It can sometimes throw us off as parents and caregivers when our child plays with a toy in a different way it was intended- what are we supposed to do? Follow their lead? Correct them? Show them how to play with the toys in the way they are intended? And how do we use language related to the toys to help build their language?

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

In speaking with one of my families, I thought it might help to distinguish the difference between an infant playing with sounds and an older child imitating sounds and words. I hope this sheds some light for why some children seem to make lots of sounds as babies, but when it's time to build their own sound or word vocabulary, there seems to be a lag in skills (which we sometimes think is regression, or losing skills).

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

If your child has a hoarse voice, even if they are 3 or 4 years old, they can be successful in therapy to treat their voice. I go over ways to help your child use their voice in a healthy way and some of the options for therapy and treatment for voice disorders in young children. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

Pediatric Voice Disorders | Durham, Raleigh, North Carolina | Duke Health

Pediatric Voice Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment | The ASHA Leader

It is common to see kiddos who previously did not communicate or follow directions, but were laid-back, to start to make refusals and protest when they have been through a few months of speech therapy. I explain why and ways to help your child work through their frustration. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

Do you have a child who doesn't let you know until the verylastminute that they have to use the bathroom? Does your child not ask for food and then seem to get really hangry? Does your child not seem to have awareness of when they have gotten too hot or too cold, and you're putting a blanket on a child with a blue nose? They may have an issue with interoception. I go over what this means and the types of activities that can help children tune into their inner states more readily. To see if your child could benefit from these activities, consult with an Occupational Therapist with training in this area of development.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

 The 8th Sense Explained: 7 Interoception Activities for Kids (merakilane.com)

Interoception: The Secret Ingredient | Dana Foundation

ARFID as a diagnosis has only been around for about 10 years. It is one of the more severe issues with "picky eating" where a child eats very few foods, which can cause significant gaps in nutrition. Leaving out critical vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients can affect how a young child's brain and body develop. I cover a few signs of the disorder and how it impacts the child and their family. 

A team approach is crucial to make progress in helping a child learn to explore and accept new foods, which will not only broaden their food repertoire, but opens up social events for which they had typically sat out because of their limited foods.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) | National Eating Disorders Association

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital - vD (hopkinsallchildrens.org)

What Is ARFID? - Child Mind Institute

In this episode, I describe how you can enhance your child's ability to build phrases, sentences, and recall stories better using the novel decorations, events, and routines that happen around the holidays. Any event that is interesting to your child is a great opportunity for learning. Model the language around the objects and activity that is interesting to them. 

This is the final episode of Season 3! See you in January 2023.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

Having the bottom half of our faces covered throughout the past few years has had an effect on children's language development. I discuss how to help children attend better to language modeled by others.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-.or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube

The holidays are approaching! I provide a suggestion to help your child focus on play with you and on individual toys for longer periods of time. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

Co-Regulation is a term that emerged from the concept of self-regulation, or learning how to tune into one's emotions and feelings and engage in ways to calm and soothe the nervous system. Though it is used in different contexts, I discuss what co-regulation means as it applies to parents and caregivers and how they interact with children. How we approach and respond to children can greatly affect how they learn to interact with the world, and how they learn to check in with their own minds and bodies when they experience stress. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

 Co-Regulation From Birth Through Young Adulthood: A Practice Brief (unc.edu)

Using Co-Regulation To Help A Child Develop Self-Regulation - Havern School

How Co-regulation with Parents Develops into Self-Regulation in Children (parentingforbrain.com)