Tech Assist

Hands-on learning games are a great way of helping your child build his expressive language skills. Being able to express one's self is a crucial skill that affects every aspect of your child's life. Not being able to explain himself, persuade his listeners, or simply share a funny event because he has an expressive language disorder can seriously impact your child 's self-esteem. Imagine being unable to explain why you had a bad day in class, or why you want to go to a friend's house. Or, what if you wanted to convince your sister to let you borrow her bike, but you didn't have the words you needed to persuade her? You may find your child is easily frustrated, since he can't use language...

It is the start of a new year; this is a time where most people attempt to think about the ways in which they can improve their life. Some of these people will have a speech impediment and may have decided that 2008 will be the year that they attempt to achieve fluency. In this article I am going to be writing about the different forms of speech therapy courses that are available. Firstly let me introduce myself, I am Steve Hill, aged thirty four, from Birmingham in the UK. I am somebody who suffered with a stutter or a stammer as some people call it, from the ages of four to twenty-two. Those of you who have this form of speech impediment will know exactly how it can affect one's life, however for...

Why you have a Lisp in the first place... A lisp is a form of speech impediment in which someone has difficulty pronouncing sibilant letters like S and Z. These letters tend to emerge with a "th" sound in someone with a lisp; the word "lisp," for example, would sound like "lithp." In addition to causing communication problems, a lisp can also cause psychological problems, because people with lispslispslisps are often mocked or stigmatized. If a lisp is caught early, it can be treated with the assistance of a speech therapist. The cause of a lisp can vary. In some instances, the cause is physiological, and the patient has some sort of deformity or medical condition which causes a lisp. For example...

Children are some of life's best surprises. For many, they are the blessings that complete one's very existence in this world. That is why parents are naturally anxious about their children's health and wellness. They want to make sure that their children are equipped to deal with different situations and emerge successful in life. If you're a parent, then you know how important it is to nurture your child's development as early as possible. For one thing, speech therapy materials can greatly help parents with stuttering children. One of the challenges that parents meet upon raising their bundles of joy is stuttering, a common disorder among children. Stuttering is not as simple as what television...

I often wonder why speech therapists and other so called specialists continue to advise that there is no known cure for stammering. It is widely known, especially here in the UK, that for people who are determined to work hard and who are prepared to put in the required amount of practice that stammering can be overcome. What's more many many people have managed to achieve fluency and are now able to enjoy a life free from the fear of stammering. I am asked on a regular basis whether there is a cure for stammering. The people asking the question have often been mis-informed by their local speech therapist and are then more than pleased to be told differently. The majority of people who have a...

Are you looking for a speech course for stammering or stuttering? Do you want to eradicate your stutter from your life? Has your stutter had a damaging affect on your overall levels of self-confidence and self-esteem? These are three questions which I would have answered yes to as I entered into adult life. I had had a stutter since the age of four and was eager to find a solution to my problems. I certainly could not contemplate having to live my whole life with this form of speech impediment. As a youngster my parents had taken me to see the local speech and language therapist however this did not really help me. In fact I continued to attend various forms of speech and language therapy classes...

Emails are not only being used for the purpose of connecting with friends and families, but the professional use of emails have increased all over by many folds. This increase in emails is due to the reason that it takes less of time to be delivered and all the information could be included in it. When you are multitasking, sending emails is a much better option than calling the other person. Emailing is becoming such as essential that there are times when you have to reply to emails on certain time. Due to road blocks and increase in the duration of commute, you might not be able to reply on times. To cater such situation, you need to have something like a listen to emails device which could enable...

When the bursting of a blood vessel or blockage causes an interruption in the blood flow to the brain and a patient experiences a stroke, sometimes this damages portions within the left hemisphere of the brain that are responsible for controlling language. This condition is called aphasia which is a language disorder that impairs the ability to express and comprehend language as well as read or write. This condition can also co-exist with a speech disorder such as apraxia or dysarthria of speech. In some cases this condition is only temporary and the patient will recover within a few hours or a few days without treatment, however, in the majority of cases recovery will not be as quick and the...

Many people around the world, both young and old, struggle with stuttering. Most of these stutterers will more than likely avoid conversations with anyone for fear of embarrassing themselves. Often times they will avoid people altogether and not interact with anyone. They don't know how to fix stuttering so they become hermits. Though it is a huge problem with many people, it is possible to learn how to fix stuttering. In fact, it is highly likely to completely cure stuttering all together with just a few simple techniques. Imagine a life free of fear and embarrassment. I would like to take a moment and show you three of the most popular ways to fix stuttering. Speech Therapy Speech therapy has...

Special needs of children will occupy huge space in the general list. Special needs of children will differ and each child will have their special needs and wants. When children's special needs are satisfied, then they are the one who enjoy with their satisfied special needs. Special needs of the children differ as each individual differs from each other and also wants also differs. Children special needs will basically comprises of autism books, Cando band, child motivation, educational playsets and software, fine motor or handwriting or skills, early learning, sensory integration, clics toys, physical therapy, indoor swing, wooden puzzles, occupational therapy and toddler bicycle and many other...

I am sometimes asked about tongue thrust--what it is, how it impacts speech, and what to do about it. All babies have a tongue thrust or reverse swallow. When the baby swallows, his tongue pushes forward toward his gums or front teeth, if he has them. Think about feeding a baby pureed food. The baby's tongue pushes forward, pushing some of the food back out of his mouth. The adult scoops the food off his lips and face with the spoon and puts it back in his mouth and the cycle continues. As babies mature, they learn, not only to keep their lips closed when they swallow, but to effectively move the food back toward the throat with a more mature swallow. In the mature swallow, the tongue tip is held on...

Because Arabic is a Semitic language, it differs significantly from English, which has a European language base. Native Arabic speakers may have a particularly difficult time with the aspects of English which do not exist in Arabic, such as certain consonants including v and g, many vowels and diphthongs, and a variety of consonant clusters. The missing consonants v and g may be some of the easiest sounds to work on, because very similar sounds do exist in Arabic. These two sounds are the voiced counterparts to the unvoiced sounds fand k. Both the f and v sounds are produced by placing the top teeth lightly on the lower lip and blowing. To change the f to a v sound, the voice must be turned on. When...

During the heyday of the analogue reel to reel tape recorders in the 1960's-70's there were many manufacturers, but the Studer/Revox recorders were probably best known in the domestic market. Although no longer manufactured these machines are still extremely popular to enthusiasts. The Willi Studer company was founded in 1948 and in 1949 their first tape recorder, the Dynavox was developed, which was an instant success. In 1951 Willi Studer founded the company ELA AG with Hans Winzeler and the Dynavox was renamed and became the first Revox tape recorder, the T26. The first professional reel to reel tape recorder was also launched in this year, the prototype Studer 27, which went into mass production...

Thanks to an ever-increasing availability of assistive playing aids, the number of people with disabilities who play golf these days is higher than ever before. Although figures vary from study to study, current research points to 6.8 million disabled American players currently using assistive devices in their golf game. Ranging from remote control golf carts to magnetic ball markers - and countless products in between - golf aids for the handicapped are designed to provide a wide array of empowering benefits. Whether decreasing or eliminating the need for bending and stooping, improving mobility, or enabling an individual in a wheelchair to play from a seated position, assistive technology has one...

Stuttering, or stammering as it is known in the UK, is characterised by a person finding it difficult to speak. A person may experience blocks in speech, a tense face, while repeating words. These are also known as the outward features of stuttering. However, stuttering is much more than just struggling to speak. It is also about how it makes a person feel from inside - the hidden aspects of stuttering. A great model developed by famous Speech and Language Pathologist, Joseph Sheehan, is called the Iceberg Theory of Stuttering. The idea behind this analogy is that the tip of an iceberg is the outward manifestations of stuttering; namely the speech blocks, and the physical difficulties to speak...

The decision to accept a feeding tube can often be extremely difficult, with patients expressing fear that they may "never eat again," or family members worrying that placement of a feeding tube represents a terminal stage in the disease progression. Any decision to place a feeding tube should always, first and foremost, be done with regard to what the individual, the patient, wants. If they are clear thinking and able to express their wishes, those wishes should be respected. If the patient is unconscious or unable to communicate, than a health care surrogate, the person speaking on their behalf, will have to make that decision, based on prior preferences expressed by the individual. There is no...

The field of science known as pathology is very diverse and focuses on the study of diseases. In this field there are a variety of careers and a number of different routes of training people can take. A pathologist may work in a lab analysing outbreaks of diseases and studying their consequences or they may work in a hospital running tests on blood samples of patients. As one of the oldest medical disciplines, pathology dates back as far as the 8th century in the Islamic golden age when doctors began to apply a degree of scientific information in the diagnosis of their patients by making links between the causes and results of diseases. One of the oldest pathological methods was identifying diabetes...

By reading a variety of books, magazines, and newspapers, students gain exposure to complex vocabulary, and reading becomes a prime opportunity for learning new words. ... Given the importance of reading to lexical development in school-age children and adolescents, reading should be promoted as a leisure activity during these years. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2005 Literacy is vital to language development. It seems pretty obvious, but it is something we may sometimes forget. Parents of kids who don't like reading are passionate about getting them to read "good books." A group of researchers at the University of Oregon recently investigated what older children and young adolescents actually like...

When you apply for Social Security, you'll notice that medical information is mentioned often throughout the application and in other disability documents. This is because medical evidence is often the core of the Social Security Disability and SSI process. Social Security cannot make a decision on your claim without medical evidence. Here we will discuss five factors to consider while gathering medical evidence and what Social Security considers "credible evidence." Factor #1: Evidence must be from an "acceptable medical source." Sources considered acceptable include licensed Medical Doctors, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Speech Pathologists, and Psychologists. Some exceptions may apply according to...

Individuals with chronic renal failure and uremia show a constellation of symptoms, signs, and laboratory abnormalities additionally to those observed in acute kidney injury. This reflects the long-standing and progressive nature of their renal impairment and its results on many kinds of tissues. Thus, osteodystrophy, neuropathy, bilateral little kidneys shown by abdominal ultrasonography, and anemia are typical initial findings that recommend a chronic course for a individual newly diagnosed with renal failing about the basis of elevated BUN and serum creatinine. One of the most typical cause of continual renal failing is diabetes mellitus, adopted closely by hypertension and glomerulonephritis...

As the saying goes, 'play is a child's work'. Research has shown that, with the exception of children who are very disadvantaged or severely disabled, between 3% and 20% of children's time and energy is typically spent in play. That's a big part of your child's day. Pretend play is what kids do to learn about their world and understand how to interact with the people and things that are in it. While it might look simple, there's actually quite a lot happening when children use their imaginations to engage in their fantasy world. Problem solving, skill building, language development, overcoming physical and mental challenges, it's all going on behind the scenes when kids engage in pretend play. So...

In Miami home health care is becoming more prevalent because of the overcrowding of hospitals. While that's not a bad thing, elderly care in Miami is beneficial to those who have very limited mobility. The specialization for elderly care professions range from nurses to speech pathologists. Where elderly care in Miami is especially important are for members of assisted or retirement communities. Make no mistake about it, senior citizens need the deepest amount of healthcare and regardless of where they live. Imagine the benefits of having elderly care. There is no risk of an emergency in the transportation of patients from the home to the hospital. Home health is becoming more prevalent because of...

The right hearing aid can make a profound difference in the life of a hard of hearing person. The bad news, however, is that finding the correct device can entail a long search. Even when there are no unexpected complications, the selection and fitting process contains multiple stages and will take time. Anyone who is looking for this kind of treatment will need to be patient, as will the friends and family assisting them. If you are looking for an assistive listening device, the steps you will likely be going through include: Full evaluation - If you or your doctor suspects you have an ear condition, you will need a more in-depth exam than the standard hearing test administered during routine check...

ign="center"> Speech disorders affect millions of people worldwide, and in particular stuttering still remains an enigma today. Stuttering has been on medical records for centuries and yet there are still many unanswered questions about it. Stuttering prevents a personal from having a flowing speech pattern, they may get stuck on certain words, repeat them over and over again and prolong syllables repeatedly, and even stop short in a sentence. It can also be accompanied by unusual jerky body movements. Current thinking suggests there are four primary causes of stuttering. The first is genetic, whereby stuttering can be traced back to other members of the family. Secondly, stuttering can be an early...

Stuttering is an impediment. It is characterized by disruptions in producing sounds which affects the fluency of speech. This disability usually starts to children, who at a very young age, are exposed to the pressures of meeting new set of faces in a new environment, to include talking to them. The worse thing is, childhood stuttering might last throughout life if it remains unattended and untreated. Most people who have been found out with the stuttering condition, have the difficulty of gaining self confidence, which is supposed to be the prime tool in facing and dealing with others. Adult stuttering is worse than that of a child. These adult stutterers are emotionally and psychologically...

It can be some what of a lonely place to be, it is a life full of frustration, a life full of dreams, full of hope but also full of desperation - that is the life of people who suffer with the speech impediment known as stuttering or stammering. But why hope? It is a hope that one day they will be able to overcome their stutter or stammer. But why full of dreams? Because they often dream that one day they will achieve total fluency. But why full of desperation? Because at times it seems as if they are destined to have this type of speech impediment for the rest of their lives. Speech and language therapists are all too happy to dash these people's hopes and dreams by stating to them that they will...

Singing to infants and toddlers instead of using a tape or CD player The truest expression of a people is in its dance and music.  Anges de Mile The history of a people is found in its songs . ------ George Jellinek The quote by Anges de Mile is relevant because of the diversity that teachers encounter in classrooms today. Teachers not only expected to amend their lesson plans to include different learning styles and (difference in) ethnicity and family make up. Music in our opinion is a platform that can be used to bridge the differences and ensure that children participate in this activity. Singing songs focuses a child’s attention to participate in an activity while enhancing their ability to...

m refers to a brain disorder, which typically affects a child's ability to communicate, form relationships, and respond appropriately to the environment. While some people suffering from Autism are relatively high functioning, there are others who are mentally retarded, have serious language delays, or are mute. The actual cause of Autism is not known. But Autism is relatively easy to spot, and children as young as 18 months start showing symptoms. It is futile to believe that children will just grow out of it. In fact, the early years provide the best time for progress and improvement. So, intensive therapy should begin as early as possible. While different children suffering from Autism may have...

Developmental pediatricians perform a physical examination,looking for the medical causes of problems. They evaluate physical growth, motor development, and nutritional needs. They are skilled in screening for cognitive and speech and language delays. They also assess social and emotional development along with adaptive development. A typical initial evaluation with a developmental pediatrician is comprehensive and lengthy, and it is not uncommon for the appointment to last two hours or more. Because they are experts in the complete development of children, they take a team approach to the child and will typically advise parents to seek additional evaluation and treatment with various other...

Chronic fretting can compromise your health and happiness. Here's how to get it under control - for good.   Ten years ago, Lori, a speech pathologist, was grocery shopping when she suddenly couldn't breathe or swallow. ‘My heart was racing and my chest felt tight - I thought I was having a heart attack,' says the 42-year-old mother of four. The symptoms lasted several minutes before finally letting up. Lori took a deep breath and brushed off the incident as a one-time occurrence; she had to pick up the kids from daycare and didn't have time for a trip to the doctor.   But over the next month, Lori experienced several more attacks. When she realized the problem wasn't going to go away, she...

ign="center"> Although hearing loss is generally found in the elderly, people of any age may suffer this condition. As a matter of fact, a person can be born with hearing loss that will affect his/her development if it is not diagnosed and treated as early as possible. Whether short-term or lasting, hearing loss does not always improve with medical treatment. Most of the time, hearing troubles can be dealt with through the use of perscription hearing aids, which will bring about immediate improvement in the condition. In this article you will find information on hearing loss, including what to look for, forms of hearing loss, and types of treatment. Individuals who are living with hearing loss may...

There are many products out there on the market that are proven to increase a baby's IQ or make them smarter. What these products fail to mention is that there is no proven research to state that they are beneficial in these areas, it just assumed by the companies that the products work. As a Speech Language Pathologist I prefer to only use methods with my clients that are research based and proven to be beneficial. With using meaningful gestures with babies, research has been completed that has proven that children who were exposed to using sign at an early age were found later to have higher IQ and test scores when compared to their peers. In numerous studies completed by Susan W. Goodwyn and...

Has your toddler or preschooler been diagnosed as language-delayed? If so, there are several games that you can make at home that are both inexpensive and fun to play together. One of the most basic skills that children need for better speech is called auditory discrimination. This means your child needs to have the ability to tell the difference between different sounds. Children who have difficulty with this will often mispronounce or mishear letters or entire words; for example they may hear cat instead of cap. While all children do this occasionally, children who have language delays do this more frequently and at an older age than other children. In order to help your child improve his ability...

Mental Retardation (MR) is a neuro-developmental disability which originates during the developmental period, that is, from conception up to the age of 18 years; and results in significantly sub-average general intellectual function, with concurrent deficits in functional life skills. The diagnosis of MR requires an intelligence quotient (IQ) score of less than 70 and equivalent deficits in at least two areas of functional life skills. MR can be categorized as syndromic or non-syndromic, with at least 800 recognized syndromes being associated with MR. For the vast majority of individuals with MR, there is no identifiable cause. Prenatal exposure to toxins, prenatal thyroid dysfunction, and postnatal...