Monthly Archives :

September 2010

Thank Goodness for Therapy

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A success story written by Julie A. Milian, Student Clinician at FIU “Today we are going to see JR, a 3-year-old boy who presents autism and severe apraxia,” said Barbie C., his speech therapist and also my supervisor. The reality of observing JR for the first time was far more than what a Language Diagnostic Report or the description of my supervisor could convey. I was eager to meet him; nevertheless, I was nervous. My first observations when I met him were that he would not make eye contact; he ran instead of walking; he would not listen; he was upset – crying and screaming; and the only thing he was able to verbalize was “ah-ah-ah-ah.” Clearly he was challenging, but I was looking forward to working with him. Since I was very nervous that day, the fact that I was just observing him for first time made me feel relieved; however, I knew that soon I was going to working with him. The first few sessions began with a 15-minute walk on the playground. He wasn’t able to walk next to me without holding my hand or running away from me. Then we practiced sitting at a table, and…

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Don’t Call Me Special: Book Review

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Don’t Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability, written by Pat Thomas This delightful picture book explores questions and concerns about physical disabilities in a simple and reassuring way. Younger children can find out about individual disabilities, special equipment that is available to help the disabled, and how people of all ages can deal with disabilities and live happy and full lives. Titles in this series for younger children explore emotional issues that boys and girls encounter as part of the growing-up process. Books are focused to appeal to kids of preschool through early school age. Written by psychotherapist and counselor Pat Thomas, A First Look At books promote positive interaction among children, parents, and teachers, and encourage kids to ask questions and confront social and emotional questions that sometimes present problems. Books feature appealing full-color illustrations on every page plus a page of advice to parents and teachers. This is another great book to add to your libraries! Especially for teachers; it teaches children how to be respectful and loving with those who are physically impaired and/or have other difficulties. http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Call-Me-Special-Disability/dp/0764121189/ref=pd_sim_b_1

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Fun Activities for Language in the Classroom

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Written by Cristine Jimenez, Language Stimulation Specialist Language is a pattern of rules we use in order to communicate. These rules represent certain concepts and expressions to denote meaning. Without language, we would not be able to communicate properly. The reason we understand one another is because innate rules exist. As children we are introduced the concept of language and its characteristics as a subject called “language arts.” In that class you learn about verbs, nouns, adjectives as well as the composition of a sentence. Some children have a difficult time grasping some of these concepts, although they use them correctly daily in spoken form. Here are some great ideas for helping your children master language! Practicing Word Families: on flashcards, write down words from the different categories of word families. For example, for nouns, you can write “bird,” “girl,” and/or any other noun. Depending on your child’s level, you can use verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, etc. Once you have about 25 cards, you can begin quizzing your child. Hold up the flashcard and ask what word group the word is from. You should practice each word family separately until your child gets the hang of it, and then jumble…

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Walking on the Right Path…

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Intern Reflection, by Julie Milian. “Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.” “Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking” Author: Antonio Machado As a Graduate Student from Florida International University, I’m required to do four semesters of internship. My FIU supervisor provided me with a list of places that were available to do my first rotation. Overwhelmed by the long list, I started to get nervous; many questions came to mind. What kind of services do they offer? From what place am I going to learn the most? What is the right place, anyways, if there is one? Among many others. I decided to do some research. The first thing that caught my attention from Speech Therapy Center website was their commitment, which is that of “Following our heart and our passion has brought us here, and our dedication to those who we serve will help get them to where they want to be.” PASSION and DEDICATION…Then I knew that that was the place where I wanted to do my first semester of internship. There is nothing better than to feel welcome; especially for a first time intern. That’s how I felt from the first…

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