Part of Our Mission: Southern University in Baton Rouge Guest Lecturer

Posted by: Carmen N.

 



This past month, our Administrator, Shontai Thomas, was honored with an invitation from her alma mater, Southern University in Baton Rouge, to speak as a guest lecturer. She spoke to communication sciences and disorders students about a few of the many types of disorders associated with traumatic brain injuries as well as complications arising from strokes including embolisms. Shontai also offered fun ideas for pediatric therapy activities that the students may creatively use during their own therapy sessions in the near future. Apart from that, Shontai also focused her attention on entrepreneurship. She spoke about what incited her to begin her own therapy practice and her mission behind it.

Shontai's passion for what she does has motivated her to succeed in more ways than one. She yearns to pass knowledge down to others who share that dream & passion in hopes that they, in turn, will also advocate for those who need our help. Shontai strongly feels that through adding a personal touch everyone can beneift! She continues working with others in the community to soon make an even bigger difference!

Special Appreciation and Recognition given to:
 - Southern University in Baton Rouge
 - Communication Sciences and Disorders Department
 - SPAU260 students
 - Melanie Powell Rey
   

FREE CEUs for SLPs & SLPAs

Posted by: Carmen N.
(Source: www.linguisystems.com)

We believe your CEUs should be FREE! So, they are. On this site you will find new courses in varied formats (Online, Source® courses, and DVD for Groups presentations) to give you lots of learning options. Take them all! Each American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) approved course you take is practical and loaded with use-tomorrow strategies. Upon completion, they send your course information to ASHA. You send it to your state licensure office.

Some of the available online courses are as follows:

Attention Disorders
0.2 CEUs/ 2 CEES

Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Using Assessment to Guide Intervention
0.15 CEUs / 1.5 CEES

Changing Behavior to Change the Child's Voice
0.25 CEUs / 2.5 CEES

Dysarthria: Practical Aproaches to Treating
0.2 CEUs / 2 CEES

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MORE THAN 40 COURSES AVAILABLE!

It's Earth Day

Posted by: Carmen N.
(Source: www.earthday.org)

Today is Earth Day! Over one billion people in 192 countries are participating from London to Sao Paolo, Seoul to Babylon City, New Delhi to New York, Rome to Cairo; people everywhere are taking action in their communities and helping depict The Face of Climate Change.

How can you get involved? Attend an Earth Day event in your community, start doing something to lower your carbon footprint, and take a photo of yourself being part of the solution and upload it to The Face of Climate Change Wall.

Wondering what’s happening around the world? Here are just a few of the events taking place:
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND FIND OUT

Spotlight on Special Needs: Social Stories

Posted by: Carmen N.
(Source: www.turotinginthetriangle.com)

 

There are many great resources for parents and children out there who may struggle with a type of special need. Special needs can vary from struggling with telling time to struggling with reading. Special needs can be in the area of academics or non-academics. Some special needs are social, emotional, and academic. Because there is such a vast array of special needs, we like to spotlight resources we think would be helpful depending on the family’s situations. We’ve highlighted one great resource below.

 

Resource: Social Stories

 

What Is It? Social stories are a way for children who struggle socially to read about and even act out appropriate responses to social situations at home or at school. These stories can also be about other life skills such as going to the dentist or checking out a book from the library. It is helpful to use these stories before the event occurs or after the event does not go well. In the social area, it gives the child words and options to use when she is having difficulty with coming up with her own.

Some common social stories are about:

• Washing Hands
• Using the Bathroom
• Brushing Teeth
• Taking Medicine
• Using a Tissue
• Getting a Haircut
• Clipping Fingernails
• Washing Hair
• Taking Turns
• Playing with Friends (in school and at home)
• Sharing
• Shopping at the grocery store
• Going to the bank
• Eating out

Continue reading more about this amazing special needs resource here...

Follow us on Instagram!

Posted by: Carmen N.

Personal Touch Therapy has joined the Instagram family! Make sure you follow us for the "Where is Bear?" picture of the day, fun therapy idea pics, and more!

 

 

Common Misconceptions: Autism

Posted by: Carmen N.
(Source: www.everydayhealth.com)

Though there's  still much about autism that isn't completely understood, there's a lot we do know. If you're a concerned parent or guardian, start by learning the facts about autism.

MYTH: There's an autism epidemic going on.

FACT: There is no autism epidemic; however, more diagnoses are being made today than in the past. Exactly why this is so isn't fully understood. One theory? Some researchers speculate that the rise in autism diagnoses has more to do with better diagnostic methods. Plus, the diagnosis of autism has expanded to include autism spectrum disorders, which encompass more symptoms and conditions, and thus more cases.

MYTH: Childhood vaccines can cause autism.

FACT: There's been much discussion about autism and vaccines, with many new parents refusing to vaccinate their children for fear that the vaccine will cause autism. But an August 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine concludes the following: There is no correlation between autism and vaccines. In fact, the exhaustive report (which looked at more than 1,000 studies), found that vaccines are generally safe for kids.

MYTH: All autistic children are actually geniuses.

FACT: Every child is different, and being autistic doesn't change that. Children with autism aren't necessarily geniuses. Just like other children, they have their strengths and weaknesses, and a wide variation in IQ scores. Some autistic children do show real strengths, whether it's with numbers (as in the movie "Rain Man") or memory, yet these are often countered by real weaknesses, like physical difficulties or difficulty understanding the concept of a game.

MYTH: Autistic children don't feel emotions.

FACT: Children with autism can love, and they can become frustrated, and even angry. Autistic children feel emotions — it's just that they don't express them in the same way that other children do. They may have difficulty with physical affection or expressing their frustration (resulting in a major tantrum), but that doesn't mean that they don't feel. Parents of autistic children will have to learn how their child expresses affection and emotions, and adjust their behaviors to express affection back in a way that makes the child comfortable.

MYTH: Autistic children can't speak.

FACT: Autism has a huge range of symptoms and a wide range of severity within those symptoms. While some children may have little trouble communicating verbally, others may have more limited communication skills. Others are in between, using incorrect grammar, tenses, and pronouns, or using sign language to compensate for verbal difficulties. But most children with autism do learn to communicate.

MYTH: Autism can be cured.

FACT: Unfortunately, there is no cure for autism. It's a biological condition that can't be stopped or reversed, but treatment can be very successful in helping to manage autism. Therapy can help autistic children learn to overcome some of their developmental delays and allow them to lead a happy and normal life. However, no drug, food, or therapy can completely alleviate autism.

Autism, like most everything else, isn't exactly as it appears in the movies or on TV. So whatever your preconceptions about autism are, if they are based on myths, rumors, or anything that's not founded in reality, they're not likely to be true. Know the facts about autism, and help to clear up the myths.

If you are a concerned parent or guardian of a child that you suspect may be autistic please call us to schedule an in-home evaluation with one our fully licensed and highly experienced Speech Language Pathologists at (713)510-5699.

A World Autism Awareness Day Message From the Autism Society President and CEO

Posted by: Carmen N.
(Source: Autism Society www.autism-society.org By Scott Badesch, Autism Society President and CEO)

Below is the motivational and inspiring message from Autism Society President and CEO, Scott Badesch. In cooperation with the Autism Society's efforts, we at Personal Touch Therapy, LLC, are proud to be a part of such a movement that not only raises awarness about Autism, but is dedicated to providing the therapy needs that children with autism need to help them live their day to day lives as well as grow their potential well into adulthood.

Today is world autism awareness day. Today, throughout the world, individuals will come together highlighting the needs and dreams of people living with autism. Today, all of us at the Autism Society honor and respect each individual living with autism for whom they are. We celebrate and honor parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, and other professionals who provide support and love to those living on the autism spectrum. We celebrate those who, years ago, did not accept what they were told they couldn't do and today have shown what they are capable of. We celebrate those elected officials, business and religious leaders who value the beauty of a person with autism.

Read the rest of the message here...