Clinical insights

Insights & articles

Evidence-based guidance from Chitra Thadathil and the DCCD clinical team — written for parents and therapy professionals.

Featured

Feeding

Beyond Picky Eating: Understanding the Hidden Science of Feeding Challenges in Autism

When an autistic child pushes a plate away, they are communicating an internal state — not being stubborn. Discover the sensory, oral-motor, and physiological science behind food refusal.

August 6, 2026 8 min read

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Parent Tips

Sensory Regulation Tips Every Parent Can Use

Children do better when their day has a rhythm. Morning for movement — jumping, climbing, swinging. Evening for calm — sensory bins, deep pressure, quiet play.

May 5, 2026 7 min read

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Autism

How Sensory Integration (SI) Helps Autistic Children

Some children are highly sensitive to sounds, touch, and lights. Others actively seek movement and pressure to feel regulated. SI therapy helps both.

May 5, 2026 8 min read

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Professional

Preparing Children for Learning Through Early Intervention and School Readiness Programs

The early years are critical for communication, learning, and independence. Discover how DCCD’s School Readiness Program and Early Intervention Program equip children with developmental delays to thrive in school and beyond.

July 7, 2026 7 min read

Autism

Oral Motor Exercises in Children with ASD: Myths vs. Facts

Activities like blowing whistles and tongue exercises are sometimes recommended for autism. But research shows they don't automatically improve speech. Here's what does.

Feb 24, 2026 6 min read

Speech Therapy

How AI Supports Children's Speech and Language Development Today

AI in speech therapy isn't new — it's been growing for decades. Research shows real benefits when guided by trained speech-language pathologists.

Jan 20, 2026 5 min read

Speech Therapy

Joint Attention and its Key Role in Social and Language Development

Have you pointed at something, expecting your child to look — and they didn't? This shared focus, called joint attention, shapes how children learn language.

Jan 5, 2026 6 min read

Professional

Peer-Mediated Intervention: What It Is and Why It Works

Peer-mediated intervention trains typically developing children to initiate social interactions with autistic peers — harnessing the most natural motivator: another child.

Dec 3, 2025 9 min read

Parent Tips

How Much Screen Time is Too Much for Children?

The question isn't whether screens are bad — it's whether they replace sleep, play, and face-to-face connection. Here's what the research actually says.

Nov 5, 2025 5 min read

Speech Therapy

The Critical Role of Pretend Play in Early Language Development

Pretend play becomes essential between ages three and six — the window when children develop the core building blocks of language, vocabulary, and narrative.

Oct 2, 2025 6 min read

Autism

Redefining Neurodiversity: Lessons from 'Sitaare Zameen Par'

You only truly know how something feels when you live it. That is the everyday truth for parents of neurodiverse children — and why this film matters.

Sep 8, 2025 5 min read

Speech Therapy

No Medical Condition — Yet a Speech and Language Delay

Around 10% of preschool children have speech and language delays with no formal diagnosis. The delay is real — and early intervention makes all the difference.

Sep 2, 2025 7 min read

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Insights & articles

Featured

Beyond Picky Eating: Understanding the Hidden Science of Feeding Challenges in Autism

Sensory Regulation Tips Every Parent Can Use

How Sensory Integration (SI) Helps Autistic Children

More articles

Preparing Children for Learning Through Early Intervention and School Readiness Programs

Oral Motor Exercises in Children with ASD: Myths vs. Facts

How AI Supports Children's Speech and Language Development Today

Joint Attention and its Key Role in Social and Language Development

Peer-Mediated Intervention: What It Is and Why It Works

How Much Screen Time is Too Much for Children?

The Critical Role of Pretend Play in Early Language Development

Redefining Neurodiversity: Lessons from 'Sitaare Zameen Par'

No Medical Condition — Yet a Speech and Language Delay

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