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Unlocking Clear Speech: Articulation vs. Phonological Disorders in Kids
As a parent, there’s nothing quite like hearing your child’s voice. You celebrate every new sound and word. But what happens when their speech is...
Making Lunchtime Fun: An OT’s Take on Picky Eating at School
Heading back to school is an exciting time, but for parents of picky eaters, it can also bring a wave of stress. The thought of lunchboxes coming...
Decoding Your Health Insurance: A Parent’s Guide to Pediatric Therapy Coverage
Let's be honest: health insurance can feel like a secret language, full of confusing terms and hidden rules. When your child needs specialized...
The Unspoken Rules: How Speech Therapy Unlocks Social Communication (Pragmatics) in Children
As parents and caregivers, we love watching our kids grow, learn, and connect with the world around them. We celebrate their first words, their...
Unraveling the Tie: How Pediatric OT and Feeding Therapy Can Transform Life with Tethered Oral Tissues
As parents, we want the best for our children, and that often means navigating a maze of information when something doesn't seem quite right. One...
Unlocking Potential: How Speech-Language Pathologists Boost Executive Function Skills in Children
As parents and caregivers, we all want our children to thrive—in school, at home, and in their social lives. But what happens when seemingly...
Smooth Travels, Happy Kids: Navigating Vacations with Picky Eaters and Sensory Sensitivities
The thought of a family vacation often conjures up images of fun, relaxation, and making lasting memories. But for parents of children with picky...
Beyond Single Words: Understanding Gestalt Language Processing in Children
Have you ever noticed your child echoing phrases from their favorite movies or repeating chunks of language they've heard? While it might seem...
Understanding Pediatric Myofunctional Therapy: How It Helps Your Child Thrive
As parents and caregivers, we want our children to grow, thrive, and meet every developmental milestone. Sometimes, though, challenges like...
Splash into Summer: Sensory Integration Ideas for Kids with Occupational Therapy
Summer is the perfect time for kids to play, explore, and grow—and when it comes to children with sensory processing challenges, the warmer...
Finding Their Voice: How Specialized Speech Therapy Helps Children with Apraxia
As parents and caregivers, few things are more heartwarming than hearing your child’s voice and adorable key phrases, their unique way of...
Speech Therapy and Literacy: How They’re Connected
As parents, caregivers, and educators, we all understand the critical importance of early literacy skills. Reading, writing, and comprehension...
The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Children with ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting children today. Kids with ADHD...
When Speech Therapy is Needed for Children Who Stutter
Stuttering, or childhood-onset fluency disorder, is a speech disorder that affects a child’s ability to speak fluently and smoothly. While many...
The Connection Between Speech Therapy and Social Skills in Children
When people think about speech therapy for kids, the focus is often on helping them pronounce words better, expand their vocabulary, or overcome...
Supporting Fine Motor Development: Tips from Pediatric Occupational Therapists
Fine motor skills are an essential part of a child’s development, allowing them to perform everyday tasks such as writing, dressing, using...
Unlocking Communication: The Role of Speech Therapy for Children with Autism
For parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of the most common concerns is their child’s communication...
The Role of Feeding Therapy for Infants and Children with Tongue-Tie and Lip-Tie
Tethered oral tissues (TOTs), which include conditions such as tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) and lip-tie, can significantly impact a child's ability...
Understanding Sensory-Based Feeding Issues in Children
Feeding challenges in children can be incredibly stressful for both parents and caregivers. When a child struggles with feeding, it can affect...
Fun at Home: 10 Simple Activities to Support Your Child’s Speech Development
Helping your child develop their speech and language skills doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With simple, fun activities, you can create an...
Understanding Common Speech Disorders in Children: A Caregiver’s Guide
When children struggle with speech and communication, it can be concerning for both parents and caregivers. Understanding the underlying issues...
How to Address Picky Eating Around the Holidays: Tips from Pediatric Feeding Therapists
The holiday season is a magical time filled with family gatherings, festive decorations, and lots of delicious food. However, for parents of...
Starting Solids with Your Baby: A Guide to Purees, Baby-Led Weaning, and How Feeding Therapy Can Help
Introducing solid foods to your baby is a major milestone in their development. Whether you're beginning with purees, considering baby-led...
The Early Signs of Speech and Language Delays: When Should You Seek Help?
As a parent or caregiver, watching your child develop communication skills is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences. Every giggle,...
Feeding Therapy for Infants: Overcoming Oral-Motor Issues with Occupational Therapy Support
Feeding an infant can sometimes be more complex than anticipated, especially when oral-motor issues are present. Oral-motor issues involve the...
A Caregiver’s Guide to Positive Mealtime Experiences for Picky Eaters
Creating a positive mealtime experience for children, particularly for picky eaters, can be a challenge for many caregivers. But it’s also an...
Overcoming Bottle Feeding Challenges with Occupational Therapy
Feeding is a fundamental aspect of early childhood development, crucial for nutrition, growth, and emotional bonding. However, the transition to...
Overcoming Picky Eating: Occupational Therapy Tips for Lunchbox Success
Packing a lunchbox for a picky eater can feel like a daunting task, especially when you’re juggling the need for balanced nutrition with your...
Causes of Picky Eating and How Occupational Therapy Can Help
Picky eating is a common concern among parents, impacting children's nutrition, growth, and overall well-being. From rejecting certain foods to...
Breastfeeding Support and Infant Feeding: How Occupational Therapy Can Help
Infant feeding is a critical aspect of a child's development, impacting their physical growth, emotional well-being, and overall health. From...
Picky Eating: Understanding and Addressing Mealtime Challenges
Is it normal for toddlers to refuse to eat certain foods? Are mealtimes a battle in your household? If your child only likes yogurt and pizza,...
We Accept Insurance!
At Michigan Pediatric Therapy, we strive to make our services accessible to all families. That's why we're pleased to announce that we accept a...
Transitioning to Bottle Feeding from Breastfeeding
Bottle feeding can be an important and necessary resource on your baby’s feeding journey. Picking the right bottle for your baby may not be as...
What are primitive reflexes in infants?
Retained reflexes may be caused by c-sections, birth trauma, chronic ear infections, lack of tummy time, delayed or skipped crawling.
Does My Baby Have Sensory Issues?
Navigating the journey with a baby experiencing sensory challenges is like to riding a roller coaster. There are moments of exhilaration, yet...
Does Your Child Need Occupational Therapy?
In the intricate tapestry of childhood development, each thread contributes to the whole, weaving the story of a child's growth and well-being....
Feeding in the First Year
It's a common assumption that children will just naturally eat without any issues, but the reality is more nuanced. The journey of feeding a...
What is all this talk about craniosacral therapy (CST)? Does it work?
Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle modality used to release restrictions in the fascia. The fascia is a protective covering around all of the...
What is Astronaut Training?
Astronaut Training for Sensory Processing Disorder Astronaut Training is a sound-activated, vestibular-visual protocol that promotes optimal...
What is Sensory Integration (SI) Therapy?
Our sensory experiences through sight, sound, taste, touch (tactile), balance and movement (vestibular), and body positioning (proprioception)...
Oral-Motor Dysfunction
What happens when the muscles in the mouth aren’t working correctly? First, let’s start with a definition of “oral-motor skills.”What are they? •...
Zones of Regulation
Self-regulation is defined as the ability to manage and monitor one’s own state of emotions, thoughts, impulses, and behaviors in a socially...
R.O.A.R. (Rapid Opportunity for Accelerating Results)
Have you ever wanted to just give your child the extra edge—to help them get to the next level, past present frustrations? Michigan...
The Sensory Powerhouses
The sensory powerhouses drive us to learn, grow, and expand. The sensory systems are designed to help us conquer the challenges of our world....
The Synergy between Occupational Therapists and Lactation Consultants
By Magda Girao, OTRL, CST-D, NDT, Michigan Pediatric Therapy, and Kirsten Sonneville-Douglass, IBCLC, Live Latch Love At Michigan Pediatric...
Want to introduce a new food to a picky eater?
“The toddler age is characterized by a constant recording of “No.” Sometimes the constant “no” makes us feel like we’re going insane. But nowhere...
What is the Beckman Oral Motor Protocol?
The Beckman Oral Motor Protocol is an intervention that utilizes assisted movement and stretch reflexes to activate muscle contraction, build...
Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs)
A tethered oral tissue or TOT, commonly known as a tie, is a tissue that is restricted, resulting in poor range of motion and mobility. TOTs can...
What is Therapeutic Listening?
Therapeutic listening (TL) is a sound-based program that can be utilized to empower children to develop skills in sensory areas such as auditory...
The Power of Craniosacral Therapy: My Journey with my Son
I realized the power of using my hands to effectively treat children when I met my son in Guatemala. I had been a Pediatric Occupational...