Happy Memorial Day
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Our office will be closed this Monday in recognition of Memorial Day.
Read MoreWho knew speech and hearing could be this much fun?! Let us share our love for the field, the science, and the people that we work with each day with our weekly dose of Sound Advice.
What's Going On In Your Child's Brain When You Read Them A Story?
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In a recent NPR segment they dive into the world of reading to children. When children are being read to — compared with other storytelling formats, like animation — they are doing more work than meets the eye. "It's that muscle they're developing bringing the images to life in their minds.
Read MoreWhat should my child's language look like by 3 years old?
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Learn what your child’s language development should look like at 3 years old!
Read MoreDoes my child need a hearing evaluation?
/As a pediatric Audiologist one of the most common concerns I hear from parents is that their child doesn’t always respond consistently to voices and other auditory stimuli. It’s often hard for parents to discern whether their child did not hear them or simply was not listening or attending to what was said. More often than not it is the latter, especially if you've got a toddler or teenager at home. However, even if your child passed a newborn hearing screening, that does not mean they will never have difficulty hearing in their lifetime. Hearing can change over time, and children especially are prone to fluctuating hearing loss due to ear infections.
Just like with speech and language and motor development, there are auditory milestones every typically developing child should achieve by a certain age. If you have concerns regarding your child’s hearing, referring to these milestones may help you and your child’s pediatrician decide whether a referral to an Audiologist is warranted.
The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) has an excellent guide to both auditory and speech/language milestones here.
It’s important to remember these milestones are guidelines and not hard and fast rules. Every child is different and may not achieve every milestone by that exact age. Many factors can influence auditory and speech/language development, including language exposure. One of the best ways to foster auditory skills and language development is to talk with your child as much as possible. Reading with your child is also an excellent way to help with auditory and language development.
An Audiologist's take on the "Laurel"/"Yanny" debate
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The nation is divided once again, just as it was during the “black/blue versus white/gold dress” debate of early 2015. However, this time what has families and friends on the outs is an audio clip of a voice saying “Laurel” or “Yanny”. Our audiologist, Gretchen Perkins, takes a deep dive into the science behind this audio file.
Read MoreWhat should my child's language look like by 2 years old?
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Learn all about the language milestone’s your little one should reach by 2 years old!
Read MoreCongratulations Sara!
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Congratulations to our front office coordinator, Sara Dolan, on earning her Masters in Early Childhood Education this past weekend!
Read MoreWhat should my child's language look like at 18 months?
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Read all about where your child’s language should be by 18 months of age!
Read MoreWhat should my child's language look like at 12 months?
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Read all about where your child’s development should be as they hit that 1 year milestone.
Read MoreBHSM Book Drive
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Join us in raising Literacy Awareness this May in honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month! We’re collecting books all month long.
Read MoreDigital Download: If we're going to look at a screen, let's make it educational!
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If our children are going to be exposed to screen time, how can we make it more worthwhile, and more educational?
Read MoreHappy Administrative Professionals Day
/Happy Admin...or should we say RAD-min Day to our front office superstar Sara! Thanks for all that you do for our team and patients 💜
Digital Download: How can I limit screen time for my child?
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The battle of screen time is a tough one. We are all connected to our devices if we like it our not, and even the best laid plan to limit screen time can still fall apart. We're giving you some ideas to help reduce screen time in the home.
Read MoreWhat does hearing loss have to do with my child's speech?
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How big of an impact does a mild hearing loss or prolonged periods of fluid build up from ear infections have on your child's access to sounds and language?
Read MoreWhat should my child's language look like at 6 months?
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We're breaking down communication milestones to give you a better idea of where your child should be at each age range.
Read MoreHow can I help my child talk? Quick tips to encourage language in the home!
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Our SLP Nicole breaks down communication enhancement tips to use with your child.
Read MoreDigital Download: How to create a family media plan
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Even with guidelines in place, we understand that each family has their own needs, styles and values. Your free time should reflect your personal needs. With this in mind, we want to share a useful tool for all families when it comes to media use!
Read MoreDigital Download: Guidelines for screen time with little ones
/If you're trying to navigate the digital world that we live in, with parenting, we get it! Although books and toys are the preferred language tools of our team, we understand that families have needs (hello dinner prep) that might turn screen time into distraction time. When we think realistically with families we talk about limiting exposure to screens while still meeting day-to-day needs.
Our concerns as communication experts begin when media use (e.g. phones, iPads, televisions) replaces physical activity, hands-on exploration and face-to-face social interaction in the real world. These exposures are critical to learning.
The American Academy of Pediatrics set guidelines that we follow here at Sound when working with families of young children. Take a look below to learn appropriate ages and exposures young children should have to screen time.
Photo taken from Unity Point https://www.unitypoint.org/article.aspx?id=784485a1-a733-47a7-aa44-dd749af23f02
Among the AAP recommendations:
- For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they're seeing.
- For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
- For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
- Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
- Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
Happy International Women's Day!
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Sound celebrates strong women this International Women's Day!
Read MoreCome Celebrate! Melissa's Having A Baby!
/Join us tomorrow, Thursday, March 7th - for a very special Sound baby shower for our team, patient, colleagues and friends! Come wish her well before she goes on leave to welcome her baby boy into the world. You'll also have a chance to meet our newest team member, Gretchen, who will be caring for our audiology patients during Melissa's leave.
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow from 3-5 for sips and snacks!