Summer isn't too far away, and in some parts of the country you get out of school in May! Last year I wrote a blog entitled the ''Great Summer Packet'' debate, and I worked hard at creating summer packets for my students. I surveyed my parents to find out who wanted work for the summer, and then attempted to create packets which targeted each ...

Classroom teachers see and work with the students in their classes daily for nearly 6 hours (not counting recess, lunch, or specials). During the course of a school year, teachers spend hundreds of hours with their students. We work with our students anywhere from one to maybe 3 times per week, the times of contact ranging from as few as 10 ...

Hands have fingers, thumbs, nails, joints, skin, bones, muscles, and tendons. They are flexible and can be molded, folded, and wrapped. Use yours. I learned early in my career that one of the most meaningful things one person can do to assure sincerity, acceptance, and understanding is through the power of touch. Not a slap. Not a high-five. A ...

After the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, on Dec. 14, much has been reported in the media about all of the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the sake of their students. What these staff members did deserves to be commended. We all hope that none of us ever are put into such a situation, but there is no doubt in my ...

Over the last four weeks, I have been posting the results from my Early Intervention Parent Survey. The survey questions focused on both the Birth to 3 and the 3 to 5 programs in order to compare and contrast the reactions parents have to both, as well as to look thoroughly at the entire early intervention experience from a parent's perspective. ...

This past weekend I co-presented on Apps for Apraxia and other Special Needs at The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA). When I discussed AAC apps a lot of the parent's gripes were about children exiting their communication app and wanting to watch YouTube or play a game. I mentioned that Guided Access will be a new ...

In honor of April as Autism Awareness Month, I thought it appropriate to inform all SLPs about the colors of the Autism Awareness Ribbon. This ribbon is unique, and there is meaning behind the puzzle and colors that represent the autism syndrome. The Autism Society of America describes the ribbon as follows: The Autism Awareness Ribbon The ...

Autism Awareness Month began on Sunday, April 1. My son Doug's birthday is April 1. The fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day was April 2. World Autism Awareness Day ''aims to increase people's awareness about people, especially children, with autism. The day often features educational events for teachers, health care workers and parents, as ...

Recently, I have been doing workshops on the topic of AAC. One frequent question from parents has been ''Will AAC prevent my child from speaking?'' The answer is no. Decades of research have proven that AAC systems don't impede the development of speech. Rather, AAC provides a means for individuals to communicate and express their wants, needs, ...

When do you elicit a language sample? Certainly when you first see a child you would want to take a language sample. However, if the child is not comfortable on the initial assessment, there is nothing written in stone that says that it has to be completed the first time around. That in itself should tell you something. I feel that ...