Spring is slow to arrive around these parts, however the internet is full of downloadable spring activities to use in therapy! I've talked about it before, and will continue to do so, check out Teachers Pay Teachers for a plethora of spring themed activities! By the way, I ''liked'' Teachers Pay Teachers on Facebook, and this was in my news ...

Happy Summer Everyone! As you may or may not know, I just gave birth to our second beautiful little baby girl just two short weeks ago on June 11th. Today, I decided to try for the first time taking both children out together on my own. My older daughter is just four months shy of turning 3 and as you can imagine has a ton of energy, so I have ...

This survey is designed for the parents of a child or children that are either currently receiving or have ever received Early Intervention Birth to 5 services in any developmental area at any time. The purpose of this survey is to gather useful feedback about the EI experience from a parent's perspective. As an SLP working in EI for almost ...

This past week I took my daughter to our local library in search of books appropriate for summertime and gardening. She attends a childcare program two days a week and they have been talking all about planting and eating vegetables over the last few days. I thought this would be a fun way to support what they are learning in the classroom, as well ...

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 ...

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 ...

In ''What to Include in a Language Sample, Pt. I,'' I expressed how important I feel a language sample is to complete an assessment for a verbal child or adult on the autism spectrum. I told you what to look for during a language sample and gave you an example of how I utilize a puzzle to elicit conversation with young children. When taking ...

Dear Kathie: ''Do you always take a language sample as part of an assessment with a verbal child or adult with ASD? If so, what do you look for and how do you elicit the conversation?'' - Adrian, speech-language pathologist My Response: Thank you for asking about the assessment aspect for a child/adult with ASD. I feel there are three ...