Linguistics in the News: MIT Researchers Say They Have Created The Trickiest Tongue Twister To Date

[Source:  Boston Magazine]

The old saying "Sally sold seashells by the seashore" has nothing on a tongue twister created by researchers at MIT. The verbal puzzle, "pad kid poured curd pulled cod," tripped up test subjects who tried to spit out so much, that psychologists believe it could be the toughest one there is to date.

"If anyone can say this [phrase] ten times quickly, they get a prize," said Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, a psychologist from MIT who specializes in speech errors as a way of understanding normal brain 

Neurobiology in the News:  Brain Shape Affects Children's Learning Capacities 

[Source:  Science Daily]

The anatomy of the brain affects cognitive control, an essential skill for learning and academic success. This is the result of studies performed by the Laboratoire de Psychologie du D�veloppement et de l'Education de l'Enfant (CNRS/Universit� Paris Descartes/Universit� de Caen Basse-Normandie), in collaboration with the NeuroSpin Center (CEA).

The scientists showed that an asymmetry of the two brain hemispheres relative to a particular pattern of a cortical region could partly explain the performance of 5-year old children during a task designed to 

Technology in the News:  Dad Makes Prosthetic Hand for Son with 3-D Printer 

Two years ago, Paul McCarthy began searching for an inexpensive yet functional prosthetic hand for his son Leon, who was born without fingers on one of his hands. McCarthy came across a video online with detailed instruction on how to use a 3-D printer to make a prosthetic hand for his son. Michelle Miller reports.

Dialects in the News:  More Men Speaking in Girls' 'Dialect', Study Shows  

[Source: BBC]

This process is known as "uptalk" or "valleygirl speak" and has in the past been associated with young females, typically from California or Australia.

But now a team says that this way of speaking is becoming more frequent among men.

The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in California.

"We found use of uptalk in all of our speakers, despite their diverse backgrounds in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, bilingualism and gender," said Amanda Ritchart, a linguist at the University of

Health Before Conception in the News:  You Are What Your Father Eats: Father's Diet Before Conception Plays Crucial Role in Offspring's Health, Study Suggests   

[Source:  Science Daily]

Feel Good Story of the Week:  Malls Now Offer 'Quiet' Santa Visits For Kids With Autism    

[Source:  Huffington Post]

Meeting Santa Claus at a shopping mall can be horribly hectic. There are large crowds, long lines, and holiday music blaring from speakers. It's a recipe for madness - and for children with autism, it's especially unbearable.

So, malls across Canada are now offering special 'quiet' Santa visits for kids with autism, CTV News reports. A few malls in the U.S. are also offering similar programs, according to 13News Now.

The special visits occur before opening time, according to CTV. In Canada, nine malls offer the program - eight more than last year.

Friends of PediaStaff in the News:  New Version of Social Express Just Announced  

Our good friends at The Social Express have  just announced the latest version of their award-winning, highly reviewed program.   We were excited to meet Marc Zimmerman, CEO and Founder of The Social Express, at this year's ASHA Conference.  Marc demonstrated the web-based version of the program, which now includes a full curriculum including the amazing interactive animated Webisodes, Quizzes, Off-line Printables, Progress Reporting and even a social network called The Clubhouse.  Marc also informed us that The Social Express is being used in many schools across the country, including the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

PediaStaff Featured Job of the Week:  Contract School Speech-Language Pathologist - Spartanburg, SC  

Our client, a school district in South Carolina.  We are seeking an experienced, committed Speech Language Pathologist to be an incredible part of this team.  This is a contract position starts March 2014 - May 2014 with the option for a 2nd year.  Apply for details!

SLP Activity of the Week:  And Speaking of Tongue Twisters... 

Earlier today, our blog linked to research that MIT believes they have created the trickiest tongue twister to date.  Personally, I don't think its nearly as hard as my all time favorite (the deceptively short, but tricky), "Irish Wristwatches," but hey, what do I know.  

Tongue Twisters are also a great speech language therapy tool!   Here are a few resources so you can incorporate these silly phrases and sentences in the classroom and clinic!

Interdisciplinary Activity of the Week:  Getting Crafty for Christmas in Speech (and for OT too!)  

by Meredith Avren

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the speech room! I am feeling festive and crafty and have been incorporating as many art projects into my lesson plans as possible.

Here are a few of my favorites:  

Pipe Cleaner Candy Canes

I bought Katie the Candy Cane Fairy at the Scholastic Book Fair last month because I loved the illustrations. I have been reading this book to my students and having them make these simple candy cane ornaments to take home.

OT Activity of the Week:  'Crack the Code' Printable Visual Perception Game  

Instagram Post of the Week:  Penguin Water Bottle Craft  

Hugely popular with our Instagram followers.   How adorable is this? Fine motor grasping, cutting and gluing. For speech, every successful production gets a cotton ball!! Seen on Pinterest.  Pinned on our Winter board on Pinterest.  Original post is gone but it was curated by pinner from the Seeds for Learning blog.