Summer is around the corner, and people are seeking group activities!

I have a few promising groups being established this summer that I'm excited about. I'd like groups to meet 1-2 times a week as able through the summer. Please contact me for details re: fees and scheduling! I like to work with people, and I don't "package" my groups but prefer to provide activities that are relevant to enrolled members.

Adults/Caregivers:
I want to offer a parent group this year! I'm hoping that I can provide a virtual "training" for parents to discuss how to support their children at home. This can be for caregivers, parents, teachers, or anyone who interacts with and supports children. I will craft the content based on the participants, but will focus on the concept of modelling & scaffolding, goal setting & accountability, and/or games that help with practicing and growing a variety of cognitive-linguistic skills!

Social Problem Solving: Middle School (Approx. Ages 11-14)
I have a group of middle schoolers forming who will work on social problem solving, nonverbal inferences, and long term planning. 

Teen Conversations: (Ages 14-18)
Finally, I have a group of high-schoolers who are working on conversational skills. This can be due to struggles with perspective taking and nonverbal language skills, pace and processing speed, fear of social repercussions, passivity during conversations, or hyper-focus on their preferred topics. 

Young Professionals: (Ages 18+)
Coordinating young professionals in college or early work life to meet and build social resources, support networks, and life-stage communities. I am matching based on need/interest and neuro-compatibility, however the goal is not to facilitate these groups long-term, but encourage the young adults to foster and plan their own events. 

I am always interested in hosting groups, and trying to connect folks with similar experience. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you are unsure or if something you feel you need is missing- let's problem solve together!

Request a free consultation or planning discussion through my portal:  https://imagination.clientsecure.me

Tomorrow, Saturday April 6th, come see me at the Forest Park D91 Education Summit!
​
I will have a table at the resource fair and hosting a workshop at the event:
 "Executive Function Support: Building Independence with Kids & Teens"
10:00-10:45 am
Forest Park Middle School
​
I will have a newly formed workbook to help with drafting your SMART goals, specific recommendations for games to play to build executive function skills, and (I hope) an interactive group to discuss specific situations and even come up with the first steps for solutions!
 https://www.fpsd91.org/page/ed-summit  

Stay tuned here for a link to access workshop slides and the SMART goals workbook after the summit!

If you're interested in direct services for yourself or your child, please send in a request on my portal:
https://imagination.clientsecure.me
​

I was featured on a podcast hosted by a School for Gifted and Talented Students, The Avery Coonley School (https://www.averycoonley.org/). With my colleague Robin Speizman of rEFocus Executive Function Coaching (www.refocusefcoaching.com)  we discussed the skills involved in executive function, and did our best to give advice across THREE installments!!

Take a listen!

​https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thegiftededpodcast/episodes/Episode-18-Unpacking-Executive-Functioning-for-Gifted-Students-Part-1-e2dj294/a-aapb0fv

 
​Erica and I hanging out during the Master's program at Rush University Medical Center! (2011)

​I'm offering consultation and direct services to tailor your child's education, and coach them through learning changes this year! I don't know what time will look like, but I'm putting out feelers for interested families!

The world will not be the same this fall, and that's one of the few things we all know for sure. I've worked in many schools, and I'd like to use my experience as a communication specialist and a diagnostician to organize the best plan with you and for you.

Your student's education will need to be individualized. Why not commit that this is the year EVERY child needs an IEP - an individualized education plan. While not all kids will get that tailored plan reserved for students with disabilities, we are ALL needing a special education plan, and I think special educators- speech therapists, occupational therapist, teachers, aids, administration- will have the wisdom to get us through this. Your student deserves and needs a specific approach to suit their specific restrictions this year.

-An IEP is a document made by special education teams to define:

-Strengths and weaknesses, and levels of adult support for success

-Setting the environment for success

-Setting specific goals for learning outcomes.

I'm happy to offer direct services about communication and setting up a plan with your team: your child, your school and family. I specialize in interpersonal communication, executive function and language comprehension and expression. 

I see all types of people, even without disorders, for language and executive function coaching. I've been working with clients since March 12 on school changes and e-learning (yes, before it actually happened), and transitioned most of my clients to telehealth successfully. These have been complicated times, but my goal is defining with your child and your home:

What do you need to do to be successful?

How do we schedule, plan, and organize remote learning?

How can we take an e-learning environment and make it MORE challenging with independent learning?

Who needs to take the lead role in your team- is it administrators, teachers, students, parents, advisors?

 I try to help get us all on the same page by defining roles, setting goals, and holding us all accountable for rigorous learning regardless of the environment.

That looks different for every student, so I try to tailor the needs, as I do as a speech pathologist. 

Please reach out for consultation or direct services!

Today I had the pleasure of presenting at the Hatch Elementary School PTO with our District 97. I was invited with Alyssa from Dynamic Lynks Holistic Therapy who I partnered with last summer for our Executive Functions Camp(s)! Sadly, Alyssa was out, being cautious with illness right now (thank you for that Alyssa!).
Kara from the PTO invited us after hearing our presentations at the Middle School last year. It was SUCH a pleasure meeting these parents today- they had a big group of involved folks, and great questions about how to get their kids/students motivated, organized, and on time.

I gave examples from therapy as well as my home life, including the "points system" we have at home (pictured below - tip: use wet erase for the base and dry erase for points!).

Below were some of the great questions and the responses I gave (paraphrased!), the handout I provided for the parents, and a picture of our "screen time" positive behavior point system! I blocked where the kids' names go, and the list of do-don't can be adjusted for whatever YOUR target behaviors are at home.

Question 1: What do I do if my child is a disaster with folders- materials a mess and a crammed backpack? How much should I be doing, and how much should I be making them do?

I suggested that actually you don't need to force a system on them, or do it for them, but bring it to them of "what are you willing to do?"

a) Ask them how they would like to be organized: folders and colored tabs aren't for everyone!
        For Example:  a "dump" folder that I learned from Lisa Marsicano, is one way that maybe a slower processor can manage a fast class period transition.

b) If they don't think they need a system, give them a chance to prove it: "find that paper for me, I'll time you and see how fast you can do it!" and show them how being neat and organized (in some way) can improve how much free time they have, and the effort they have to put in. show them that they need a system, but that it can be a system that makes sense for them.

c) Scaffold: start small and build: pick one small skill and practice for a week or two before adding another step. First, let's keep track of your calculator, then as we succeed and buy in, we can build to folders and tabs.

Question 2: How do I get my daughter to get moving in the morning. No matter what I do, we are always running late and she doesn't seem motivated to go any faster.

We have this same issue at home with meals and mornings- the 6 year old especially. The thing is, they aren't motivated-- and we need to show them why they should care! In our house, we started a system to show that the things THEY care about are tied to responsibility, self-reliance, and good cooperation: they earn screens for efficient and cooperative behavior (see images for our example). Instead of money/allowance, we can offer screen time for a certain level of independence.

Also, set a visual for the timer where she can see it: a counting down timer, a marker on your clock-- the thing is that this little girl probably doesn't know what "time" feels like. She really thinks she is going "fast", and can't edit her urgency until she knows what "late" feels like.

Question 3: My son plays soccer, and every weekend I am working hard to be "super-dad" and make sure we pull it all off to get to soccer on time. I struggle with knowing when to let him fail, and not make it work. I tried that this weekend, so he could explain to the coach himself why he was late, and maybe understand the need to get going and focus on the 6 things that need to be done before he can play soccer.

I would make it visual for him: make a check-list and give a visual timer, like with the other urgency situation. We can give auditory prompts to get going, but visual support is much more tangible. His brain might be distracted and those internal distractions are much stronger than the checklist. To be fair, he might not even really realize that the list exists yet. We are the model for our kids, and we can talk aloud in order to show them how we get out the door on time. And yes, letting them fail to feel that consequence is VERY important- it's the feeling of "late" that will get them going. Some kinds of brains, though, simply can't control when they're on task, and they can't help getting off task: this is where we can support the step-by-step use of a tool or strategy that we use for ourselves, and follow the scaffolding steps: I do, We do, You do. I show you how to use it, then I help you use it, and then I expect you to use it. They have to somewhat master the skill in we-do, or else they will certainly fail during the independent "You do" phase. TELL them about these steps so they know they are expected to do it themselves and soon!

Affirmation/Statement/Question 4: Parents have SO much to do as it is, and while I don't want to pile-on, but they need to step up and give consistency if any of the tips are going to work- get up, have breakfast ready, and be ready yourself to get out the door. We need to model that consequences do happen or else they will not feel the responsibility to do it. Parents need to show that they can be responsible and on time, or else why would their kids do it?

Yes, we are the models: the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You are the model raising your kids whether they are adopted, steps, grand-children, nieces etc. She is right, we need to be that model and show consistency. We also will fail- we are still only human. When we fail though, how likely is it that our child will tend to fail in the same way? We should admit this failing in a way that shows them how we correct it. Show them that "I can be this way too, sometimes!" and then show how you put in effort to be better and adjust. This could inspire them to do things differently, and even see that you "talk the talk, and walk the walk"- you are potentially the future adult they could become- and they are very much like you!

THANK you to the PTO for their hospitality this gray morning- it brightened my day, even if the sun won't.

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 [email protected]  or  [email protected] 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!