IS OPEN MOUTH POSTURE/MOUTH BREATHING EVER OK? NO WAY! As Richard F. Liao, DDS states, “your mouth is the source of your energy and the gateway to your whole-body health.” We have all seen it – and once you see it, you can’t “un-see” it! It’s mouth breathing or open mouth posture. As […]
A Parent’s Perspective: Summer Planning
Quick answer: The best way to start summer planning is to plan as best you can. Research camps and activities, vet them by phone, visit in person, share your child’s needs (including the IEP), start slow, and use simple daily communication so you can catch overload early. (For more on the school-to-summer shift, read A […]
Being the Expert on Your Child- Anticipating Emotions and Planning for that
Quick answer: When multiple changes hit at once, I try to (1) keep her schedule to a degree, (2) keep talking and communicating, and (3) anticipate emotions, including delayed reactions. Graduation for her brother, Michael. Emily, her beloved sister is home on vacation. Elizabeth has her new summer schedule (her work with the schools change […]
Accepting Change and Embracing Growth Together: When Your Child’s Interests Shift
Quick answer: Special needs interest shifts can be normal for a child with special needs to love something for a season, then like it less later. It can be normal for a child with special needs to love something for a season, then like it less later. I try to reframe it as growth, keep […]
Transition from School to Summer: A Parent’s Perspective
Quick answer: To navigate the transition from school to summer, talk with the school team about summer focus areas, share the plan with private therapists, schedule therapies early, tuck “work” into everyday moments, and keep notes so fall planning and IEP updates are easier. My beautiful Elizabeth is 26 years old, soon to be 27. […]
5 STAR Global Ministry’s Work In Haiti with TalkTools
My name is Autumn Marshall and I am the president and co-founder of 5 STAR Global Ministry. I have been serving in Haiti since 2007, and living full-time in Haiti since 2011. The question that always comes up is: Why Haiti? Well… when I first went to Haiti in 2007 I came across a special […]
Oral Hyposensitivity in Children: Targeting Speech Production & Open-Mouth Posture
Learn how oral hyposensitivity affects speech production and open-mouth posture in children. Discover treatment strategies using oral placement therapy tools and orofacial myofunctional techniques from TalkTools®.
A Parent’s Perspective: Navigating the Therapy World
Quick answer: For us, therapy worked best when (1) the therapist was a true fit for my child, (2) the schedule was sustainable long term, and (3) we planned for homework and built it into everyday routines. Elizabeth has been in therapy since she was 2.5 years old. She is now 26. That means she […]
Timing is Everything: Planning a Trip and When to Tell Elizabeth
So how do we handle or decide how to tell Elizabeth something that might be stressful to her? Timing is everything! I will let you know what we have done most recently. But to give a bit of context, my husband and I decided to go on a vacation for 3 days to see our […]
Finding Good Among the Bad
At home life with Anna has been quite interesting. It’s been a bit difficult because of course, she has no clue why we can’t go outside anymore. She has no clue why we haven’t been going to her therapies, her horseback riding, swimming, to the park, and her favorite- restaurants. Frequently she asks, “where am […]