As the weather gets warmer, it is a perfect time to get outdoors and play. Playing outside is great for exploring the world, learning new things and staying active. Outdoor play is also good for vision development – research shows that playing outside in early childhood may reduce the risk of nearsightedness later in life.… Continue reading Help protect your baby’s eyes in the sunshine
Tag: development
Early Abilities programs have moved to Surrey Place
Looking for support for your child's speech and language development? Does your newborn baby need a hearing screen? Do you have a child with permanent hearing loss, low vision or blindness? As of April 2022, the Toronto Preschool Speech and Language, Blind-Low Early Intervention and Infant Hearing Programs have moved from Early Abilities at Toronto… Continue reading Early Abilities programs have moved to Surrey Place
Your baby’s speech, hearing & vision health matters
In Canada, the month of May is dedicated to raising awareness about communication, hearing and vision health! Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing information about your child's speech, language, hearing and vision – with tips to monitor your child's development, expand their skills and set them up for success in school and… Continue reading Your baby’s speech, hearing & vision health matters
Checking in on your child’s development
Worried about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your child's growth and development? Our nurse Allison Stockley has written a four part series on the importance of the early years. Here is part one on growth and development. The pandemic has many families feeling like life has slowed way down, sped up, or that… Continue reading Checking in on your child’s development
May is Speech and Hearing Month – It’s Time to be a Detective
May is Speech and Hearing Month. Now more than ever, it's time for us as caregivers to be detectives about how the pandemic and its restrictions may be affecting the development of our children's communication. Every May, Speech-Language Pathologists celebrate Speech and Hearing Month and spend time discussing the importance of early identification and intervention,… Continue reading May is Speech and Hearing Month – It’s Time to be a Detective
Baby talk: Let’s get moving with action words
Children expand their vocabulary by hearing the words we use. We tend to be really great at labeling objects (think: "A car! A ball! A puppy!"). But of course, we need other types of words to build sentences. Action words (verbs) are really important for building sentences, but they can be trickier to teach. Here… Continue reading Baby talk: Let’s get moving with action words
May is Speech and Hearing Month!
May is one of my favourite months. Flowers are in bloom, the sun is shining a little longer each day – and bonus – it's time to celebrate communication and hearing! Since it's Speech and Hearing Month, I thought this would be a good time to highlight our four most popular blog posts about communication… Continue reading May is Speech and Hearing Month!
People games: Peek-a-Boo, I see you!
As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I provide families with practical tips on how they can bond with their child and create fun opportunities to teach their child new language. I often recommend people games! People games are play routines that you have created with your child that do not involve any toys. Keep in mind that… Continue reading People games: Peek-a-Boo, I see you!
Screen time and Babies
We know that babies and young children learn best from us and from social interaction. With all the technology available, people are using devices with their babies. In fact, 92% of parents report that their 1 year old has already used a mobile device, some starting as young as 4 months. Earlier this year, I… Continue reading Screen time and Babies
What’s so special about being one and a half?
To celebrate turning 1½, all children in Ontario are invited for a special well-baby 18 month checkup with your family doctor or nurse practitioner. This is an exciting stage in your child's growth and learning as they become more independent. Parents need to book this in-depth checkup for two reasons: Now is the ideal time… Continue reading What’s so special about being one and a half?