From Play to Words

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting our Director, here she is, Jodi Sommer! Jodi is a Speech-Language Pathologist by training, and she is incredibly passionate about supporting family learning through fun, systematic, play based approaches that build on children and family's strengths! This same passion for life-long learning has brought Jodi to specialize in motor speech therapy, be one of 40 certified PROMPT instructors in the world, and one of 3 in Can...ada! Go, Jodi! At From Play to Words, we believe that the power of play is all important, and that during play, children develop language skills, motor skills, social interactions, and problem solving. Our family has grown to include Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists and Behaviour Consultants, and we all look forward to hearing from you!

Some great pointers for our kiddos who working on improving their mouth movements for chewing.

In these difficult times, an amazing story...

Triple P parenting is offering free online courses to any parent across Alberta. You can check it out further via the link below. Share with any parents you think will benefit. This is not geared specifically for families with children with disabilities but is a great resource for parenting ! If you have questions about these programs, contact us at 780-571-0880, and our Triple P trained staff would be happy to answer them. ... Children and teenagers may be feeling anxious right now. While ups and downs are part of life, a crisis brings specific challenges, so building children’s emotional resilience is more important than ever. Even in difficult times, positive family interactions help children become more resilient, and this is easier with the right support. That’s why we're sharing the information below with you, and asking you to pass it on to families. ONLINE PARENTING SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR FREE IN ALBERTA! Thanks to funding from the Alberta Government, support is available to parents and caregivers via two FREE evidence-based, online programs (Triple P Online and Teen Triple P Online). There are also free downloads and resources to help families to cope with the emotional challenges and ongoing effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Visit the website today: https://www.triplep.online/alberta

Some simple ideas for self-care.

Monster Footprint Hop ages 2+ Such a fun gross motor activity, perfect for Halloween and only takes about 10 minutes to set up! Full details: https://www.raisingdragons.com/monster-footprint-hop/

https://homeschooling1child.teachable.com/p/homeschooling/

Hey friends and families of From Play to Words! We are SO excited to announce the introduction of our very own, staff run summer camps (with special considerations for Covid-19 protocols of course). Please click the link below to check out our brochure. See you this summer!... -From Play to Words Staff Additional Note: Participating families will require a FSCD community aide or respite contract. https://drive.google.com//1VVOEPKknjqlIX8r3dzzoucVI_/view

Here’s a simple cutting activity for our PUF and FSCD kiddos. Minimal prep for parents (other than making sure the scissors don’t make it to their hair!!). Sitting under the table and cutting up helps with proper hand positioning.

Meghan our SLP assistant supervisor shares our Send Home May OT Package for our Learning From Play PUF families! Enjoy!

Good point. It startled me a little when I first started seeing people wearing masks...

Did you know that Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) work in long-term care facilities as well? One of their jobs, depending on where in Canada and the world they are employed, is monitoring swallowing in patients (also called dysphagia). The post below was posted by a SLP, Nanie Lima, in the US. She works in a long-term care facility. I think her observations are worth reading... COVID SNF update: (this is a long one) ...Continue reading

Oh boy! This made me laugh out loud on this Friday. If anyone has Jodi as their SLP, she can get a little excited in sessions...(you might want to turn down your volume)! I hope all our families have a wonderful weekend!

A letter from our clinic to our patients. In a nutshell, due to the current changes, our clinic will get to a point where it cannot cover operational costs whi...le sustaining the same level of care. This will impact thousands of medically fragile and complex children in our clinic. Message me for a copy or if you have questions or concerns. We are working to get the letter out to as many families as possible, but with 7000 active patients, it’s quite a task. (See comments for Twitter Link) Thank you for speaking up! Here is the contact information to send your letters or make a phone call to: Honourable Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health Phone# 780 427-3665 Email: [email protected] Honourable Premier Jason Kenny: Phone # 780 427-2251 Email: [email protected] Honourable Rachel Notley, MLA Official Opposition Phone # 780 415-1800 Email: [email protected] Honourable David Shepherd Phone # 780.414.0743 Email: [email protected]

Heres a simple cutting activity for our PUF and FSCD kiddos. Minimal prep for parents (other than making sure the scissors dont make it to their hair!!). Sitting under the table and cutting up helps with proper hand positioning.

For consideration for our families.

Looking for new sensory activities at home? Check out these ideas to fill a sensory bin for kids!

A letter from our clinic to our patients. In a nutshell, due to the current changes, our clinic will get to a point where it cannot cover operational costs whi...le sustaining the same level of care. This will impact thousands of medically fragile and complex children in our clinic. Message me for a copy or if you have questions or concerns. We are working to get the letter out to as many families as possible, but with 7000 active patients, its quite a task. (See comments for Twitter Link) Thank you for speaking up! Here is the contact information to send your letters or make a phone call to: Honourable Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health Phone# 780 427-3665 Email: [email protected] Honourable Premier Jason Kenny: Phone # 780 427-2251 Email: [email protected] Honourable Rachel Notley, MLA Official Opposition Phone # 780 415-1800 Email: [email protected] Honourable David Shepherd Phone # 780.414.0743 Email: [email protected]

From Play to Words offers all remote sessions during COVID-19! We are also taking new clients, both through FSCD funding and private pay. Feel like your child is falling behind on his/her speech and language goals or fine motor goals? Give us a call 780-571-0880.

Love these scarves - so great for kiddos still working on managing wet mouths!

https://www.jerichoadaptstoys.org/ A tutorial video on adapting toys for switches.

Ross Greene has some interesting ideas on dealing with misbehaviour

Motor Planning Monday . I cannot tell you how powerful this research is for early intervention SLPs. We know that the earlier kiddos with apraxia of speech begi...n therapy, the better their prognosis becomes. . While these are tentative guidelines for diagnosing CAS at age 2, they will allow SLPs to make an earlier diagnosis of suspected childhood apraxia of speech (sCAS) and get therapy services started as early as possible. . Now we need to figure out how to get this information regarding red flags to the pediatricians. The lets just wait and see approach cannot continue. Instead we need to promote #letsjustsee and get these late-talking toddlers referred to the appropriate specialist (the speech-language pathologist) sooner rather than later. . . Reference: Overby, M., Caspari, S., & Schreiber, J. (2019). Volubility, Consonant Emergence, and Syllabic Structure in Infants and Toddlers later diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Speech Sound Disorders, and Typical Development. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(6), 1656-1675. . . #motorplanningmonday #cariebertseminars #apraxia #apraxiaofspeech #slpsofinstagram #instaslp #earlyintervention #earlyinterventionslp #letsjustsee #speechtherapy #slp2b See more

This teacher is from California - but such a similar situation to here in Canada!

https://edmontonjournal.com//breeder-looking-to-donate-thr

Yesterday we met with Tony Flores, the newly appointed Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. It was the beginning of a collaborative relationship to improve t...he lives of all children with learning challenges. Mr. Flores asked if people could please contact his office at: 1-800-272-8841 or by email at: [email protected] With their concerns/problems in regards to navigating and obtaining support/services for children, youth and adults with disabilities. If the office is not aware of the barriers that exist, they cant make recommendations for improvements in their annual report to government. Thank you!

Just a note to our clients at the office location - we have moved into our new location at 125 - 20 Westwind Drive Spruce Grove, on the 2nd floor above Tru Balance spa. See you soon!

A nice explanation of what we do every day as PROMPT trained therapists. Share with your family and friends to help them understand PROMPT!

Hi FPTW families! FSCD is looking to hear from a wider range of families on what is working for them around service provision models. I know many of you find the parent involvement portion a necessary and important piece of learning with your child. Share your opinions and your voice at the next round of listening sessions.

Love this for perspective on behaviour.

An important message for the summer...

PROMPT research paper!!

It is still Better Hearing and Speech Month. Lets raise awareness together. Pass it along. Find out more about here: https://www.promptinstitute.com/page/FamResources?

From Play to Words SLPs specialize in Apraxia treatment!

Today is #ApraxiaAwareness Day! We are sending a big shout out to all kids with CAS who work so hard, the parents who love them and advocate for them and the pr...ofessionals who support them. Click the link for a list of resources for families with concerns about their childs speech and language development. http://www.promptinstitute.com/?page=FamResources See more

"Many people use the terms interchangeably. But they might also use the terms to describe slightly different things."

Brilliant explanation....

Many parents ask about speech intelligibility - or the ability for others to understand their childs speech. Here are some age ranges.

The sun is shining, theres a huge amount of snow on the ground but it is never too early to think about biking!! For those families who chose March 11, 2018 for their fitting day we cannot wait to see you!

Interesting beginning research on girls with Rett syndrome :).

Amazing News! AngelSense GPS for children with special needs is now available in all areas of Canada! So honored to bring peace of mind to many more parents in 2018 See more: www.angelsense.com