Resources

Apraxia of speech is a speech disorder in which the brain has difficulty planning the movement sequences required for speech. Unlike a speech delay or dysarthria where muscles are weak, children with apraxia have trouble coordinating the jaw, lips and tongue to form the correct positions to make a sound.

Alveolar ridge is what we call the hard, bony, bumpy ridge between the top of the upper teeth and the hard palate. When an SLP is working on alveolar sounds with a client, they are referring to a class of sounds made when the tongue touches or is close to this part of the mouth. Alveolar consonants include /n/, /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /l/.

Circumlocution is a compensatory communication strategy where someone describes or talks around a specific word they're unable to retrieve. For example, a child might say "the thing you wear on your head" instead of hat. It's a common strategy for kids with language disorders or conditions like aphasia.

Cluster reduction is a speech pattern where a child simplifies consonant clusters by omitting one or more sounds. For example, saying "top" instead of "stop."

Diadochokinesis refers to the articulators' ability to perform quick, repetitive movements. Articulators are the speech organs responsible for producing meaningful sounds. They include the lips, lower jaw, velum, tongue and pharynx.

Dysarthria is a speech disorder caused by muscle weakness or nerve damage, making speech unclear, slow or difficult to produce.

Dysphonia is a condition that affects how the voice sounds. It doesn't impact understanding what someone says, but it can make speaking difficult. Dysphonia is most commonly caused by inflammation, polyps, nodules, cysts or trauma.

Echolalia is the repetition of words or phrases spoken by others – the echoing of what someone says. It is common in toddlers acquiring language skills, but can persist beyond the early years.

Intelligibility is a term used in speech therapy to refer to how clearly a child speaks and how much of their speech can be understood. Many times the parents can understand the child, but others cannot.

Jargon refers to the babbling or unintelligible sounds children make that mimic adult speech in their intonation, rhythm and inflection, but lack clear meaning or structure. Understanding and guiding this phase is a crucial part of language development.

Joint attention is a term used in child development to mean when your child and another person share focus on the same object of interest. For example, while on a walk, you may initiate joint attention by identifying and pointing to a fire truck. It is a milestone that is extremely important in developing social skills and language that usually starts presenting around nine months and is well established around 18 months.

Language expansions are a tool we use in speech therapy to extend language. We repeat a child’s words and then add one to two core vocab words. Your child might say, “Dog!” and you could say, “I see dog!” or “Look! It’s a dog!” Modeling with expansion can be helpful to get your child combining more words.

Neurodiversity affirming means celebrating the beautiful spectrum of neurological differences in people. It’s about recognizing that our brains are wonderfully diverse, just like our personalities and talents. When we are neurodiversity affirming, we honor the unique ways in which people experience the world and foster understanding, acceptance and inclusion.

Pragmatics are the way we use language in a social way. This includes responding and reacting, inferencing, reading non-verbal cues and how to speak to a variety of audiences (e.g. how you communicate with a friend is different than with a teacher.)

Prosody is the music of speech, including things like pitch, volume and rhythm. Speech therapists help children use prosody effectively to express themselves clearly and engage their listeners.

Velum (also called the soft palate) is what we call the soft tissue making up the back of the roof of the mouth. It is an important structure that elevates and lowers during breathing, eating, drinking and speech production. During speech, the velum closes off the nasal cavity for most sounds. If the velum doesn’t function properly, it can result in muffled, high-pitched or nasal-sounding speech.

ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) are the things a child does every day like get dressed, brush their teeth, play with toys and more. Occupational therapists focus on ways to make ADLs easier for their patients so they can live more independently.

Bimanual coordination refers to the ability to use both hands together efficiently and effectively to perform tasks. This skill is crucial for many activities such as tying shoes, manipulating scissors and using utensils while eating. Improving bimanual coordination can significantly enhance a child's independence and participation in their ADLs.

Brachial plexus is a term used for the network of nerves in the shoulder that carries movement and sensory signals from the spinal cord to the arms and hands. Children with brachial plexus injuries, either from birth or trauma, can lose sensation and motor function.

Forward chaining is an occupational therapy technique used to help kids learn multi-step tasks. The beginning steps are repeated over and over until they are mastered, and new steps are only added once the child becomes proficient in the first.

Graphomotor skills are the fine motor movements that help kids control objects with their hands. Struggles with handwriting? It's not just about neatness—strength, coordination and finger dexterity all play a role!

Interoception is how you know you're hungry, thirsty or need to use the bathroom. It's our body's internal GPS and one of our lesser-known senses.

Kinesthetic learners need to move their body in order to learn most effectively. When therapists discover this learning style they adjust their therapy techniques. They might use more tactile, manipulative teaching aids and give lots of breaks so the child can move.

Ocular motor control is the eyes' ability to find and focus on a target in the visual field. This skill is essential for reading and both gross and fine motor activities, such as catching a ball or using scissors.

Postural stability is the foundation for a child's balance and coordination during daily activities. In occupational therapy, we focus on enhancing this crucial skill to help kids sit, stand and move with confidence.

Proprioceptive system is the system that allows us to understand where our body is in relation to our environment and how our body parts relate to each other. Kids who have proprioceptive issues may crash into things often, fall easily, stomp when walking, use too little or too much force when lifting or using objects and more.

Routines-based interventions (RBI) integrate interventions into natural activities. For a young child this could be working on transitions at school, participating in circle time, getting dressed at home or requesting a snack. When developmental interventions are embedded into regular routines and activities, skills learned are functional and meaningful. RBI is for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and older children with developmental disabilities.

Self-regulation is a buzzword we hear often these days, but it’s super important in child development. It sounds like self-control, right? It’s similar, but not quite the same. Self-control is a social skill that mainly requires limiting impulses. Self-regulation is more about having the ability to monitor and manage emotions and behaviors when faced with challenges or stress.

Tactile defensiveness is a sensory processing difference where a person has an overly sensitive reaction to touch. This can include discomfort with certain textures, clothing or even hugs and kisses. It's common in children with sensory processing challenges and can impact daily activities like dressing or eating.

Vestibular system is the system that gives us a sense of balance and helps us understand where our body is in space. It's what lets kids balance on a beam, jump or spin without falling over.

Bottom scooting is when babies start to move on their diaper-clad butts rather than crawling on their hands and knees. Most babies switch to crawling within weeks of starting bottom scooting.

Endurance isn't just about running a marathon (though that's impressive!). It's vital for everyday activities like playing tag, climbing stairs or even sitting still during story time. Through specialized exercises, energy-saving techniques and strength building, a pediatric physical therapist can build endurance, improve stamina and empower kids to reach their full potential.

Genu valgum refers to the inward angling of the knees, commonly known as "knock-knees," while genu varum describes the outward angling of the knees, often referred to as "bow-leggedness."

Hypermobility is when joints have an unusually large range of motion in multiple directions. It is often the result of loose connective tissues like ligaments and tendons. Kids with hypermobility may have a higher risk of dislocation or injury.

Hypotonia is also called low tone or floppy muscle syndrome, is when a child has poor muscle tone. It can present at any age depending on the cause but is normally diagnosed at birth or in infancy.

In-toeing/Out-toeing is when a child walks with their feet turned inward or outward. It's very common for toddlers to have a not-so-perfect gait when they start walking. Most of the time kids outgrow in-toeing and out-toeing by the age of three.

Plagiocephaly is a fancy term for a flat head. It happens when a baby's head rests in the same position for a long time.

Plyometrics are explosive exercises like jumping and bounding used in physical therapy to build muscle power and strength. Some examples are jumping jacks, box jumps and plyo lunges.

Reflex integration is when primitive reflexes seen in the first few months of life naturally fade as a child grows. If these reflexes don't integrate properly, they can lead to developmental issues down the road.

Torticollis is a twisting of the neck to one side seen in babies or very small children. Most torticollis is congenital (present at birth), but some cases are acquired (occurring later in infancy or childhood.)