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10 Important Questions for your Pediatrician About Communication and Motor Skills

Taking your child to his regular checkup is one way of making sure he or she is on track with their developmental milestones. Some physicians have training in various areas of development, some do not. Use the information below, and the questions provided, to get the information you need from your doctor as your child grows.

General Domains of Development in Infancy and Early Childhood

Social/emotional development refers to a child’s emotional well-being and interactions with others, and how he responds to or deals with a variety of social situations. For infants and young children, crying to communicate needs, smiling, and playing alongside or with other children are examples of skills they exhibit in this domain.
Speech and Language development covers both receptive communication (what a child understands when others speak) and expressive communication skills (what and how a child is able to communicate effectively to others through speech).
Cognitive/General Knowledge. This domain includes skills like moving a barrier to find a hidden object, counting objects, naming pictures, and matching colors.
Gross Motor development deals with how well an infant or child can manipulate the large muscles of her body. Crawling, walking, jumping, and throwing a ball are all gross motor/large muscle skills.
Fine Motor development is the domain for the small muscles. Holding small bits of food in their fingers, marking with a crayon, and demonstrating hand-eye coordination are examples of fine motor skills.
Self-Help skills include feeding, expressing needs through verbal or non-verbal communication, and overcoming obstacles to solve a problem. When a child climbs on a step stool or large book to reach something, he is demonstrating a self-help skill.

If you’re concerned about how or whether your child is demonstrating skills in the above areas, your doctor may be the first person to go to. Here are a few questions to ask your child’s pediatrician about development:

1. What training have you had in infant and early child development?
2. What are some red flags I should watch for as I watch my child master, or struggle to master, various skills?
3. Do you have patients who have special needs, requiring them to receive Early Intervention services? Do you have the contact information for those in charge of providing such services to children and families?
4. There are various tasks children are asked to demonstrate at regular appointments. What do these tasks tell you about my child?
5. How can I help my infant/toddler/preschooler with developmental skills they may be missing or struggling to master?
6. What are the developmental milestones you are most concerned about as my child enters school?
7. What causes developmental delays?
8. How are developmental delays diagnosed?
9. How are developmental delays treated?
10. What is the prognosis for developmental delays?
It is important to remember that every child may or may not demonstrate all the skills in every domain. Sometimes this might mean there is a problem, sometimes it does not. Be sure to bring your concerns and questions not only to your child’s doctor, but also to someone trained in assessing childhood development.
-Jessica Glenbocki MOT, OTR/L

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Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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