety but optimal success and performance for children and teams. You won’t want to miss this one! We could have talked to them for hours. 

Lacy is joined by Jeanette Washington, M.Ed., speech-language pathologist and educator.  In this episode Jeanette defines what dyslexia is and how we can appreciate signs of dyslexia in children as young as one year of age.  Jeanette shares common diagnoses that coexist with dyslexia.  She thoroughly explains what executive functioning skills are and how they impact a young child's day to day activities.  Jeanette provides suggestions on how families and professionals can support the development of these skills in children.  In closing, Jeanette shares resources for those who wish to learn more about these topics and references some of her own valuable resources as well.  Please be sure to check out Jeanette's website and follow her on social media to continue to benefit from all of the knowledge she has to offer on dyslexia and executive functioning skills: https://www.bearlyarticulating.com/p/jeannette-washington-med-bearly.html.  You can also check out this resource Jeanette has to offer to help with executive functioning skills: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Student-Planner-ADHD-Executive-Functioning-Friendly-6564846.

Other websites and resources Jeanette mentioned in the episode include:

https://www.understood.org/

https://developingchild.harvard.eduhttps://dyslexia.yale.edu

http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/

Michael Powell works with the birth to three population providing evaluations and guidance for families on how to deal with toddler behaviors.  One of the most common topics of discussions he has with families is how to handle tantrums.  Michael views tantrums through a unique lens that will inspire you to do the same.  He explains why toddlers engage in tantrums, what we can do to anticipate them and how best for us to respond to them.  You'll be enlightened by his tips, maybe even surprised.  Tantrums may have more to do with the adult than the child!  Whether you are raising a toddler or work with toddlers, this is a MUST LISTEN TO episode to make your life easier and better support the emotional and behavioral development of the little ones in your life.  He provides tips you can implement immediately and offers resources if you'd like to learn more about this topic.

Michael recommends checking out:

Bruce Perry:

https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources

1 in 10 infants in the United States will spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) each year. NICU admissions and NICU staff save countless lives a year but the experiences can be traumatic, emotional, exhausting, and yes, even inspiring and hopeful. Join us as we welcome NICU veteran mom Patrice Guzman as she shares her honest and brave story and that of her miracle daughter Vivianne. Patrice shares what she has learned, tips for other NICU parents, and what she wishes NICU professionals and pediatric therapists understood from a parents’ unique perspective. Most importantly, Patrice shares the tools she has found helpful for self care so that she can ensure well being and health for herself and her daughter. We hope this conversation will be supportive, healing, and hopeful for anyone anticipating or experiencing a NICU stay or for those who have spent time or work with NICU babies. 

Meg Lico, speech-language pathologist, is a member of the cleft palate and craniofacial team at NYU Langone Health.  In this episode she joins Lacy to discuss what cleft lip/palate is and how early it can be be diagnosed.  Meg shares statistics regarding cleft lip/palate incidence and some of the most common syndromes this diagnosis is associated with.  Meg discusses the implications for feeding and speech/language development resulting from cleft lip/palate and surgical options for children to repair their cleft lip/palate.  Lastly Meg offers her advice to families on how best to advocate for their child and recommends resources for families and professionals to deepen their understanding of a cleft lip/palate diagnosis. Connect with Meg on Instagram @thecraniofacialslp and learn more about cleft lip/palate here:

https://www.smiletrain.org

https://www.leadersproject.org/

https://acpa-cpf.org

https://www.myface.org