My name is Marisa Tarantino and I have been a licensed
Speech-Language Pathologist since 2005.
I studied at New York University where I received my Master of Arts in
Speech-Language Pathology. I have since
worked with children from birth to fourteen years old who have deficits in
communication, including articulation disorders and language delays due to
disorders such as autism and learning disabilities. My professional work has been very rewarding –
from a cheerful smile to the joy on a child’s face when they have mastered a
speech goal. I am also a wife and proud mommy of three little boys, Anthony (3), Michael (19 months), and Matthew (5 months).
In 2010, my first son was born and my life changed
forever. In addition to the pure joy and
happiness he brought to my everyday life, I watched in awe as he
developed. Seeing him reach each
developmental milestone was amazing to me since I have had the experience of
watching so many children struggle. I
found myself “bringing my work home,” using techniques that I would use with my
students during play with my own son. I watched
as these interactions influenced his development and noticed how moms around me
didn’t realize what an influence they were having on their children - how
simple routines and activities were driving their children’s growth.
Aristotle was quoted as saying, “For the things we have to
learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” This sums up my thoughts on learning. When I think back to my own education, the
most salient memories are those where I was an active participant in the lesson
– trips, plays, experiments, etc. The
lessons and concepts I learned from these experiences stuck with me and carried
over into other areas of my life. As a
speech therapist, I have always tried to take advantage of “teaching
moments.” Sometimes that meant throwing
my own plans out the window and following the child’s lead. Looking at their interests and sharing in
their experiences, I was able to reach their speech and language goals in a
purposeful way.
By my own nature, I tend to “plan” for my days with my own
children. If there was a fun activity I
did with my students at school, I would of course bring it home to try out with
my boys. When I became a stay at home
mom after my third son was born, I looked to fill our days with fun activities
that we could enjoy together – the Speech-Language Pathologist in me was always
looking for ways to incorporate my expertise and have some fun with my boys along the way.
One of the things I miss about working outside of the home
is interacting with parents and teaching them how they can be an active participant
and facilitator in their child’s development.
I thought with this blog, I could fill that void in my own life while
helping parents and children too!
Follow me and my boys as we embark on adventures of learning with fun
and simple activities that you can do at home.
Also, stay tuned for helpful hints and resources pertaining to speech
and language development. Hope you enjoy
reading this blog as much as I am enjoying writing it!
Love & Language
Marisa
