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December 5, 2014
Issue 48, Volume 7 It's All About the Choices!
Greetings and Happy Friday!
Please enjoy this issue of our newsletter filled with holiday gift ideas for kids with special needs.
News Items:
- Researchers Identify Brain Regions that Encode Words, Grammar, Story
- More Preschool Could Benefit Young Kids
- Leafy Greens Reduce Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents
- Brain Changes Seen in High School Football Players After Just One Season
- Low-Birth-Weight Children 'Associated with Lower Academic Outcomes'
- Potential Solution to Angelman Syndrome Involves Reversing Silenced Gene
Hot Jobs
- Hot Job! - School Board Certified Behavior Analyst Job - Wilmington, NC
- New Graduate Job of the Week! Pediatric SLP - Richmond, TX - Will Take CF!
- Interview Tip of the Week: Be Sure to Have PAR Stories Ready
- Hot Job: School-Based PT Southern California
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources
- Fine Motor Activity of the Week: Button Snake
- Sensory Activity of the Week: Peppermint Slime
- Special Ed Activity of the Week: Shopping for Holiday Decorations Money Skills Activity
- Pinterest Pin of the Week - Olaf Bulletin Board
Articles and Special Features
- Special Needs Corner: Holiday Gifts and Toys for Kids with Special Needs 2014
- SLP Corner: Winter Toys and Games for Speech and Language Therapy
- OT Corner: 30 Sensory Stocking Stuffers / Hanukkah Gifts for Special Needs Kids
- Autism Corner: Sensory Integration Art Therapy for Children with Autism
- Deaf Ed Corner: Social Cognition and Theory of Mind
- School Nurse's Corner
Feel free to contact us with any questions about our openings or items in these pages. Have you discovered our RSS feed? Click on the orange button below to subscribe to all our openings and have them delivered to your Feed Reader! Don't have an RSS Feed Reader set up? Sign up at Blogtrottr and have our blog posts delivered right to your email. Have a great weekend and Take Care!
Heidi Kay and the PediaStaff Team
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The Career Center
The links to the right are "live" and reflect the most recent SLP, OT, PT and related assistant jobs, and ALL our Bilingual and School Psychology Jobs.
To further narrow your search by state, setting, bilingual, or term, use the check boxes drop down menus.
If a particular search is returning no hits it is possible that we do not currently have new openings for you with that selection criteria.
To see ALL our openings click HERE and further narrow your search.
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Researchers ID Brain Regions that Encode Words, Grammar, Story
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[Source: Medical News Today]
Some people say that reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" taught them the importance of friends, or that easy decisions are seldom right. Carnegie Mellon University scientists used a chapter of that book to learn a different lesson: identifying what different regions of the brain are doing when people read.
Researchers from CMU's Machine Learning Department performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of eight people as they read a chapter of that Potter book. They then analyzed the scans, cubic millimeter by cubic millimeter, for every four-word segment of that chapter. The result was the first integrated computational model of reading, identifying which parts of the brain are
Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
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More Preschool Could Benefit Young Kids
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[Source: Time]
New research suggests that young kids could benefit from more time around their peers in a classroom setting.
A new study released Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that children are better prepared for learning and social interaction in full-time preschool than in part-time programs.
Researchers looked at 1,000 low-income and ethnic-minority 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in Chicago's Child-Parent Center Education Program and noted improvement in four of six measures of school readiness. Children placed in full-day programs showed higher scores in social development, language, math and physical health than their part-day peers, according to the study.
Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
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Leafy Greens Reduce Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents
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[Source: Medical Xpress]
High magnesium intake has been associated with reduced aggressive behavior in WA adolescents, highlighting the importance of a magnesium-rich diet in emotional and behavioral health.
While previous research has linked low dietary zinc and magnesium to increased anxiety and depressive behaviors in adults, Senior Research Officer at the Telethon Kids Institute, Dr Lucinda Black, says less is known about its effect on the mental health of children
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
Brain Changes Seen in HS Football Players After Just One Season
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Editor's Note: Does this frighten anyone else but me?
Some high school football players exhibit measurable brain changes after a single season of play even in the absence of concussion, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
"This study adds to the growing body of evidence that a season of play in a contact sport can affect the brain in the absence of clinical findings," said Christopher T. Whitlow, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.A., associate professor of radiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine and radiologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
Low-Birth-Weight Kids 'Associated with Lower Academic Outcomes
| [Source: Medical News Today]
Previous research has found that low birth weight is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes in later childhood. Studies reported on by Medical News Today have suggested that low-birth-weight babies are more likely to have autism spectrum disorder, psychiatric problems and childhood illness or lower promotion prospects in later life. The new study, published in the journal American Economic Review, is the first to explore the interaction between birth weight, children's cognitive development and the quality of education they have. Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
Potential Solution to Angelman's Involves Reversing Silenced Genes
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[Source: Medical News Today]
Most genes are inherited as two working copies, one from the mother and one from the father. However, in a few instances, a gene is imprinted, which means that one copy is silenced. This is called genomic imprinting. If the active copy is mutated, then disease results, even though the silenced gene copy may be normal.
Angelman syndrome, which causes learning difficulties, speech problems, seizures, jerky movements and an unusually happy disposition, results when a gene inherited from the mother in a particular area
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog |
Hot Job: School BCBA Job - Wilmington, NC
| Our client is a school district in Coastal North Carolina. We are seeking a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in the Wilmington, North Carolina area serving K-12. The position is full time 7.5 hours per day and will run through the end of the school year starting immediately until June 11, 2015. The BCBA will work with students, staff and parents to develop behavior plans and monitor progress as well as be present at IEP meetings.
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New Grad Job of the Week! Pedi SLP: Richmond, TX - Will Take CF!
| Editor's Note: This job is available for a candidate with any level of experience, but our client is definitely open to a CF!
Our client is an outpatient clinic on the west side of Houston in Richmond. They are seeking a direct hire Speech Language Pathologist to work in their clinic Monday-Thursday 12-8pm and Friday 3-7pm. Caseload ranges in age 0-21. 37 hours/wk guaranteed. This alternative work schedule answers the needs of the patients and allows you daytime hours to take care of personal appointments! Never miss a parent-teacher meeting or a chance to volunteer at your child's school and let Dad make dinner.
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Interview Tip of the Week: Be Sure to Have PAR Stories Ready
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In past posts we've talked about preparing ahead of time for open ended narrative during the interview process. To stand out in the crowd, it is imperative that the employer remember you. Having one or more memorable stories of a time when you really stepped up and solved a problem is a good way to make sure you will be remembered. We call these "PAR Stories"
What is a PAR Story? It stands for P=Problem-Action-Result. It describes a real-life example of an accomplishment you are proud of, and its a way to discuss that accomplishment without bragging. You should have a handful of them that you can speak about fluently and in context at any point of the interview.
Read the Rest of this Post on our Blog |
Hot Job: School-Based PT Southern California
| We are seeking a school experienced Physical Therapist for a school in Southern Los Angeles County for three days a week to complete the school year 14/15. Option for a second year is available. Position can start December 2014 or January 2015. Pay is between 50-53.00/hour in the school based on experience and IRS eligibility for per diem.
Partner this position with 2 days a week of home-based Early Intervention if you need full time. The caseload is available.
Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog |
Fine Motor Activity of the Week: Button Snake
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Editor's Note: Thank you to our dear friend (and former PediaStaff contractor!) Gretchen Rau for recommending this activity idea! This would be cute in festive colors for the holidays, too!
[Source: Happy Hooligans]
Make a simple button snake to help your child strengthen his buttoning and fine motor skills.
Learning to pass a button through a button hole is no easy task for a toddler! That's where a button snake can help! A simple homemade button snake will help
Learn More About this Activity Through a Link on our Blog |
Sensory Activity of the Week: Peppermint Slime for Sensory Play
| This green peppermint-scented slime is a variation of the jelly slime I have written about before. It will instantly fill your kitchen with the minty smell of candy canes and provide your child a chance to play and explore through the sense of touch, sight, and smell!
Learn this Great Recipe Through a Link on our Blog |
Special Ed Activity of Week: Shopping for Decorations Money Skills
| [Source: Daily Autism Freebie]
A print-and-go set of holiday math / shopping activities for students working on money skills in elementary school or life skills classes. Put the sales flyers in a page protector and either cut out the task cards for single use or put them in a photo album or laminate for re-use.
Download this Freebie Through a Link on our Blog |
Pinterest Pin of the Week: Olaf Bulletin Board
| Here is a great bulletin board idea! Perfect for School Nurses, School Psychologists, or just about anyone!
Take a Peek at this Fantastic Bulletin Board on our Blog |
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Special Needs Corner: Holiday Gifts/Toys for Kids w/Special Needs
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[Source: Love that Max]
This year's selection of gifts and toys for kids with special needs is based on recommendations from therapists. The toys, crafts and games encourage fine-motor and gross-motor skills, communication, coordination and brain power. But above all, they encourage F-U-N. And there's only one thing here that might annoy you!
Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
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SLP Corner: Winter Toys & Games for Speech and Language Therapy
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by Jenna Rayburn, MA, CCC-SLP
It's officially winter in my speech room. I'm popping in to share some recommended toys for speech therapy. Just like my fall list, this list is meant to give you ideas for bringing PLAY to your therapy sessions.
Little People toys are some of my very favorite! Children learn through play. You can target vocabulary, social routines, following directions, positional concepts, function, categories, attributes, and more. I could go on and on!
Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog
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OT Corner: 30 Stocking Sized Sensory Gifts for Special Needs Kids
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[Source: The Sensory Spectrum]
In my parent Facebook Group, Voices of SPD, several parents were asking for recommendations for Christmas stocking stuffers. The problem is, there are hundreds of great sensory stocking stuffers out there! But I know how tough it can be to whittle down the list and choose.
While sensory kids have different sensory needs, here is a broad range of wonderful sensory stocking stuffers for kids with Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, ADHD and Special Needs.
Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog
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Autism Corner: Sensory Integration Art Therapy for Kids with Autism
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by Pamela Ullmann, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT
I have written about art therapy and sensory processing before, but I believe it is worth reiterating again as I see a lot of children and teens that benefit from this. Just the other day, I had a session with a client with severe Autism and hearing impairment. As I offered him an array of paints and textural collage materials (mixed media), he began to connect with me. Although this multisensory hands-on project was messy and perhaps regressive, it still enabled him to gain a sense of trust and engage with the creative process.
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Deaf Ed Corner: Social Cognition and Theory of Mind
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[Source: Hands & Voices]
What is social cognition and theory of mind?
Humans are social animals and we spend a great deal of time in social relationships. As children develop, they gain a better understanding of peers and adults around them. They become aware that people can differ on what they believe, know, and want. Their values and goals can be different from our own. Some people call this "mindreading other people's minds". Scientists often call this kind of understanding social cognition or theory of mind.
Adults and children use our understanding of social cognition everyday. As young as 18 months of age, infants look to a parent's face for "advice" in situations, such as how should I feel about that big dog? They seem to look for information about what the parent is thinking about this situation - is it frightening or not? Later, at age 4, children can typically understand that people
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog
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