“I keep repeating myself, but he’s not listening.” “She can’t sit still to finish a snack, let alone homework.” “He starts something but walks off halfway.” If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone — attention challenges are one of the most common concerns parents and teachers raise. But before assuming a child is simply “not trying,” it’s helpful to understand that attention isn’t just one skill . In fact, there are six different types of attention  — and each plays

In my years working as a speech pathologist, I’ve seen time and again how closely communication and emotional regulation are intertwined. For children—especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or language delays—being able to understand and express their emotions is not only important for their wellbeing, but also for their relationships, learning, and overall behaviour. Many people associate speech pathology solely with talking, but our scope goes much deeper. We

"Why my kids are still falling behind?" As a speech therapist, I often witness how small delays in early language development can snowball into larger academic and social challenges over time. This pattern is known as the Matthew Effect —a concept that describes how "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." The early advantages tend to grow over time. In language development, it means children who start with strong language skills tend to progress faster, while those wit

Oral Motor Skills and Oral Sensory Processing are always confusing when they both present in a child's feeding behaviour. Do you know the root of the problems around your child's feeding difficulties? Oral Motor Skills and Oral Sensory Processing Oral motor skills refer to the movement of the muscles of the face (jaw, tongue, cheeks and lips). This includes muscle tone, strength, range of movement, control and coordination, and endurance of the oro-facial muscles. The oral mo

The use of shared reading activities has been reported to have positive effects on receptive language, expressive communication, and print awareness for children with typical development. In 2019, a bunch of researchers reviewed the past 20 years of related studies and concluded that the positive effects of shared reading are also observed in children with Autism in their systematic review . Let's have a look at what shared reading is, its positive effects and the typical d

Have you ever experienced when you try to take on a piece of recommendation from your Speechie to give as much as language modelling to your child during his play, but you suspected he could not reference to what you said because your child is too busy exploring a toy? You might question, 'Do they even hear my voice?' There may be multiple times you tried to model language verbally for your child but you still don't see any signs of him looking at you while you speak or him c