Developmental Tasks in Children and Teens Robert J. Havighurst first introduced the idea of developmental tasks (Newman & Newman, 2018). A developmental task is a set of skills learned and mastered by a specific stage of development. He believed that the core of human development is the process where children…
Glow in the Dark & UV Sensory Room Toy and Game Ideas If you saw my last post on how to set up a sensory cave on a budget and what we love most in a sensory cave, you may be wondering what exactly to do with it! I sat…
Sensory Cave Must Haves and Where You Can Get Them for Cheap! Because the nights are long and we could all use a bit more color while huddled inside during this stark winter; today I wanted to discuss Sensory Spaces and how you can go about creating a fun sensory-safe…
What exactly are Visual Motor Skills? Visual motor skills are also referred to as oculomotor or visual-motor integration. They are skills and abilities that come from the meeting of visual skills and motor skills. These skills allow us to use our eyes and hands in a coordinated and efficient way….
When should a child be referred for Speech Therapy? There are many reasons why a child or teen might benefit from a referral for speech and language therapy. A family might be surprised to find out that their child needs speech therapy, as they often chalk up their child’s speech-language-related…
Mimicry and Language Development. “Stop copying me!” One of those age-old phrases that many a parent of multiple children shudders to hear. While being a “copycat” or mimicking a sibling can be annoying to your other kids, it is actually something that should be encouraged in late talkers and young…
Sensory Bin: Dino Dig A lot of the little boys we work with love dinosaurs, so naturally, a dino-themed bin had to happen. I already have a sand play bin with gems in it so I wanted to go for a different texture for this bin. You can use anything…
Home Tips to Boost Speech Development. There are many different activities you and your family can do to help your child’s speech-language skills from home! Read to your child and/or encourage them to read independently If your child is young enough, read to them; if they are old enough, encourage…
Accessibility is one of our 4 pillars at Spark Therapies which sounds nice and all but what exactly does “accessibility” mean at Spark? Time. To us, accessibility means having flexible appointment times available and being able to get in to see a therapist or other provider within just a couple…
6 Things Your Child’s Speech Therapist Wishes You Knew After working as a speech language assistant in a number of settings: schools, pediatric private practices, nonprofit clinics, etc. I learned that there are some things that parents commonly do, or don’t do. I’m hoping this might clear up some of…
