The American Heart Association and The Children's Heart Foundations are looking for help from anyone who can kit or crochet to make red hats for babies born in February.
"Little Hats, Big Hearts" started in February of 2014 and collected 300 hats that first year in Chicago. It has since expanded to 40 states, including Washington!
The specifics for these hats include red yarn, cotton or acrylic, medium to heavy weight and machine washable/dryable.
December 3rd, 2017 is the international person's with disabilities day.
This international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. This day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.
This past week our office was closed on Thursday and Friday.
The therapists took a trip to Los Angeles, California to attend the yearly ASHA conference.
The ASHA Convention is the strongest educational program for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, speech and hearing scientists, and related professionals.
Make sure to ask your therapist how the conference was!
"This was my first time at ASHA and I had an awesome experience! I am excited to apply everything I learned from the conference into therapy. It was amazing to be surrounded by thousands of people who share the same passion as me."
Dyslexia is defined as difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities. Typically, Dyslexia results from a deficit in the phonological component of language.
Dyslexia Awareness month was first celebrated in 2002.
You can help raise awareness by using the hashtag #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth on social media!
1 out of every 5 students report being bullied according to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center.
October is the National Bullying Prevention Month. October 25th is unity day. Where we raise awareness by wearing and sharing orange. This day was initiated by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center in October of 2006. It has since grown to an entire month of raising awareness to prevent bullying.
This year, for every #CleantheMean post on Facebook or Instagram, clarisonic will donate $1 to PACER's National Prevention Center (up to $100,000.) Get involved and help raise awareness by posting using the hashtag #CleantheMean!
International Stuttering Awareness Day is Oct. 22nd. To help raise awareness and celebrate here are some fun facts and myths about stuttering:
Over three million Americans stutter
Children who stutter are at a higher risk for bullying
Stuttering affects three to four times as many males as females
Approximately 5% of all children go through a period of stuttering that last six months or more. 3 quarters will recover by late childhood, leaving 1% with a long term stutter.
Studies show that people who stutter are as intelligent and well-adjusted as those who don't.
Nervousness does NOT cause stuttering
Famous people who stutter include Emily Blunt, Joe Biden, and Marilyn Monroe
Your response when conversing with a person who stutters is important. It is not an appropriate response to tell them to "think about what you say first" or to "take a deep breath before talking." It is also not favorable to finish their sentences. A more appropriate response would be to listen patiently and treat them as you normally would treat someone in a conversation.
Our very own speech language pathologist, Tiffani, has written a wonderful article regarding her journey with stuttering and her own fluency disorder. Check it out here!
Down Syndrome is a condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome. The physical features and medical problems associated with down syndrome can vary widely from child-to-child. Kids with Down Syndrome tend to share certain physical features such as a flat facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, small ears, and protruding tongue. Some also may have low muscle tone (called hypotonia), which is also a characteristic.
Today, many kids with down syndrome go to school, hold jobs, and enjoy many of the same activities as other kids their age. They go to college, and transition to semi-independent living as well.
This month is not about celebrating disabilities, it's about celebrating abilities! Join us in celebrating and raising awareness.
Do you know the common sings of communication disorders?
Early intervention is always best! Which is why ASHA partnered with Read Aloud 15 MINUTES to create age specific flyers on common signs of communication disorders.
Here are few common signs of a communication disorder:
Struggles to say sounds or words
Repetition of words or parts of words
Says words in wrong order
Struggles with using words and understanding others
Early detection signs are commonly categorized for age specific development. Please use these resources to target your child's specific age range to determine any delays in reaching milestones.
PrAACticialAAC.org has many resources to help raise awareness of AAC and resources for those who have devices.
This site also has a printable file flip chart called "Everyone Deserves a Voice" AAC Strategies for Success.
Here is a blurb from the pamphlet:
Students who use AAC need their communication systems within arms reach at all times. If you can see the student, you should also be able to see their AAC. Its never okay to turn it off or take it away. For students to learn to use AAC, they need to see adults & peers using it, too. Immerse them in an environment that is rich in AAC use throughout the day. Point to the AAC symbols as you speak. Use the AAC devise or app OR make a non-electoronic mock-up.
We have a laminated version of this flip chart in our lobby at all times.
However, during this month we will have multiple on the desk for you to take home and share with friends and family!
For children and adults with communication or developmental disorders, summer camp is opportunity to interact with others in a fun, nurturing, and safe environment.
Camp Jabber Jaw is a Summer Camp hosted at Mississippi State University. It is specifically for children using Augmentative and Alternative Communication. (AAC.)
In an article regarding the camp, a speech pathologist mentioned that parents often tell her that their children hesitate to use their device at school because it makes them "different" from their classmates.
This summer camp gave these children the opportunity to connect with peers who also use devices to communicate, helping them overcome those hesitations.
Making little choices is an important daily function. We make decisions about what to wear, what to eat, and what to do daily. Imagine if someone else was making these decisions for you. Would you be happy with their decision? Despite the insignificance of these decisions, not making these decisions yourself can be demoralizing and limiting.
It’s important to recognize how this may affect those with a communication disorder. Helping them to express their needs and wants through giving options could dilute a potential frustrating situation for them. While they may not know how to respond to open ended questions, giving choices can help them give an appropriate answer while practicing recall. For example, “Would you like to eat a banana or an orange?” instead of "What would you like to eat?"
Giving them the option to make these decisions gives them a sense of independence and empowerment. This also demonstrates that you respect their desires and needs.
Benefits of giving choices:
Allowing children to make decisions demonstrates the role communication plays in making requests in a concrete, immediate way. For example, “Would you like to tie your shoes or would you like me to do it for you?”
Giving them choices creates opportunities to model and expand language.
Offering choices helps to set expectations when giving directions. Phrasing a command as two choices can give you a quicker response while helping the child to feel independent and as if it was their idea. For Example, “Would you like to put your socks or shirt on first?” This questions has an underlying command saying “It’s time to get ready.”
Also, it can help to make the child feel in control of their environment. Giving two choices can help them to maintain predictability and reduce the uncertainty of their environment.
Friday, September 23, 2016
AAC on Primetime!
Outside the bubble of speech-language pathology and special education, not many people witness Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in action. Thanks to a new sitcom called Speechless, that's about to change.
The show stars a teenager with cerebral palsy who uses AAC as his primary method of communication.
This article, from the Disability Scoop website, is a great overview:
A common saying among people who know or work with people on the Autism Spectrum is, "If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism." Roughly translated, this means that each person on the Spectrum is unique, and that knowing one person with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) doesn't mean you necessarily know much or anything about any other person with ASD.
Because it's such a multi-faceted condition, ASD is often difficult for people to fully understand when they're first introduced to the concept. Recently, artist Rebecca Burgess (who is on the Spectrum herself) created a new visual to help illustrate what ASD is all about and how much it varies from person to person. Below is a sneak peek:
As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy today, I'm reminded of his amazing "I Have a Dream" speech. In it, Dr. King spoke eloquently about equality and inclusion. I wanted to share another example of inspirational words that I was shown early in my journey toward becoming an SLP:
This document, read in the video above by individuals with disabilities, was one of the first examples of advocacy that I was exposed to when I began working with individuals with disabilities and their families. It has remained something that I try to revisit frequently so I don't forget to apply its lessons in my work:
Do not see my disability as the problem. Recognize that my disability is an attribute.
Do not see my disability as a deficit. It is you who see me as deviant and helpless.
Do not try to fix me, because I am not broken. Support me. I can make my contribution to the community in my own way.
Do not see me as your client. I am your fellow citizen. See me as your neighbor. Remember, none of us can be self-sufficient.
Do not try to modify my behavior. Be still & listen. What you define as inappropriate may be my attempt to communicate with you in the only way I can.
Do not try to change me; you have no right. Help me learn what I want to know.
Do not hide your uncertainty behind “professional” distance. Be a person who listens and does not take my struggle away from me by trying to make it all better. Do not use theories and strategies on me. Be with me. And when we struggle with each other, let that give rise to self-reflection.
Do not try to control me. I have a right to my power as a person. What you call non-compliance or manipulation may actually be the only way I can exert some control over my life.
Do not teach me to be obedient, submissive and polite. I need to feel entitled to say No if I am to protect myself.
Do not be charitable towards me. The last thing the world needs is another Jerry Lewis.
Do not try to be my friend. I deserve more than that. Get to know me, we may become friends.
Do not help me, even if it does make you feel good. Ask me if I need your help. Let me show you how you can assist me.
Do not admire me. A desire to live a full life does not warrant adoration. Respect me, for respect presumes equality.
Do not tell, correct, and lead. Listen, support, and follow.
Do not work on me. Work with me!
Wishing everybody a happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
It feels like lately our office has been made aware by many our families about how local resources are limited and needed! I figured this would be a good opportunity to provide information about an amazing organization in the Seattle area.
The Arc of King County is an organization, helping individuals and their families with intellectual and developmental disabilities from its inception in 1936, and as such is the oldest organization of its kind. The Arc assists individuals from birth through death. They have an extensive training and education program at many locations in the county, covering the following topics (as well as many more): http://arcofkingcounty.org/what-we-offer/training-and-education
The Wings for Autism Program is a national Arc initiative which we do twice a year with our partners, Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle, allowing families to spend the day at Sea-Tac Airport, doing a real time airport rehearsal of checking in, going through security, waiting at the gate, boarding the airplane and taxiing around the runway. http://www.arcofkingcounty.org/index.php/get-connected/news-events/2-general/119-wings-for-autism
There is also a Parent to Parent Program, http://arcofkingcounty.org/what-we-offer/parent-to-parent-program where parents are matched with a helping parent who has a child with similar needs or challenges, whether it be the same disability, medical issues, or for peer support. There are also a whole slew of online support groups that can be accessed. There is also a wide range of support for multicultural families available through the organization. The Arc has monthly Coffee and Conversation groups at multiple locations and other events scheduled through out the year for families. They are a great resource for IEP questions and information.
On January 23rd, they will be having an Open House and Annual Meeting at the Arc, which is a great opportunity to learn more about the organization and meet other families.
