Conferences We Attend.

Our Speech-Language Pathologists attend many conferences each year to keep up to date with the innovations of our field.

Picky Eaters vs. Problem Feeders: The SOS approach to Feeding

Sarah J., Jeanne G., and Stephanie F. attended Picky Eaters vs. Problem Feeders: The SOS Approach to Feeding by Kay Toomey, PhD, and Erin Sundseth Ross, PhD, CCC-SLP in November 2011. The Sequential Oral Sensory Approach focuses on the important 32 steps of feeding for children with feeding difficulties. Some factors that may influence your child's ability to be a successful eater are their posture, their ability to tolerate different textures, their current skill level, and their history of feeding difficulties (i.e. reflux, poor oral strength). Feeding should be a positive experience for all people involved.

iPad Innovations for Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Educators

In September 2011, Stephanie F., Jenny L., and Sarah J. attended the conference iPad Innovations for Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Educators presented by Shannon Collins, M.A. CCC-SLP and Angie Sterling-Orth, M.S. CCC-SLP. We learned about specific applications to use with various speech and language domains (articulation, phonological awareness, social skills, AAC, fluency, etc). We also practiced using an evaluation rubric for iPod/iPad applications to help us make more meaningful and evidence-based recommendations to our families and patients who are using this technology.

Thinking About You, Thinking About Me and Implementing Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A Day to Develop Team Creativity

Stephanie F. and Stacie R. attended Michelle Garcia Winner's conference Thinking About You, Thinking About Me and Implementing Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A Day to Develop Team Creativity in October 2011. She described a way to categorize social language difficulties using her social thinking-social communication scale and provided helpful strategies to teach perspective taking throughout the lifespan. Through her lecture and discussion with other professionals, we discussed fun and practical ways to implement the curriculum in our therapy sessions. Michelle shares many of her materials on her website socialthinking.com.

Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference

Cory and Janet attended the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair on 6/4/11 at the University of St Thomas.

Many of the parents attending the conference asked for suggestions for working with their child’s speech at home. After an initial speech and language evaluation at one of our four offices, ASLS speech-language pathologists can provide materials and guidance, specifically tailored to your child, so you can work with them at home.

Several parents at the conference asked for information to help them assess if their foreign adopted children are progressing in their acquisition of speech and language skills. During an initial evaluation the speech-language pathologist at ASLS look at the child’s language skills in both languages. Guidance and suggestions are given to the parent for helping their child at home.

Call on of our offices or e-mail us at associatedspeech3@yahoo.com if you have specific questions or want more information.

Introduction to PROMPT: Technique Conference

In April 2010, Sarah J. attended Introduction to PROMPT: Technique, an intense and hands on three-day conference in Chicago. PROMPT stands for Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets. This is a program that involves systematically manipulating through light touch or "prompting" the oro-motor structures (lips, jaw, tongue, etc.) to help children and adults with varying speech disorders of a developmental or acquired nature to produce sounds. This technique is very successful with a variety of patients and is used primarily as an initial step to teaching correct sound production until the learner is able to initiate the sound sequences on their own.

Practical Therapy Techniques for Persistent Articulation Errors Conference

In March 2011, Sarah J., Sarah H., Jenny, and Stephanie attended the conference Practical Therapy Techniques for Persistent Articulation Errors presented by Pam Marshalla, M.A. CCC-SLP. We learned some new and practical techniques for those tricky /r/ and /s/ sounds. We also reviewed strategies for carryover of newly acquired articulation skills to conversation as well as ideas for families to help kids work on producing their sounds at home and in a variety of settings.

Advanced Guided Reading Strategies Conference

Jeanne attended a conference called Advanced Guided Reading Strategies in February 2011. It is important to expose children to a variety of reading materials, but one strategy that was stressed during the conference is the benefit of repeated reading...it is great to read the same book over and over! This builds fluency or "smooth reading" and also strengthens comprehension. Children are more likely to generalize vocabulary if they have been exposed to the word many times. Another strategy to use at home is to talk and ask questions about what your child is reading...have them summarize the page or chapter. Or have a child write or draw a picture of what they have just read. These tasks target areas including sequencing, recalling details and main idea, and prediction.

Parents of Galactosemic Children National Conference

Associated Speech &Language Specialists (ASLS) was invited by Parents of Galactosemic Children, Inc. (PGC) to participate at their National Conference (7/22/10-7/24/10) in Bloomington, MN. Janet and Jill attended the conference.

Complications of this disorder include significant speech and language difficulties (Apraxia of speech) and language/learning problems. More information on galactosemia can be found at: http://www.galactosemia.org/.

Our booth was located next to a fabulous chocolate company named Illinois Nut &Candy. They have a wide variety of candies that include gluten free candy, Kosher candy, organic candy, sugar-free candy. It's all so good! Visit the website www.raisingthecandybar.com and find out for yourself!

International Dyslexia Association

Janet attended the International Dyslexia Association meeting in Orlando, FL, November 11th-14th, 2009.

Estimates by the National Institute of Child Health and Development suggest that as many as 20% of all students may have some degree of dyslexia. What is dyslexia? A language-based reading difficulty unrelated to teaching or intelligence. When identified early, reading difficulties can be remediated. Several factors can predict at an early age whether a child is at risk for a reading problem.

• Limited phonological awareness difficulties. For example, can your 4- and 5-year-old:
  • Rhyme?
  • Blend the sounds c-a-t and recognize that it is cat?
  • Say a compound word with one word missing? (Example: say football without the word foot.)
• Inability to recognize letters of the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes.
• Weak vocabulary and listening comprehension skills (difficulty re-telling stories, or answering question about a story).

Children who have had or have certain speech or language difficulties are at risk for reading difficulties.

If you have questions about language and literacy or dyslexia, please call one of our offices and ask to talk to a speech-language pathologist.

Minnesota Speech, Language, Hearing Association Fall Conference

Janet attended the Minnesota Speech, Language, Hearing Association Fall Conference on October 15th, 2009. It is important to recognize that lack of language experiences will hinder reading readiness and the ability to learn. Preschoolers need to have a richnes of vocabulary and language.

Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation

Congratulations to Pam and Shelly who traveled to San Diego to complete an intense course, Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation (formerly referred to as Tongue Thrust.) They are among a limited number of speech-language pathologists in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area who are now eligible for certification through the International Association of Orofacial Myology. They are excited to be utilizing their skills with patients in coordination with physicians, dentists and orthodontists, and are in the process of sharing their new knowledge base with their colleagues.

Practical Strategies, Interventions, and Treatments for Sensory Processing Disorder in Children and Adults

On March 11, 2009, Stacie, Jen, Sarah J., Kelly, and Anisha attended Practical Strategies, Interventions, and Treatments for Sensory Processing Disorder in Children and Adults, presented by Charlene Young, OTR/L, CEAS. This seminar provided current information on Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), assessment, and the tools and approaches to enhance sensory development in those with sensory issues.

Strategies for the Assessment and Intervention of Social/Emotional Communication Needs for Learners with ASD

On February 27, 2009, Jen, Jenny, Jeanne, Stacie, and Sarah J attended Strategies for the Assessment and Intervention of Social/Emotional Communication Needs for Learners with ASD, presented by Jill Kuzma, M.A., CCC-SLP. We learned more about the assessment and treatment of social pragmatic need areas for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder within the contexts of conversation skills, perspective taking, emotion awareness and management, problem solving, and nonverbal communication interpretation and expression. The conference offered many treatment ideas that are applicable for a variety of ages, preschool through adult.

Practical Therapy Techniques

Stacie, Kelly and Katie attended Practical Therapy Techniques for Persistent Articulation Errors: Frontal Lisp, Lateral Lisp and Distorted R, presented by Pam Marshalla, M.A., CCC-SLP on January 14th, 2009. We learned new ways to help children understand what they are doing and new approaches to improve distorted /s/ and /r/ sounds. We also reviewed techniques to improve the generalization process.

ASHA Convention

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association annual meeting was held in Chicago this November. Janet attended a variety of presentations, including:

• Feeding disorders in children with Williams Syndrome
• Why teens can't comprehend what they read
• Speech and language skills of young children with velocardiofacial syndrome

International Dyslexia Association

Janet attended the annual conference of the International Dyslexia Association in Seattle this fall. The four-day conference covered a number of topics, including:

• There is a strong relationship between ADHD and Dyslexia (reading disorder).
• There is a strong connection between dyslexia and language disorders.
• Children who have difficulty writing may have a language disorder.
• Children with dyslexia are typically very bright but have unique learning styles.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Jeanne recently attended a conference called Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Apraxia is a problem with the ability to plan movements for speech. When a child attempts to say a word, each attempt to say the word may be different, or inconsistent. If a child has apraxia, they may be have an increased risk for early problems with expressive language, phonological awareness skills are literacy difficulties.

Michlle Garcia-Winner Conference

ASLS attended a conference in October on social thinking presented by Michelle Garcia-Winner at the Michlle Garcia-Winner Conference. Michelle presented some useful therapy tips and strategies on encouraging kids (and adults!) in therapy using tools such as social stories, self-monitering/self-awareness in group situations, social behavior mapping, social thinking stategies for home and school, steps of communication, as well as using informal assessment.