As parents, educators, or therapists, we all share one common goal – we want the children in our care to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential. The first few years of a child’s life are marked with several critical stages of development that lay the foundation for the rest of their life. As children go through their developmental journey, they acquire skills that are essential for success in later stages of life. From speech and language to motor skills and sensory processing, early childhood development is a time when we can nurture growth and provide children with the support they need to become confident and empowered little leaders. In this blog, I will break down for you some important areas of your kiddo’s development:
Language is the primary means of communication, and speech and language skills are crucial for social and cognitive development. To help children develop speech and language, parents and caregivers can engage in activities like reading aloud, singing songs, and my all time favorite, PLAY. Play is a simple way to encourage language development all while connecting with your kiddo. Early language skills pave the way for success in reading, writing, comprehension, and social-emotional skills later in life.
Fine Motor Skills:
Fine motor refers to the ability to make precise movements with hands and fingers. In early childhood, fine motor skills are needed for activities like self-feeding, tying shoelaces, getting dressed, and drawing. To develop fine motor skills, children can practice using scissors, play dough, building blocks, or stringing beads. Parents can also provide opportunities for finger painting, drawing, coloring, and other art activities. These activities can help children develop the hand-eye coordination and dexterity they need for everyday tasks.
Gross Motor Skills:
Gross motor refers to the ability to move and control large muscle groups in the body, such as running, jumping, climbing, and throwing. To encourage gross motor development, parents can provide plenty of space for children to play and run around. Outdoor activities like playing catch, hopping, or skipping, can also help to develop gross motor skills. Additionally, swimming, dance, or yoga are great activities that strengthen muscles and improve balance and coordination.
Sensory Processing:
Sensory processing is the way the nervous system receives and interprets sensory information from the environment. Children who have difficulty processing sensory information may struggle with things like loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures. Parents and caregivers can create a sensory-rich environment that includes a variety of textures, sounds, and colors. For example, sand, water, or mud play can help children develop their sense of touch, while playing with musical instruments can stimulate their sense of hearing. By providing a sensory-rich environment, children can learn to regulate their responses to different sensory stimuli.
Feeding Skills:
Feeding skills are crucial for a child’s growth and development. Infants need to develop the ability to suck, swallow, and breathe in coordination when feeding. As children grow older, they learn to self-feed, use utensils, and drink from a cup. To encourage healthy feeding habits, parents can expose children to different textures, flavors, and food types. Modeling healthy eating habits and providing a variety of healthy foods can also help children develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Early childhood development is a time when parents and caregivers can provide the support and guidance children need to reach their full potential. By nurturing growth in areas like speech and language, fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, and feeding skills, we can help children develop the skills they need to succeed in later stages of life. Encouraging parent-child interaction, providing opportunities for exploration and discovery, and creating a safe and nurturing environment are vital for healthy development. By working together, we can help our children thrive and fulfill their potential.
To find out more ways we can support you and your little one on this journey, reach out to us today for a complimentary consultation.
Sholeh Shahinfar is the Founder of Valued Voices, a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, Sholeh embraces a vegan lifestyle, loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
GENNA HENDERSON
Genna has been with Valued Voices since 2019, she joined the family after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in communication sciences and disorders from Pacific University in Oregon. Genna has always been passionate about helping give opportunities to others and believes all children have a joyous light inside them that deserves to be shown to the world. She knows that giving people the chance to express themselves allows them to reach new heights internally and in their communities.
Your little baby just turned one year old! This is a wonderful moment to cherish and celebrate! It is also a time when your little love is absorbing even more of the world and beginning a journey of self-expression!
Self-expression for small children can include the way they move or gesture, the way they make eye contact, and the way they use their words. You may notice your little one is beginning to speak words to communicate wants and needs, and to share thoughts and feelings. It’s exciting to see your baby go from a small infant to a toddler with a unique personality. It’s an exciting time!
Language and communication are complex. As a parent, you long to hear that very first word. Before children start speaking, however, they must first understand the words that are spoken to them. They must attach meaning to words. This is known as receptive language. For example, if you ask them to go get the ball and they do, you know that their receptive language is developing, even though they do not yet speak any words. Once you know they understand what a ball is, they may start saying the word “ball,” or “ba … ” This is when expressive language begins.
Parents often wonder if their child’s speech, language and communication skills are on track, especially when they begin comparing their little one to other children or siblings. If an older sibling has autism, you may wonder if this child does as well. It is important for parents to know that child development is highly individualized and dependent on many factors.
Sometimes parents search for charts outlining developmental milestones. These charts have advantages and disadvantages. They serve to show parents and professionals if a child is developing at a typical rate, but they can also add unnecessary stress and worry since many children meet milestones much earlier or later than what the data suggests they should. As a professional and child communication expert, I find they bring stress to many families and can take the focus off the actual child and onto a version of success that has no clear meaning. When analyzing milestone charts, take into account your little one’s unique set of strengths. Use the milestones as a guide to help support you in empowering your little one’s voice.
I am a firm believer in parental instinct. If you feel that your child is behind in one or more areas of development, you are likely picking up on something that needs attention and support. This support could include parent coaching and education, or direct therapy for your child. Either way, my motto is, “When in doubt, rule it out.”
I also strongly advocate for early intervention. Do not let anyone tell you to “wait and see,” and don’t convince yourself to just wait. The earlier you provide the quality of care and support your child needs, the more present and connected your child will feel.
Let Go of Blame, Shame and Guilt
The journey of self-expression starts within the womb. Along the way, there are so many ways to help little ones become more connected to their voice. As children near their first birthday, parents are anxious to hear their first words. What happens when they don’t hear those first words, and struggle to understand their children’s wants and needs? Parents often go into a cycle of blame, shame and guilt. As parents, we need to let that go! Now is the time to help them find their voice and self-expression. We are all doing our best and must move past those negative feelings so we can provide the best care for our children in the present.
Five Tips for Talking with your Toddler
There are many ways to connect with your child. The following tips will help you communicate and connect with your toddler. I recognize that every child is different, so try out these tips and see what works best for your child. When implementing these tips, don’t compare your child with other children, and don’t rush the process. Be patient, and remember that communication does not only take place with words. We can communicate and convey our thoughts, needs, wants, and feelings in a wide range of ways.
REPETITION: Repeat words and phrases over and over. Think of repetition when you are selecting books to read with your toddler or toys for play.
SIMPLIFIY: Use short phrases and sentences. Continue to model sentences that are grammatically correct and complete so that your little one is hearing the right form. When it comes to structed activities, use a few words to draw your little one’s attention to the main vocabulary.
PARALEL TALK: Narrate everything your child is doing. Talk out loud and use language to descrive your little one’s actions. For example, if your little ones pushes a car, say “push car.” If she is running, you can say “run, run, run.”
SELF TALK: Narrate everyhing you are doing. This is similar to parallel tak, but involves talking out loud about your actions. For example, if you are cutting uo an apple for a snack, you can say “cut apple” or “mommy is cutting an apple.”
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES: Choose a daily routine – something that happens almost the same way everyday – and focus on implementing these concepts into that routine. The more you practice, the more your child is learning! You can also create opportunities by the way you structure your environment and daily routines.
These tips are designed to make you aware of all the amazing things you are likely doing already, and to give you the confidence to connect with your child and build his or her self-expression. You can find even more tips to support your little one’s journey at our blog on “25 Tips for Talking with your toddler“
Expression can come in many different forms. The earlier we expose our children to the many ways in which we communicate, the more empowered they become. Language and communication opportunities are happening every day, all the time. You don’t need to sit your little one down at a table to empower self-expression; just use the moments that are being created for you! Your little one’s smiles, gestures and words are all moments to be celebrated. No matter where you and your little one are on this journey of self-expression, just remember that you’ve got this!
Sholeh Shahinfar is the Founder of Valued Voices, a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, Sholeh embraces a vegan lifestyle, loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
As soon as your little one is born, they begin developing prelinguistic skills. These prelinguistic, or nonverbal skills, help in supporting later language acquisition. So, what are preverbal skills? Preverbal skills are the ways in which we communicate, without using words. These include skills such as eye contact, facial expressions, pointing, gestures, joint attention and imitation; all an essential foundation for supporting our kiddos in their ability to express and communicate.
Why are preverbal skills important?
Prelinguistic, or preverbal communication skills, are important because they set the foundation for expression. For example, let’s take a look at eye contact, something that happens almost instantly when a child is born. If a child is having difficulty with this skill, then they may not have as many opportunities to be noticing what is happening around them. Similarly, difficulties in the area of joint attention could also mean less opportunities for a child to develop an understanding of language. Joint attention is when you and your child are attending to the same thing at the same time. For example, if you and your kiddo are looking out the window and you see a bird, you point up at the bird and say “bird,” and your child looks up at the bird; this helps your child draw an association between an object and a word they are hearing/attending to. If a child is having difficulty looking and attending to various stimuli and speech in their environment, then your baby begins to miss opportunities to hear the language and make associations between words and their meaning. Both of these examples play an impact on a child’s ability to understand and use language.
Children that experience difficulty in the development of preverbal skills may go on to have difficulty with the understanding and use of language, also known as a receptive and/or expressive language delay. That is why it is important for parents to identify these areas and work on developing them early on as party of your daily routine.
What are preverbal skills?
Preverbal skills are the way we communicate, without using words and they include skills that are essential for supporting later language development. Some preverbal skills include:
1. Eye Contact: Eye contact happens almost instantly after a baby is born. Babies begin to discriminate faces and recognize those that are important to getting their needs and wants met. Sustaining eye contact is a way for babies to gain information, get their needs and wants met, gain attention, and helps in the later development of speech sound acquisition as they pay attention to the way sounds are formed on the mouth. 2. Joint Attention: Joint attention is the ability to follow another person’s focus and attention, as well as drawing another person’s focus and attention to what you are attending to. Joint attention draws people (in this case, child and parent), to attend to the same thing at the same time. This is a vital skill for communication and later later language skills. 3. Pointing: By 12 months of age, babies begin pointing with their index finger at objects or events of interest. Pointing is a very important preverbal skill. It helps a child get their needs and wants met and is often later paired with vocalizations. Pointing encourages a child and adult to engage in an activity together, by drawing the adult’s attention to what the child is pointing towards (joint attention), further allowing the child to communicate wants, needs, ideas and emotions without needing to use verbal expression. 4. Listening & Attending: Babies begin to discriminate sounds at an early age, and can identify the voice of important people versus non important sounds. By attending to sounds, babies later begin to discriminate between speech sounds. 5. Facial Expressions: Smiling is one of the earliest facial expressions a baby develops. From about 6 weeks old, babies begin to smile. Smiling, and other facial expressions, helps foster more social interactions as it serves as a nonverbal response to describe your feelings. 6. Imitation: By 9 months of age babies begin copying hand clapping and vocal sounds. Imitation is a preverbal skill that supports later language development, such as imitation of sounds and words. Imitation helps foster motor movements, including fine/gross motor skills, as well as oral motor movements associated with speech sound production. 7. Facial Expressions: The understanding of language is referred to as receptive language. In the first year of life, children develop an understanding of their environment, following eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures. 8. Expression: The expression of language is referred to as expressive language and this comes in many forms. In the early ages, expression is in the form of facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and body language. First words begin to emerge around 12 months of age.
How can I tell if my child is having difficulty with preverbal skills?
A child with difficulties in preverbal skills, may:
Demonstrate inconsistent or no eye contact
Have difficulty babbling
Show little to no response to different tones of voice or facial expressions
Have difficulty copying gestures and/or facial expressions
Show limited joint attention or interest in playing with others
Have difficulty using gestures to gain attention
It is important to remember that all children present differently and this list is not comprehensive, nor indicative of a language delay. Each of these skills are acquired at various ages and stages. That is why it is always best to consult with a professional if you have any concerns.
What are some other challenges my child might face if they are delayed in developing preverbal skills?
The ability to express ourselves helps us to feel seen and heard. When we have difficulties in the area of expression, this can lead to frustration as we feel that others are not understanding us. The same rings true for our children when they experience difficulties or delays in expression and the development of preverbal skills. When a child presents with delays in preverbal skills, they may also present with difficulties in:
1. Attention & Concentration: Children with delays in preverbal skills may have a difficult time sustaining attention to tasks for a prolonged period of time. A child’s attention is a fundamental skill necessary for overall cognitive development. 2. Understanding Language: The understanding of various linguistic concepts may be difficult for children who have not yet developed several preverbal skills. Delays in this area may lead to language disorders in the area of receptive language. 3. Expressive Language: Expression through the form of signs, sounds or words may be delayed for children who have delays in their development of various preverbal skills. Delays in expressive language skills may lead to an expressive language disorder in a later age. 4. Behaviors: If a child presents with delays in preverbal skills, and therefore presents with difficulties in the understanding and expression of language; this may lead to not being fully understood by others. This could then create feelings of frustration or withdrawal, which plays an impact on a child’s overall cognitive development, including social interaction development, emotional development, and/or speech and language development.
How can I work on preverbal skills with my child?
There are many strategies and activities that adults can use to target preverbal skills with children. One of my favorites is play! When we engage in play with our babies, we are working on so many important skills: shared attention, turn taking, social skills, gestures, facial expressions, receptive language, expressive language, eye contact…just to name a few. A few more ways to target preverbal skills are:
1. Following your little one’s lead: This is a great way to work on joint attention too! When you follow your baby’s eye gaze, you are showing them that you are interested in what they want to communicate with you. You are validating their form of expression and communication. 2. Simplify your language: When you follow your little one’s lead and see what they are looking at, use simplified language to describe what they are sharing with you. For example, if your little one’s eye gaze shifts to a ball to indicate they want you to roll the ball, you can look at the ball and say “ball” or “ROLL ball.” Remember, communication is not just the words we speak, it comes in many forms. 3. Vocal Intonation: The emphases on “ROLL” will help draw your little one’s attention to a word and/or concept you are trying to teach them. Varying your intonation and pitch not only draws in your little one’s attention, but it makes things fun for children! 4. Get on your little one’s level: Get at eye level with your little one and hold objects close to your mouth. When your little one can really see how sounds and words are formed, they will be more inclined to copy those oral motor movements too. Remember, use vocal intonation and also exaggerate your mouth movements so your little one can really see how the sounds are formed, this will really help with later speech sound development. Getting face-to-face is also great for learning facial expressions and using eye contact, overall, it is a great way to connect with your kiddo!
The best part about all these tips is that you can use them during any daily routine! For parents, planning out a whole lesson around speech and language development can be tough and the truth is, you aren’t supposed to know it all, that is why I am here to help! Teaching preverbal skills and helping your child develop speech, language and communication skills does not need to be tough and an addition to your to-do list, just make it part of your day! Language opportunities are presenting themselves all the time. For example, when you are having snack, getting dressed, getting in the car, going out for a walk, reading books, playing…these are just some of the amazing ways you can work on preverbal skills, expose your child to vocabulary, respond to your child’s communication, interact with your child, and help develop skills that lay the foundation for later speech and language skills.
Who should I see if my child has difficulties/delays with preverbal skills?
Speech language pathologist are often a wonderful support in this area, as well as occupational therapists. They will help your child develop and/or increase:
Eye contact
Joint attention
Turn taking
Play skills
Social interactions
Receptive language
Expressive language
Attention and concentration
Self-regulation
Remember, early detection and early intervention is so important! If you are reading this and thinking “this might be my child, but I’m not sure,” then follow that parental instinct and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. I am not an advocate on the wait-and-see philosophy, that is why we offer free consultations (speech, language and occupational therapy) no matter where you are in the world, to help put your mind at ease and to help you find a therapist near you!
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
Let’s be real, we all know what a temper tantrum is. Whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist, or just someone at the grocery store, we have all seen a child having a moment of dysregulation, or what we know as a temper tantrum.
For parents, temper tantrums can be very difficult. You are going through a whirlwind of emotions: empathy for your child, trying to figure out how to help them and keep them safe, feeling frustrated, and often times when it happens in front of others, feeling embarrassed and like you have no control. Often times, when I speak to parents about tantrums, they really believe they are alone, that their child is the only child that has their moments. Well, believe me when I say: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Tantrums are completely normal and in fact, a typical part of growing up. There are different types of tantrums, and of course, many different reasons a child throws a tantrum. There are also several ways we can better understand, support and guide our little ones on how to manage a tantrum. Let’s take a closer look:
It is not uncommon for temper tantrums to start around 1 year of age. At this age, infants do not have a clear means of communication and don’t have a way to express their wants, needs, and feelings in a way that they feel understood, which leads to feelings of frustration. So, what does your baby do when they feel frustrated, they cry-otherwise known as a tantrum. This is the only way that your baby can communicate with you. During this stage, parents can learn to recognize their baby’s needs through the different cries (hunger, gas, discomfort, sleepiness, etc.)
In the toddler years, tantrums can look a bit different and feel a bit more intense. Toddler tantrums sometimes lead to meltdowns, which can include kicking, hitting, screaming, and biting. The difference between a tantrum and a meltdown is:
A tantrum is an expression of a want or need A meltdown is the result of too much sensory input or a feeling of dysregulation
Again, it is important for parents to understand that tantrums are a very typical part of the development and very common for children between the ages of 1-3. As mentioned in the last blog post Communication & Behaviorit is very important for parents to connect to their little one’s need, as often a tantrum is the result of an unmet need. This does not mean you are doing ANYTHING wrong. This is just your little one’s form of communication at the moment.
Around 4-6 years of age, most children begin to outgrow tantrums as they have learned more coping strategies and ways to self-regulate. Your little one may have also learned more ways effective ways to express themselves. Still, around this age, you may see tantrums occurring. The most common reasons for tantrums during this age are difficulty regulating emotions and/or testing the limits of authority.
Are There Other Reasons for Tantrums?
While most tantrums are completely normal and a result of an unmet need and/or difficulty in expressing that need, there are times that they can also be a sign of something deeper going on.
A study by Manning et al., published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology looked more closely into the connection between late talkers and tantrums. The results revealed that little ones between 12-to-38 months of age with fewer spoken words demonstrated more frequent and severe temper tantrums. Toddlers who were late talkers also had more severe tantrums when compared to their same aged peers with typical language development.
Handling a Tantrum
Now you may be wondering: “how do I help my little one express their wants and need without having a tantrum?” The answer is: PREVENTION, PATIENCE, PRACTICE & CONSISTENCY. The good news is TANTRUMS CAN BE OVERCOME. It is all about connecting with your little one’s needs and finding coping strategies that help your child in these moments of frustration or sadness.
You can reduce the likelihood of tantrums by:
Tuning into your child’s needs
Connecting & validating your child’s emotions and feelings
Identifying and removing triggers
Reducing stress
Identifying and using positive reinforcements
When a tantrum does occur, because the truth is, they will likely happen once in a while, you can manage the tantrum by:
Staying calm. Children are sponges and absorb ALL of our energy. If you can angry, sad, or scared they will pick up on that right away and the tantrum will likely escalate. Stay calm, stay grounded and do not get overly emotional.
Waiting it out. Be patient. Let your child have their emotions, while of course making sure they are safe. When your child is in their tantrum or having a meltdown, there’s no point in trying to get their attention or reason with them. Let them go through the feelings and connect with them when they are ready.
Acknowledging emotions. Once you and your little one are in a calmer space, talk to them about their emotions and show them you understand. Also, talk to them about your emotions. This will help provide support and guidance, and even ways to self-regulate.
Being consistent. Be consistent with your approach. Children thrive off consistency and if they feel surprised or caught off guard by a reaction, or if they are feeling like they have the control, the situation could escalate. Connect to your little one’s need and your own. Consistency is key.
If your child is experiencing frequent and severe tantrums, and they are leading to aggression and behaviors that you just know are not common for your little one, seek out the support! Often times, delays in speech, language and communication, can cause a lot of frustration for our little ones. That is why early intervention is so critical and why I NEVER have the “wait-and-see” philosophy. In fact, my motto is “when in doubt, rule it out.” When you can support and guide your little one’s expression in their early years, you are having a direct impact on their adult years
If you feel like your little one’s behaviors are rooted from delays in their speech, languge and/or communication, book a complimentary parent consult with me today and let’s dive deeper into ways we can work together to support and guide you and your little one.
Sholeh Shahinfar, MA, CCC-SLP, RYT
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!
Communication comes in so many forms. Nonverbal communication includes our body language, eye contact, signs, gestures, and so much more! Verbal communication includes babbling, spoken words, and the use of a device,
When our little ones are experiencing communication delays and differences, this can have a ripple effect into many areas of their life.
Story 1: Little Johnny is on the playground. He is talking to his friends but his friends just can’t understand what he is saying, so they don’t really engage with him and after a few minutes they go onto play something else without Johnny. This keeps happening to Johnny over and over again, and so he begins to get sad and frustrated. He starts to avoid and withdraw himself from social situations, and starts playing by himself. When he talks at home to his parents, they sometimes don’t understand him either, so he keeps repeating himself until eventually he gets so upset, that he throws his toy car. Johnny’s speech delay is not only impacting his communication development, but it is also impacting his social and emotional development as well.
Story 2: Maggie is 5 years old. She has difficulty following directions and doesn’t use many words to express her wants, needs, thoughts and feelings. Maggie has been going to speech/language therapy since she was 3. There are 20 children in Maggie’s class and when the teacher gives the direction “clean up your snack, go wash your hands and get in line for recess,” Maggie only got the first part “clean up your snack.” She doesn’t yet have the words to ask her teacher for help or for a repetition, so Maggie feels lost and she begins to feel frustrated that all the other kids are doing something else. She begins to loseconfidence because she compares herself to her peers. This delay in understanding and using language (also known as receptive and expressivelanguage) is not only impacting Maggie’s communication, but it is having adverse impacts on her academic learning, social development and emotional development.
You can see from the examples above, that when a child has difficulty being understood (due to speech sound errors, fluency, rate of speech, vocal volume, etc.) this leads to frustration, withdrawal/isolation, etc. which may have adverse effects on behavior, social and emotional development. When a child has difficulty understanding language (receptive language), this may lead to behavior challenges, negative impact on learning, and social/emotional development. Additionally, when a child has difficulty producing language (expressive language), this tends to have big impacts on a child’s overall development and behavior. For example, a toddler that is communicating through pointing and gesturing but the parent cannot always determine the child’s needs, begins to feel frustrated as they are not feeling seen, heard and understood. This leads to behavior challenges (i.e. tantrums, throwing, hitting, etc.) as the child is communicating but their needs are not being understood/acknowledged. Again, this may have later effects on learning, as well as social/emotional development.
Children that are not understood by others tend to “give up” as they feel like nobody will understand them. Some express their frustration through kicking, screaming, or hitting. This is why it is important to connect to our children’s need and give less focus to their behavior. Providing children with the tools to effectively communicate, as well as guiding parents on how to great more opportunities for communication and connection is key!
Some tips include:
Gain attention
Provide choices
Break things down (directions or your own language)
Provide natural reinforcement and connection
Acknowledge & Validate
Create space
Create opportunities
Often times, when there is a speech, language and communication deficit, we see impacts on learning, emotional development, social development, and behaviors. I believe a big reason for this is because instead of connecting to the expression we are focusing on the behavior.
Remember, instead of focusing on the behavior (“I said NO kicking!”), try connecting to your child’s expression and feelings (“I see that you are feeling frustrated right now, do you want your cars or blocks”-while holding up a car and block so that your child can point and show you their wants/needs).
Connection in communication is key and starts within the womb!
To find out more tips and ways to connect with your little one’s journey self-expression, book a parent coaching session with me today
Sholeh Shahinfar is the founder of Valued Voices, and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Child Communication Specialist and Certified Oral Motor Therapist. She is passionate about uplifting children’s voices in the world and inspiring self-expression. In her free time, she loves going to the ocean, exploring nature with her pup Kobe, and spending time with her family and friends!