Varisha Hutheram Speech and Language Therapy

11/03/2026

08/03/2026

02/03/2026

A new original research article on gestalt language processing was just published that we wanted to share with our community, especially because it is written by gestalt language processor, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks ()

One line that stood out to us when reading the article:

“Gestalts were not obstacles to ‘real’ language, but the language itself.”

This perspective aligns exactly with what we teach here at Meaningful Speech. That echolalia is not a barrier to language development, it is language development.

Most importantly, this article centers the lived experience of a gestalt language processor.

Comment “ARTICLE” and we’ll send you a link to download the article! 👇🏼

10/02/2026

Our 'What Is....' Series

ARFID isn’t “fussy eating”, stubbornness or poor boundaries.
It’s a nervous system doing its best to stay safe.

When food feels threatening, pressure doesn’t help — understanding does.
This visual explains what ARFID really is, why it’s so closely linked to neurodivergence, and how we can support children without shame or force.

Save this for later, and share it with someone supporting a child who struggles with food.
SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save.
Facebook only.

05/02/2026

When a child feels seen, their behavior shifts — not out of fear, but out of trust. 💛

They begin to regulate, connect, and try again… not because they’re scared of consequences, but because they feel safe enough to grow.

That’s the power of being truly present.

02/02/2026

31/01/2026

They differ in terms of: ⬇️

- Reading instruction
- Comprehension levels
- Intensity of interests
- Dependency on written language
- Language development
- Social development
- Diagnostic criteria
- Presence of repetitive behaviors
- Age of onset
- Learning style

✨ It's important to remember that not all early readers are hyperlexic. ✨

Instead, hyperlexia is "viewed as a type of a precocious reading" and "is defined by a very specific pattern of compulsive interest and exceptional skills, and we would like to ‘preserve the concept of hyperlexia’ for this unique profile.” (Ostrolenk et al., 2017)

In order to do that, though, we need people to stop saying that hyperlexia just means early reading. Hyperlexia is SO much more than that.

Comment "MORE INFO" to read more about the key differences between hyperlexia and other early readers.

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[Image description: A Venn diagram comparing hyperlexia and other early readers and how they overlap and differ. The Venn diagram is on top of a faint letter background.]

14/01/2026

Really, really like this chart!

https://connectingspeech.com/blog/f/the-new-improved-speech-acquisition-chart-and-how-to-read-it

09/01/2026

This week we are thinking about early communication!

Credit: The SLT Scrapbook