Family Corner Blog

12 Things To Listen For In Your Next ARD Meeting

9/22/2018

by Bonnie Landau | Advocacy, IEP, Infographic, Special Ed Law

The IEP Team is suppose to help support your child, but sometimes their approach can be misleading. Knowing the law is key when advocating for your child. In my book, Special Ed Mom Survival Guide, I spend considerable time helping you learn about the law and how to apply it. In attending many IEP meetings as a special education advocate, I realized that the schools don’t quote the law when the deny services. Their information is hidden in messages that sound legitimate.
Here are 12 phrases I often hear that are really the IEP Team’s way of skirting around their obligation to provide services.

Solutions for the financial strain of medical costs

6/24/2018

Having a child with special needs can be an emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially draining on a family. When diagnosed with a significant impairment like a genetic syndrome (e.g., Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13, XXX Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome), a congenital anomaly (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cleft Lip/Palate, Encephalopathy, Spina Bifida, Encephalopathy), or an acquired syndrome (e.g., Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Aphasia) parents are inundated with doctor appointments and recommendations for therapies, medications, follow-ups, etc. In a perfect world, insurance would pay for everything recommended by a medical professional and we wouldn’t worry about the rising costs of said care. But, unfortunately that isn’t our reality.

Have you heard our AMAZING news?!

4/16/2018

Have you heard that we are EXEMPT from the mandated Superior/COFK program?!

Siblings of children with special needs

4/10/2018

Siblings of children with special needs have their own challenges. People who grow up with a sibling with special needs are often equipped with amazing qualities like patience, kindness, empathy for others, and loyalty, all amazing traits for anyone to have. Here are some terrific books to check out if you love a sibling of a child with special needs.
*Click on the desired book cover for more information*

What NOT to say to someone with Autism...

4/9/2018

TRUTH. Our words matter; chose them wisely.

April is Autism Awareness Month!

4/1/2018

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is combined array (a.k.a. spectrum) of disorders which were formally diagnosed separately as Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

People with ASD may have difficulty in the areas of social skills, communication, self-care, sensory integration, fine/gross motor skills, and behavior. These difficulties can range from mild to severe A person on the spectrum might be non-verbal and unresponsive to their name or speak eloquently and possess an extensive vocabulary and early literacy. Knowing the signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the first step to early identification.

Some of the most noticeable symptoms of ASD, according to the CDC are:

2018 Inclusive Summer Camp Programs

3/25/2018

Well, friends...it's about that time of year...to start planning for the summer months! We all know what that means...SUMMER CAMPS! It's often a challenge to find reliable and vetted summer programs for our special little ones...fortunately for us, our friends at AISD did the leg work for us! Click the photo below to download your copy. As always, if you have ANY questions feel free to email, call, or visit with me.

Talking to Children about the Bombings

3/20/2018

All of us at TCOB are heartbroken to hear of the ongoing events in Austin (and Schertz) with the explosive devices. We have a safety protocol that was established prior to these events and we will continue to honor those safeguards. There is no direct threat to our facility; however, we ask our families and our community to remain vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Please report any suspicious activity or packages/items to authorities immediately by calling 911. As these events continue to occur it is important that we educate our children and also find ways to talk to them about what is happening while not traumatizing them and making them fearful to step outside of their home. Our friends at The National Child Traumatic Stress Network published the following (unedited) document on how to talk to children about bombings. We though it was a good time to share with our families and those beyond our walls. Sending love to all those victimized.

National Trisomy Awareness Month: what is Trisomy?

3/1/2018

March is Trisomy awareness month, so it’s a perfect time to explain “what is trisomy?” Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes total. Trisomy is a genetic disorder in which an individual has an extra chromosome (partial or whole). Early identification is important in order to best evaluate, treat, and monitor for any possible developmental deficits or possible medical complications. Educating others of trisomy is important to not only provide a better understanding of the syndromes but to reinforce the notion that early intervention is vital for academic and social success.

Most common Trisomy disorders:

Stuttering (aka Disfluent Speech)

2/19/2018

The term “stutter” is terribly outdated and oftentimes negatively viewed, rather I like the term “disfluent speech.” It is important to remember that we all have moments of disfluent speech, that doesn’t necessarily mean we all need speech-language therapy to address it. The line that we draw to determine if therapy is recommended is the impact the disfluent moment have on one’s life, the severity/ frequency/duration of disfluent moments, and the accompanying tension with the disfluent moments.

Some of the most common types of disfluent speech include:

Single word repetition (e.g. “I I I I I want a hamburger.”)
Phrase repetition (e.g.,” I want a ham-ham-hamburger.”)
Blocking (e.g., “I want a ham (pause) burger.”)
Prolongation (e.g., “I want a hammmmmmmburger.”)
Avoidance (avoiding saying word/s because the speaker anticipates a disfluent moment)
Fillers (inserting words/sounds to offer the speaker more time to prepare for what they are saying; "like, "uh", "and".)

Will he EVER talk?

1/19/2018

Sometimes I get the questions “why isn’t she talking yet” or “will he ever talk?” In these moments it’s important to explain the communication pyramid. The skills at the bottom of the pyramid (purple and blue) must be acquired before the skills at the top can be. This is why we have to address play skills and receptive language before we can expect them to use sentences or master a conversation.

Win your pair of tickets to a Day Out With Thomas!

9/25/2017

Do you have your tickets to the Day Out With Thomas yet? Don't worry, we have you covered! We have TWO tickets to this awesome event we will give away this Friday (September 29, 2017) at noon. Want to throw your name in the drawing? All you have to do is write a review for TCOB on Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. Each review that gets posted gets entered to win (This means you can be entered several times if you post on different sites)!

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS TICKET includes a scheduled 25 minute train ride (October 1, 2017 at 11am) behind Thomas the Tank Engine, all day admission to the Day Out With Thomas events at the Burnet Community Center, and the following activities:

Photos opportunities with Thomas the Train and Sir Topham Hatt
*Photo packages can also be purchased by on-site photographer
Rock climbing wall
Inflatable Cranky the Crane
Miniature golf
Thomas Imagination Station of interactive play
Temporary tattoo station
Arts and crafts at Imagination Station
Traveling balloon twisters
Wooden Thomas play station
Live children’s musical performances
Storytelling and videos
Magician
Gift shop

http://www.austinsteamtrain.org/special-events/day-out-with-thomas/

**The winner will be announced via our Facebook page and the winner MUST pick up their prize by 6pm Friday September 29, 2017 at our office location (photo identification MUST match the name of the person shown online as the reviewer).**

All About Me! (FREE download)

8/10/2017

Don't we all want to give a synopsis of our kiddos for their teacher/s at the beginning of the school year? Basically give them a resume of likes/dislikes/what works and doesn't? Well, you are NOT alone! We made this handy PDF to fill in the blanks and even add a photo of your child. When you meet the teacher/s, aides, therapists, or even babysitters just hand them this "All About Me" page so they are sure to know all about your kiddo. Download is available for FREE, just click the Download File button below and start filling in the blanks!

tcob_all_about_me_2017.pdf
File Size:	474 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

People First Language

3/17/2017

About 54 million Americans, one out of every five people, have a disability. The language we use and the meanings we attach to those words mold the views of ourselves and others. Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic is a form of prejudice and fuels negative attitudes towards differently abled individuals. People first language respectfully emphasizes the person before a diagnosis or disability. It eliminates stereotypes and generalizations by focusing on the person rather than the disability. Let’s lead by example and educate those who are unaware. What we say matters.

Let's talk about bullying.

1/31/2017

Speak to your child about bullying with these tips:

Discuss with your child what bullying IS and what it is NOT.
Take bullying seriously. Notify school authorities if you feel your child is being bullied. Make sure your kiddo understands that you will not tolerate bullying at home or anywhere else.
Teach kids to treat others with respect and kindness.
Learn about your child's social life. Ask open ended questions (instead of yes/no questions).
Encourage good behavior and set a good example.

Talking to our kiddos about their school day

1/1/2017

Talking to our kiddos about their day at school is important. “Did you have a good day?” seems to be the automatic question we all ask, but it is important as parents to elicit more of a response. We want kiddos to learn to tell us about things, not just answer questions with one word (close ended questions). Let’s find some open ended questions that get our kids communicating with us!

Read on for some sample questions.

Trick-or-Treating for ALL!

10/26/2016

Halloween is a really fun time…for most kiddos. But for those having difficulty with communicating, trick-or-treating can be very difficult task and so stressful that some will exclude themselves from enjoying such an activity. We truly believe that although we all may have differences these are simply that and we must find different ways to include all children that would like to participate. One of our therapists came up with this simple craft you can do at home WITH your child to help give him/her a voice to be included in trick-or-treating.

Now Available: Testing for Austism

8/16/2016

Did you know that Therapy Center of Buda offers Autism Testing? Our Certified Autism Specialist and your pediatrician work together to collect all necessary data to identify if your child is on the Autism Spectrum.

We will provide you a comprehensive report and explain the outcomes. If needed, our specialist will personally provide you with recommendations and access to local, state, and federal resources that may help your child. Call us today for more information!

What you should know:

We utilize the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) a well know diagnostic tool to identify Autism in children and adolescents.
Before we administer the ADOS we conduct a comprehensive speech-language evaluation.
Testing is conducted over 2 consecutive days.
Parents remain in the room and participate in data gathering!
We bill your insurance!
We test individuals 12 months to 21 years old.
Your pediatrician must support the testing (meaning if you are utilizing your insurance benefits they must send a prescription indicating ADOS testing is recommended).
Not only will you get a comprehensive report following your visit/s, but our specialist will personally provide you with recommendations and access to local, state, and federal resources that may help your child.

Tongue Tie Basics

4/25/2016

Heart shaped tongue tip during protrusion is a sign that tongue tie is most likely. Photo from: www.tonguetie.net

This photo shows the shortened lingual frenulum (tongue tie). Photo from: www.tonguetie.net

Medical name: Ankyloglossia
Description: Restricted movement of the tongue secondary to a malformation of the lingual frenulum.

As a speech-language pathologist, I frequently have kiddos come to see me with articulation difficulties and we discover that the misarticulations are in fact due to an unidentified tongue tie. Tongue tie is actually more common than people realize. At times we are able to identify the issue during infancy because the baby is having a difficult time feeding (e.g. latching or severe nipple pain). Clippings at this age are much easier and always preferred to minimize articulation difficulties later. But there are those kiddos that are overlooked because they found ways to adapt and feed adequately. Kiddos with tongue tie usually have difficulty with the consonants: g, k, t, d, l, r, and consonant blends. Sometimes tongue tie can result in a difficulty of eating solids, resulting in gagging or vomiting when trying new foods. Tongue tie can be diagnosed by a pediatrician, speech-language pathologist, Otolaryngologist, and some dentists. Common treatment for tongue tie is a simple surgery to “clip” the tongue and private speech-language therapy to strengthen musculature and address misarticulations.

If you have concerns about your child’s lingual frenulum or the possibility of tongue tie, give us a call or email me with questions!

Photos taken from: www.tonguetie.net

TRICK OR TREATING

10/8/2015

This is a wonderful way to help those with communication challenges exercise independence during trick or treating.

A special thank you to CARD-USF for coming up with such a great idea!

Please share!

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