More than Child’s Play

Nicole is thrilled to join respected physical therapist Susan Blum for this episode. Susan is the creator and lead instructor for the TMR (Total Motion Release) Tots and Teens educational programs. In this conversation they discuss what TMR is and how Susan first came to discover it, learn about it, and use it daily as a physical therapist.  The evolution of TMR to the pediatric population is shar...

If you are a longtime follower, you may have noticed we’ve been a little quieter over here. There are a few reasons for that but one is that Nicole, like 1 in 8 women in the United States, was diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Our podcast focuses on more child centered topics, but today, the first day of breast cancer awareness month, she’s sharing her story here. And she’s sharing it as a p...

Often times there are roadblocks that get in the way of natural child development.  These roadblocks are sometimes created by adults caring for children and are sometimes biological factors that go undetected.  In this podcast series we will identify eight of the most common roadblocks and share strategies to address them.  In this episode Nicole discusses how undetected vision loss impacts a chil...

Holiday shopping may be more challenging this year with supply chain issues, and many small businesses are still working hard to survive in the midst of ongoing pandemic challenges. As small business owners, Nicole and Lacy wanted to include and highlight small businesses this year as part of their Holiday Gift Guide. Take a listen as Nicole and Lacy discuss the items they chose for the list this...

Laura Brown, early intervention speech-language pathologist, joins Lacy in a conversation about early communication.  Laura lists skills that we see in children before they begin talking.  She discusses the importance of modeling and using gestures to help develop communication skills in little ones.  Laura and Lacy discuss why introducing sign language as a means of communication is always a good...

Physical and occupational therapists often advocate for children to climb UP the slide, hang from the monkey bars, spin upside, and climb trees. But why? There are many benefits to taking age typical motor risks. Join us for a delightful, fun, and informative conversation with expert Dr. Stacy Menz, PT, DPT, PCS. Stacy is the owner of Starfish Therapies in the San Francisco Bay area and brings her...

This episode is for any parent or caregiver with children or teens participating in organized sports, considering venturing into the world of youth sports, or for any coach or therapists working with student athletes. Sports medicine experts Dr Brad Dinklocker, PT, DPT, MS, ATC and Larry Shipley, LPTA, Performance Coach from Pro Physical Therapy join us to provide expert opinions on common questio...

Lacy is joined by Jeanette Washington, M.Ed., speech-language pathologist and educator.  In this episode Jeanette defines what dyslexia is and how we can appreciate signs of dyslexia in children as young as one year of age.  Jeanette shares common diagnoses that coexist with dyslexia.  She thoroughly explains what executive functioning skills are and how they impact a young child's day to day acti...

Michael Powell works with the birth to three population providing evaluations and guidance for families on how to deal with toddler behaviors.  One of the most common topics of discussions he has with families is how to handle tantrums.  Michael views tantrums through a unique lens that will inspire you to do the same.  He explains why toddlers engage in tantrums, what we can do to anticipate them...

This is the episode all about PLAY!  Emily Cohen, M.A, CCC/SLP, speech-language pathologist and author of Playing With Purpose, joins Lacy in a conversation about the importance of play in the developing child’s life. Emily defines what play is and how it benefits children. She explains the five stages of play and at what ages they each emerge and also lists and describes the three types of play....

1 in 10 infants in the United States will spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) each year. NICU admissions and NICU staff save countless lives a year but the experiences can be traumatic, emotional, exhausting, and yes, even inspiring and hopeful. Join us as we welcome NICU veteran mom Patrice Guzman as she shares her honest and brave story and that of her miracle daughter Vivianne...

Meg Lico, speech-language pathologist, is a member of the cleft palate and craniofacial team at NYU Langone Health.  In this episode she joins Lacy to discuss what cleft lip/palate is and how early it can be be diagnosed.  Meg shares statistics regarding cleft lip/palate incidence and some of the most common syndromes this diagnosis is associated with.  Meg discusses the implications for feeding a...

Amy Graham, speech-language pathologist, joins Lacy in this episode to talk all about speech sound disorders.  Amy defines what a speech sound disorder is and what diagnoses fall under the SSD umbrella.  Amy and Lacy discuss how much spoken language a child should have before a speech sound disorder can be diagnosed.  Amy explains why diagnosing SSDs early is so important and what we can do as ear...

In this episode Kimberly Scanlon, speech-language pathologist and author, joins Lacy to answer the following questions:  When should baby say their first word? How many words should a baby say at 12 months of age?  What counts as a word?  How can parents support their little one before those first words are spoken?  What words are most important to model for baby?  Kimberly references her books an...

Pediatric toe walking is an atypical movement pattern that is poorly understood but can have a wide range of short and long term consequences for children. In this episode, we are thrilled to bring you THE expert in this area of physical therapy practice, Dr. Liesa Ritchie-Persaud. Through her business, Know To Change , Liesa brings years of clinical expertise, global work in continuing education,...

In this episode Jen Leroux, M.A., CCC/SLP, school based speech-language pathologist, joins Lacy to talk about how to support school aged kids over the summer with their speech and language skills.  Jen has 12 years of experience supporting families in helping their kids over the summer months and it doesn't involve worksheets!  Jen gives practical tips and strategies on how to approach families ab...

In this episode Lila Griffith, M.S. CCC/SLP, speech-language pathologist, joins Lacy to discuss pediatric voice disorders.  Lila explains what a voice disorder is and the signs and symptoms of when a voice disorder may be present.  She gives tips on what to listen for to know when to refer children for evaluation and shares preventative tips to keep our children's voices at their best.  Lila descr...

Join us in this episode as Stacey Landberg, M.S., CCC/SLP, speech-language pathologist, describes what adult learning principles are and how understanding them can help you deliver more effective early intervention.  She shares the acronym she uses to help her remember the principles as well as how she ensures she follows the acronym, SCRAPP, in her practice.  Stacey lists resources to help you fu...

We are thrilled to welcome to More Than Child’s Play two very special parents, Sheri and Jeremy Mills. They are the parents of a delightful, sweet, smart, and spunky almost 3 year old who happens to have Prader Willi Syndrome. In honor of PWS Awareness month, Sheri and Jeremy join us to share their journey as a way to educate and support other families and medical providers serving people with thi...

In this episode Lacy and Cari Ebert, M.S., CCC/SLP discuss coaching in the early intervention setting.  Cari defines what coaching is, how it is different from consultation and why coaching is an important component in early intervention.  She shares how she discusses this service delivery model to parents and caregivers and gains their buy in as the person most responsible for their child's progr...

Listen in as we discuss early identification and treatment of hearing loss in infants and toddlers.  Sydney lists signs and symptoms to look for in infants and toddlers that could indicate possible hearing loss and how to advocate for your child if you have concerns about your child's hearing.  Sydney shares when hearing first develops (it's sooner than you think!) and why and what to do if baby f...

We don’t know a parent who hasn’t expressed concerns about their children’s mental health over the past year. The amount of unpredictability, fear, change, and interruption to daily life and stress they have experienced in their homes has affected them all in some way. Join us as we learn from Melissa Swartz, LPC, Trauma Therapist. Melissa has extensive training in neuroscience, evolutionary biolo...

Often times there are roadblocks that get in the way of natural child development.  These roadblocks are sometimes created by adults caring for children and are sometimes biological factors that go undetected.  In this podcast series we will identify eight of the most common roadblocks and share strategies to address them.  In this episode Lacy and Nicole discuss why babies suck and the recommende...

Often times there are roadblocks that get in the way of natural child development.  These roadblocks are sometimes created by adults caring for children and are sometimes biological factors that go undetected.  In this podcast series we will identify eight of the most common roadblocks and share strategies to address them.  First up is lack of tummy time.  Listen in as Nicole Sergent, pediatric ph...

Laura Smith, MA, CCC/SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS).  Laura is also the person behind SLP Mommy of Apraxia.  After Laura's daughter was diagnosed with CAS, her passion to learn as much as possible about apraxia began.  In this podcast episode Laura shares her and her daughter's story from before diagnosis to treatment.  She identifies ear...