Did you know that May was "Better Speech and Hearing Month"? London Speech staff helped with free screening clinics run out of the Health Unit. Look for these clinics each year in May!

We are now gearing up for our summer programs, outlined in this newsletter, along with a summary of the latest research on brain injury, learning disabilities and preschool communication development.

Feel free to call anytime for copies of complete articles. We would love to hear from you!

What’s New:

KISS: Kid’s In-Home Support Services

An intensive treatment program for preschool and school-aged children with developmental delays including Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Children receive a minimum of six hours of therapy per week for remediation of cognitive, social, behaviour, language and/ or self-care skills. It will be researched as a pilot project in collaboration with Dr. Specht, psychologist, from Huron College, UWO.

We may be Visiting You!

London Speech staff members, Cheryl Dunn and Janice Long, may call to arrange a short visit with you soon. We hope to get your assistance in completing a 10 minute survey designed to help us serve you better. Your feedback is important in helping us continue to develop and improve our programs.

Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Conference:

A Success!

This June 3, 1998 event was a big success, raising close to $10,000.00 for The Head Injury Association of London and District (HIAL). Anyone interested in becoming involved in support groups for parents and care-givers of children with traumatic brain injuries are invited to call the HIAL office at 642-4539.

In-home Academic Tutoring:

Our certified teachers work all summer and throughout the year with children who require help with study skills, reading, writing or math. They provide one-on-one help to children of all ages in the comfort of their homes, and for less than the rates charged by big learning centres.

Summer Speech Camps:

We are accepting more registrations for "Talk About Fun" Speech Camps held in July 6-31, 1998, even though most of the current spots are filled. Only eight children are accepted into each group; however, we will run extra groups if necessary. These full day, one week sessions are designed for children aged 3-10 years of age with problems with speaking, listening, reading, writing and/or social skills.

Research: Summer Speech Camp Effective

London Speech and the University of Western Ontario, Communicative Disorders Dept., has completed a study that evaluated therapy results for 18 children enrolled in last year’s "Talk About Fun" Speech Camp. Communication improvements were noted for all children, and these results were maintained over time. In addition, many parents reported improvements in child behaviour, confidence, and overall social skills.

"Talk It Up" Saturday Program

These programs will run throughout the summer and year round. There are still spaces available for the eight week session beginning July 18, 1998. Communicatively impaired children aged 3-10 years qualify for this exciting program. London Speech offers extra one-on-one support for children that need it.

Good-bye Heather, Hello Melissa!

Heather McNee, Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) will be leaving us to relocate to Kitchener this month. We wish her every success in her new home. She will replaced by Melissa McDonald, who has worked for us at "Talk It Up", and has extensive experience with children and adults. She is a skilled clinician with limitless energy! Welcome aboard, Melissa!

Kid’s Corner: Speech and Language Development

Researchers from the University of Florida have identified early communicative differences between preschool children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and normally developing preschoolers. They found three clusters of impairment for children with PDD: lack of joint attention, limited/ absent symbolic play and reduced social/affective signaling. Results were discussed in terms of their importance in helping identify and treat children with PDD earlier.

Ask the Expert: Answers to Your Questions

Question: How do you tell the difference between a child who is a "late bloomer" and one with a language delay?

Answer: For children aged 18-30 months with average intelligence, the presence of the following factors increase the risk that the late onset of talking could be associated with a significant language problem:

1. Problems with understanding language

2. Reduced number and use of gestures

3. Upper end of age range

4. Little month to month change in language development, e.g. few new words

From: "Let’s Talk", ASHA magazine, Fall, 1997

The Tangled Tongue: Stuttering Stuttering persists in fewer than half of those ever affected. Spontaneous remissions range from 32% to 80% in the literature. A substantial proportion of these remissions occur within 2 to 3 years of stuttering onset. In a recent article from the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Richard Curlee (University of Arizona) reported that children were more likely to spontaneously recover if they: a) were girls, b) did not have relatives who stuttered, c) were less than 3 yrs of age when stuttering began. He also discovered a family history of stuttering remissions among children who spontaneously recover from stuttering.

Lost for Words: Language- based Learning Disabilities

Researchers from the University of Central Arkansas found that phonological awareness skills (i.e. explicit awareness of speech sound structure of language) strongly predicted at-risk readers in grade one. Phonological awareness better predicted decoding ability and reading comprehension, than receptive vocabulary skills or intelligence. The researcher highly recommended that Speech-Language Pathologists assess these skills and intervene early to reduce literacy failure.

The Hidden Hurt: Traumatic Brain Injury

A recent study by Sandra Chapman from the University of Texas compared the expressive communication skills of children with a) closed head injury and b) developmental language delays. Of the 24 children studied with moderate-severe brain injuries, only one was receiving speech and language services! The researchers concluded that "reliance on traditional language measures alone will likely underestimate the communication disability in pediatric populations with closed head injury". Assessment of story-telling, and other measures of discourse formulation and higher levels of language was recommended as part of a thorough cognitive-communication assessment for these children.

Shop Talk: Tips for the Workplace

Tip #3: Sit down and establish face to face contact when you want your communication partner to perceive you as a good listener. This can be a powerful signal for caring and concern. For instance, a study that compared patient satisfaction ratings following doctor visits where some of the doctors stood next to patients’ beds, while others sat next to patients (same length of visit) indicated higher satisfaction ratings for the doctors who sat. They were consistently viewed as being more attentive and patients actually thought they had spent more time with them.

Thought for the Day:

"He who talks well will more than likely do well. He who has good ideas and talks well will lead."

Granville Toogood, The Articulate Executive, 1996