Maternal language shapes infants' cry melodies

Even a child's very first cry is marked by their maternal language.  This seems especially apparent in tonal languages - those in which pitch and the fluctuation of pitch determine meaning.  These findings also lend themselves to the idea that we begin with the foundation to build future language skills immediately from birth.  And with further study and understanding, these findings could even lead to early identification of developmental disorders.  Find out all the details HERE from ScienceDaily.

Communication Considerations for Children With Hearing Loss

Making a life-long decision for a child is never easy, especially after dealing with a possibly unexpected diagnosis of a hearing loss.  Alongside dealing with a roller coaster of emotions, parents need to understand the importance of early intervention on future outcomes.  Many options for communication should be presented to parents, keeping in mind that early exposure to language, in any form, lays the foundation for future communication skills.  Finding a plan that can be supported by parents, siblings, and all other individuals in the child's life is key.  Dive a little deeper into this article to find out more. 

The ASHA Leader Blog: Communication Considerations for Children With Hearing Loss

Why It's So Difficult to Diagnose Autism in Girls

More and more research about the presentation of autism in girls is continuing to surface, and it is a welcome development.  Diagnosing girls is more difficult because on top of the very diverse presentation of any individual with this disorder, it seems that most screening and diagnostic tools have been developed with the observations of boy's behaviours in mind.  Research has proposed that perhaps girls are better at camouflaging their symptoms, therefore, making an accurate diagnosis less likely or at the least, more difficult. Find out more about the fascinating investigation researchers are taking on to learn about autism in girls and how we can better diagnose and serve this population.  

The Slate: Why It's So Difficult to Diagnose Autism in Girls

Early vocabulary delays suggest therapy needs later in life

Joining the ongoing debate, Penn State conducted a study to investigate whether being a late talker is a risk factor for later development.  Sample vocabulary of two year olds and reading and math assessments at age 4 and 5 were used to analyze the predictability of those with a limited vocabulary requiring future intervention services.  Read more about the study, it's findings, and the recommendations made by the professors involved.

Penn State:  Early vocabulary delays suggest therapy needs later in life

Stuttering: How to support your child

"Is stuttering a phase or a disorder? Here’s how to tell the difference and whether your child needs speech therapy." (Pooley, 2015)

Find tips, resources for help, and other info at Today'sParent.com

Predicting reading issues - and intervening - early!

"New research suggests it may be possible to predict which preschoolers will struggle to read – and it has to do with how the brain deciphers speech when it’s noisy.Scientists are looking for ways to tell, as young as possible, when children are at risk for later learning difficulties so they can get early interventions." (Neergaard, 2015)

Find out about this new study, and how it hope to change the way infants and toddlers are screened and identified as being at risk for reading difficulties. 

Kids who struggle with reading: Predicting issues - and intervening - early