This year is full of serendipitous moments! During a collaboration for one of my clients, I was connected with Alyssa Wilkins, a licensed music therapist and yoga instructor. She is excited, intelligent, evidence based and reached out to move forward with a collaboration over our common interest- Executive Functions. 

I have had an incredible response already about this camp! I am so thrilled that people are interested in this skill set the way I am. Like pre-literacy, I know these kids are still developing the areas of the brain that organize, predict and plan, but why not give explicit instruction? Why not make it fun, so they can succeed in their social and school life? 

If interested, please note that we have 3 age groups- find the age of the child, and then the dates! See the flier for information about pricing!

2-Week Executive Function Camp
 (Mon-Thurs mornings, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Imagination Therapy has connected with Dynamic Lynks in Oak Park to follow our common passion for executive function development. 
In a play-based environment, we will work on cognitive development for a range of ages with three age groups.

 7-12 year olds: July 15-25

13-18 year olds: July 29- Aug 8

 3-6 year olds: August 12-22

We hope to build skills and get practice with:
*Attention*
*Memory*
*Organization*
*Imagination*
*Flexible Thinking*
*Problem Solving*
*Language & Vocabulary*
*Self-Regulation*
& More!


Alyssa and I are both very excited about bolstering these skills that so many kids struggle with as they grow. These skills and strategies will build independence in social and academic life, and we think it's going to be really fun, too!

As always I appreciate the outpouring of support from this amazing community! I think this will be a really great option, and I'm not sure anything quite like it is out there. Please contact me katherine@ImaginationTherapyLLC.com  or  info@dynamiclynks.com for more information!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2019! I have had a wild year starting this business, learning about insurance from the other side, slowly getting the swing still of scheduling, taxes, and how to arrange a holiday schedule.

Something I learned about myself, even in my mid 30's, is the importance of routine and stability. I rely heavily on following the same schedules and paths, and the holidays are great but definitely not a time of stability! It reminded me to be grateful for the people who I have connected to, and for my usual coping skills to handle changes. Not all the clients I work with cope with change.

I have been researching a lot about impulsivity lately. I wanted to know if the research supports a technique for impulse suppression, or if target behavior elevation is the therapy key. As you might guess, there isn't really a definite answer, but the speech therapy techniques talk a lot about activating the appropriate words. This is the context of aphasia, which is defined by ASHA as "a language disorder that happens when you have brain damage... Aphasia may make it hard for you to understand, speak, read or write. It does not make you less smart or cause problems with the way you think." 

One very well known technique for addressing aphasia is Semantic Feature Analysis, or SFA. This helps with anomia, which is when you can't "find the word" you're looking for. SFA is documented by Boyle and Coelho in 1995 in the American Journal of Speech Language Pathology Vol 4, No 4. (http://eprints-prod-05.library.pitt.edu/227/1/25-03.pdf). We all use this technique when we talk around an object to think of the word that's just "on the tip of my tongue". The details associated, like it's group, use, action, properties, location and association, are considered and expressed to assist with activation of the word in verbal expression. This is an example of trying to elevate the target word as opposed to suppressing the error expression.

This technique is useful for mild-moderate aphasias, and requires a fairly heavy cognitive load to execute and the results for generalization are considered to be limited thus far. In my journey to find some more current evidence (1995 was over 20 years ago!) I found an article by my Aphasia professor from Rush, Dr. Peach. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02687030903058629) which supports a discourse-based approach using the same techniques as opposed to single pictures. 

Working with adults and kids to build their vocabulary and get their wants, needs, and observation labelled is a huge part of the job. For the SLP though, there seems to be a tendency to try to make these activities hobbies as well and my friends and I used to play this game called Anomia during our breaks! https://www.anomiapress.com/our-games.html

I have resolved to blog more in 2019, so here's hoping you'll get to hear a little more from me soon. I seem to be talking about The King's Speech a lot again lately, so maybe I'll go into the accuracy of that era of speech therapy! 

​Stay tuned, and happy new year everyone! 

Good morning everyone! I haven't updated in a long time- no news is good news, because I've been very busy! What a great summer! I worked with folks ages 2-33 this summer and it was my dream come true. 

I also did a lot of research and studying this year to build my executive function knowledge, to determine how to target language skills to support executive dysfunction, and the other continuing education with dysphagia and swallowing for my other work-life. As a result of gobbling up all this education, I was awarded an ACE award by my licensing board! I received a notice in the mail just the other day. How cool! I thought I had just missed the mark, but all that hard work will pay off!

It feels great to take that kind of initiative for myself and my clients through professional development, and then to be recognized by my field without having to self-promote loudly to anyone in particular. 

In other news, I have been playing a game with a group called Beyond the Wall. I am planning an event for the guys to work through this afternoon (this is a group of teenage boys and we meet at the library on a weekly basis to work on natural social skills, problem solving, and language use). I am getting the hang of it, but GMing is hard work! Shout out to the DM and GM leaders out there!

​https://www.flatlandgames.com/btw/
​

I have had a greatly supported couple weeks! Of all the amazing friends, family and colleagues, I have to say that I think with the support of a small group of dedicated moms- anything is possible. Yes, I have had the support of a few amazing moms I would like to recognize.

1. My mom. She is so supportive and encouraging even though I bet she worries. If she is more confident than worried, I feel like a success!

2. Lauri from ​http://www.theapraxiaconnection.org
I got invited to an event with this amazing group in order to see Nancy Kaufman speak to parents of children with CAS. This is a speech production disability at the level of the motor planning phase that can cause unintelligible speech, and can result in non-verbal communication.  I am so excited to be involved with the Apraxia Connection!

3. Nani- My nephews stay with Nani in her care during the day, and she is an enthusiastic supporter! She connected me with Mom mail.. again, moms should take over as they are efficient and are supportive! I have had two connections from mom mail already- how amazing!

4. Lara who supports me and my business every week- I am so grateful for her and her great family!

In light of growing connections with EFS Coach, Lakeview Speech, Possible opportunities with Loyola Home Health, and my previous employer at Central DuPage Hospital, I am hoping for a 2018 schedule for Imagination Therapy to look like this:

Tuesday: 3-7, there are spots for 2 clients (2 slots are already taken!) and I think I may hold off on Open Houses for Tuesdays

Wednesday: Open Houses, 4:30-6:30, based on interest so far. See my services page for details in informal intervention and support. I would LOVE more people, and request for activities or lessons! If there is interest, I will build a schedule of topics/lessons! (see below)

Thursday: I have spots for clients from 3-7, like Tuesday. I currently have spots for 3 clients (I may need to travel between!) since one is taken already!

Saturday: My Saturdays are open, and I am working with EFSC to work with them part time, too, as interest builds and word on the street spreads. I want to make time for 4-6 clients in Oak Park on Saturdays- i'm wide open in 2018, so contact me for details! katherine@imaginationtherapyllc.com

Topics for Wednesdays... just ideas for now:
"That's so Meta"- How to talk about talking and think about thinking.
"Sequential, Spatial, Ordinal" - Vocabulary building
"Prioritize"- How do we decide what is most important?
"Visualize" - We all do it, how can I make this idea something tangible- to see or hold on to it.
"Predicting the FUTURE?!"- Actually, we can make better guesses than we think, if we assess all the details,
"Multi-tasking" - Nowadays we can't get by without doing at least 2 things at once. How can we focus our attention (Maybe this is a follow up to Prioritize??).

I'll keep it coming and make some of these topics available to you all. I think these lessons would be free, and from 4:00-4:30 on Wednesday, with chances to practice after at the open house. PLEASE leave a comment or contact me if you think this sort of opportunity would appeal to you or someone you know. 

Ok, I think I will blog one of those ideas tomorrow, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Holidays! 

Yesterday was my friend Holly's birthday, and we went out this weekend to celebrate! She is an SLP as well, and she and I met through trivia and our dogs, Daisy and Lady. Her family has Gypsy blood, and they do tarot and palm readings. Well, for her birthday we went to a local place, and I got my fortune told via crystal ball (!). The woman immediately asked about my new business venture- wow! She told me that it would be very successful, and not to worry about the bumps in the road coming up in these early months.

Well if you are a frequent flier to this website, you'll know that my website has been down for 2 days because of some mistakes I made with the billing! Weebly and Namecheap were great though, and restored all my content, thank GOODNESS.  I am also managing a re-fax situation with BCBS: I didn't include some pages of the whole application and it got rejected! Even the non-application portions need to be returned, for anyone trying to apply as a provider!

Despite the little hiccups though, there has been an awful lot to be thankful for! I am working alongside some excellent companies and people who are supportive and great role models for me as I start up! 

Executive Function Skills Coach (EFS Coach), run my Lisa, referred by Alex at Social Butterfly, Inc. 
http://efscoach.com/about/
http://www.sbspeechtherapy.com

Lisa is an amazing resource and was a very early advocate for Executive Function in the area. She does not to therapy, but is a former teacher who COACHES kids. She has some AMAZING products, too- I think she said these are the result of 15 years of work with Executive Function. 

Alex was my first contact who offered to help me work through some of those start-up moments as a private speech therapist. She was the first to tell me that this field is so needed, that I should be proud of myself and that in this business world, we collaborate instead of compete! What a great message from someone who has been working for years now, and started in the school system like I did! Alex provides social groups for kids including several integrated philosophies, including the style of Michelle Garcia-Winner. 

The Auditory Connection, run by Donna Turetgen, a community connection!
http://www.auditoryconnection.com

Donna is a fellow product of Rush University Medical Center and an Audiologist in the area! She met with me VERY early on in October and is not only a very like-minded, supportive colleague, but a great cheerleader and new friend. Donna has experience with students who have Auditory Processing Disorders, among others, and notices a real need for work with Executive Function! 

Lakeview Speech and Language Clinic, run by Tracy Trumbell., a former Northwestern classmate of mine!
http://lakeviewspeech.com

Tracy reached out to me during my open houses, and she and I are working together in the Oak Park area (and surrounding suburbs!). She is so smart, positive, and collaborative with everyone in the area- I am inspired by her and hope my business grows alongside hers to help everyone who needs services in our local community!

I also have been cheered on by my former employer at the Center for Speech and Language Disorders (CSLD), and all the amazing people I worked with there, too!
www.csld.org

Yesterday was Giving Tuesday, and if you have the time and extra money, a little goes a long way to help kids who do not have the means get the therapy they need. CSLD is a non-profit speech clinic, and provides programs for social communication and literacy intervention, and can provide a variety of speech services in a 1:1 environment as well!

Of COURSE I couldn't do any of it without my amazing individual supporters- Leelaa, Lara, Linda/Nani, my friends and supporters on facebook for spreading the word, my family, my partner (who helps me with all my technical and internet things when he is not working his full time job!), my D&D buds who are flexible with my open houses, my Doobs (in the UK!), my trivia team, my WAKA kickball friends, one my my rocks Gina and the SugarBeet Co-op in Oak Park (https://sugarbeetcoop.squarespace.com). I am sure I am missing someone or somewhere, but I feel so lucky for all the support and generosity in my life right now. 

Happy Holidays, however you spend them! I hope to hear from you soon and I look forward to meeting you!
​

With a new month comes a gear-shift for Imagination Therapy, LLC! The foundations are set and I am ready to reach out to my community! I am going to open some doors to my neighbors and host a few meet & greet open house events! I am printing fliers, I have had a couple meetings, and I am confirmed with one of my space providers for 4:00-7:00 p.m.

I plan to provide services in the clients' home(s), in functional community spaces (e.g. library, out at parks, wherever makes sense), in my home, or in this wonderful space!

I plan to meet and greet anyone curious about what I plan to do, and even provide some conversational suggestions about any needs they might have immediately. 

See below for details I snapped from my flier, and I hope to see many of you there!

This last week, I have been collecting all the research I can. I am looking at the science of executive function, I am participating in the experiment of a 10 year old friend (she's testing if children or adults have better short term memory for her science fair!), and meeting with the amazing professionals in the area who already provide a place for building executive function skills.

​So much of this work seems to be case-by-case, highly tailored to the individual. I believe that perspective is key, since it seems no two brains are alike! I would, though, like to work through some of the areas I think are deficient in society, causing us to be less patient, more dependent on immediate answers and unsatisfied with the grey areas. 

Society has an ever-changing language system- our vocabulary is based on the world around us, our reading levels, and our personal experiences.

​Organization is based in labelling: What is that? What group does it belong to? Describing aspects gives us categories, and can become more detailed and specific the larger our pile of items becomes. If we do not have a variety of words, we will label many things the same way: a cup.

​But when and if we continue to develop our world-experience, we encounter objects and feelings that are similar, but not quite the same. If we are brave we will seek out new words for similar objects: glass, cup, mug, stein, thermos, teacup, etc.

​Check out the picture below. If you looked at these items and said "Hey pass me that cup?" you might have a hard time getting the thing you wanted. Eventually you'd get there, but it might be inefficient, frustrating, and confusing.  If you're trying to put away the dishes, you might think to put these all in the same place, without organization. That's okay, but doesn't it make sense to organize these by their function? By their material? By how regularly you use each one?

​I need to develop language-based domains for executive function activities. I need to find or determine myself the words that have to do with planning- sequencing words, spatial organization, prioritizing and value words.

​Other big concepts besides vocabulary and describing are initiation, outlining, editing, and completing.  Cognitively I need to consider attention and memory that underlie executive function. 

​And, of course, all of these domains are intertwined. We all have a lot to learn!

​Stay tuned,

​Katie