America’s Favorite Past-Time Autism and baseball are a good fit for a number of reasons, starting with the slower paced team atmosphere, the plethora of numbers and statistics, and the open air setting. Baseball has been known as America’s favorite past-time for decades. As one of the most popular sports in the nation, there’s nothing quite like the experience of catching a game at your …
Life is a Balancing Act as a School SLP
I have a rare blood type that only 3% of the population has. I'm AB+. The Red Cross calls me often to donate my "rare blood." I put it on my to do list and schedule a time. Sometimes I can end up making it to the appointment and actually donating. I've had other times where I show up and there has been over an hour wait even with an appointment. I've had to leave …
Causes & Treatment of Infant Hearing Loss
Infant hearing loss affects approximately 2-3 out of 1,000 live births (NIDCD). Causes of Infant Hearing Loss Childhood hearing loss can be divided into 3 categories: Conductive Hearing Loss – occurs when sound is not conducted through the outer or middle ear properly. It can often be treated medically. Examples include: wax buildup, ear infection or perforation …
The Three Month Rule
Today I was interviewed by a graduate student who was doing research on autism, parenting, and all that jazz. One of his last questions was, "What would you tell a new to autism family or just any family that maybe just needed some inspiration?" So I told him the secret of my sanity. (No, it's not wine.) It's wait three months. Three, just like Schoolhouse Rock taught us, is the magic …
Summer Camps Increasingly Popular for Speech Therapy
Summer is traditionally the time when wedding planners go into overdrive mode and parents look for summer camps for their rambunctious youngsters. Summer camps used to mean dusty cabins, trips to the lake, and marshmallow roasts. These days, summer camps are hiring therapeutic staff right along with canoeing instructors. Specialty summer camps to meet the needs of children with disabilities are …
Great Apps to Practice Speech Sounds with Your Tween
Learning and practicing how to correctly produce their “r” or “s” sound is certainly NOT what 8-12-year-olds want to be doing! Most would prefer to be playing video games or riding their bike. One way to make speech therapy and at-home practice a little easier is to use an app. These apps could be on the parent’s phone, the tween’s phone, or a family iPad. A favorite app of …
How I Successfully and Happily Fly With My Son
I travel fairly regularly and my son goes just about everywhere I do. I have learned several things along the way that help make everyone’s day (especially mine) significantly better! First, contact TSA Passenger Support according to their website. "TSA Cares is a helpline that provides travelers with disabilities, medical conditions and other special circumstances additional assistance during …
Orange Effect Foundation Expands with Addition of New Board Members
CLEVELAND - June 25, 2019 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation is proud to announce that more than $50,000 was awarded to needy children in June. Grants will send children to summer speech camp, purchase speech-generating devices, and pay for almost 500 hours of speech therapy. As depicted in the map below, the Orange Effect has spread across the United States, …
Some Autism Traits May Show Up Later in Girls Than in Boys
Girls with autism traits have fewer problems with social communication than boys do early on, but their skills worsen by adolescence, a new study suggests1. The researchers looked at social traits of autism in the general population, rather than in children diagnosed with autism. Girls have fewer of these social issues than boys at age 7, but their social skills match those of boys by age …
Happy Mother’s Day. Autism Style.
Happy Mother's Day! It's your day to relax and unwind! Just kidding! You're an autism mom. You're still doing the same damn stuff you do all the other 364 days a year! Schedule to keep Moms!! Chop! Chop! And because you're an autism mom, you know that it will be a better day with the schedule even if it means doing the stuff you don't really want to do for the hundredth time. (Oh, we're …
The Importance of Teaching Responsibility to Children Living with Speech Difficulties
Speech and language problems are commonplace in the approximately 1.5 million children in the USA that are on the autism spectrum according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As parents, we inherently want what is best for our children, which includes teaching them responsibility and helping them to utilize their potential to the fullest. While taking responsibility does …
Spring Break Speech and Language Opportunities
As spring break approaches, parents frequently ask what they can do on their various trips so their children don’t fall behind and they can help maintain progress in speech. Without their house full of toys, they are often at a loss on how to play and incorporate speech and language practice. The short answer is, pretty much everything involves language and ordinary activities can easily be turned …
