The summer passed in a blur of activity for us. We treated twice as many children as last year in our second annual "Talk about Fun" Summer Camp. Our unique program was featured in the London Free Press and on CFPL TV. A special thanks to all the speech pathology interns and "All Kids Belong" ECE teachers who volunteered their time, and helped make the program such a success!

If you missed out on the camp, don’t worry. London Speech offers a similar program year round, i.e. "Talk It Up" Saturday Program. Referrals are always welcome. The program is designed for 3 to 8 year olds with speaking, listening, literacy or social interaction problems.

We are now gearing up for our fall programs, outlined in this newsletter, along with a summary of the latest research on brain injury, learning disabilities and preschool communication development. Call anytime with your questions or comments. I would love to hear from you!

What’s New:

We are opening Satellite Offices:

We now have an office in Sarnia (St. Gilles Church, 770 Lakeshore Road, N7V 2T5), and hope to open others in Stratford, Chatham and Woodstock soon. This will allow us to service clients in their own communities, and eliminate the need for families to make the long drive to London. Our new Toll Free Number is 1-800-456-2848.

Free Workshops:

We continue to offer free monthly workshops for parents. These are usually described in school newsletters. Our "Cracking the Code" workshop teaches parents strategies for promoting literacy skills in their children. Our "More than Just Talking" workshop alerts parents to red flags for speech and language problems, and provides tips on how to help children at home. Parents and professions are invited to call the office for specific dates. Space is limited, so parents are advised to register early.

Kid’s (Communication) Club:

These small group programs are specifically designed to help children develop strong literacy and group interaction skills. Only four children are accepted into each group, which run out of the clinic. Parents must commit to two hours of instruction per week for an 8 week period. Fees are less than those charged by large learning centres. Now accepting registrations for:

• Primary Kid’s Club: 3-5 year developmental age
• Intermediate Kid’s Club: 6-8 year dev. age
• Senior Kid’s Club: 9-12 year dev. age

In-home Academic Tutoring:

For families that prefer tutoring services in their homes or schools, our certified teachers also travel.. They work with children of all ages who require help with study skills, reading, writing or math.

Thanks for your Feedback

For those of you who completed surveys for Cheryl, Janice or Melissa this summer, thank you for your feedback and suggestions! Thanks also to everyone who agreed to display information for us. For those of you who haven’t yet met with us, we hope to complete our visits soon. We value your input and look forward to a brief meeting.

"Talk It Up" Saturday Program

Now accepting registrations for the eight week session beginning November 7, 1998. Communicatively impaired children aged 3-8 years qualify for this exciting program. London Speech offers extra one-on-one support for children that need it.

Welcome Marcia!

We are expanding our services once again. Marcia Vandenboom, Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA), joins us from Sarnia. She was an energetic addition to our camp this year, and was popular with children and parents alike! She will provide treatment services to PDD/ autistic and other developmentally delayed children in the KISS (Kid’s In-home Support Services) and provide therapy services in the office. Welcome Marcia!

Kid’s Corner: Speech & Language Development

Did you know that new province wide standards for education include the requirement that five year olds must be able to print the alphabet from A to Z ,count aloud to 30 and demonstrate competent "personal and social development" by the time they finish Kindergarten? Introduced this month, the revised Kindergarten program, is designed to prepare Ontario’s youngest students for the new back-to basics curriculum to be taught in Grades 1 to 8. Dave Johnson, Education Minister, says that Ontario is the last province to establish standards for Kindergarten.

Source: London Free Press, April 9, 1998

Ask the Expert: Answers to Your Questions

Question: What is a Communicative Disorders Assistant and how does their role differ from that of a Speech-Language Pathologist?

Answer: Communicative Disorders Assistants (CDAs) are graduates of a 12 month post-diploma program offered at Georgian College in Orillia, Ontario. SLPs have Master’s degrees in communicative disorders from a recognized university. CDAs are qualified to provide therapy services under the direction and supervision of SLPs. CDAs allow Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) to expand the reach of their services, at a reduced cost. London Speech and Language Centre is one of the few centres in London that offers CDA services, which allows us to see more clients at a significant cost savings to families.

The Tangled Tongue: Stuttering

Did you know that Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Stewart, and Winston Churchill are among the many famous people who lived with a stuttering problem? I recommend that my clients join the Stuttering Foundation of America, and receive regular newsletters, and opportunities to purchase, at low cost, excellent publications. Advice to Those Who Stutter is one of them. It chronicles the experiences of those who have experienced a significant problem with stuttering and have successfully managed it. It is free with a $2.00 donation to cover mailing costs. To contact the Stuttering Foundation of America:

P.O. Box 11749
Memphis, TN
38111-0749 USA

Webpage: www.stutterSFA.org

Lost for Words: Language- based Learning Disabilities

A longitudinal study conducted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland (American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology) found that children with histories of early phonology disorders (speech sound error patterns) performed significantly poorer on writing tasks in grades 2 through 4 than their normally developing siblings. Children with language and phonology delays performed even more poorly on written language measures.

The Hidden Hurt: Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. George Baroff from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reviewed the literature on brain injury consequences, neurologic and neuropsychological (Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation). Norwegian studies indicate persistent physical, cognitive and emotional complaints among retired players consistent with post concussive syndrome. Baroff concluded that these findings may be the result of soccer-related head injuries and not, necessarily, the heading of soccer balls. He felt that the risks of heading were unclear and required more research.

Shop Talk: Tips for the Workplace

Tip #4: Preparing for a job interview? Practice "telling your own story". It should be like a six legged stool: where you’ve been, where you are currently, where you’re going, what you did, how you did it and what resulted. Remember, you are not your job title. You must sell your skills and the results you’ve achieved in an interview.

Source: Janis Foord Kirk, Survivability, Career Strategies for New World of Work

Thought for the Day:

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided, but for the feeling that you cherished them."

Richard Evans