"Hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects, occuring at a rate of 1 out of 300 babies." At about 11 months, I was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer. I am fortunate enough to have survived childhood cancer, but one complication was that I became deaf in my left ear. Growing up, I struggled with only being able to hear out of one ear, but I attended many speech therapists, doctors, etc. so I would be able to learn and develop like any o...

There are many perks to being the oldest child; every little milestone is tracked, celebrated, and recognized. Everything from my first words, to walking, and even toilet training, it was an exciting time for my parents to watch me grow. There was a sense of anticipation with each milestone, and as I learned new skills, they looked forward to what I'd be learning next. I was able to experience a little bit of that excitement when my youngest sist...

 Do you have a child who seems to be ahead of their physical, intellectual, and emotional stages? This kind of development is called "asynchronous development", commonly called "gifted" or "talented". So, what is a gifted child? According to  The National Association of Gifted Children : "Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (doc...

It seems like news and information about child development is always changing. It can be hard to keep up with the most current science, theories, and parenting techniques. ZERO TO THREE recently compiled a list of hot, new articles and we wanted to share them with you!  Touch to Baby's Lips Sets off Intense Brain R esponse New research reveals a special neural signature associated with touching a baby's lips. It's an indicator of h...

​ "Hand, hand, fingers, thumb. One thumb one thumb drumming on a drum. Dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum" writes Al Perkins in the beloved children's book "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb." As a young girl, my mom taught me how to play the piano. Like many young kids, I would moan and groan for the full 20 minutes my mom asked me to practice each day: one thumb, two thumbs, pounding-the-same-eight-notes in a scale over and over and over was not nearly a...

Your child's day is filled with noise, motion and lights. From TVs blaring, phones buzzing and more, their days can be filled with devices and distractions. These distractions make the brain work harder. A National Safety Council white paper said , "Human brains do not perform two tasks at the same time. Instead, the brain handles tasks sequentially, switching between one task and another." Over time, these distractions cause stress, decrease pro...

The percentage of bilingual children in the United States has risen steadily for the past decade, causing families to wonder if it really is worth it to have their child learn another language or if the process is too lengthy and costly. This blog is to inform and help families navigate their way to having their child become bilingual, so families can decide if it is truly worth the effort. Pros and ConsLike all abilities, bilingualism also inclu...

If you grew up with siblings or have multiple children, you probably understand the major effect that birth order has on family dynamics. We all know the stereotypes about how oldest, middle, and youngest children likely behave and what their place in the family means about their future achievement and success. Everyone probably has a story about how they were impacted by older or younger siblings and how they were treated differently by their pa...

We all remember the fun days playing with our friends when we were younger. Whether it was playing "House" or "School" or even being a Chef in a fancy restaurant. What we didn't realize at this young age while having fun, is that pretend play boasts important benefits for a child's development! The beloved Mr. Rogers said, "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play IS serious learning." Someti...

  We're so excited to welcome Laurie Bowen from Kids on the Move as our guest blogger today!  Kids on the Move offers all kinds of programs for parents and children, from preschool to parenting classes; and today Laurie is sharing some secrets that their Bridges program uses to assist parents in potty training their children. Most kids are ready to start potty training somewhere between the ages of two to shortly after their third birth...