May is Better Speech and Hearing Month!

college logos 1May is Better Speech and Hearing Month.   

It’s the time of the year when we in the field like to increase awareness of communication disorders and the role your friendly Speech Therapist or Audiologist plays in providing life changing therapies.  While May is a great time to better understand the field of speech-language pathology and audiology, it also provides us opportunity for us at Lakeshore Speech Therapy to share a little bit more about ourselves.

Our Amazing Team

The team at Lakeshore represents a total of over 100 years of experience in the delivery of speech-language therapeutic intervention.  100 years!!!! Individually this outstanding team is dedicated to improving communication for young and old. But where did they get their start? Where did they begin as college freshman and end as professionals with a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology? Let’s find out:

Ellen Spear holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Marquette University!   Goooooo Golden Eagles!

VernaAnn Kotansky received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the State of University of New York at Geneseo. Gooooooo Knights!

Elizabeth Lazowski received her Master’s degree from  Northwestern University and is a proud Wildcat!

Ellery Martinko is a proud Viking, graduating from Cleveland State University with her Master’s degree.

Mary Yutzy proudly received her Master’s degree from the University of Akron.  Way to go Zips!

Gina Perciavelli  graduated with her Master’s from Ohio University.  Bobcat’s in the house!

Wendi Willmer graduated with her Master’s from Kent State University.  Golden Flashes all the way!

From Eagles to Knights, Wildcats to Vikings, Zips to Bobcats and Flashes, Lakeshore therapists represent their colleges well!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech

Making Learning Fun for Everyone: Lakeshore Summer Programs

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC is proud to announce our 2018 Summer Programs.

While the brochure is available on our website, we wanted to take a few moments to dive deeper into explaining these great opportunities.

Speech Boot Camp –

This camp is designed for children with apraxia, motor speech impairment or phonological disorders to provide intensive and individualized speech therapy over the course of 2 weeks.  This ‘camp’ is a one on one opportunity with Ellen Spear.  Each child would come for 30 minutes of intensive therapy hyper-focused on the child’s needs specific to speech production. Ellen will draw upon her expertise in this area as well as her certification in PROMPT.  This may be the opportunity your child needs to set into motion significant progress related to speech production.  June 18-21 and June 25-28. Space is limited. $60/session – this camp can be billed to insurance or paid privately.

Roller Coaster Makers Camp – 

designed for students entering the 9th – 12th grades who may struggle with social skills, making friends, and working in groups.  This camp will highlight a social skill per day and then incorporate that skill within the day’s construction of a roller coaster.  This camp will  combine STEM skills as well as social skills/executive functioning skills and will be led by VernaAnn Kotansky.  As a certified Assistive Technology Specialist and Speech therapist, VernaAnn will draw upon her love of science and technology to create an open and enriching experience for the teens in this camp.  Direction following will be a must as well as ability to work independently and demonstrate self-regulatory behaviors.  Every camper will take home a roller coaster, but not until the “Gallery of Roller Coasters” is shared with family and friends. June 19 – 22nd – 10am-12pm. $300. Space is limited to 6 students. Private pay only as this group is not a skilled service therefore we are unable to bill insurance.

Lakeshore Has Gone To The Dogs! A Reading Summer Camp – 

designed for students entering the 1st to 3rd grades – Lakeshore is proud and excited to introduce Stan the Therapy Dog and his amazing handler (and elementary school teacher with 20 years of experience) Patti Cramer. This program will run 3 sessions which will focus on practicing reading strategies to improve Accuracy, Fluency and Comprehension.  During each session: Day 1 :Reading Accuracy-assess and practice reading strategies to improve a reader’s accuracy; Day 2: Reading Fluency– Work on pacing, phrasing, punctuation and reading with expression; Day 3: Reading Comprehension– introduce and practice various strategies to improve reading comprehension. Students will read books at their independent level to accomplish these tasks. Students will have one on one time with Patti. They will also work together on these strategies and they will have the opportunity to read to Stan to show off their skills.  Session 1: June 11-13,  Session 2: June 18-20, Session 3: June 25-17  – 10:00-11:30am.  Space is limited to 4 students per session. Cost $250/session. All 3 sessions- $700.  Private pay only as this group is not a skilled service therefore we are unable to bill insurance.

Guided Makers Social Skills Camp –

designed for students entering the 5th – 8th grades who struggle with social skills, making friends and working in groups.  STEM skills are every important in today’s world and this camp will begin to introduce those skills in combination with social skills. Social skills will be introduced daily and campers will practice these  social skills while making “STEM creations” and working in a group.  This camp will be led by VernaAnn Kotansky as well.  Campers will take home their creations.  The camp will culminate with a “Makers’ Gallery” for friends and family to enjoy all the creations! June 12 – 14th – 10am-12pm. $300. Space is limited to 6 students. Private pay only as this group is not a skilled service therefore we are unable to bill insurance.

Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum – 

designed for students ages 8 – 11 years old.  Following the amazing adventures of Superflex, your campers will gain the Superhero skills to combat the likes of the horrible villains ‘Rock Brain’, ‘WasFunnyOnce’, and ‘Glassman’ to name a few. This class will be led by Ellen Spear.  Your child will be engaged in the world of Superflex while learning and practicing the ever important social skills.  Perfect timing for a refresher as they begin to prepare for the start of the 2018-19 school year!  August 6-9th – 3-4pm. $300. Space is limited to 6 students.  Private pay only as this group is not a skilled service therefore we are unable to bill insurance.

Registration Information – Spots are Limited

Registration deadline for all programs is May 25,  2018. Payment is due in full by the date of the first class for all programs.  There will be no refunds for missed sessions. We reserve the right to cancel and reschedule session days  at any time.  We accept cash, check and most major credit cards as payment. 

Upon registering, we will send you a packet of information that must be completely filled out and returned by June 6, 2018.

We reserve the right to cancel the class entirely should registration not meet minimum requirements.  All clients that did register will be notified at least three (3) days prior to the first class and refunds will be given at that time.

Register for all programs by calling (1-440-471-7901) or emailing Kelly (krigo@lakeshorespeech.com) at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

 

 

What to do This Summer?: Top 3 Questions Answered

Take the time you need to make solid decisions about your child.

Summer?  Here in NorthEast Ohio, snow is still flying …. the idea of Summer doesn’t seem like it will every be a reality!  Alas, we all know those Spring showers will bring those May flowers and Summer is but a few days away!  And so the age old question – to schedule the summer away or not? Everyone has on opinion on this topic.  Sign the kids up for camp after camp after camp so they don’t miss a thing.  Don’t sign the kids up for anything and let the lazy days of Summer lead the adventure. And with every opinion, there is child, parent, family that stands in the shadows waiting for the final answer.

So what is the right answer? That is an answer only YOU as your child’s caregiver can answer.  What is needed in the Summer months for one child may not be needed for another.  As a caregiver, you need to sit yourself down and really think about a few questions.  Answer them honestly and then act upon them and don’t look back.

Three questions to ask yourself

Question #1: What does my son/daughter/child NEED during the Summer months?

Do they NEED the structure of a camp? Do they NEED a flexibility schedule? Do they NEED intensive therapeutic intervention or time with peers? Do they NEED a summer off?  What your child NEEDS vs what you WANT can really make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the Summer programming.

Question #2: How much TIME do you and your family have to devote to the Summer program?

Look at that calendar – Summer FLIES by waaay to fast.  When do you plan on going on vacation?  When are you going to visit Grandma and Grandpa?  When is Grandma and Grandpa coming to visit?  Signing up for any program or intervention and then canceling is non-productive for you as well as the therapist/program on the other end.  Sign-up for days/times that you are pretty sure you will be FREE.  Does this mean no Monday or Friday programming for you? Does this mean nothing before 11am?  The flexibility of your child’s schedule is paramount in planning for Summer programming.

Question #3: What’s the budget?

We all know price is a big factor in any and all Summer programming.  How much is the ultimate limit? Would your money be better spent on one Summer program or spread out among a few?  What funding opportunities exist for your child?  Is a Summer program ‘gift worthy’ – meaning is it worth the time to suggest a family member(s) give the Summer program to your child as an early birthday or holiday gift? Staying in your budget is just as important during the Summer as it is any time of the year.

You Hold the Answers

Summer programming is up to you and your child.  You hold the answer that is right for your child and your situation.  We know you’ll make the right decision!

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

How to Celebrate Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness month.

We here are Lakeshore are proud to work with families and for individuals on the Autism spectrum. There is no one way, one recipe, one program that fits all children with Autism.  We celebrate these differences!

Celebrate Every Success – Big or Small

Those working with children with Autism strive to finding the keys to unlock communication skills. While progress in finding those ‘keys’ at times can feel painfully slow, your speech-language pathologist is here for you to continually push, model, and encourage you and your child.  Even the smallest step of forward progress is cause for celebration!
Lakeshore Speech celebrates with you and your child!

How to Celebrate Childhood Apraxia of Speech

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is some degree of disrupted speech motor control.In other words,  a child diagnosed with CAS experiences  difficulty rapidly and accurately moving and sequencing  the tongue, lips and palate for the required movements for continuous and intelligible speech production.  While the data on incidents of CAS in children is lacking, the estimates of some sources indicate that CAS is low incidence with perhaps 1 – 10 in 1000 children affected or 3 – 5 % of speech-impaired preschoolers.

What does this look like at home, one the playground, in preschool?

A child with CAS may experience a limited number of vowel sounds, difficulty imitating mouth movements and/or words/sounds, or a variety of errors that may be unusual or idiosyncratic.  Children with CAS may or may not experience receptive language deficits.  Depending on the child, negative behaviors associated with not being understood may also be evident.

What does a parent do?  Where do you go?

An experienced Speech-Language Pathologist in the area of CAS can help navigate families and children through the CAS journey.  As a parent/caregiver, do not feel intimidated asking if your SLP has experience in the area of CAS.  The therapists at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. are happy to answer your questions about CAS as well as provide specific therapeutic interventions.

February is CAS awareness month.  If you would like more information, please feel free to ask your Speech-Language Pathologists as well as visit The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

How to Play Board Games ….not BORED Games

Playing board games is a skill that is fading from our society

Go Fish! Sorry! Your Turn! These short phrases, for many, bring back memories of sitting around a table with friends and family playing….together….face to face. In a world filled with technology, the ART of playing a board games is becoming more of a skill that needs to be taught vs. a natural occurrence in the life of a child.

Langauage Opportunities in every game

Board games are filled with language opportunities: turn taking, waiting, giving positive reinforcement, sequencing, following directions, etc. It is not uncommon for a child to say “We played games.” when asked what they did in speech therapy. Games provide the opportunity to slow language down, practice specific phrase or sounds or vocabulary, and repeat a sequence or direction until over and over again. A child’s eye widen when the ‘game cupboard’ is opened and they are told to pick a game to play in therapy. Time and time again, a Speech Therapist hears, “This game is great! Can we play this again next week?”

Speech Therapists make it look easy

While a Speech Therapist weaves specific therapy goals into every minute of the game, parents and caregivers have the same opportunity to practice the important skills of turn taking, cooperation, encouraging another person, being a graceful winner/loser or just feeling like a part of something while playing a board game. Children may argue board games are really BORED games, but deep down, and usually within a few minutes of playing, they quickly realize there is nothing BORING about a BOARD game!

Share your favorite childhood game with your child. Have your child share their new game with his/her Speech Therapist. Enjoy a few hours away from the blue hue of a screen, enjoy the sight of a smiling child discovering a new skill….playing a BOARD game and not for one minute being BORED!

Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Consider Making Your Resolutions for the New Year!

Speech-Language Therapy Resolutions for a New Year

“What’s your resolution this year?” The most frequently asked question from January 1st – 10th of any year.  After about 10 days of asking we are all pretty certain that either a. all resolutions have been broken or b. there were none to begin with.  For 2018 we might consider to resolve ourselves versus struggle to meet unrealistic resolutions.  Resolve ourselves to find the good in all actions and words. Resolve ourselves to be present…present to our children, our partner, our friends, our corner of the world.  Resolve ourselves to laugh more, to smile more, to find the joy, to communicate!

Developing Communication Skills is a Team Resolution

So how does this remotely relate to speech-language therapy?  Good question! Communication is not just made up of one mode of expression – talking. Rather communication is any way we get our message understood – talking, facial gestures, hand gestures, sign-language, AAC devices, etc. ; being understood is what communication is all about.  Speech-language therapy is a means by which we learn how to communicate in a mode that is most effective and efficient.  Speech-language therapy does not happen in a bubble and a Speech-Language Therapist (SLP) cannot make effective change in communication  without the support and team-work of a child’s entire TEAM .  Speech-language therapy is most effective when the entire TEAM is on the same page working towards the same end.   The resolve of the entire TEAM has to be finding, practicing and expecting  a child to communicate in the most effective and efficient mode.  As the main members of the TEAM, parents/caregivers need to communicate with the SLP.  Your SLP wants to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly….what worked, what didn’t work.  Your SLP should be able to clearly explain how to best manage and create an environment for successful communication in a manner that works for the ENTIRE TEAM.  The time spent communicating with your SLP is equally as important as the time she/he spends working with your child.  By resolving ourselves to communicate more effectively, our children not only learn by our example but those around us will as well.

 

Hats off to the start of amazing things in 2018!

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC