Inclusive Classrooms & Friendships for Children with Disabilities

[Source:  Science Daily]

For parents of children with disabilities, the concern is even greater as four-out-of-10 of their children will enter kindergarten without the social skills necessary to develop close friendships. The response from schools has been to create inclusive classrooms, where a significant number of students with disabilities now receive the majority of their education and are believed to have a better chance at developing close relationships with peers.

Young People Make Lightest, Least Expensive Motorized Wheelchair

[Source:  Beyond Basic Play] 
 

Highlights from the Article: Tanner and Skyler Jensen are like any young siblings. They play together, they fight over silly things and they are hard to keep up with.

Standing Desks Can Reduce Classroom Behavior Problems

[Source: Psych Central]

 A new study finds students with standing desks are more attentive than their seated counterparts, and, as a bonus, the students burn more calories.

Researchers from the Texas A&M School of Public Health found that the standing desks improved classroom attention-engagement by 12 percent, or an extra seven minutes per hour of engaged instruction time.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, were based on a study of almost 300 children in second through fourth grade who were observed over the course of a school year.

Children with ADHD More Likely to Have Eating Disorder

[Source:  Medical News Today]
 

A new study has suggested that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely than other children to also have loss of control eating syndrome - a condition similar to binge eating disorder. The finding suggests the two conditions may share a common biological mechanism.

Loss of control eating syndrome shares many diagnostic criteria with adult binge eating disorder, including an inability to stop eating even if the individual wants to.

MRI Evidence Supports Reading to Young Children

[Source: Psych Central]
 

New MRI evidence shows that reading to young children is linked to differences in brain activity associated with early reading skills. The research will be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in San Diego.
 

"We are excited to show, for the first time, that reading exposure during the critical stage of development prior to kindergarten seems to have a meaningful, measurable impact on how a child's brain processes stories and may help predict reading success," said study author John Hutton, M.D., researcher at the Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Dyslexic Kids Do Not Detect Stressed Syllables Well While Listening  

[Source:  Medical Express]
 

Placement of the Week:  Outpatient OT for Fredericksburg, VA

Congratulations to Julie S., new graduate OTR/L on her placement with PediaStaff's outpatient pediatric client in Fredericksburg, Virginia!!
 

Julie will be working for a therapist-owned, multidisciplinary clinic that has a brand new facility with two OT gyms, fine motor rooms and an OT work room.   The position offers a generous salary and a supportive team environment.
 

Great Job, Julie!!

Hot Jobs: PTs and OTs for San Antonio, Texas

PediaStaff has a variety of opportunities in the greater San Antonio area for OTs and PTs..  Here is a sample of our offerings:

Client #1:

Here's a new opportunity for an Occupational Therapist in Bexar County in San Antonio. Our client provides early intervention and home health to an all pediatric population. The caseload is varied and includes children with neurological disorders such as CP and Down's as well as kids with autism and developmental delays that experience sensory issues, fine motor delays, etc . Here are the details of the position:

Read More and Apply on our Blog!

Hot Job: Sign Language Interpreter Job School - Central, CA  

Currently hiring California school-based, full time Sign Language Interpreters (ASL) These positions would be working with students in their classrooms.
 

Qualifications: National certification by the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment® (EIPA).  Must reach proficiency level of 4.0 on the EIPA, ESSE or NAD/AACE Exam.
 

Competitive pay based on your level of relevant experience and per diem eligibility based on IRS guidelines.
 

Respond now and learn how YOU can be a part of our team.  There is never a charge to applicants and new graduates are always encouraged to apply.

Fine Motor Crafts:  Sticky Paper Bookmarks

Another Fine Motor Activity of the Week: Pool Noodle & Pom Poms

[Source:  School Time Snippets]
 

We brought out the pool noodles we used last summer to work on fine motor skills by building sculptures and gave them new life in our latest fine motor activity involving pom poms and tweezers.

Grab a pool noodle, several pom poms, a pair of tweezers and you have a simple but fun way to work on fine motor skills.
 

Our pool noodle was already cut from our previous activity, but to prep your activity cut the pool noodle into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces using a sharp knife.  Then set up your activity by placing the sliced pool 

SLP Resource of the Week:  May is BHSM!  Ideas from ASHA 

[Source: ASHA]

Each May, Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders and role of ASHA members in providing life-altering treatment.

For 2015, our theme is "Early Intervention Counts." We have many resources to help you celebrate all month long. Please check back for the latest materials and information on BHSM activities.

Pediatric Therapy Freebie of Week: Updated Feelings Book