weekly header

February 18, 2011
Issue 6, Volume 5
It's All About the Choices!     
          
Greetings!  Here is our weekly offering for you from the world of scientific research, the mainstream press, the blogosphere and more - all on pediatric therapy topics.   

Enjoy! 

News Items: 
  • Study Suggests that Overweight Kids Who Exercise Improve Thinking, Math Skills  
  • Children With ADHD Much More Likely To Develop Substance Abuse Problems 
  • Gene Discovery Offers Clues To How Infants Pick Up Language  
  • Hand Movement May Give Clues to ADHD Severity  
  • 'Glee' Star to be the Face of New Nationwide 'Disable Bullying' Campaign
  • Boy Without a Cerebellum Baffles Doctors  
  • Researchers Reveal First Autism Gene That Demonstrates Sensitivity to Sex Hormones  
Therapy Activities, Tips and Resources
  • Play Activities for Children with Disabilities
  • The Thickening Booklet 
  • AOTA Autism Micro Site 

Upcoming Events

  • The Next Sensory Friendly Film:  Gnomeo and Juliet

Articles and Blogs 

  • Guest Blog: I-Therapy
  • Guest Blog: Communication and the Therapy Situation
  • Pediatric Therapy Corner: Recognition of Movement Disorders: Extrapyramidal Side Effects and Tardive Dyskinesia
  • Worth Repeating: Tongue-tie - Ankyloglossia or Short Lingual Fraenum  
  • Also Worth Repeating: Researching the Effectiveness of Sensory Integration                                                    
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
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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 jobs with PediaStaff.  To further narrow your search by state use the drop down menus on the search page to select a specific state.   If a particular search is returning no hits it is Girlpossible that we do not currently have new openings
for you in that state.

To see ALL our openings click HERE
and select the checkbox for your discipline.
Recent Speech Language Pathologist and SLPA Jobs
Recent Occupational Therapist and COTA Jobs 
Recent Physical Therapist and PTA Jobs
Recent School Psychologist Jobs

 
Hot Outpatient Job of the Week

Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Seattle Metro Area

 

Status: Full Time Direct Employee

You will love this job, really! Our client is a well known non-profit organization in the eastern Seattle metro area. They have a waiting list of kids, and need to hire two Occupational Therapists to meet the growing demand for services. If you currently work in a place where management is more focused on billable hours than the needs of the child this will be a breath of fresh air! You'll have time to do what the kids need and to collaborate with colleagues, teachers, and parents.

Full time hours, salaried position.  Center based, clinic setting.  Generous time off -- 25 days PTO plus 10 holidays!  Full benefits including health, dental and vision

Qualifications -- Must hold a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy; a current state license (or eligible). New graduates are welcome to apply.

Interested in this job? Contact PediaStaff today!..

...IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICES! 

Another Hot Outpatient Job of the Week
Pediatric Occupational Therapist - Richardson, TX    This is the perfect atmosphere for an Occupational Therapist with a pediatric background. This pediatric outpatient clinic is therapist owned and growing!

They seek an Occupational Therapist on a full time or part time basis to join their team and take full advantage of their brand new, state of the art sensory gym. It is home to a climbing wall, suspended equipment and a sensory feeding room. Therapist will have their own office space and access to Interactive Metronome, Computer tech devices and so on.

Therapists with SIPT certification and experience with sensory feeding a big plus! Schedule is flexible, salary is competitive and client offers 8 major holidays, 2 weeks vacation after 3 months of service, CEU and travel reimbursement as well as licensure reimbursement. Therapists looking to work part time after school are needed, too!

Qualifications: Must hold a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy (or grandfathered as a BS) ; a current state license (or eligible) if applicable.

Interested in this job?  Contact PediaStaff today!..

...IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICES! 

Physical Fitness in the News:  Study Suggests that Overweight Kids Who Exercise Improve Thinking, Math Skills
[Source: US News and World Report/HealthDay]

When overweight, sedentary kids start to exercise regularly, their ability to think, to plan and even to do math improves, a new study suggests.   In addition, exercise was linked to increased activity in the parts of the brain associated with complex thinking and self-control, according to brain imaging scans analyzed by the researchers.

"This implies that chronic sedentary behavior is compromising children's ability and achievement," said lead researcher Catherine Davis, a clinical health psychologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta. 

"We know that exercise is good for you, but we didn't have very good evidence [before this] that it would help children do better in school," said Davis.   Although this study was done among overweight children, she believes that similar results would be seen in normal-weight kids.

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

ADHD in the News: Children With ADHD Much More Likely To Develop Substance Abuse Problems As They Age
[Source: Medical News Today.com]

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are two to three times more likely than children without the disorder to develop serious substance abuse problems in adolescence and adulthood, according to a study by UCLA psychologists and colleagues at the University of South Carolina.

"This greater risk for children with ADHD applies to boys and girls, it applies across race and ethnicity - the findings were very consistent," said Steve S. Lee, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology and lead author of the study. "The greater risk for developing significant substance problems in adolescence and adulthood applies across substances, including nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other drugs."

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog
Language Development in the News:  Gene Discovery Offers Clues To How Infants Pick Up Language
[Source: Medical News Today]

Scientists have made a key genetic discovery that could help explain how people learn language. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found a gene - called ROBO1 - linked to the mechanism in the brain that helps infants develop speech.

They say identifying the gene could help us explain how some aspects of language learning in infants are influenced by genetic traits rather than educational factors. The scientists conducted a five - year study, assessing the language learning techniques of 538 families with upto five offspring.

They found that one version of the ROBO1 gene greatly enhanced a core component of language learning. The gene directs chemicals in brain cells that help infants store and translate speech sounds they hear into meaningful language.

Read the Rest of this Article Through a Link on our Blog
More ADHD Research in the News: Hand Movement May Give Clues to ADHD Severity
But some experts question the usefulness of the study findings

[Source: BusinessWeek/HealthDay]

Measuring hand-movement control in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may reveal insights into the brain-based differences of those with the condition, according to two new studies.

In joint research, scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore performed sequential finger-tapping experiments on youngsters with ADHD, noting that they exhibited more than twice the amount of unintentional extra or "overflow" movements than typical children on one of the two measures used.

The researchers also used a device emitting magnetic pulses to children with the disorder to measure cortical inhibition -- the brain's "braking system." They found that children with ADHD were 40 percent less able than typical children to inhibit resulting hand movements.

"We now have a real, quantifiable measure of a problem with controlling behavior in these children," said Dr. Stewart Mostofsky, senior author of the finger-tapping study and director of the Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Read the Rest of This Article and a CNN Post on this Study Through a Link on our Blog
Bullying Prevention in the News: 'Glee' Star to be the Face of New Nationwide 'Disable Bullying' Campaign

[Source: San Mateo Daily Journal]

 

"Glee" star Lauren Potter is the face of a new nationwide "Disable Bullying" campaign with local roots that aims to combat the widespread behavior against people with disabilities.

Potter, 20, plays Becky Jackson on "Glee" and has Down syndrome. She will head the campaign after a report by a local nonprofit agency indicates bullying is widespread against people with disabilities and often unreported.

Children with disabilities suffer a silent epidemic of bullying, according to a first-of-its-kind report released by AbilityPath.org yesterday.

"Bullying is every parent's fear," said Sheryl Young, chief executive officer at San Mateo-based Community Gatepath, which oversees AbilityPath.org. "For parents of children with special needs, that fear is exacerbated."

 

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
Rare Conditions in the News: Boy Without a Cerebellum Baffles Doctors
[Source: AOL News]

Heather and David Britton want everyone to understand a few things about their giggling, bespectacled 3-year-old son, Chase.

"He's happy. We call him the Little Gremlin. He loves to play tricks on people. He loves to sing. His goal in life is to make people smile," Heather Britton told AOL News.  "He's got so much love around him. We're an extremely happy family. His story is not tragic."

But to an outsider, the Brittons' story might seem heartbreaking.  Another son, Trey, was born 11 weeks early and only expected to live moments. Instead, he died six weeks after his birth in 2008, on the same day he was scheduled to receive a liver transplant. Cleared to get pregnant again, the couple was thrilled when Chase was conceived, Britton said. They were eager to give older son Alex, 13, a sibling.

Read the Rest of This Article and Watch a Video About Chase on our Blog
Autism Research in the News: Researchers Reveal First Autism Candidate Gene That Demonstrates Sensitivity to Sex Hormones
[Source: Science Daily.com]

George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

The gene, RORA, encodes a protein that works as a "master switch" for gene expression, and is critical in the development of the cerebellum as well as in many other processes that are impaired in autism. Dr. Hu's earlier research found that RORA was decreased in the autistic brain. In this study, the research group demonstrates that aromatase, a protein which is regulated by RORA, is also reduced in autistic brains.

Read the Rest of This Article Through a Link on our Blog
Therapy Resource of the Week: Play Activities for Children with Disabilities
Thank You to our friends at Your Therapy Source for giving us the 'head's up' on this week's activities!

The Alliance for Technology Access has a wonderful, free publication that you can download entitled "We Can Play". This is a 20 page document loaded with fun, adaptable ideas for children with disabilities. Topics include bike riding, accessible birthday party ideas, games for the car, cooking tips and more. Each topic is a one page document that would make a great hand out for parents and teachers.

Check it out Through Link on our Blog 

Therapy Resource of the Week: The Thickening Booklet 
Our friends at the Pediatric Adolescent Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Association sent this to us. Its a terrific guide on thickening techniques.  The booklet also includes ingredient labels of thickening products and cereals as well as information about nipples for thickened liquids.   

Read and Download the Thickening Booklet on our Blog

Therapy Resource of the Week: AOTA Autism Micro Site 
Here is a great site we just found! AOTA has developed what they are calling an "Autism Micro Site" where they have collected and organized all their information on Autism off of one easy to navigate page.

Sections on the site include: News, Practice, Continuing Education, OT Practice Articles, AJOT Articles, SIS Quarterly Articles, Books, Policy Information, Links to Autism Organizations and more.

Access This Site Through Our Blog
Upcoming Event: The Next Sensory Friendly Film: Gnomeo and Juliet
AMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the "Sensory Friendly Films" program.

In order to provide a more accepting and comfortable setting for this unique audience, the movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up and the sound turned down, families will be able to bring in their own gluten-free, casein-free snacks, and no previews or advertisements will be shown before the movie. Additionally, audience members are welcome to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing - in other words, AMC's "Silence is Golden�" policy will not be enforced unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

View Locations and Times Through a Link on our Blog

Guest Blogs This Week: Easy Speech and Language Ideas, EasyStand 
I-Therapy - By:  Shareka Bentham, SLT

Hello and a Happy New Year to everyone!

I'm back from a way too long hiatus, where I've been doing some serious procrastination with regards to updating my blog. It has been on my fancy 'to-do list' since the beginning of the year and look, one month late, here I am! While I was gone I was cruising around the Caribbean (and gaining 15 lbs while at it) and when I returned I took a huge step....I opened my own private practice. It's quite small scale to start, operating from home and doing some home and school visits, but I'm really enjoying it. I'll update you on its progress as I go through the year.

Tonight's post is about my favourite christmas present, the ipad :)

I am now officially addicted to the ipad! as a personal tool and more importantly as a therapy tool. The number of apps available for use in therapy is amazing and the children love them. It has really brought a new life to my therapy sessions. The key for those searching for apps is to not only search for those labels specific to therapy like "speech therapy" or "autism" (while they return good results too). Try searches like 'preschool', 'phonics', 'routines', 'animals' to get some fun finds. I think I get approximately 4 new apps a week (mix of paid and free) to work with in therapy. I love that I can use it with everyone, from my toddlers to my adults.

Here is how I incorporate a few of the apps into my therapy sessions:

Read the Rest of this Guest Post on our Blog
Communication and the Therapy Situation - By: Stephenie Labandz, PT

A group of therapists from one of the Twin Cities' pediatric specialty hospitals with satellite clinics serving the larger metro area recently organized a meet and greet for the school and pediatric clinical therapists in the community. It was nice to see the faces of the caring professionals whose reports I have been reading and who I have exchanged phone calls and emails with. While we talked about a variety of topics, the recurring theme was the essentialness of communication between therapists and the children and families we serve.

School and clinic therapists have different roles and perspectives. Communication is important to ensure a shared overall vision and make sure that all the child's needs are being met. We can never make assumptions about what a therapist in a different setting may or may not be addressing with a child.

One school-based Physical Therapist stated that durable medical equipment for home use should be trialed and justified by a clinic therapist because the school therapist's only obligation is for equipment that is used at school. Open therapist communication in such an instance is essential, because the clinical therapist generally has access to the child for a matter of hours in a very controlled setting. A therapist seeing the child at school or in the home may have a better idea of how variables such as environmental factors, fatigue, or caregiver support will affect equipment needs and utilization. My belief is that the professional with the best access to child and family, equipment, the environment in which the equipment will be used, and outside supports such as social work, is the professional to best help address the need. I would love to hear how others approach this issue.

 

Read the Rest of this Guest Post on our Blog 


Pediatric Therapy Corner: Recognition of Movement Disorders: Extrapyramidal Side Effects and Tardive Dyskinesia
By: Elizabeth Pulsifer Anderson and Edward B. Freeman, M.D.

Editor's Note: This article was sent to us by our friends at PAGER who have also supplied us with a great resource this week in The Thickening Booklet.

Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) is a very dangerous neurological disorder that can be caused by the types of anti-spasmodic medications often prescribed to children with Pediatric Gatroesophageal Reflux as well as several psychiatric disorders. Although psychiatrists are well acquainted with the warning signs of TD, therapists and other clinicians treating children with gastrointestinal issues may not be.

Read the Rest of this Article on our Blog

Worth Repeating:  Tongue-tie - Ankyloglossia or Short Lingual Fraenum
by:  Caroline Bowen

Caroline Bowen PhD provides speech-language pathology information and resources for consumers, professionals and students.

We thank Dr. Bowen for explicitly allowing us to link to her articles.They are all found on her Website

"The most important articulator for speech production is undoubtedly the tongue. During speech, the amazing range of movements the tongue can make include tip-elevation, grooving, and protrusion"

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

Also Worth Repeating: Researching the Effectiveness of Sensory Integration
by: Lucy Jane Miller, Ph.D., OTR, and Moya Kinnealey, Ph.D., OTR/L
Article appears in the SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation) Library.

"Sensory integration has provided the profession of occupational therapy with more research studies than any other theory or treatment approach. Although there are some methodological concerns which need to be addressed over the next decades, it is remarkable that in the short time since the development of sensory integration theory and treatment, so many research projects have been implemented and reported. This article provides a brief overview of issues germane to evaluating sensory integration efficacy research."

 

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