Knitting for the Special Olympics
February 28, 2010 at 5:21 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: knitting, special olympics
Idaho has an interesting idea to welcome participants to the Special Olympics this year. They would like to provide each participant with a red and gray scarf. They did this last year, though the scarves were blue and white.
Organizers are expecting 650 athletes for this years Special Olympic Games which begin on March 12. They need lots of help to achieve their goal. If you like to knit or know someone who does, encourage them to make a scarf using Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Cherry Red and Gray Heater. They are requesting the scarves be5 inches wide and 55 inches long but the pattern is up to you. They have no rules or guidelines on what pattern to use so you can choose your favorite or try out a new one.
In order to be ready for the games they are asking that all scarves be received by March 9th. You can send them to:
Special Olympics Idaho
Attn: Scarf Project
199 East 52nd Street
Garden City, ID 83714
The organizers and participants appreciate your help and support! If you would like to find out if your state has any similar projects you can visit the Special Olympics Website for a list of statewide programs. Clicking on your state will give you a link to click on to visit your state Special Olympic website which houses lots of great information about programs, ways to volunteer and other useful information.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
American Crossword Puzzle Week
February 26, 2010 at 7:08 AM | Posted in Language | 1 CommentTags: cognitive functioning, langauge skills, online speech therapy, speech therapy
February 26th kicks off American Crossword Puzzle Week. This is a week designed to celebrate crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzles are a fantastic way to build language skills. When completing a crossword puzzle you are working on vocabulary skills, word play skills, language memory skills, drawing on past experiences, simple reading comprehension skills, etc.
Our brains are able to grow and adapt throughout our lives. It has been said that those who experience memory or motor skill decline as they age is a result of inactivity. It boils down to that old saying “use it or lose it”. So what can you to do avoid this fate? Exercise your brain! An excellent way to do this is to complete crossword puzzles! This mental stimulation helps to improve your brains overall functioning and helps prevent a decline in cognitive functioning.
Work out those mental muscles and try a crossword puzzle today!
Try some puzzles for adults:
http://www.boatloadpuzzles.com/playcrossword
Crossword puzzles for kids:
http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Crossword_Menx.html
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/student-crossword-archive/
These are just a few websites that offer free online crossword puzzles. You are also able to find crossword puzzles in your daily newspaper or you can find a crossword puzzle book at a convenience store, book store, etc. Find fun puzzles that you will enjoy and get some good brain exercise to boot!
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
Social Skills on iPhone?
February 25, 2010 at 12:52 PM | Posted in Interesting Information | 1 CommentTags: AAC devices, iPhone app, online speech therapy, pragmatic language, social skills, speech therapy
Picture taken from the iTunes store
Children with social skill deficits often have trouble achieving and/or maintaining eye contact. We have all heard the commercials for the Apple iPhone or iTouch indicating there is an App for just about everything. Well, now there is even one for social skills. This App called Look in My Eyes awards points for locking eyes with the child on the screen. This App was designed by two teachers who wanted to design a fun way to strengthen social skills, one of whom worked with children diagnosed with Autism. This App comes in two versions, one where you spend the points you earn at a virtual restaurant and the other you spend the points at virtual car-repair shop. This app costs $2.99 at the iTunes store. This is just another example of how technology is helping to meet communication needs in ways the developers probably never intended. A while back we published an article on Sribd titled A New Brand of AAC devices highlighting how texting was helping one boy communicate. It is encouraging that others are seeing the potential in these readily accessible devices and software to help people communicate and improve their interaction skills.
Online Speech Therapy is another way we are using technology to help children with speech-language concerns in new and exciting ways. This technology engages the student and helps to encourage and motivate the student toward meeting their goals and objectives.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
New Research on Possible Autism Causes
February 23, 2010 at 5:54 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | 1 CommentTags: autism, online speech therapy, speech therapy
Following the revocation of the study that linked the MMR vaccine to the increase in Autism, more research has been completed to determine why there has been such an increase in recent years. In an article posted on HealthDay written by Jennifer Thomas a new link has been determined.
This article reports that children born to older moms have a higher risk of Autism. So how did they make this link? Researchers looked at nearly 5 million birth records from California. They looked at births that occurred between 1990 and 1999 which is when Autism increased 600 percent across the state. They found that the risk of having a child diagnosed with Autism rose 18% across 5 year blocks in the woman’s age. For example a woman at 35 is 18% more likely than a woman at 30 to have a child with Autism. This study did not find a link between the age of the father and an increase in autism, with one noted exception: if the father was significantly older than the mother. For example, a man over 40 having a child with a woman under 30 has almost a 60% increased risk of having a child with Autism versus a man between the ages of 25 and 29 having a child with a younger woman.
It was reported that between 1982 and 2004 the number of women having babies over the age of 40 increased 300%. There was a disclaimer to this statistic saying that this increase probably accounted to less than 5% of the statewide increase in children diagnosed with Autism during the 1990s. “Advancing maternal age is contributing only a very small proportion of the increase in autism cases,” said study author Janie Shelton, a UC Davis doctoral student.
The article also stated that most likely there is not one, isolated cause of the increase in the number of children diagnosed with Autism but multiple factors. It appears that advanced maternal age is one of those factors. These results are not surprising giving the already known risks of having a child at an advanced maternal age. Women having a baby over the age of 35 are at risk for other issues such as miscarriage, low birth-weight babies and chromosomal disorders such as Down’s Syndrome and other congenital abnormalities.
The article also states that about 1 in 110 children in the United States has been diagnosed with Autism. It is noted that Autism is a spectrum disorder thus the symptoms can range from mild to profound. The children included in this study received support services due to a diagnosis of Autism. Support services include speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, behavioral therapy, etc.
Speech therapy is designed to maximize communication skills using a variety of skills and strategies to help encourage and promote meaningful communication. For some, speech therapy may also target pragmatic language skills (social interaction skills). Speech therapy is an effective tool to help children with Autism integrate into the world around them.
For more information about speech therapy and Autism please feel free to contact one of our speech pathologists at 877-480-7913 or through our website by clicking on the link below:
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
Is There a Speech Delay?
February 21, 2010 at 4:30 AM | Posted in Language | 1 CommentTags: online speech therapy, speech delay, speech therapy
An article written by Perri Klass, M.D. recently published in the NY Times discussed the ways parents and pediatricians consider speech delays.
If you have a young child no doubt you have had the basic discussion with your pediatrician about your child’s speech development. The pediatrician asks simple questions like; how many words can they say? Can they combine two words into phrases or short sentences? Can other people understand them?
While these may seem like easy questions, really take the time to think about the answers. The earlier a speech delay is identified the earlier the child can receive therapy. Many believe early intervention is key to helping these children develop the speech skills they need.
If you aren’t sure what your child should be saying (or understanding) you can find guidelines on the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association website here: asha.org/public/speech/development/chart.htm.
Communication begins early in life. During the first year, children begin to understand things they hear. As they reach their first birthday children begin to say their first words. Between one and two they begin to follow simple commands such as pointing to body parts and will enjoy listening to stories. As they reach their second birthday, they start combing two word together to make phrases like “more milk” and continue to expand until three where they are using short sentences of 3 words or more.
Concerns in regards to a speech delay may lead to the diagnosis of other delays. Speech delays can be early indicators for things like Autism where many (though not all) children with Autism experience speech delays.
Pediatricians are beginning to take these concerns more seriously. Parents aren’t hearing the “wait and see” things they used to such as boys talk later than girls, younger siblings talk later, etc. While these things may attribute to variation between children they are not a reason why children shouldn’t meet the developmental milestones.
So, what are some simple things to do at home with your toddler? Talk to them. Use real words and real speech patterns (not baby talk). Read to them as often as they will let you. Get excited when they talk to you, meet their requests quickly (when possible) and with excitement and explanation, for example, if the child says “more drink” say things like “sure, I will get you more drink because you asked so nicely.” or “thank you for telling me you need more drink, let me get it for you.” This may help the child relate them speaking to getting what they want sparking the desire to communicate more. Then listen when they talk, it may take a little detective work to figure out what they are saying at first but take the time to show you are interested in what they have to say by listening and commenting about what they are telling you.
If you do have concerns talk with your pediatrician or contact a speech-language pathologist who can give you more information specific to your child and are able to evaluate your child’s speech and language skills.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
National Parent Leadership Month
February 19, 2010 at 5:38 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: parent leadership month, speech pathologist
February is National Parent Leadership Month. This month is meant to celebrate parents (and guardians) who are active leaders to help their children become productive members of society. They have lived through many challenges and have gained invaluable information and skills about leading their family and shaping their child’s development. But these special parents have taken it one step further and have decided to help their communities by passing along their knowledge to others. These parents are involved in the PTA or other community groups, volunteer in their communities or take on other leadership roles where they can use the knowledge they have gained in their own parenting experiences to help others.
These parents deserve recognition for all they do and all the help they provide to other parents and kids. I also want to recognize all the other parents out there who are doing their best to raise good children. It is a sometimes thankless job where you are on call 24 hours a day…there are no sick or vacation days. Parents have a great responsibility to their kids while fulfilling obligations to work, extended family, pets, smooth running of the home, etc. There isn’t always time (or energy) to be a leader of a large group or club though many are participants which is an important role as well. So to those who are able to find the time and energy to do this, thank you! You provide great resources to the rest of us and help us in so many ways!
Being a parent is a job that brings endless smiles and joy when one of your children does something sweet for the other (I am the mother of twins) your heart melts and makes you realize you are doing good work because they are learning how to share and learning compassion for others and that it feels good to help someone else. That in itself is the most important praise, to see that you are doing a good job through the actions and words of your children.
So to all the parents out there, those in two parent families, single parent families, and those with multiples or singletons, those who are leaders of groups and clubs and those who are participants, thank you for doing the most important job in the world…raising your children to be good, productive members of society!
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
What Shall I Be Day
February 18, 2010 at 5:12 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: career planning, dressup
Today is National “What Shall I Be?” day. The intent of this day is to encourage children to think about what they might want to do when they grow up. This is not only meant for young children who are exploring everything to find out who they are and what their interests are but also for those who are nearing the time when they have to decide what to be. For those nearing the end of high school this is a critical time to decide if they want to go to a university, community college, technical school or join the workforce. If they go on to school, they are thinking of what major to choose and which school may be the best choice for them. To prepare for this choice, it is beneficial to think about what they enjoy doing and how that can translate into a career. There are many things one can do to explore their options;
1) Job Shadow. Contact a professional who works in the desired area. Ask if they can shadow them for a day or two to see what it is like day-to-day. This helps give them a real-life look at the ins and outs of the job. This also provides a great opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the position.
2) Internships. Many companies offer paid and unpaid internships for high-school and college students who are interested in pursuing a career in that field. This is very beneficial because they are actually the one doing the work so they are able to gain first hand knowledge on if they would like to make this their career.
3) Go to career or job fairs. These have many employers from a variety of fields that can answer specific questions about what it is like to work in that field.
5) Take a class. There are many classes that one can take that would relate to their possible career choice. Learning more about the skills needed to be successful at a particular job may help the individual decide if that is something they would like to do.
4) Take an aptitude test. This test will show what the individual’s strengths and weaknesses are and what jobs would fit well with their strongest skills.
Finding something you enjoy doing is a wonderful thing that makes getting up and going to work so much easier! So take this chance to help someone in your life figure out what they shall be.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
PTA Founders Day
February 17, 2010 at 4:25 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: parent teacher assocaition, special needs association, speech therapy
National PTA logo
February 17th is PTA founders day. This is a day to remember and celebrate all that the Parent-Teacher Association has done for our schools and our children. This is an organization that encourages and helps parents be an active part of the child’s education.
The PTA is the largest volunteer association that advocates for children. They provides tools, resources and programs for parents and families to help their children succeed in school.
The National PTA website describes Founder’s Day by saying:
“It’s a time to reflect and take pride in our many accomplishments, and to renew our commitment to be:
- a powerful voice for all children,
- a relevant resource for parents,
- and a strong advocate for public education”
The national PTA website has many programs, events and useful information about PTA’s at the state, local and national level which you can learn more about on their website at www.pta.org
In addition, to school or district wide PTA’s the national PTA association also has Special Education PTAs to help parents advocate for children with special needs. They want to ensure each child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
International Friendship Week
February 16, 2010 at 5:58 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: friendship week, online speech therapy, pragmatics, social interaction skill, speech therapy
International Friendship Week is February 17-23, 2010. It is a week to remind and inspire us to make and to be a good friend. There are opportunities all around us to meet new people and make new friends. For example, you can do a city search to find out about local events that might interest you. You can join a group or club that is of interest to you (such as book clubs, bike riding group, etc) as hanging out with people who share similar interests can spark a friendship. The most important thing is to be yourself ~ let people get to know the real you!
Many struggle in the area of friendship. They may be shy and thus are afraid to put themselves out there. One must be willing to take risks and put themselves out there and yes, there may be rejection at times but other times the end result will be a new friend or acquaintance.
Others have pragmatic language issues and thus struggle on a different level. Those who experience pragmatic issues have difficulty understanding the rules that govern social interactions and must be explicitly taught these skills. A speech-language pathologist can provide a child/adult with skills and strategies to help them engage and interact with others appropriately and effectively.
When you meet someone who is socially awkward, give them the benefit of the doubt. They may just be shy or may have difficulty with social interaction skills. Give these people a chance to show you the real person, you may find out it is someone you could really get along with and enjoy having a friendship with for many years to come.
Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
Random Acts of Kindness Week
February 15, 2010 at 5:08 AM | Posted in Interesting Information | Leave a commentTags: online speech therapy, random acts of kindness
February 15th through the 21st has been deemed Random Acts of Kindness Week. These week is designed to help us become more aware of the kind acts of others and to inspire us to help others in often small but meaningful ways.
These acts of kindness are simple things people do to help others in need. They may be simple things like holding open the door for someone or helping pick up items that have spilled due to a broken bag. It may be picking up a piece of garbage in a park so a dog or small child doesn’t try to eat it or buying flowers for a sick friend. They can also be planned things such as making care packages for soldiers or people in Haiti or volunteering to read in a classroom.
These Random Acts are very meaningful to both people. You feel good that you helped someone in need or brightened someone’s day and they feel good that someone cared enough to make the effort and hopefully will pass it along by doing something for someone else in need.
Here are a couple quick story to inspire you:
“Several years ago, when I was living in Chicago, I read in the newspaper about a little boy who had leukemia. Every time he was feeling discouraged or particularly sick, a package would arrive from him containing some little toy or book to cheer him up with a note saying the present was from the Magic Dragon. No one knew who it was. Eventually the boy died and his parents thought the Magic Dragon would reveal him or herself. But that never happened. After hearing the story, I resolved to become a Magic Dragon whenever I could and have had many occasions.”
“One day I was walking down the street and saw a small boy standing outside a video arcade, wistfully peering inside. I asked him if he needed a quarter and he nodded his head. His smile as I handed him the money was worth way more than twenty-five cents!”
Stories taken from Random Acts of Kindness by Dawna Markova.
Remember, the gesture does not have to be big or expensive to make a lasting impact. Stop to help someone in need this week, you both with end up with a good feeling!
Independent Speech is trying to provide an act of kindness by partnering with Operation Smile to provide a child with the surgeries they need to repair a cleft. If you would like to help us achieve this goal please click here.
Online Speech Therapy by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com
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