Joint attention — the ability to shift your attention between an object or event and your communication partner — is a skill that many children who are on the autism spectrum do not develop on their own. If kids are only focusing on one thing at a time, they aren't learning to communicate with others about shared experiences, to read facial expressions and understand gestures, or picking up new vocabulary and concepts. ...

The Salvation Army is making it easier for donors to give back during the Christmas season by making a gift with Apple Pay or Google Pay at its Red Kettles. The funds then will be distributed to a local Salvation Army, and an email receipt will be sent directly to each donor's phone. ...

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Girl Scouts of North East Ohio opened Chickadee Program Center at Camp Ledgewood in Peninsula. Two events for Girl Scout members, including volunteers and their families, were held to give members a chance to view the new program center. ...

Commonly referred to as hypernasality, velopharyngeal insufficiency is a resonance disorder (how the cavities of the mouth and nose affect the way speech sounds) that results from too much air moving through the nose during speech. Learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment of this disorder. ...

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Hearing aids and cochlear implants are both electronic devices that help improve hearing. How they do that is what makes them very different. Although both types of devices work best for people with permanent hearing loss, cochlear implants are traditionally recommended for people with severe to profound hearing loss, while hearing aids are recommended for people with mild to severe hearing loss. Learn more about the differences here. ...

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More than 3 million Americans stutter, or approximately 1 percent of the population. Learn to separate some common myths from reality when it comes to causes of stuttering and ways to help. In addition, find out several well-known people who stuttered and went on to have successful lives. ...