July 7, 2017
Issue 21, Volume 10
It's All About the Choices!     
          
Greetings and Happy Friday

Please enjoy this abbreviated holiday edition of our weekly newsletter.
 
News Items:  
  • Treating PTSD in Children in Just a Few Hours
  • Playground Offers Kids With ASD A Space Of Their Own
  • UCLA Study: More Evidence for the Gut-Brain Connection
  • Blood of SIDS Infants Contains High Levels of Serotonin
  • New Genetic Syndrome Identified May Offer Answers for Puzzled Parents
PediaStaff News and Hot Jobs 
  • Hot Jobs: Early Intervention Opportunities in Alaska! OT and SLP! 
  • Hot Job:  Pediatric Outpatient OT - San Marcos, TX
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources
  • Rhyming Whales Freebie!
  • 10 Finger Games to Play!
Articles and Special Features 
  • Sensory Corner: Sensory Room 101
  • Pediatric Therapy Corner: How to Spot and Treat Anxiety in Children
  • AAC Corner: How I Do It: A Year of Core Words in Action
  • PT Corner:  Crossing Midline
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
8

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. 
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Recent Occupational Therapist and COTA Jobs 

Treating PTSD in Children in Just a Few Hours
[Source: Psych Central]

Children and teens with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be successfully treated with only a few hours of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or cognitive behavioral writing therapy (CBWT), according to a new study by the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and GGZ Rivierduinen (Trauma Center for Children and Youth).

PTSD is a psychiatric condition which can develop after exposure to a traumatic event. Symptoms may include severe anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, irritability, hostility and depression.

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
Feel Playground Offers Kids With ASD A Space Of Their Own
[Source:  Disability Scoop]

A new play area in Zelienople may look like a regular playground, but for the kids at Glade Run Lutheran Services it is so much more.

The playground, which had its public grand opening this week, is one of less than a dozen in the country designed specifically with children who have autism in mind.

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
UCLA Study: More Evidence for the Gut-Brain Connection
[Source: Psych Daily]

In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that microbiota in the gut interacts with brain regions associated with mood and behavior in healthy humans. The findings add to the growing body of evidence of a significant link between the gut and the brain.

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog
Blood of SIDS Infants Contains High Levels of Serotonin
[Source:  Science Daily]

Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The finding raises the possibility that a test could be developed to distinguish SIDS cases from other causes of sleep-related, unexpected infant death. 

The study, led by Robin L. Haynes, Ph.D., of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog 
New Genetic Syndrome ID'ed May Offer Answers for Puzzled Parents
[Source:  Medical X-Press]

Researchers have identified a rare genetic syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, seizures, an abnormal gait and distinctive facial features. The scientists pinpointed variants in the WDR26 gene as causes for this distinctive, yet unnamed condition. Their early research provides initial information for counseling patients and families coping with uncertainties for children with the rare, poorly recognized condition.

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog
Here's a great opportunity to work with a dedicated team of therapists while enjoying all that the Last Frontier of Alaska has to offer.  Seeking both a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist to work full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm in an Early Intervention setting with a transdisciplinary team.   CFYs are welcome to apply; supervision available.

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
Established outpatient pediatric clinic in San Marcos, TX seeks a full time Occupational Therapist to join their team.  This is an immediate need!  The therapist will spend 80 - 90% of their time in the clinic and may see a few kiddos in a school setting.

* Clinic is part of a larger group of clinics and home health providers with offices in several cities in Texas.
* Caseload consists of a variety of disorders, mild to severe.
* Clinic hours are 8-6 M-Th and 8-12 on Friday
* Client prefers a therapist with experience/would consider a strong new grad
* Salary based on experience

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
Rhyming Whales Freebie!
[Source: Classroom Freebies]

Rhyming puzzles Under the Sea. Are you looking for some FUN rhyming activities? These puzzles would make for an AWESOME back to school or summer activity! Get kids reading words and matching the rhyming sounds.

 Download This Freebie Through a Link on our Blog
10 Finger Games to Play!
[Source:  Your Therapy Source]

Are you ever looking for finger games to play with just your hands? All pediatric therapists love a good game that requires no equipment right? They are great to play to practice finger isolation, timing and dexterity. Try using the games as a warm up activity for handwriting tasks or fine motor skill practice. Here are 10 finger games to play that require no equipment or preparation:

Learn More Through a LInk on our Blog
Sensory Corner:  Sensory Room 101
[Source:  Edutopia]

After we published a video about a special room designed to help autistic kids calm and focus themselves, you had questions. Here's what it takes to create this kind of space.
A sensory room-a therapeutic space with a variety of equipment that provides students with special needs with personalized sensory input-helps these children calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.

In April, Edutopia published the story of Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut, including a video about the district's sensory room at Hanover Elementary School, which provides support services for students with a wide range of special needs.


Pediatric Therapy Corner:  How to Spot and Treat Anxiety in Children
[Source:  Scholastic.com]

Marla Booth* thought she was giving her daughter Madison a leg up by sending her to a well-regarded private school. But instead of coming home every day filled with excitement about what she was learning, her third-grader would dissolve into tears as she faced up to three hours of homework each night.

It took time for the Severn, MD, mom to realize it, but the school's celebrated focus on exceeding standards wasn't helping her daughter get ahead - rather, it was making her ill. "Madison's problems stemmed from anxiety," Booth can today admit.


AAC Corner:  How I Do It: A Year of Core Words in Action
[Source: PrAACtical AAC]

Some of the best resources are the ones that we can modify to use in ways that fit our own specific needs. In this post, SLP Kim Hurley, a graduate of Indiana University, shares her experiences in experimenting with the Year of Core Vocabulary approach. 

Kim has spent the past 15 years as a specialist for students with moderate and severe disabilities or complex communication needs in educational settings. Currently, she is employed by Forest Hills Special Education Cooperative, serving students in rural Monroe and Owen Counties in south central Indiana. Enjoy!

Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog

PT Corner: Crossing Midline
[Source:  Starfish Therapies]

Crossing midline is the ability for your hands, feet, and eyes to move across your body. Being able to cross midline is an important skill for children to develop as it is needed to complete everyday tasks such as, putting on shoes, reading, writing, and ball skills. Crossing midline includes visually tracking. 

Visually tracking includes your child's ability to move their eyes across midline without moving their head, which is an important skill for reading. Being able to cross midline allows for your child's brain to make connections from 

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