Summer Camps Increasingly Popular for Speech Therapy

by Jacky G. News
Roasting Marshmallows

Image source: Fourseasonsacres.com

Summer is traditionally the time when wedding planners go into overdrive mode and parents look for summer camps for their rambunctious youngsters. Summer camps used to mean dusty cabins, trips to the lake, and marshmallow roasts. These days, summer camps are hiring therapeutic staff right along with canoeing instructors. Specialty summer camps to meet the needs of children with disabilities are popping up all over. You could send your child to a camp specifically for kids with autism, kids with arthritis, or kids who are hard of hearing. There are even camps for gluten-free kids with celiac disease. Speech and language therapy summer camps are also riding the wave of specialty camp popularity. The University of Iowa SPEAKS camp is a microcosm of this trend, showing steadily rising enrollments from its inception six years ago.

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

by Jacky G. News
Woman Studying Brain

Image source: Deceptology.com

Some of us prefer to wear eco-friendly vintage clothing in timeless styles, shun social media sites like Facebook, and take our vacations the old-fashioned way: backpacking. But those who prefer more modern pursuits that verge on science fiction-esque technology might want to check out the possible future of treatments for stroke and Parkinson’s patients: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In layman’s terms, TMS is the use of a magnet to switch on or switch off certain areas of the brain.

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The Latest in Apps: Expedition with Plurals

by Jacky G. News
Baby Using iPad App

Image source: Leanderwattig.de

As the technology continues to advance, apps users expect more and more out of their devices. Virtual Speech Center Inc. is striving to meet those expectations with the release of their latest speech therapy app, Expedition with Plurals. Expedition with Plurals is an iPad app released in late May, 2012. While there is currently no iPhone version, rest assured; there are plenty of other speech therapy apps for those with smartphones instead.

It might be tough for the less technologically eager among us to embrace the use of apps for education whilst ditching old-fashioned methods, but you really don’t have to. Try using both approaches simultaneously. Speech therapy apps should never replace sessions with a certified speech-language pathologist (SLP), but they do provide a fun, engaging way for parents to do speech therapy for kids at home. Use apps in addition to other speech therapy tools and toys that are intended to encourage development.

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Mississippi Changes Speech Therapy Licenses

by Jacky G. News
Mississippi State Map

Image source: msjrc.state.ms.us

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has been shaking things up a little. In late June, 2012, reports began circulating that the agency will begin issuing new speech-language pathology licenses, starting in 2013. The state has been struggling to attract qualified speech therapists to its public school systems.

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Gabby Giffords: The Long Road to Recovery

by Jacky G. News
Gabby Giffords House Photograph

Image source: cruiseradio.net

On June 19, 2012, Ron Barber was sworn in to the House of Representatives. The former aide to Representative Gabby Giffords took her seat after winning a special election following Giffords’ resignation earlier this year. Gabrielle Giffords became a national hero on January 8, 2011, when she survived an attempted assassination. She suffered a gunshot wound to the head, which severely affected her abilities to perform basic functions, like speaking. The resultant speech disorder, called aphasia, impaired her ability to find the right words and speak in complete sentences. Giffords faced an incredibly arduous, long recovery.

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The Latest in Apps: Speak for Yourself

by Jacky G. News
Speak for Yourself App

Image source: therapyapp411.com

Educational apps can help your child expand his vocabulary, improve his articulation skills, and learn how to use complete sentences. Some apps even function as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, giving a voice to nonverbal children and those with limited speech. One of these AAC apps, Speak for Yourself, is in the middle of a patent dispute that threatens to eliminate this means of communication for nonverbal children.

The Basics

Who: Apple Inc., the company that produced the app, and Prentke Romich Co., together with Semantic Compaction Systems (PRC/SCS).

What: PRC/SCS have filed a patent lawsuit alleging that Apple is guilty of patent infringement and copyright infringement.

Why: PRC/SCS have taken issue with Speak for Yourself’s use of multiple meanings associated with one icon. For example, an apple could represent “red” or “eat.”

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