Last time, I blogged about being a member of a state speech-language-hearing association. In that blog I mentioned my state association's upcoming annual convention. Today's post is about some of my experiences at the PSHA Convention. I'll write about the other presentations I attended in my next post. My time at the convention was split among ...

Dear Kathie: ''Chad is 5 years old and ‘very' autistic and non-verbal. He covers his ears with his hands when there is a loud noise, such as a fire alarm, or even when he anticipates a loud noise, like a balloon that he thinks may pop. How can I help him, his classroom teacher, and his parents? - Payton, speech-language pathologist My ...

Dear Kathie: What are your thoughts on using an iPad with the autistic population?'' - Mary, speech-language pathologist and parent of a child with autism Kathie's Response: I like it. I love it. I want some more of it. But, instead of calling it an iPad for the autistic population, I think we should rename it a wePad. That is because WE ...

I'm working with several young, bright children on the autism spectrum and I need a new, creative way to teach the alphabet. I want to take them beyond rote memory skills and into conversational speech. What kind of ideas do you have for me? Shannon, SLP Kathie's Tips:  Have I got a great, new, techie, alphabet chart to share ...

Part I  I talked about the characteristics of the right and left sides of the brain and how they do not dance together in people with autism/ASD. I gave you twenty signs that I see that indicate how Mr. Left Brain and Mrs. Right Brain dance alone. Part II I was on a kick about strategies that SLPs bring to the table to assist ...

  Everybody's brains are different and certainly, the autistic brain connects in an unorthodox manner. Autism is not curable, but there are many language strategies the SLP can do to assist in organizing the brains of people with autism. It is my theory that people with autism do not cross hemispheres of the brain, from left to ...

It certainly has been a busy (and a bit unusual) start to the school year! If the weather around here lately is any indication of what the winter and the rest of the school year is going to be like, we're in trouble! Since I've gone back to school ,  we've experienced a minor earthquake, were blown around and rained upon by the outer ...

When I first started to become interested in using picture books as contexts for intervention in my public school SLP position, I was really happy to find Books are for Talking Too, by Jane Gebers. It was clearly just the resource I was looking for at the time - a guide specific to SLPs detailing the power of using picture books. Many great ...

This is ''The Star Wars Connection to ASD: Episode II,'' a continuation of last week's blog using quotes from Star Wars fame and connecting them to ASD. I see these quotes through the eyes of an SLP who has worked with hundreds of children and adults with ASD. Also, through the heart of a parent who has journeyed down the road of ASD. I ...

In my last blog entry, I discussed my push-in therapy that I do within the Life Skills classroom.  As part of that discussion, when I had mentioned some of the communication modalities the students used, I had mentioned PODD.  Several people had commented on the blog and inquired about PODD, thus inspiring my latest blog. I should note, ...