Help Me Speak

New Year, New You? NutriiVeda!

Many people make New Year's resolutions to eat healthier, change their lifestyle, lose weight, & exercise more. Is that you?  If it is, I have some great information for you!!  

The first step in changing your lifestyle is choosing healthier foods to eat.  Once you choose healthy foods in moderation, you will lose weight.  Right? Right! Next, you need to drink sufficient water, exercise, and sleep 7+ hours/night.  

In order to choose healthy foods & a healthy lifestyle, try NutriiVeda (NV)! NutriiVeda was created by Dr. Deepak Chopra & Dr. David Simon.  It is a powder made of a very high grade whey isolate protein, brown rice powder, and an Ayurvedic blend of botanicals, including Amalaki (Indian gooseberry), Harataki, Tumeric, Guggul, Green Tea, and more.  www.helpmespeak.com/nutriiveda  NV is gluten free, casein free, nut/tree nut free, and is tested free of heavy metals and pesticides.  

The therapeutic dose of NV is 2 servings/day (2 scoops + 8 oz milk/water= 1serving).  Start with 1-2 scoops/day for a week and work your way up to 4 scoops/day.  It is recommended that you omit processed foods, sugar, & bad fat from your diet.  Instead, add to your diet: green leafy veggies, colorful veggies, low sugar fruits, and lean proteins.  

Drinking sufficient water is another important component of getting NutriiVeda to flush out your system.   One of the first changes that you will notice with NV is that your body begins to flush out toxins (ama).  You will be more regular than perhaps you were prior to NV.  This is a good thing! Getting the sludge out of your system allows for weight loss.  

I started back on NutriiVeda again in Nov 2010.  I started with one scoop per day for 1 week, then 2 scoops/day for 1 weeks, then 4 scoops/day for the rest of the time.  The therapeutic dose is 4 scoops/day.  I've only been at that dose since midNov.  I usually mix my NV with either water or unsweetened Almond Milk.  To date, I have lost 12 pounds and am still going! 

Of course, exercise, water, and sleep are important too.  I have been running/walking 30 minutes/day 3-5x per week.  I'm trying to incorporate more weights into my workouts. Water, water, everywhere!  To drink enough, multiply your body weight by .4  That is the number of ounces that you need to drink per day.  

A great side benefit for me has been a significant decrease in the number of migraines that I get per month.  I used to get ~5/month and now it's 0-1/month.  

To see great before & after pics, go to www.zrii.com/products/nutriiveda/testimonials.xhtml  

To order, call or email me:

barbara.taylor@helpmespeak.com  410-442-9791

 

New blogs to come soon on eating, speech, etc.

A new Weight Management Tool for Parents/Therapist w/side benefits! Have you heard??

www.hms.myzrii.com

Benefits CHERAB Foundation for Apraxia
more info to come...

Here are a few interesting blogs that relate to kids who are picky/problem eaters:

http://cheriandlaura.blogspot.com

http://pickytots.blogspot.com

Straw Cups--Which ones?

There are so many straw cups on the market!  And the variety continues to change and grow... So, how do you know what to select?  Here are a few tips:

• A cup with a flip up straw --Playtex, Nubi, etc. (soft straws are better than hard ones)
• A cup with a criss cross opening & sealing lid---like a fast food cup--use a Tupperware, Take n Toss, or Ziploc one; more spillproof
• Last choice--(more spillage) a waterbottle/cup with a straw insert or a restaurant kids' cup with a straw insert

Now you can add other features---like characters, color, etc.  Have fun shopping!

Sippy cups--another note

Sippy cups are an OPTIONAL step.  Some children go right from bottles to straw cups w/out using sippy cups.  So, don't worry if your little ones refuse the sippy cup.  Just make sure that it's MORE interesting than what is in the bottle AND that he/she is THIRSTY!  Sometimes that is a point that we overlook! :)

Cups vs. Straw Cups--which ones and when??

When to use Sippy cups?

• Typically, a sippy cup is best introduced to an infant who is 8-10 months of age (adjusted age). 
• At this age is when a child is starting to want to be slightly more independent with his/her bottle and may want to hold it.
• Use sippy cups for "snack" times when you are only giving a small amount of liquid.

How to use a sippy cup?

• It sounds simple, but it's not always.
• You should put only 1-2 ounces in the cup at first.
• You may need to "help"/show your child(ren) how to drink out of a sippy cup.  Demonstrate for him/her.  Let them play with it and be prepared for some mess even though it is "spill proof" (nothing is totally--as we know).

What kind of Sippy cup is best?

• First Years--Take & Toss are best because there is no valve---the lips (& sometimes jaw) do all the work to retrieve the liquid out of the cup
• Nubi sippy cups are good too
• A sippy cup with handles is great for guiding it to the child's mouth
• All the rest with valves are ok, IF used for a brief time

When to transition from a bottle to a straw/open cup?

• Bottles & sippy cups should not be used after 15-18 months
• You can transition to a straw cup at 12 months if your child(ren) is/are ready.
• Yes, it's true that a child has to accept a new cup or straw.  The trick is to put your child's favorite drink in the new cup while watering down less of the same liquid in the bottle.

Why elimate bottles after 15-18 months?

• When a baby drinks from a bottle, he/she uses a SUCKLing motion (a 50% backward/ 50% forward tongue movement).
• When an adult drinks from a cup or a straw, he/she uses a SUCKing movement (a 75% backward/ 25% forward tongue movement).
• When a sucking movement is used, the tongue achieves true stability within the mouth since the back sides of it are "anchored" to the back molars.  Try counting to 25 out loud & feel where the sides of your tongue are.
• In order to start to achieve stability within the mouth for clear speech, the tongue has to retract when swallowing liquid.
• When a young child uses a sippy cup or a bottle, a SUCKLing motion is used with too much forward motion = no stability within the mouth.
• Therefore, it's important to transition to a straw cup by 12-18 months & an open cup (in small amounts) by 2 years.

Which straw cup to choose?

• Any straw cup that has a flip up straw is generally a good choice.
• There are so many more on the market now than there were 3 years ago, that I couldn't hope to tell you all the names.
• The Dora/Diego ones are good; The Nubi straw cups are good (lip pressure is needed), etc.
• ALWAYS monitor for straw biting and discourage it
• ...By giving your child something appropriate on which to bite---a teething toy, a chewy tube (used correctly), etc. (not therapy tubing)

I hope this helps decrease the confusion surrounding sippy cups and straw cups and WHY it's so important to use straws.  :)

Thanks for reading!

Easy Child Safety Tattoos

Here are some great and easy child safety tattoos that may be used with any kids with or without special needs. They are great for any kind of outing: community, school field trips, family, etc.  There is a cute picture on each and a space to write in the adult's name/cell #.  Go to:  http://safetytat.com/  for more info to see the selection of tattoos available.  Hope these are helpful!

Thumb Sucking....to end or not?

Everyone seems to have an opinion about thumb sucking!!  Right?!?  Especially if you ask your mom, mother-in-law, pediatric/ dentist, pediatrician, etc.  Well, here are some facts on thumb sucking that I hope will guide your decision.  After all, each child is different; what is right for one child and family, may not be right for the next one. 

Thumb sucking is the earliest and most common habit in children---affects almost 45% of young children (Garrattini et al., 1990).  By 5 yrs old, 85-99% of children no longer suck theri thumb---according to the American Dental Association.  So the reverse is that 1-15% of children over age 5 will continue.  Approximately 30-50% of preschoolers suck their thumbs. 

The thumb is readily available for infants and young children who need to self soothe.  It doesn't "fall out" like a pacifier does and require parental assistance to reinsert.  As an infant this accessibility is great, but as a child grows older discretion of when to suck is still his/hers.  Thumbs aren't tied to clothing as are pacifiers.  If a pacifier drops on the floor it is easily cleaned.  As a child's thumb comes in and out of his/her mouth, he/she can infect others if he/she is sick and can get infected by things/toys that are touched.  Hand washing is very important, especially when thumb sucking occurs at preschool or daycare.   Yes, thumb sucking has been known to harm the front teeth and the palate (roof of the mouth)---the more vigorous the sucking, the more damage is likely.  The longer the habit continues; the more damage will occur. 

Most pediatricians are not in favor of breaking a thumb sucking habit.  There does not appear to be any conclusive correlation between thumb sucking and bed wetting or nail biting.  Until a child is old enough to reason (around 6 yrs), any direct pressure applied to dicontinue thumb sucking can turn a normal developmental phase into a "crutch".  First, a child must decide that he/she is getting something out of it too---what is the "buy in"? The child must want to make a change.

Usually, the peer pressure of starting Kindergarten will either stop the thumb sucking or increase it due to "stress".  If an increase occurs, dealing with the school issues should reduce the sucking.  If a child is bored and then sucking, try occupying his/her hands with fidgets (a small squishy stretchy toy) or giving him/her a job which requires both hands. 

If  you and  your child are ready to tackle thumb sucking, here are a few ideas: 

1.  Response/ Reward system--child stops and then gets a promised item

2.  book- Helping the Thumb Sucking Child by Rosemarie VanNorman  simple and fun program with step-by-step guidelines

3.  My Thumb and I- by Carol Mayer, SLP; for 6-10 yrs; simple sequential parent-child program

4.  Mr. Wizzard's Thumbs Out video- by Linda Bejoian, SLP; for kids 3-8 yrs; sock puppets; Mr Wizzard uses magic to convince kids to stop sucking

5.  An Elastic Bandage; for kids over 5 yrs who really want to stop; cut a piece of elastic bandage and loosely wrap aroung the elbow of the arm with the sucking thumb; serves as an alerting device--"here comes my thumb"; child still chooses to suck or not, but teaches self-choice, self-discipline, and accomplishment

6.  A Man's Wool Sock--use a wool sock over the child's sucking arm and pin to pj's at night; do a few nights/wk; increase as appropriate

7.  The Thumb-Guard--"T-Guard"--clear plastic, non-abrasive device that slips over a child's thumb and snaps in place; must be cut off; no suction can be achieved; 6yrs and up

Good luck! and remember----if your child is an infant or preschooler, the majority opinion is to let thumb sucking run it's developmental course!  :)

Info from The Pacifier: Making the Decision by Charlotte Boshart, SLP

SCERTS--what is that?

Help Me Speak is now trained in the SCERTS (Social-Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support) model---which is a comprehensive educational approach for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). 

Dr. Rydell, one of the authors of SCERTS, was the keynote speaker at the Maryland Speech-Language Hearing Association (MSHA) convention on March 28-29th. 

He described the SCERTS model as appropriate for children who are at the Social, Language, or Conversational Partner stages of communication. The Social stage is the "pre-symbolic" stage in which a child is using mostly gestures and vocalizations as well as behavioral/ sensory-motor means for emotional regulation.  The Language stage is "early symbolic" where the child is using early speech, pictures/symbols, &/or signs to communicate as well as language skills for emotional regulation.  The Conversational stage is where a child can use sentence/conversations and "develops metacognitive strategies for emotional regulation".  The SCERTS model teaches kids to become active problem solvers as they learn to become part of their social/emotional environment.  As Dr. Rydell stated "Less time coping = more time spent learning". 

The SCERTS model includes 2 parts---Assessment & Intervention.

The SCERTS Assessment Process (SAP) is a "developmental curriculum-based intervention that leads directly to intervention".  It is criterion referenced and uses a 0, 1, 2 rating scale, which is rated via a team effort.  The SAP focuses on pragmatic skills in it's functional use---nonverbally and verbally ---and via socioemotional abilities.  It is 'family-centered' since the family is an active participant in the decision making process. 

SCERTS Intervention is based on a child's needs with the core challenges in ASD: Joint attention, Symbol use, and Emotional dysregulation.  After assessment, the next step is to establish Joint Action Routines (JARs). 

For more information: visit www.scerts.com  or call Help Me Speak, LLC

To schedule an evaluation for your child, call Help Me Speak, LLC at 410-442-9791

Help Me Create art classes

Help Me Create…

• is the new Art program specifically designed so that children with & without disabilities can become palette partners!
• Typical kids and those with special needs are encouraged to participate!
• Each child is encouraged to create his/her own artistic expression via a variety of real art mediums
• Teaches to each child's ABILITY not disability
• Our focus is on the process & method but not the product
• Each group is developed by Julie Kotler, of Palette Partners, & a Speech-Language Pathologist from Help Me Speak, LLC
• Individual & Group classes are available for the following ages: preschool, school-age, middle school, high school
• Maximum of 8 kids per class

Location & day/ time:

• HELP ME SPEAK's new clinic in Waverly Woods (Marriottsville, MD)
• Saturdays at 10am (50 minutes)

Children should attend who….                

• Are interested in having FUN & learning how to create artistic expressions!
• Are interested in the PROCESS & METHOD not the product
• Want to SUCCEED! (No one fails in Art!)
• Are typical children OR
• Have any of the following special needs---
  • Auditory Processing Disorder
  • Autism spectrum disorders (Asperger's, PDD, autism)
  • AD/HD
  • Executive Function language difficulties
  • Receptive/ Expressive Language delays
  • Learning disabilities
  • Sensory integration dysfunction
  • Pragmatic deficits
  • Articulation/ speech sound errors
  • Cognitive delays

Help Me Create develops….

• Experiences with a variety of REAL Art mediums (no crayons here)
• Artistic self-expression using a variety of art mediums
• Improvement in social relationships (friendships with peers)
• Improved speech output & production
• Self-esteem & pride in accomplishments
• Figure-ground discrimination
• Concept development
• Spatial relationships
• Directionality, Sequencing, Cause/Effect
• Proprioception (body in space), tactile & kinesthetic awareness
• Attention span
• Appreciation of beauty

Our Instructors….

Julie Kotler--

• Is the current owner of Palette Partners visit: www.palettepartners.com
• Is an artist and MD certified teacher
• Is the former owner of Petite Artistes

Help me Speak SLPs--

• Are nationally certified & state licensed Speech-Language Pathologists from Help Me Speak, LLC
• Visit our website: www.helpmespeak.com for more info on our state-of-the-art comprehensive private practice

 

Registration…

• Call Help Me Speak, LLC today to register 410-442-9791
• Ask for Barbara or Melanie
• Email: Barbara.Taylor@helpmespeak.com to register
• Cost is $120/total for 4 wks; due in advance (no additional materials fee)
• 4 week classes—starting Saturday, April 12^th
• Entire session fee is due by April 3^rd (prior to the first day of class)
• We accept cash, checks, or credit cards (Visa, MC, Discover)

 

www.HelpMeSpeak.com

 

www.PalettePartners.com

Tips for Better Health Care

Last Sunday, January 20th, there was an article published in Parade Magazine in The Baltimore Sun titled "Fight for Your Health Care".  It discusses 5 tips that you can use to increase the likelyhood that your insurance claim will be reviewed and approved---and that you will get reimbursement.  Click on this link to view the full article.    http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_01-20-2008/Fight_for_Your_Health_Care 

Look for future Insurance tips from the experienced SLPs and families at Help Me Speak, LLC.  More to come.....

Our NEW Clinic is NOW Open!

Help Me Speak, LLC's NEW Clinic is now open!  Come and visit us.  Visit our photo album to see pictures of the construction process and the final result! 

New Office Opening January 3rd!

Help Me Speak's new office location will finally be open as of January 3rd, 2008!  We are so excited to be able to upgrade our services so that we may continue to offer the state-of-the-art in therapy!  Come & visit us!  We now have: 4 therapy rooms w/large observation windows, a sensory-motor room w/swings, etc., a kitchenette (for language therapy/groups, and Help Me Eat services), an ADA compliant client bathroom, a waiting room w/play area, and an administrative assistant! 

We will schedule an OPEN HOUSE in late Jan/ early Feb---so check back for details. 

Autism News

Read about the latest recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

AAP News Release

HMS News

COMING SOON:

Help Me Speak is preparing to open an office in December 2007! Don't worry, it is within a few miles of our current location, right off Route 70 in Marriottsville. Stay tuned for more updates and information. This is a very exciting time for Barbara and the staff. We look forward to serving your families in our new space.