August 30, 2013
Issue 28, Volume 6
It's All About the Choices!     
          
Greetings!

Most everyone is either back or getting back to school soon.  Hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is well rested.   Please enjoy this week's newsletter and your long weekend!
 
News Items:
  • LASA Robotics Makes Awesome Tricked Out Wheelchair For Boy With Cerebral Palsy (VIDEO)
  • Effects of Visual and Auditory Input on Postural Control in Children with Autism
  • Omega-3 Reduces ADHD Symptoms in Rats
  • Kids with Autism Favor Movement over Pretend Play, Study Finds
  • New Documentary on Dyslexia Explores its Challenges and Opportunities
  • Handwriting and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
PediaStaff News
  • PediaStaff to Give Away Toobaloo Headsets at ASHA 2013! 
  • Featured Jobsof the Week:  Pediatric Occupational Therapists for Texas 
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources
  • OT Activity of the Week: Colorful Cheerios Designs
  • Speech-Language Activity of the Week: Kids Like Whack-A-Mole? You'll All Love Whack-A-Word!
  • OT Product Review: The Tran-Quill Pencil 
  • App Review of the Week: Slow Tunes - Great for Childhood Apraxia of Speech!
  • Sensory Activity of the Week - Tactile Matching! 

Articles and Special Features 

  • SLP Corner: Suddenly "Nonverbal": My Experience in Brazil
  • Pediatric Therapy Corner: 8 Getting to Know You Activities for Pediatric Therapy
  • Focus on EI: Examples of the Use of Gestures and Problem Solving in Early Intervention
  • Worth Repeating: Determining WHY a Child is a "Picky Eater" 
  • Worth Repeating: Visual Timers Can Boost Productivity and Self-Esteem
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





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. 
Girl
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.
Recent Occupational Therapist and COTA Jobs 

School Psychologist Jobs 

Technology in the News: LASA Robotics Makes Awesome Tricked Out Wheelchair For Boy With Cerebral Palsy (VIDEO)

Editor's Note:  Thanks to Heidi Brislin of the Pediatric Occupational Therapists Group on Facebook for this great link!!

[Source: Huffington Post]

 

California resident Daniel Cope suffers from cerebral palsy, but that never stopped him from dreaming of hiking with his family. With the help of some friends from the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) Robotics team in Austin, Texas, Cope's dream became a reality.

  

Read More and Watch Video on our Blog

Postural Control and Autism in the News:  Effects of Visual and Auditory Input on Postural Control in Children with Autism

[Source:  Your Therapy Source via Gait and Posture]

Gait and Posture published research on the postural control of children with autism under two different task conditions.  Nineteen children with autism (ages 10-15) were compared to 28 typically developing peers.  Using a force platform to assess postural control, each subject completed a visual searching task and an auditory digital span task. The following results were seen:

 Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog

Nutrition Therapy in the News:  Omega-3 Reduces ADHD Symptoms in Rats 

[Source: Science Daily]

 

[Source: Science Daily] A new multidisciplinary study shows a clear connection between the intake of omega-3 fatty acids and a decline in ADHD symptoms in rats. Researchers at the University of Oslo have observed the behaviour of rats and have analyzed biochemical processes in their brains. The results show a clear improvement in ADHD-related behaviour from supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, 

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog

Autism Research in the News:  Kids with Autism Favor Movement over Pretend Play, Study Finds  

[Source: Special Ed Post]

 

When free to choose, kids with autism pick games that engage their senses and avoid games that ask them to pretend, a new study finds.

 

Experts said the results are not surprising. It's known, for instance, that when children do not show an interest in pretend play, such as "feeding" a doll, by about age 2, that is a potential sign of an autism spectrum disorder.  

 

 Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog

Dyslexia in the News:  New Documentary on Dyslexia Explores its Challenges and Opportunities  

[Source: Special Ed Post]

"Embracing Dyslexia" is a documentary about trying educate people on the social impacts of the reading disorder.

Holly York, a leading educational consultant focused on helping adults and children with dyslexia, is an executive producer of a new, groundbreaking documentary on the subject.

York contributed significantly to the making of "Embracing Dyslexia," which examines the challenges and opportunities of people who have dyslexia. Throughout the process, she offered expert guidance and professional insight to the film's director, Luis Macias, after the

 

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog

Handwriting in the News:  Handwriting and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 

[Source:  The American Journal of Occupational Therapy via Your Therapy Source]

 

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published research on functional handwriting performance in school aged children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).  Handwriting skills were evaluated in 20 children with FASD.  The following results were recorded:
  • participants performed below average on the Process Assessment of the Learner, 2nd Edition (PAL-II) measures of handwriting legibility and speed 
Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog

PediaStaff News:  PediaStaff to Give Away Hands-Free Toobaloo Headsets at ASHA 2013   

We are very excited to announce that PediaStaff will be giving away the brand-new Toobaloo Hands Free Headsets (in addition to our 'famous' Toobaloos) at #ASHA13 in Chicago this year!   Stay tuned for more info as we get closer to November.   Who is going to ASHA? 

 

 Take a Look at the Brand New Toobaloo Headsets on the PediaStaff Instagram Feed

Featured Jobs of the Week:  Pediatric Occupational Therapists - Throughout Texas   

PediaStaff has ongoing needs for occupational therapists at our a variety of clients throughout all of Texas - especially in both Houston and San Antonio.

Opportunities exist for school-based OTs, outpatient clinic and home health / early intervention.

Caseload would vary depending on the number of hours you want to work.   Outstanding employment situations are available for full-time, part-time and PRN needs.

 

Read More and Search our Texas OT Openings on our Blog

OT Activity of the Week:  Colorful Cheerios Designs   

Last week I took a late lunch to exercise.  While I was on the stationary bike, a Cheerios commercial comes on.    A boy is taking a handful of Cheerios and making designs on the kitchen table.   The sister wanders over, notices what her brother is doing, and not to be outdone raids the pantry of several boxes

 

 Read the Rest of this Idea on our Blog

Speech Language Activity of the Week: Kids Like Whack-A-Mole? You'll All Love Whack-A-Word!   

[Source: Peachie Speechie]

Another great thrift shop find! This Whac-A-Mole game is a new addition to my collection and I just love it. Look at how cute these little moles are:

The only thing I don't adore about this game is the noise. It beeps and talks and lights up so it isn't the best when I am trying to hear the kids. But they were desperate to play it. Desperate to whack something. So, I printed out some free minimal pair cards from Activity Tailor, & Whack-A-Word was

 

 Read the Rest of this Activity Through a Link on our Blog

OT Product Review:  The Tran-Quill Pencil   

[Source"  Toys Are Tools]

Review by:  Susan L. Roberts, MDiv, OTR/L

 

One of the most enjoyable parts of this job is that I have the privilege of trying out new gadgets that help kids in school.  We certainly have our share of academic struggles and so I was excited to try a pencil that had been on my mind for quite some time.  It is basically just a pencil but the cool part is that it vibrates.  Yes, vibrates and that really is the cool part.

 

 Read the Rest of the Review Through a Link on our Blog

App Review of the Week:  Slow Tunes - Great for Childhood Apraxia of Speech   

'Editor's Note: I must get four or five requests a month from app developers asking PediaStaff to feature an app on our blog.  This is the first one that has really driven home the idea that 'necessity is the mother of invention', and at the same time really touched me.  The developer of SlowTunes, Brian Stokes - is a "CAS Dad."  He came up with the idea of SlowTunes after his daughter 'burned holes' in their copy of "Time to Sing," a collection of children's songs slowed down for kids with Apraxia of Speech.   Brian says, "we were going insane listening to the same 12 or so songs!  I realized there had to be a way to slow down all her favorite music."  And so SlowTunes was born.  

by Margaret, "Dee" Fish, M.S., CCC-SLP

 

I had the pleasure of using and reviewing an application that has been incredibly reinforcing and my students. This app is called SlowTunes. The concept is simple. Choose a song from your music library on your iPhone, in my case, iTunes, and add it to your SlowTunes song list. The song can be played

 Read the Rest of This App Review on our Blog
[Source"  Toys Are Tools]

Review by:  Susan L. Roberts, MDiv, OTR/L

 

One of the best things about taking PediaStaff to Instagram so far has been the chance to go back through some of our best pins on Pinterest - especially those that are explained well with a single photo - and re-feature them on Instagram.   Here is one of our all-time favorites:

 

Tactile Matching! -  Use a funnel to fill balloons with pantry items of varying textures (rice,

 

Learn More About This Idea on our Blog

SLP Corner: Suddenly "Nonverbal": My Experience in Brazil

by Pat Mervine, MS - CCC- SLP

For the second summer in a row, my husband and I traveled to Brazil to visit our son, Gregg, and daughter-in-law, Adi. This year was extra special, as we also met our new grandson, just three months old.  Gregg has lived in Brazil for three years and speaks Portuguese like a native.  Fortunately for us, our lovely Brazilian daughter-in-law speaks fluent English.  For months prior to both trips, my husband worked at a self-study course in Portuguese.  Being rather fluent in Spanish, he assumed that it wouldn't be too difficult to master this new language.  He was wrong;  there are major differences in word order, gender, vocabulary, even pronunciation of consonants and vowels that make Portuguese one tough language to learn unless you go the "total emersion"

 

Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog

Pediatric Therapy Corner: 8 Getting to Know You Activities for Pediatric Therapy

[Source: Your Therapy Source]

Some of you have already started the school year and some of you will begin over the next few weeks. Get to know your new students with these ideas:

 

1. Write a letter to your students telling them about yourself. Perhaps let them know your favorite food, color, movie and more. Tell them about a summer vacation you took. Tell them your favorite things to do outdoors and your favorite type of exercise. Explain to them some of the things that you use or will do during therapy sessions. Request that the student write you back answering some questions that you have asked.

Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog


Focus on EI: Examples of the Use of Gestures and Problem Solving in Early Intervention

by Carrie Manchester - MS, CCC-SLP

Picture if you will, a small child sitting in a highchair.  A brightly colored toy sits just out of reach. As you observe, the child makes eye contact with you, reaches for the toy, then looks back at you.  What do you do?

 

Chances are you give the toy to the child! This child did not use words to let you know what they wanted, and yet you figured it out!  Maybe you're a mind reader...more likely you have picked up on the nuances of nonverbal communication.

 

What is nonverbal communication?  In simple terms, it's the ability to convey a thought or idea to another person without talking. We use nonverbal communication every day - we raise our fingers to our lips to signal quiet, we smile and wave to a friend to say hello, and we put our  


Worth Repeating: Determining WHY a Child is a "Picky Eater"

[Source:  Fooducate]

  

by Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP

 

Tried all the "expert tips" on how to get your kid to eat vegetables or become a more adventurous eater?  Shopped together, gardened together, cooked together?  Created elaborate bento boxes that rival fine art?  Why is it that your picky eater is still stuck on chicken nuggets and refuses to take just one bite of a new food, when you've followed the advice of so many authorities on raising a healthy eater?

I'm one of those "experts" and here's my own piece of advice: No two kids are alike.  For many kids,  it's a joyful process discovering new foods!  But for others, it's more 

  

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog

Also Worth Repeating: Visual Timers Can Boost Productivity and Self-Esteem

[Source:  Special-ism]

Time to a child can be so elusive and unimportant, yet its pressure can be extremely limiting and even debilitating.  For children, teens, and even adults with executive function issues, time can be an unrelenting enemy. However, with some creativity, time can quickly become an ally and even boost accomplishment, well-being, and productivity.

The Effects of Procrastination
Often adults with ADHD live on the edge of time.  The pressure of a last-minute deadline and the adrenaline rush of that "do-or-die" moment created because of consistent procrastination

 

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog

Did You Get This From a Friend?

 

Sign Up For Your Copy of This Newsletter!

Would you like pediatric and school-based therapy tips, resources, articles, and news delivered to your computer once a week? Sign up here for our newsletter!

Sign up HERE
Quick Links to PediaStaff
If you would like to opt out of receiving this newsletter, there is a link located in the footer below. However, please note that once you've opted out, we will be unable to send you any future correspondence via newsletter.
Please Note:  The views and advice expressed in articles, videos and other pieces published in this newsletter are not necessarily the views and advice of PediaStaff or its employees but rather that of the author.  PediaStaff is not endorsing or implying agreement with the views or advice contained therein, rather presenting them for the independent analysis and information of its readers.