A few month ago, a parent walked into my therapy room looking completely exhausted. Before even sitting down, she said, He throws tantrums all the time. Everyone says he is just doing it for attention. Her child sat quietly beside her, avoiding eye contact, his body stiff and tense. this was not my first time hearing this sentence — and it won’t be the last. Over the years, while working with neurodivergent children, I have realised something very important: what we call tantrums, meltdowns,...

As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), I often hear a common concern from parents: “Earlier you advised us to reduce our child’s screen time and avoid giving mobile phones. Now you are using the Avaz AAC app on a digital device during speech therapy sessions. Won’t this increase my child’s screen time?” . Most of the parents get confused and I completely understand the confusion, as they associate all forms of device use with recreational screen exposure and get worried that introducing a...

In speech-language practice, communication is often measured in words. First words. Two-word combinations. Expanding vocabulary. Progress charts begin to fill, and everyone feels reassured that development is moving forward. But sometimes, something feels incomplete. A child can label “dog” when shown a flashcard. He can say “ball” during structured therapy. He may even repeat short phrases with clarity. Yet when the dog walks past him in real life, he does not point. When the ball rolls...