Mouthworks Blog

Pretend Play Matters! What is pretend play?Not all play is created equal, and not all play is the same. Today I’m going to talk about a very special kind of play, Pretend Play. What exactly is pretend play? Key things we would see in pretend play: Object substitution – I pretend an object is something […]

Children are amazing, by their first birthday they are starting to say their first words, they are looking, they’re pointing, they’re using eye contact – they’re communicating with purpose. By the time a child is eighteen months old, they will have around fifty words and will be following simple instructions and responding to questions or […]

I feel like emotional regulation is a pretty popular term these days. But what exactly is it?Well if we google the word regulation, you’ll find a bunch of hits for legislation, which implies control. Which makes me think I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the term “emotional regulation”. After all, our emotions serve […]

Kids are complex. So are the reasons that they might not eat enough quantity or variety to grow and develop as they should. Picky eating is really complex, and never a result of naughty behaviour. The key ways to help are to: reduce anxiety around food and mealtimes, and support their appetite with routines and […]

You can almost hear the exasperated sigh. There are many reasons why it might seem your child isn’t listening. They can’t hear you They don’t know you are talking to them They don’t understand what you’re saying They understand, but they don’t want to (right now) Caught up in the heat of the moment and […]

Emma is at it again, grabbing the camera and telling you about the magic of books in Language development. This time she also brings in a couple friends......

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant you will have received a lot of information about which vitamins and minerals are most important during pregnancy. Folate is one that gets a lot of media attention but what about iodine? Iodine is an important mineral which plays a role in the production of thyroid […]

In our latest video on our YouTube Channel, our Speech Pathologist Emma shows you how to build your childs language skills.

When a baby cries, most of us will immediately begin to rhythmically pat or rock or sing a favourite nursery rhyme or lullaby. Almost instinctively we turn to rhythm and melody to instil comfort.As the baby grows into an older child, we gradually stop using music so freely. Obviously, they might be too big to […]

You may have heard your Speech Pathologist telling you about Social Stories, but what is a Social Story?Social Stories were initially developed for use with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They’re now used to help other children with learning and intellectual disorders.Social stories (developed by Carol Gray) are stories that help children and adolescents […]

Our bodies are constantly taking in sensory information, we smell, we hear, we see, we touch, we feel where our bodies are in space.Everyone responds to this information in different ways, we even use this information to help us calm ourselves or to stay alert. Have you ever noticed yourself twirling your hair? Chewing your […]

"A year ago my husband had a stroke. We were told he has aphasia. We have returned home but he still has trouble talking. I get really frustrated because we can’t talk like we used to. How long until he is better?" After a stroke, the relief of walking out the hospital as stroke survivors […]

Are you finding it hard to get your child out the door in the mornings? For many families getting the kids up and ready for school can be a stressful time. Establishing a morning routine is the first step to making this process as smooth as possible. Routines are very important for children as they […]

An important part of the MouthWorks team is the Admin Team. This is the team who answers your calls and emails, books your appointments and generally organises everything in the back end, those things that, as a client you may not see when you visit us here at the clinic. We thought it would be […]

Our Speech Pathologist Emma explains how to help your child with Pronunciation and other Speaking difficulties. Follow the link to our YouTube Channel to find out!

The first question I get when I tell people I am an Occupational Therapist is:“What exactly is an Occupational Therapist?”Occupational therapy has been around since the early 1900s and in the past 100 years occupational therapy has continued to change it’s focus and what it offers. Our profession at times become lost in the medical […]

Using powered wheelchairs and scooters can allow many people with physical limitations to continue to be independent in every day tasks in the own home and community and help promote socialisation, independent movement and access to the wider world. Similar to driving a car; powered wheelchair and scooter users are all at risk of accidents […]

Your baby has come into the world knowing how to feed well. They are very clever! There are some things you can do that will allow them to do this.Whether your baby is feeding from your breast or a bottle, they will feed more comfortably when they feel secure. When your baby is bottle-feeding, the […]