Etsy knows best. How many of you know Etsy? According to Wikipedia, Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies. These items cover a wide range including art, photography, clothing, jewelry, food, bath and beauty products, quilts, knick-knacks, and toys. Many individuals also sell craft ...

The East Coast has battened down the hatches preparing for Hurricane Sandy to make landfall later today. Natural disasters are scary for anyone, but that fear is heightened for children on the autism spectrum and their parents. Fortunately, there are resources available to make the best of the situation. The Center for Autism and Related ...

I wonder what Snow White would have searched on an iPad, or what she could have accomplished. Could she have made Dopey, less dopey? Was there a remedy for Sneezey or a medication for Sleepy and Grumpy? Perhaps Bashful could have been brought out of his shell with various applications. Doc and Happy, well, they were full of wit and joy already. ...

In my blog on May 31, The Power of a Talking Stick, I gave you the solution if a child with autism or any language disorder is non-verbal or if they are a motor mouth. There were several comments about this blog so I felt it worth a re-visit and another ''Kathie strategy'' for the SLP bag of tricks. The Talking Card and Talking Stick are: FUN ...

During the month of April, Autism Awareness Month, I have focused on a variety of topics. I have written about the characteristics of autism, the significance of the autism puzzle ribbon, and my own family and personal feelings. I hope you have enjoyed the journey. This week, I have a special poem, ''I Believe in Blue,'' that I wrote for my son ...

Continuing with Autism Awareness Month: ''Light It Up Blue is observed April 1 and 2 each year in North America. It is dedicated to raising awareness of autism. Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, announced the launch of the inaugural Light It Up Blue campaign in 2010. This initiative is ...

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 ...

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 ...

For those readers that are joining us new this week, PSHA is the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The organization conducted a survey geared towards SLPs and audiologists in February 2012, and the results were recently released. In last week's post, I shared some of my own commentary regarding the survey and what I feel the ...

Blog Comment: ''Please correct your meter from 'to loud' to 'too loud.''' - D. To D: So sorry about the error. That tells me you are a close reader, and I appreciate the correction. I have made the change to the Loud Meter, as you can see below. Please feel free to print it off and use it with your clients. Thanks so much for following my ...