Education: Is special education really necessary?
I’m very interested in education in general because I am involved in the educational process of my daughter. Secondly, I work with students from elementary school to college. Sometimes I wonder what school and education are really about? What should be taught? There is a lot of socialization that goes on in our school. Some of […]
Fostering a therapy relationship Part II
When working with middle and high school aged students the more motivation and self awareness that has been fostered in the home and learning environment the better. Without cooperation and interest it is difficult to motivate this age group through just the use of external rewards. Unlike elementary school age children, using external rewards with […]
4th Multidisciplinary Salon: Auditory Processing
Multidisciplinary Salon: Auditory Processing was this month’s topic. Many psychologists we learned aren’t taught to recognize auditory processing disorders because they aren’t involved in the diagnosis. As speech pathologist we often work with clients regularly that are not officially labeled as having an auditory processing disorder. In order to receive an official diagnosis of auditory […]
3rd Multidisciplinary Salon: Language-based Learning Disorders vs. Dyslexia: Co-occurence or Correlation?
Yesterday was my third multidisciplinary salon and afterwards I just thought what a great idea it is to have professionals from different areas discussing issues that are relevant to but to all. Attendees included myself, Kai Long speech pathologist, and in order of appearance Tina Millar, speech pathologist contracting in Boston public schools, Robyn Glover […]
What’s stress got to do with it?
I just came from a talk given by Jerome Schultz, PhD, “NOWHERE TO HIDE: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It” where he talked about stress in children. Did you know that symptoms of stress can often look like more seriuos disorders? Symptoms of stress include fearfulness, […]
80% of what!!
Did you know that 80% of students with language-based learning disabilities have dyslexia? I heard this statistic at a workshop in Cambridge again recently and I was just struck dumb, not only by the implications, but by the statement itself. Of course, I do not remain mute for long, so I began to try to […]
Diagnosis
How do you get a diagnosis? A diagnosis is usually made through outside testing by a psychologist in a medical setting or private practice. Going to your pediatrician in order to get a referral for a neuropsychological evaluation is the first step. For greatest success when working with children suspected of autism spectrum disorders an […]
Are charter schools a good fit for students with language based learning disabilities?
Many think that charter schools are the answer to our failing public schools, but are charter schools right for students with learning disabilities? Charter schools are mandated to provide services for students with learning disabilities. They also provide small classes. They often offer a rigorous curriculum with bright young teachers eager to teach. Attractive right, […]
Speech-Language Therapy
Each person has different strengths and weaknesses. Part of the speech language pathologist job is to help each person understand and use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses. Discovering each person’s strengths is like uncovering pearls. The goal is to learn how to use an individuals strength to decrease or navigate around their speech language deficit. It’s […]
The Brain: Making new connections
My first job as a speech pathologist was in a rehabilitation hospital that specialized in traumatic brain injury. It was memorable for so many reasons. Working with acquired brain injury patients taught me that no one chooses to do badly. I was able to see that all our behaviors both positive and negative are a […]