Speech & Language Consultants

Everyone needs a context to simply understand an idea, thought, or situation better.  This holds true for neurotypical as well as those with special learning needs. Literature, specifically story and picture books, can be used to teach language concepts for all students especially those who use augmentative communication.  I work with many children who may not have the ability to touch, taste, physcially enter and participate in experiences.  However, story books allow them real experiences. 

Using picture books to derive "talk" and teach "what to say, how to say it" can create real talkers!  These children can look at characters, see them and figure out what they would say using their picture communication systems.  

Do you always need to present a piece of chocolate to teach the picture or symbol or "eat"? NO.  Sometimes you show their favorite character eating and model the many different things one would say such as "I'm hungry", "Wow, that smells great", and much more.  With using the context, we are teaching them not to rely on static pictures but to think using their ENTIRE communication device.

Today I was asked what would a trial of success look like for a student using an AAC device.  I replied, when the child is shown the context in which to apply the language, the teacher model and shape "how and what to say".  Magic does not happen when an AAC device is presented, but language and communication can happen when a context that is socially and personally relevant to the child is presented!

Enjoy and Be Empowered

~Landria

An article in the December issue of Medical News today discusses research on Dyslexia and IQ.  Interesting that they are finding that there is less of a link between IQ and reading!  This is wonderful for people who have IQ numbers that scream what they cannot do to the untrained and less creative practitioner.  Anyone can learn! 

Here is a snipet of the article. 

Contrary to popular belief, some very smart, accomplished people cannot read well. This unexpected difficulty in reading in relation to intelligence, education and professional status is called dyslexia, and researchers at Yale School of Medicine and University of California Davis, have presented new data that explain how otherwise bright and intelligent people struggle to read.

Click here to read more about this dyslexia article.

Enjoy and Be Empowered

~Landria Seals Green

Well...yes!  Providers who are committed to working with and creating success for people with autism are well aware of this!  Evidenced Based Treatment such as Applied Behavior Analysis has proven to be one of the most effective forms of treatment.  The challenge for parents is finding providers who are exceptional and not being afraid to leave those who are are not effective.  The title shouldn't read that Autism Therapy helps but Effective Treatment Models Provide Success for Young Children with Autism.

I'm glad the findings from this study has hit the media especially with the rate of autism rising to 1 in 100.  What is needed:

1. Effective Treatment. Treatment can make or break progress.  Bad ABA is worse than no ABA.  It's tough, but families should absolutely seek providers that understand language, its progression, and the interaction of communication and behavior.  A strong SLP (who knows ABA) is neccessary and should be an integral part of the team.

2. Early Diagnosis. Stop waiting to diagnosis!  Get the diagnosis so that real treatmnet can begin.

3. Giving Children what they need when they need it.

4. Educate parents on the efficacy on the holistic methods that work and DON'T work!  Many spend an  extraordinary amount of money, countless hours..and let's be honest...gluten free diets don't work for everyone!  (Please understand that my family tries to eat with this diet for health reasons and it is HARD WORK...I speak from experience with natural and holistic methods.)

 Again, I'm excited about getting this news out.  Autism Therapy does work...WAIT!....Great Therapy works for Autism!  We at SLC know and understand this.  Our Early Childhood ABA Program begins in our new 5,000 square feet (yes we had to expand!!!)...in April!  It will be lead by a BCBA and SLP.   Contact us at admin@speechandlanguageconsultants.org to learn more about our ABA Early Childhood program in Fairfield County, CT.

Until next time....Landria

The school year is coming to a pleasant close and we have been able to collaborate with many districts and parents for the new IEP!  Many questions surrounding social communication are formed:

“What should we work on?”

“Can we really measure social goals?”

“Isn’t social communication subjective?”

These questions return periodically, but not as frequently as the goal  for turn-taking  and the elusive phenom of “Your Turn … My Turn”.

Let’s put a few things to rest!

1.       What should we work on?  There are social language development norms that should always be used for treating and creating goals for social communication.  Evidenced Based Research can be found in many fields that include speech pathology, sociology, psychology.  The target for social goals should always include social thinking or social cognition, theory of mind, reasoning, flexibility, experience sharing, referencing, and verbal communication.  Please not the emphasis on verbal communication as being last!  Because it is the surface skill, we tend to work on that first…it should be a shared priority with those things that are hidden but necessary in social interaction.  What are those hidden skills?  Social thinking and engagement to name a few.

2.       Can we measure  social goals?  Absolutely.  Just need to know what is being measured. The goal has to be written in a measurable way or as discretely as possible. 

 3.   3. Is social communication subjective?  No social language development has established norms for typical development. Therefore it is not subjective. However, social skills are subjective.  Social skills are what parents and society teach anyway.  That includes polite greetings, “speak when you’re spoken to”, etc.  Social skills depend up on the culture of age, color, geographic space, economics.  Social communication is the engagement, flexibility, declarative language, perspective taking, and much more!  Social communication work takes the people who verbally label items to demonstrating the surface skill of verbal interaction.  The difference between social skills and social communication is that social skills training builds a house with a very weak foundation…destined to fall!

4.       4. Your Turn…My Turn.  Can we teach it? Be careful about how Your Turn My Turn is being taught to your child.  Picture several children playing.  When do they really verbalize “Your Turn”.  Is it at every turn?  Or is it when the person is not engaged, does not move fast enough.  Your Turn/My Turn is really a nonverbal social thinking act rather than something to tell a person.  We figure out it is our turn when we play with our friends. We are only informed that it is our turn when we are not participating at the level expected by the other players.  When they tell us its our turn, what kind of vocal tone is used?  Is it a patient tone?  Does it include a long statement “Jennifer, it’s your turn”.  Nooooo!  Typically we say things like “Hey take your turn”, “Go,”, Hurry Up”.  Most times, we use an impatient tone or a humorous tone.  So what should we then teach?  Engagement, Rhythm, and Social Thinking. 

 Until Next Time….Landria

 ©2009 Keep the Conversation Going

©2009 Landria Seals- Social Soap Box

NEW YORK, NY (June 10, 2009) -- Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined the Connecticut autism community to praise Governor M. Jodi Rell for signing into law Senate Bill 301, which requires insurance companies to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies. Connecticut is now the thirteenth state in the country to enact comprehensive autism insurance reform.

The Connecticut law requires insurers to provide coverage for behavioral treatments, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, of up to $50,000 for a child who is less than nine years of age, $35,000 for a child who is at least nine years of age and less than thirteen years of age, and $25,000 for a child who is at least thirteen years of age and less than fifteen years of age. ABA therapy is recognized as an effective, evidence-based treatment for children with autism.

“This new Connecticut law is another significant victory in the national effort to secure autism insurance coverage in all fifty states and provide families with the help they so desperately need and deserve,” said Bob Wright, Autism Speaks co-founder and Fairfield, CT, resident. “We thank Connecticut’s legislators and Governor Rell for having the courage to put families and their needs first.”

Read the rest of the article on the Autism Votes website

NEW YORK, NY (June 10, 2009) -- Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined the Connecticut autism community to praise Governor M. Jodi Rell for signing into law Senate Bill 301, which requires insurance companies to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies. Connecticut is now the thirteenth state in the country to enact comprehensive autism insurance reform.

The Connecticut law requires insurers to provide coverage for behavioral treatments, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, of up to $50,000 for a child who is less than nine years of age, $35,000 for a child who is at least nine years of age and less than thirteen years of age, and $25,000 for a child who is at least thirteen years of age and less than fifteen years of age. ABA therapy is recognized as an effective, evidence-based treatment for children with autism.

“This new Connecticut law is another significant victory in the national effort to secure autism insurance coverage in all fifty states and provide families with the help they so desperately need and deserve,” said Bob Wright, Autism Speaks co-founder and Fairfield, CT, resident. “We thank Connecticut’s legislators and Governor Rell for having the courage to put families and their needs first.”

“Legislatures across the country are introducing and passing bills that put an end to the discriminatory practices by insurance companies against children with an autism diagnosis,” said Elizabeth Emken, Autism Speaks vice president of government relations. “We must continue to fight until every child has access to medically necessary autism therapies and families are no longer forced to mortgage their futures.”

In many states, insurers explicitly exclude coverage of these therapies from policies, which places a significant financial burden on families seeking to provide their children with necessary services. Connecticut is the fifth state to pass autism insurance reform this year, and joins twelve other states – Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas – that have passed similar autism insurance reform bills.

Senate Bill 301 was sponsored by State Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-11) and State Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan (D-84).

"We know that aggressive treatment and early intervention are critical to enable autistic children to reach their full potential,” said Senate Majority Leader Looney. “This initiative also helps families coping with autism by preventing them from being financially devastated by out of pocket costs of providing effective care."

“This bill will provide many Connecticut families who have children with autism spectrum disorders with access to life-changing treatments,” said House Speaker Donovan. "I am so pleased that the Governor had the wisdom to recognize its importance and make it the law."

The bill was helped throughout the process by the thousands of hardworking families in Connecticut affected by autism.

"The lives of families with autism will forever be changed by this law," said Shannon Knall, Autism Speaks Connecticut chapter advocacy chair. "Our families have spoken and our legislators on both sides of the aisle have allowed our voices to be heard. We are so grateful."

This important bill to families has finally passed and is soon to be on the Governor's desk!  Many thanks to the tireless efforts of Autism Votes and many other organizations in CT.  

It is my hope that the insurance companies are already working on policy and have a realistic timeline and date to start covering these services!

Putting The Pieces Together Conference is still open for registration!  Please email April Stanley at admin@speechandlanguageconsultants.org