June heralds the return of warm days and great summer time activities! The staff at London Speech are gearing up for a busy few months! This newsletter outlines our summer programs, as well as new clinical and research results.

What’s New:

New Partnerships:

This clinician is pleased to be consulting with Pensa and Associates law firm on suspected brain injury files. Many accident survivors suffer with undiagnosed cognitive, social and behavioural difficulties that impede work and/or school return and overall adjustment. Our input helps ensure more timely and appropriate intervention.

This clinician recently collaborated with the learning disabilities experts at Fanshawe College’s Millennium Project to provide an eight week communication development program for their students (i.e."Speak for Success"). The program featured discrete skill training, small group discussion, video-taped feedback and daily progress evaluations. Detailed program evaluations indicated consistent and substantial student progress in all targeted areas. Recommendations: offer the program annually, and expand it to include participation from all students at Fanshawe College.

London Speech has joined forces with the resource staff at the Huron Perth Catholic School Board. Our assessments should help secure additional staff, equipment and services for communicatively challenged students. CCAC referrals were initiated when indicated, and written treatment programs were provided to maximize student’s learning and communication potential. Our collaboration has been both cost-effective and professionally rewarding. Loved the beautiful drive up north too!

Full Service at London Speech!

A warm welcome to Kim Fisher who recently joined our full time staff. Kim is a Communication Disorders Assistant who hails from the Canadian Hearing Society in Toronto. She is sign language certified with ASL levels 1-8 (highest attainable levels). Kim’s background with children and adults with diverse and challenging communication disorders expands our ability to offer full services to the deaf and hard of hearing. London Speech boasts the most comprehensive services of any clinic in this region. "One stop shopping" for all your speech-language pathology, academic tutoring and cognitive-communication rehabilitation needs!

Summer Programs:

"Talk about Fun" Speech Camp:

In its third year and bigger and better than ever! One week sessions for 3-10 year Olds with speaking, listening, reading, writing, stuttering and/or literacy delays. Sessions are filling up fast! Age groups run as follows:

7-10 year Olds: July 5-9 and Aug 9-13

3-6 year Olds: July 12-16, 19-23, 26-30; Aug 16-20

"Talk It Up" Saturday Program:

Registrations are being accepted for eight week sessions starting July 3, 1999. Children aged 3-8 years of age qualify for this exciting, year-round program.

Kid’s Club Literacy Groups:

Kid’s Club is the perfect way to boost academic skills over the summer and throughout the school year. Our certified teachers improve reading, writing, oral expression and math skills using small groups (four or less children)and plenty of individual instruction. One-on-one tutoring also available. Did you know that large learning centres charge more, and are not covered under extended health plans like we are?

Free Workshops:

London Speech continues to offer free weekly workshops designed to increase public awareness of communication disorders. Check the "What’s Happening" section of the London Free Press or call the office for details and registration information.

Kid’s Corner: Speech & Language Skills

British researchers have identified a gene affecting human speech. They studied a family in which nearly half the members were affected by a severe speech and language disorder (i.e. motor dyspaxia). The gene locus was on chromosome 7 and was named SPCH1 by Anthony Monaco, geneticist, at Oxford University. This information may help clarify the process of language acquisition since genes influence our ability to learn.

Source: ASHA Leader, March, 1998

Ask the Expert: Answers to your questions

Question: How does a speech-language pathologist identify a language delay in an ESL child?

Answer: Most bilingual children benefit from dual language exposure. Among other things, they have access to more than one culture. A child who is just learning to speak English may have a 6 month silent period upon entering an English speaking daycare. Within a year, they should begin to use short words and phrases. It may then take 3 to 4 years to become totally fluent in social conversation, and 5-7 years to learn the academic language of school.

How do speech pathologists identify language based learning problems in ESL children? These children struggle to learn both languages. Their communication skills fall below developmental expectations (2-3 months added to expressive language norms for bilingual children under age 3; social interaction and receptive language milestones are similar for bilingual and monolingual children). An assessment must also account for the social and emotional factors that can co-occur with transitions (new country, new school etc), and the fact that ESL children without language delays may experience quiet periods in which language skills temporarily regress.

Source: Claire Watson, Wig Wag newsletter, March/99

Lost for Words: Learning Disabilities

The association between printed symbols and spoken words plays an important role in early reading development. Thus, children with speech and language problems are at higher risk for reading failure. A recent study evaluated 30 children aged 5-7 years and found poor reading outcomes for children with:

• problems with phonological(i.e. sound) awareness
• language delays
• severe articulation disorders

Researchers recommended that speech-language pathologists address literacy issues in their intervention programs to reduce the risk of reading failure.

Source: American Journal of Speech-Language Path, May /99

The Tangled Tongue: Stuttering

Research indicates that children who receive stuttering therapy before age five display better gains and less treatment relapse. Therapy is recommended for young dysfluent children when they display a majority of the following risk factors:

• family history of unrecovered stuttering
• evidence of an increase in dysfluent behaviour
• child is approaching age 5
• when stuttering co-exists with other speech and language problems
• when child is experiencing communication frustration or negative reactions to speech
• when stuttering has persisted for at least 6 months

Source: Journal of Speech-language pathology, Dec/ 98

The Hidden Hurt: Traumatic Brain Injury

Researchers from Oregon Health Sciences University undertook an exhaustive review of rehabilitation methods for adults. Strongest positive effects were noted for early intervention, compensatory cognitive rehabilitation and supported employment. Researchers emphasized the importance of using evidence-based techniques of demonstrated efficacy.

Source: The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, April/99

Note: Cognitive and communication rehabilitation is provided by speech-language pathologists (less frequently by psychologists and occupational therapists). At London Speech, we also provide job coaching and rehabilitation assistant services to help people get back to work.

Thought for the Day:

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless" Mother Teresa