Our school, like many others, embraces the Responsive Classroom® approach. This approach was developed by the Northeast Founder for Children, Inc. to create a healthy social, emotional, and academic learning environment. In our speech room, we also use the Responsive Classroom®. We tend to focus more on the principles of social learning, social interaction, and C.A.R.E.S., an acronym for cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self control which are all needed for academic and social success. These three principles seem to align closely with our social skills classes and other pragmatic language groups.
This year, we made a C.A.R.E.S wall in our room. We make conscious efforts to "catch" students using C.A.R.E.S, and when we do, we fill out C.A.R.E.S cards and post them on the wall. We highlight what we saw them do to share their awesomeness! These cards are free at our TpT store. Check 'em out here!
Speech Time Fun again is hosting their How Do You Use It? Linky Party!This month's edition is about paper bags. Here is how we use them in our speech room.
Surprise Bags: At the end of last school year we gave out flexible thinking bags in our social skills groups. We used paper bags that contained flexible thinking strategies and fidgets to help with calming and to help remind students to remember their flexible thinking over the summer.
Book Covers: In the past I would have students design their own book covers for their favorite book. We would use paper bags as the cover and they could glue on or draw the front picture and then write their own summary on the back.
Crafts Galore: Puppets, Weaving and Paper Mache. These crafts are great for students to follow multi-step directions, and work together asking and answering questions.
Describing: We like to put different objects in the bags and have students describe what they feel. The others students try to guess what's in the bag!
Ah, yes. Those little, ingenious pieces of metal and plastic, strategically looped and looped again to make our world of organizing that much easier. But wait…they have so many more uses, which is why we are hooking up with Speech Time Fun to find out more.
Fidgets - We are notoriously distracted, and we often find ourselves using paperclips as personal fidgets, so why not do the same for students?!
Necklaces - We use paperclips as reinforcers for students during articulation drill or other language activities. Using the fun, colored plastic paperclips have been big motivators for students!
Game Markers - Just recently, we used paperclips as markers for the game Spot It, but they could be used with lots of other games.
Following Directions - When we have a few extra minutes, students LOVE when we hide several paperclips around the room and give them hints as to where they are hidden. This activity is great for following directions, using concepts, and attending.
Bookmarks - We love using books in our room, so we let students make bookmarks out of paperclips at the beginning of the year by tying a piece of ribbon to the end of it.
I'm a big fan of the Tour (Tour de France), and every July, I get amped up! I'm in complete awe of the athletes' strength and level of physical fitness. One of my race favorites pulled out of the race after he went down in a crash in one of the early stages with a knee injury. In fact, many of the major injuries include fractures of the extremities, not head injuries. Why? Several reasons, two of which include properly fitted helmets and the obvious: the roads are cleared of vehicles for the cyclists. This post is clearly not about the Tour de France, but it was my segue into talking about proper fit of your child's bike helmet.
This summer, my daughter started riding her bike, and my husband and I wanted to make sure she was safe, which meant finding the proper helmet. She had to have a princess bike helmet to match her pink princess bike. (Coordinating at the age of three? I could be in trouble in another 10 years!) It cost a little more than $20, but the peace of mind it has given us is priceless, considering she's already had her share of falls. Ever since she started riding her bike, I've been paying more attention to other kids and their helmets (or lack thereof) because I have seen some craziness. Take, for example, the teen-age boy riding on a much-too-small-of-a-bike on a busy road while texting on his phone and flipping his Bieber-like hair … who was NOT wearing a helmet. Several weeks ago, a friend posted a picture of her son riding his bike, and while he was wearing a helmet, it was so ill-fitted that the front of his helmet started past his hairline.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a survey conducted in 2001-2003 revealed only 48% of children ages 4-15 wore bike helmets, and that number decreased as children got older. The CDC also reported that approximately 26,000 bicycle-injuries of children and adolescents were traumatic brain injuries (http://www.cdc.gov). Those are very scary statistics.
A 2012 study from the WV Medical Journal took a look at injuries of children ages 14 and younger, focusing on the differences between children who wore a helmet and children who did not wear a helmet. Their study looked at all pediatric patients treated at the West Virginia Trauma System who were involved in bicycle crashes from 2008 through 2010. They indicated that their findings were similar to other studies (Bergenstal et al. 2012):
Concussions occurred in 19.4% of helmeted riders and 37.4% of un-helmeted riders.
Skull fractures occurred in 3.2% of helmeted riders and 17.4% of un-helmeted riders.
Intra-cranial hemorrhaging occurred in 0% of helmeted riders and 17.4% of un-helmeted riders.
Zero deaths occurred in helmeted riders, and 2 deaths occurred in un-helmeted riders.
1. Size - The helmet should fit snuggly and should not move from side to side. Sizing pads come with newer helmets to help secure the fit, and extra pads can be removed as your child's head grows. If the helmet has a universal fit ring instead of pads, the ring can be adjusted to fit your child's head.
2. Position - The helmet should fit low on your child's forehead, allowing for only one or two-figer widths above the eyebrow.
3. Side Straps - The left and right straps should meet right below your child's ears to form a V-shape under and slightly in front of the years. Secure the side straps if possible to prevent slipping.
4. Chin Straps - Center the left buckle under the chin. Buckle the strap and tighten until it is snug. No more than one finger should fit under the strap.
5. Final Fit
Does the helmet fit correctly? You can check by asking your child to open his/her mouth wide. In doing so, the helmet should pull down on his/her head. If you find that the helmet is not fitting correctly, check the tightness of the chin straps.
Does the helmet lean forward into your child's eyes? Is there only one or two fingers between the helmet and your child's eyebrows? If not, then tighten the side straps and chin straps.
Does the helmet move while your child shakes his/her head? If so, check the sizing pads or universal fit ring.
Roll the rubber band down to the buckle. All four straps should go through the rubber band.
This quick how-to video may help you to figure out the correct fit for your child's helmet.
Children grow, so it's undeniable that they will also outgrow their helmets. You will need replace your child's helmet if his/her head has outgrown the helmet size, your child has crashed in the helmet, or it has been dropped on a hard surface such as concrete as it may no longer provide the correct protection. It may seem "nit-picky" and "petty" to consider these factors, but then you must also consider the alternative: a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Even with a mild TBI, children may experience life-long difficulties with attending, working memory, processing speed, organization, and behaviors. I know this because I suffered from a TBI 16 years ago, and the effects still challenge me, but that's another post on another day.
Sources: Bergenstal J, Davis S., Sikora R., Paulson D., Whiteman C. "Pediatric Bicycle Prevention and the Effect of Helmet Use: The West Virginia Experience." Center for Diseases Control and Prevention. West Virginia Medical Journal, n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. "Bicycle Helmets Save Medical Costs for Children." Children's Safety Network. n.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. Franco, Cheryl. "Bicycle Helmets: Getting the Right Fit." Children's Hospital Los Angeles. n.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. "Easy Steps to Properly Fit a Bicycle Helmet." NHTSA. n.p., Sept. 2016. Web. 13 July 2014.
The other week, I heard that reoccurring comment, "Oh. I thought speech teachers helped kids fix their "r"s. (Insert huge *sigh* here.) Well, yes I do, but that is merely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, this is what I wanted to say:
First, I am a speech-language pathologist (SLP). I evaluate, diagnosis, and treat. (That being said, I want to express that I work in a school with a VERY talented group of educators. It is not the fact that I am called a teacher-which I receive as a compliment, but that I have a very different identity. It's hard to articulate; the way I can equate it is to mistake your doctor for a dentist or a musician for an actor.) Secondly, I spent six semesters in graduate school, studying everything from neuroanatomy to aural rehabilitation. I completed more than 350 hours of supervised clinical practicum clock hours and 25 observation hours, completed a medical externship, wrote a thesis, took and passed both comps and the national exam, and then completed nine months of a clinical fellowship year.
Thirdly, I am licensed to work with populations ranging from birth to 100+. I work with the pediatric and adult population with needs in the following areas: articulation, phonology, apraxia, stuttering, cleft palate, voice, expressive and receptive language, pragmatic language, alternative and augmentative communication, auditory processing, dysarthria, aphasia, oral motor, dysphagia, hearing, traumatic brain injury. I work with populations who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, down syndrome, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease among others. I have the unique opportunity to work in a variety of settings. While I choose to work in a school and private practice, I also have the awesome opportunity to work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, short-term and long-term nursing care facilities, colleges and universities, home care, care centers, and research labs. Because I have made the choice to work where I do, I must to hold a national license through the American Speech and Hearing Association, a state educational license, and a department of health license while maintaining continue education credits for each license.
I understand that this response would be totally obnoxious and way too time consuming. Quite frankly, it would be an absolute turn-off, which is why I am blogging about it instead. This is my profession in a nutshell. So, yes, I do work on the "r" sound in addition to everything else.
Mastery Connect has created a Common Core Standards app that is exactly what I have been needing to help me for the upcoming school year. So why post about it now? I'm not sure about you, but I always think that I'm going to try to be more organized and efficient in the fall, and I'm going to work on things over the summer. Who am I kidding? I NEVER get anything like that done. Summer slips away from me, and suddenly it's fall, but after seeing this app, I'm confident that I will be more proactive this time around!
No matter what your opinion of the Common Core, for most of us, it is a reality. I know what I do is aligned to the Common Core, but I'm not usually able to accurately articulate how or give any additional specifics. I get too overwhelmed trying to sort through everything. Very overwhelmed. I try to write IEP to individualize student needs, support what is going on in the classroom for EACH student in EACH content area for EACH classroom, AND align everything to the Common Core. What???? I think this the app will help me to be more successful (along with some creative organization, too) for several reasons:
1. I can find a standard in three clicks/taps. This app breaks down the Common Core by content (Math-Traditional, Math-Integrated, Language Arts, History/Social Studies, and Science and Technical Subjects),
grade level,
and then standard.
2. The standards are concise and easy to understand.
3. It takes a matter of seconds for me to access a standard.
4. There is a link to additional resources for Math, Language Arts, ELL Application, and SPED Application which can also be found here and here.
5. It is user friendly and in once place!
I hope you find this app useful. I certainly have already!
May will be here in a few, short hours, which means that the kick-off for Better Hearing and Speech Month is here, too. YIKES! How am I not ready for this? Wasn't it just the start of April? I always seem to find that May sneaks up on me. Maybe it's because we just finished state testing. Maybe it's because the end of the school year is winding down. Maybe it's because I'm just that forgetful. Who knows!? What I DO know is that I always find a way to make BHSM happen!
With last minute evaluations in full-swing, I wanted to share several resources that I've found over the last few months that have been helpful for me in the screening and evaluation processes.
Informal Elementary Language Sampling Checklist
This resource is thorough, comprehensive, and well-organized. I really like this checklist because it covers so many areas, including listening comprehension, semantics, morphology, fluency, oral peripheral, intelligibility, MLU, literacy/narrative skills…and I could go on and on.
The Helpful Counselor
This pragmatic resource is a four-point rating scale for the pre-K and elementary levels. It focuses on three main areas: social play and emotional development, communication, and emotional regulation. These three areas are further broken into more specific areas. It's a very helpful resource in looking at student strengths and needs.
Do you have any great resources to share? Please comment on them!
