National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

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. 

Resources:

• http://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/
• http://downsyndromecommunity.org

Screen Time

As technology continues to grow, there is a common concern of language development in young children who spend ample amount of time on tablets. 

A study from the University of Toronto found that every 30 minutes of daily screen usage increases a child's risk of developing speech and language delays by 49% for ages 6 months to 2 years. They specifically found that there were difficulties with expressive language. However, the author cautions that their study does show a direct correlation between device use and language difficulties but there needs to be more research completed in order to signify the correlation. 

So how much screen time should you allow your child to have?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time at all for children younger than 18 months. Children learn language by exposure, and birth to 2 or 3 year range is a time of massive advances in language development. 

Of course, Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) is an exception as it is vital in the development of language for non-verbal users. 

7 Tips for Talking with Your Child

Most children who stutter benefit from taking time to speak at a rate that promotes fluency. Here are a few tips on how you can help your child's fluency when speaking to them. 

1. Reduce the Pace - Speak with your child in a unhurried way, pausing frequently.

2. Full Listening - Increase the times that you give your child your undivided attention.

3. Asking Questions - Try to resist asking one question after another. Sometimes it's best to just comment on what your child has said and wait. 

4. Turn Taking - Take turns listening and talking. Children find it much easier to speak when there are fewer interruptions.

5. Building Confidence  - Use descriptive praise to build confidence.

6. Special Times - Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day to give your child your undivided attention

7. Normal Rules Apply

Museums to Visit This Summer!

Going to a museum is a great way to continue education throughout the summer! 

Museums offer a dynamic opportunity to experience new things and explore in a rich educational environment. They are a foundation for creativity, critical thinking, and connection to the world around us. Museums promote imagination and inspire identity building learning experiences for all. 

Here are museums to visit this summer without breaking the bank and even getting in for FREE! 

Seattle:

Seattle Art Museum – Free for children 12 and under. First Thursday of each month, admission is free to the public!

Burke Museum – Free for children 5 and under. First Thursday of each month is free to the public

Henry Art Gallery – Children are free. First Thursday of every month is free to the public. Free admission every Sunday.

Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation -Visitor Center -  Admission is free during their business hours of 10am - 6pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Seattle Children's Museum – Children under 1 are free. DSHS/Provider One card holders get $1 admission. Sensory Sensitive Saturdays are the first Saturday of every month from 8:30am – 10am, tickets are $3 admission and must be repurchased.

Misc:

Artists at Play Playground – Free to the public

Tacoma:

Tacoma Children's Museum – Pay-as-you will admission program allows you to pay what you can afford to attend the musem. Tuesdays from 10am – 11:30 are specials needs play days!

Tacoma Art Museum – Admission is free with Tacoma Children’s museum ticket (from same day.) Children under 5 are free. The third Thursday of every month is free from 5pm to 8pm. Bank of America card holders/employees are free the first weekend of every month.

LeMay - America's CarMuseum - On certain Fridays each month, Lemay offers a free drive in movie at the America's Car Museum Haub Family Field. Watch from your car, chair, or blanket. Friday, August 11th they will be playing Moana!

Bellevue:

Bellevue Arts Museum – Free admission on the first Friday of every month. Children under 6 are free.

KidsQuest Children's Museum - free admission on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Children under 1 are free.

Renton:

Museum of Flight - Children 4 years and under are free. On the first Thursday of every month admission is free to the public from 5pm - 9pm. 

Bremerton:

Bug & Reptile Museum - free to the public.

Bainbridge Island:

KiDiMu - Kids DiscoveryMuseum - free admission the first Thursday of every month. Children under 1 year old are free

F.A.S.T

American Stroke Month

American Stroke Month started at the beginning of May. If you or someone you know is having a stroke, it is critical to get medical attention immediately! Immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

Recognizing the symptoms when someone is having a stroke is vital in order to get the most immediate medical attention. Here are the most common symptoms of someone experiencing a stroke:

    1. Face Drooping —> Ask the person to smile. Is one side of the lower than the other?

    2. Arm Weakness —> Ask the person to lift both arms. Is one arm drifting downward?

    3. Speech Difficulty —> Is their speech slurred? Ask them to repeat a simple sentence

    4. Time to call 9-1-1 —> Time is important! Tell them “I think this is a stroke”

Follow this link to learn more in support of the American Stroke Month!

Decision Making Opportunities for those with a Communication Disorder

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.

Executive what?

Paige and I have the privilege of attending a professional development conference this week all about executive functioning.  What exactly is executive functioning?  Here's an overview:

Executive function skills cover a lot of ground, including abilities necessary for both school and adult life.  When a kid or adult has a language disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, or a variety of other related diagnoses, they often struggle with executive functioning as well.  People without any known diagnosis often struggle with some of these skills, at least some of the time.  (Task initiation is a personal weakness of mine... -- what's yours??)

We look forward to learning some strategies and techniques to strengthen these skills in our clients, but in the meantime, here are some resources about what you can do at home to improve your children's (or your own!) executive functioning skills in a fun and meaningful way:

• How Family Game Night Makes Kids Into Better Students
• Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills
• Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence
• The Science of Smart: A Surprising Way To Improve Executive Function
• Strategies to Strengthen Executive Function

--Sarah

Individual and Family Resources

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

Trainings for parents throughout the lifespan

• How to access services for people with I/DD

• Transition services 

• Wills/Trust and Guardianship

• Disability Awareness 

• Helping Parents Training 

• Financial Literacy 101 

• Social Security Benefits

• Navigating the special education system 

• Navigating employment services

They have supported a living program http://arcofkingcounty.org/what-we-offer/supported-living-services where they help individuals remain independently in the community, and are a major force in advocating for individuals with disabilities at the local, state and national level. The King County Family Coalition is a great place to get involved in advocacy or learn more about issues. http://arcofkingcounty.org/what-we-offer/king-county-family-coalition

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.

There is a newsletter which you can sign up to learn of ongoing events. There is also a general information and referral service available to link families to community resources: http://arcofkingcounty.org/what-we-offer/general-information-and-referral-i-r

As well as a Resource Guide and Community Calendar.

The Arc of King County contact information: 

King County Family Coalition contact:

Cathy Murahashi

Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator

By Phone: 206.829.7039 Tuesdays and Thursdays – 8:30AM to 3:30PM

Cell 425.643.4048 Wednesdays and Fridays - 8:30AM to 4:30PM

Wings for Autism contact: 

Samantha Court

By Phone: 206.829.7006

By Email: scourt@arcofkingcounty.org 

Training and Seminars:

Department Supervisor Contact

Robin Tatsuda

Director of Information and Family Support

By Phone: 206.957.7011 

Information and Referral:

By Email: ask@arcofkingcounty.org

By Phone: 206-829-7053

Hope this information is helpful, and a special thanks to Stacia Irons for providing me with all of this information!!

-Paige