August 4, 2017
Issue 21, Volume 10
It's All About the Choices!     
          
Greetings and Happy Friday!  Please enjoy our weekly newsletter
 
News Items:
  • Robotic Device Shows Promise For Kids With Cerebral Palsy
  • Smallest Preemies Not at More Risk of Adult Mental Health Issues
  • Spanking Can Be Detrimental Even 10 Years Later
  • Scientists Rejuvinate Aging Cells From Children with Progeria
  • Dysgraphia, ADHD and Autism
  • Could Mutations and Inherited Genes Play a Role in Cerebral Palsy?
PediaStaff News and Hot Jobs 
  • Pediatric Physical Therapist - Portland, OR
  • Outpatient Pediatric Occupational Therapist - Rome, GA
  • Hot Job! Contract School SLP - Houston, TX
  • Hot Job! Pediatric Occupational Therapist - Aurora, IL
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources
  • 10 Apps to Get Kids Moving and Grooving
  • Back to School Crafts for Kids
  • 13 Kids Books to Spark Conversations About Empathy
  • 6 Ways to use Paper Bags in Speech and Language Therapy
Articles and Special Features 
  • PT Corner: Gross Motor Groups
  • OT Corner: Going Barefoot
  • Educator's Corner:  Are We Losing Play Without a 'Purpose'?
  • SLP Corner: Taking Speech Language Therapy Outside
  • School Psych Corner: How To Ensure Students Are Actively Engaged and Not Just Compliant
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 

Robotic Device Shows Promise For Kids With Cerebral Palsy
Training with a robotic device may help some kids with cerebral palsy gain strength and improve both posture and walking abilities, researcher say.

A small study suggests that a robotic system known as the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device could help those with crouch gait, a condition affecting a subset of individuals with cerebral palsy that's marked by excessive bending of the hips, knees or ankles.

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
Smallest Preemies Not at More Risk of Adult Mental Health Issues
[Source:  Psych Central]

A population health study of very preterm and very-low-birth-weight individuals finds that these early births are not associated with anxiety and mood disorders later in life.

The finding challenges earlier research that suggested increased risks. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
Spanking Can Be Detrimental Even 10 Years Later
[Source:  Science Daily]

"Long-term studies on the links among parenting, temperament and children's social behaviors have been limited, especially among racially diverse, low-income populations," said Gustavo Carlo, Millsap Professor of Diversity at MU and director of the MU Center for Family Policy and Research. "Our findings show that differences exist in the roles of parenting, temperament and self-regulation and how they impact a child's development."

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog
Scientists Rejuvinate Aging Cells From Children with Progeria
[Source:  Medical News Today]

The team, from Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas, describes the breakthrough in a research letter published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Lead investigator Dr. John Cooke, department chair of cardiovascular sciences, and colleagues were studying cells from children with progeria in order to find out more about the aging process.

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog 
Dysgraphia, ADHD and Autism
[Source: Your Therapy Source]

The Journal of Attention Disorders published research on the prevalence of dysgraphia by age across all grade levels was determined in students with ADHD or autism.  Previous research indicates that children with ADHD and autism show poorer handwriting quality (e.g., legibility, letter formation, alignment, spacing, and sizing) and reduced handwriting speed.

This study included 1034 children with normal intelligence and ADHD-Combined, ADHD-Inattentive, or autism.  Each participant completed the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).]

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog
Could Mutations and Inherited Genes Play a Role in Cerebral Palsy? 
[Source:  Science Daily]

Hemiplegic cerebral palsy hampers movement in one side of a person's body. In the first genetic study of its kind to exclusively focus on those with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a group of 26 Canadian researchers has investigated the genetic differences and hereditary factors involved in this neurodevelopmental condition. Mutations in specific parts of an individual's genetic make-up were identified. Some of these variations are inherited, while others are not, according to lead authors Mehdi Zarrei and Stephen Scherer of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and Darcy Fehlings of Holland Bloorview Kids 

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link our Blog
PediaStaff is seeking a full time Physical Therapist for the bustling Greater Portland area to work in an early intervention setting between late August and early November... possibly longer.  What greater reward than helping a child during his/her first few years of life?

* You will have the opportunity to treat children ages birth to 5.
* Your role will be to work collaboratively with parents and other caregivers to incorporate intervention strategies into the child's daily routines through education,

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
Pediatric Outpatient Occupational Therapist opportunity in Rome, Georgia where the rivers meet and the mountains begin. This northwestern city in Georgia is a find for hikers and nature lovers, about an hour from Atlanta.

*  Full Time, salaried OT position in outpatient clinic.
*  Family-friendly multi-disciplinary practice with several treating therapists on staff and growing!
*  The bulk of the population is Birth - 8
*  Will travel between both the Rome and Calhoun offices.

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
Just got this need in today!  Don't be caught working for a contract company that doesn't keep the therapist's desires top of the list!  PediaStaff only places Speech-Language Pathologist with the very best school districts where you will have the support you need to accomplish your work each day.  We offer competitive pay with a benefits package that YOU control.

*  You will be working for a supportive district where you are part of their team!
*  "Floater" position...working where the district needs you most!
*  Diagnoses are varied...but challenging

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
Therapeutic Day School at a residential treatment facility in Aurora, IL seeks an Occupational Therapist to work full time Monday-Friday

*Hours are 8:00-4:00 PM
*They operate year round, but take Fridays off in the summer
*Caseload is approximately 45 students ages 6-22 years old
*Large population of autism, 1/3 severe, non verbal, sensory, behavioral and social/emotional kiddos
*Previous experience with pediatrics/adolescents is preferred
*Some pull out/some group therapy

Learn About / Apply for This Job on our Blog
10 Apps to Get Kids Moving and Grooving
[Source: Your Therapy Source]

There is no doubt about it that kids use iPhone and iPads.  In fact, there are some scary, eye-opening statistics regarding media use and children:
  1. ages 8-10 spend about 6 hours per day in front of a screen for entertainment
  2. ages 11-14 spend about 9 hours per day in front of a screen for entertainment
  3. ages 15-18 spend about 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen for entertainment
Read the Rest of this Article on our Blog
Back to School Crafts for Kids
[Source: Growing a Jeweled Rose]

I can't believe it is almost time for the kids to go back to school!
Summer just flies by, doesn't it? Help to build excitement and get kids in the right mindset with these adorable school themed crafts.

Read More Through a Link on our Blog
13 Kids Books to Spark Conversations About Empathy
[Source:  Tiny Bop via School Psyched, Your School Psychologist on FB]

Lately, it seems like every other day, we turn on the news or open up our social media to find that another tragedy has occurred. Each time we're faced with these events, we may be overcome with sadness, frustration, and hopelessness. But in these times, it's important to have conversations with the children around us about inclusion and empathy.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It's what helps us connect to other humans, and what makes us better humans. You may be surprised to learn that empathy isn't an inborn trait, but rather one that must be learned - preferably during early childhood.

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog
6 Ways to use Paper Bags in Speech and Language Therapy
[Source:  My Speech Universe]

Looking for a cheap, easy to use therapy material?  How about paper bags?  I love using paper bags for a variety of activities.  Here are some simple ways I have incorporated paper bags into my therapy sessions.
  1.  Puppets
    My students love to use puppets to "eat" their articulation cards or other target cards.  They also love to use them to tell stories.  Making puppets from paper bags is a great, inexpensive way to engage your students in a variety of activities!  You can easily make a puppet to match any book or story that you are using.  Be creative- your kids will love it!
Read the Rest of this Article Through a LInk on our Blog
PT Corner: Gross Motor Groups
[Source:  Starfish Therapies]
We are lucky enough to be able to offer developmental play groups that are broken up based on skill. We have chosen to divide them as pre-crawlers, pre-walkers/new walkers, and toddlers. This gives parents a chance to self-select for where they think their child would fit best. Each week we have a different topic we look at and can have some talking points on. Since we are mostly PT's though, its easy to gravitate towards gross motor play. So its been fun to watch kids grow and interact through gross motor play.


OT Corner: Going Barefoot
[Source: The Inspired Treehouse]

Whether it's tennis shoes or flipflops, kids spend a lot of time wearing shoes!  And we think it's high time to let those little piggies out for a breath of fresh air!  Today, we're sharing 10 fun and simple ways to show kids that going barefoot can be tons of fun!

If you're trying to encourage a child to tolerate different textures on his feet, or a child who is reluctant to let his feet touch different surfaces, these barefoot activities for kids might just be the way to get his attention and peak his interest.


Educator's Corner:   Are We Losing Play Without a 'Purpose'?
[Source:  Education Week]

Parents generally want their children to get outside and play, but they may prefer more structured activities than adventures fueled by imagination, finds a new Gallup study.
"Many parents may not recognize the positive role that unstructured, child-led play can have on their children's development, despite the scientific research linking this type of play to the development of problem-solving skills, social cooperation, resiliency, and creativity," the report found.

Read the Rest of This Article on our Blog

SLP Corner: Taking Speech Language Therapy Outside
[Source: SLP Natalie Synders]

Is the weather ever so nice that you just want to take therapy outside for the day?  We don't get those days too often in Illinois, and it doesn't always work with what I need to target or get done in therapy, but here are some ideas I have used when I do!

Two of my favorite outdoor therapy items are sidewalk chalk and bubbles!
For sidewalk chalk, here are some ideas:

School Psych Corner:  Ensure Students Are Actively Engaged and Not Just Compliant
"It's undoubtedly hard to get all eight measures of engagement into every classroom activity, but research by John Antonetti shows that at least three can make a big difference for how much kids learn. "In classrooms where you had at least three characteristics in each assignment students demonstrated sustained cognitive engagement between 84 and 86 percent of the 

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

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