November09

The Career Center

The links to the right are "live" and reflect all open jobs with PediaStaff. To further narrow your search by state use the drop down menus on the search page to select a specific state. If a particular search is returning no hits it is Girl possible that we do not currently have openings
for you in that state.

If any of your information (geographic, population or setting preference) has changed since we've last spoken, please let us know. See an opening that interests you? Just apply to that job and one of our staff will contact you right away.

Remember, one of the things that makes PediaStaff unique is that we will actively "market" your skills to prospective employers of pediatric and school based therapists, so if you don't see a position that interests you make sure you let us know what you are looking for.

Toilet Training in Down Syndrome - By Karen Summar, MD
Editor's Note: This article was originally written for parents but contains excellent information for therapists and so we reprint it here.

Step 1: Determining Your Child's Readiness

Many parents are eager to start a toilet training program for their children. However, for some children their parents may be ready to start before their children are ready. Starting before your child displays the necessary readiness signs will most likely increase the amount of time it takes for your child to learn this skill as well as decrease the amount of success your child experiences. Starting too early can also lead to other problems, such as an increase in undesirable behaviors related to toilet and high frustration levels in the parent. To ease the toilet training process and ensure that toilet training is a positive experience for everyone involved, it is recommended that parent's assess their child's toilet readiness skills. This is described below:
Age: This factor should not be the only one considered when deciding to start a toilet training program. However, it is recommended to wait until after the second birthday to begin considering toilet training. For children with Down syndrome, it has been found beneficial to wait until after the third birthday to begin the process.
Bladder control: Your child completely empties her bladder when voiding and remains dry for at least one and one half hours during the day.
Read More of this Article

Speech Language Pathology Corner

Editor's Note: PediaStaff acknowledges the controversial nature of this topic. We believe however, that all clinicians should have an opportunity to present reasoned findings and opinions in this forum. For more information on the Oral-Motor Debate, please see our Oral Motor Debate page.
Sensory Oral-Motor Treatment: A Technique to Facilitate Mature Movement Patterns During Speech Production and Eating

by: Maureen A Flanagan MA, CCC-SLP

Recently, oral-motor treatment has become a controversial topic among some speech/language pathologists. The question has been "What is oral-motor treatment and what is its effect on speech production?"

Sensory oral-motor treatment is a developmental treatment approach that facilitates the child's ability to produce typical movement patterns. This developmental approach, when needed, facilitates the child's ability to make use of sensory input and produce more normalized patterns of movement (Flanagan, 2008). With a sensory oral-motor treatment program, "the goal is to increase the possibility of a more normal motor response through manipulation of the sensory environment" (Alexander, 1987, as cited in Redstone, 2007, p. 125).

Sensorimotor therapy is a term that has been used in the past to describe a treatment approach that provides a "structured sensory environment". The purpose of this treatment is to "modify specific abnormalities in the movement patterns exhibited by the patient during a particular functional task or the target task." The child is then able to use the sensory information to produce sensory motor responses in the same automatic manner that occurs in the normally developing child. This then assists with the development of mature movement patterns with the child (Sheppard, 2006).
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Focus on Bilingualism

Speech Assessment of Spanish-English Bilinguals
- by Ellen Kester, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Alejandro Brice, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
With the implementation of Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) in the schools, many speech-language pathologists are searching for tools to share with the teachers in their schools to help identify which students are presenting with speech errors that can be attributed to the influence from their first language. It is important to consider to the similarities and differences in the sound systems of each language in order to determine whether errors result from first-language influence or whether the errors are atypical.

In the charts below, we present two Venn diagrams. One presents the consonant sounds of English and Spanish and the other presents the vowel sounds. The sounds in the center of the Venn diagram are common to the two languages and while the sounds on the left and right sides are unique to one language or the other. From a clinical perspective, if a child who is a native Spanish speaker correctly produces the sounds unique to Spanish and those shared between the languages but makes errors on sounds that are unique to English, it is likely that this pattern results from minimal experience with the phonology of the second language and may result in phonetic interference.
Read the Rest of this Article Online

Q&A: Ask the Expert: Alternative Treatments for Children with CP and Other Neurological Disorders

By: Rafael Muñoz, PT, DPT, CSCS - NAPA Center
What is intensive suit therapy?

Intensive Suit Therapy is primarily used in the treatment of cerebral palsy. It is based on the Adeli Method- a model utilized by practitioners in Russia and later Poland- consisting of physical therapy interventions lasting up to 4-6 hours per day for 5-6 days per week for 3-4 weeks. The primary components of this method consisted of 90-120 minutes in an Adeli Suit, with the remainder of the time performing various strengthening, conditioning, and developmental activities utilizing a Universal Exercise Unit (also known as a Multifunctional Therapy Unit) the majority of the treatment duration. Purists usually do not combine the terms "intensive suit therapy", but for simplicity intensive therapy including suit therapy will be referred to as "intensive suit therapy".

The Adeli Suit's basis originated in the Russian space program where its precursor was initially applied to the cosmonauts to combat the impairments suffered during and following space travel. In essence, the suit is a dynamic orthotic that must be applied by a trained individual in order to facilitate or inhibit certain movements, assist with the development of optimal posture, assist with or supplement the restoration of proprioception, or used as resistance to increase the strength of the patient. The NeuroSuit and TheraSuit are other suits that are based on the Adeli Suit, and utilize the same principles as the Adeli Suit.
Read the Rest of the Suit Therapy Q&A

Pediatric Therapy Corner - Bonus Article!

Making the Pitch for Music Therapy - by Katie Eshleman, Board Certified Music Therapist
Oliver Saks, the famed neurologist, describes music as the "profoundest non-chemical medication." Katie Eshleman, the obscure music therapist, has the honor of witnessing music's abundant rewards as a child with special needs transcends words and sings, as that same child discovers their unique and inherent rhythms. Together, the journey of music therapist and child serves to nourish, develop, and enrich both individuals while inspiring a continuing and deepening exploration of self and the world.

The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as "the clinical and evidence based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program." Board certified music therapists utilize a myriad of musical techniques to address non-musical goals within the motoric, communicative, cognitive, affective, and social domains. Often times, many may embrace the notion that the effects of music defy explanation; however, that initial impression is not always accurate. In fact, the impact of music therapy is both observable and quantifiable. According to Suzanne Hanser, "music therapists work to remediate skills, change specific behaviors, improve existing conditions, or teach new skills through musical experiences (3)." However, at the heart of objectives, goal setting, and treatment lies the critical and central ideal of music therapy practice known as the iso-principle or "meeting the child" at their present functioning level each time they enter the music therapy session. A welcoming and nurturing musical environment coupled with success oriented activities provides a setting of acceptance and enjoyment where the attempt at new behaviors and skills appears to be less anxiety provoking for the child.

Read the Rest of this Article HERE

Therapy Marketplace - Featured Organizations and Authors

Maureen A. Flanagan, MA, CCC-SLP

Special Thanks to Maureen A. Flanagan, MA, CCC-SLP for contributing this month's Speech Language Pathology Corner article.

Maureen A. Flanagan, MA, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech/language pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed by the state of Maryland. Over the past 30 years, she has worked with children with a variety of disabilities and handicapping conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, apraxia, and dysarthria. Presently, Ms. Flanagan runs a private practice in Rockville and Harwood, Maryland, providing speech/language services to children aged birth to 15 years. Maureen Flanagan has written Improving Speech and Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: an oral-motor program for home and school which can be purchased from her website http://www.maureenflanaganspeech.com or through Autism Asperger Publishing Company

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Karen Summar, MD and the National Down Syndrome Society

Special Thanks to Karen Summar, MD and the National Down Syndrome Society for this month's Occupational Therapy Corner article.

The National Down Syndrome Society envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities.

For more information about this organization please visit National Down Syndrome Society website

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Rafael Muñoz and the NAPA Center

Special Thanks to Rafael Muñoz and the NAPA Center for writing this month's Q&A: Ask the Expert Column.

NAPA Center is a multidisciplinary, non-profit organization designed to assist all those affected by various neuromusculoskeletal disorders. NAPA Center integrates intensive suit therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, auditory training, naturopathic medicine, and chiropractic services to all those who are candidates. NAPA Center utilizes the NeuroSuit and Multifunctional Therapy Unitsduring the intensive suit therapy portion of treatment, and is a training facility for suit therapy and intensive therapy. For more information about any topic covered, feel free to call 888-711-NAPA (6272), or email at info@napacenter.org.

Rafael Muñoz, PT, DPT, CSCS, is a licensed physical therapist working at NAPA Center in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in intensive suit therapy for pediatric and adult populations. He graduated from Whittier College with a Bachelor's in Kinesiology in 2004, and from the University of Southern California with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2007. In 2007 he received the NeuroSuit training in intensive suit therapy from the inventor of the suit, Patricia Gonzalez; and was hired on at NAPA Center shortly afterwards. Rafael utilizes a breadth of treatment techniques, and applies manual therapies traditionally reserved for the orthopedic population to the neurologic population. He has a passion for helping his patients and families achieve an improved quality of living, and is dedicated to being a proponent for change in the physical therapy profession.

Please support our contributing organizations and visit their website at NAPA Center

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Katie Eshleman - Board Certified Music Therapist and SingOutOnline.com

Special Thanks to Katie Eshleman for providing this month's Bonus Article.

Katie has wanted to be a music therapist for as long as she can remember. She did not know the exact job description of a music therapist but she did know that music always found a way to the places in her heart and mind that were beyond the reach of mere words.

Katie a board certified music therapist and graduated from Drew University with a B.A. in music and went on to Drexel University where she received her Masters in music therapy in 2001. As a music therapist, she has worked primarily with children with special needs using musical techniques in the therapeutic setting to address goals including social interaction, coping mechanisms, language development, emotional and creative expression, but most importantly sense of self.

Katie is the creator of Sing Out: Music to enhance early childhood speech development. She is also the mom of three young music lovers.

Please support our contributing authors and visit Sing Out
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Alejandro Brice, Ph.D., CCC-SLP University of South Florida St. Petersburg
Ellen Kester, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Bilinguistics, Inc.

Many thanks to Ellen Kester and Alejandro Brice for providing this article for this month's Focus on Bilingualism column.

Dr. Alejandro E. Brice is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg in Secondary/ESOL Education. His research has focused on issues of transference or interference between two languages in the areas of phonetics, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics related to speech-language pathology. In addition, his clinical expertise relates to the appropriate assessment and treatment of Spanish-English speaking students and clients. Please visit his website at http://www.stpete.usf.edu/coe/brice.htm or reach him by email at: aebrice@mail.usf.edu

Dr. Roanne G. Brice is the Assistant to the Chair for the Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests have focused on language and beginning literacy skills in bilingual children and students with disorders/disabilities. In addition to teaching at the university level, Dr. Brice has been an itinerant and self-contained classroom speech-language pathologist as well as a general education classroom teacher. She may be reached at: robrice@mail.ucf.edu

Dr. Ellen Kester is a Founder and President of Bilinquistics, Inc. Bilinguistics, Inc. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and her Bachelor's degree in Spanish at The University of Texas at Austin. She has provided bilingual Spanish/English speech-language services in schools, hospitals, and early intervention settings. Her research focus is on the acquisition of semantic language skills in bilingual children, with emphasis on assessment practices for the bilingual population. She has performed workshops and training seminars, and has presented at conferences both nationally and internationally. Dr. Kester teaches courses in language development, assessment and intervention of language disorders, early childhood intervention, and measurement at The University of Texas at Austin. She can be reached at: ellen.kester@bilinguistics.com

The PediaStaff Website - is "Not Just for Job Searching Anymore"

If you haven't been to the our website lately you are in for a treat. Not only have we completely redesigned it and added a whole lot of great information about our company, services and philosophy but we are stuffing it jam packed with fantastic pediatric and school based therapy resources for you and your staff to use everyday.

There you will find links to resources, organizations and websites on topics in pediatric speech, occupational and physical therapy including dozens of articles and videos. Topics are organized by therapy discipline and include Stuttering, Bilingualism, Autism, Down Syndrome, Pediatric Stroke, Oral Motor Issues, Speech Language Delay and much more. All articles and videos are resident on our site. No abstracts, no fees.

We hope you enjoy it! It is still very much a work in progress, but we think there is enough there to suggest that you check it out at your earliest convenience.

Visit our Resources Pages

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Public Hearing on Special Education Policies and Procedures (Revision to Rule)