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Speech and Language Impairment Parent Resource Page

Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
 * Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Speech and Language impairments are defined as:**

There are many kinds of speech and language disorders that can affect children. The nation's special education law focuses on four major areas:
 * //**Articulation**// | speech impairments where the child produces sounds incorrectly (e.g., lisp, difficulty articulating certain sounds, such as “l” or “r”);
 * **//Fluency//** | speech impairments where a child’s flow of speech is disrupted by sounds, syllables, and words that are repeated, prolonged, or avoided and where there may be silent blocks or inappropriate inhalation, exhalation, or phonation patterns;
 * **//Voice//** | speech impairments where the child’s voice has an abnormal quality to its pitch, resonance, or loudness; and
 * **//Language//** | language impairments where the child has problems expressing needs, ideas, or information, and/or in understanding what others say.

__//Speech and Language Impairment Information Resources:// __ //The Parent’s Guide to Speech and Language Problems// is a one-stop resource, offering not just the most up-to-date medical information but also advice and encouragement from a mom who’s been there. A user friendly guide that help parents better understand and address a child's speech and language challenges. It provides cruical information about therapists and therapies and how to choose the right one for your child, how your child's struggles will affect you life and how to adjust, and information on how to get the most support from your school.
 * ===**Feit, D. (2007). //The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language Problems.// New York, New York, United States of America: McGraw-Hill.**===

Find out all you need to know about: How to recognize the most common speech, language, and listening problems, when to get help for your child and when to wait, where to find the right specialist and what to ask, How the problem may affect your child academically, socially, and at home, and tips for helping your child at home. This informative, reassuring guide helps parents and teachers identify normal speech development and potential problems, with advice on when and where to seek help, how to support your child's prescribed speech program, and how to lessen the risk of speech or language difficulties. Easy-to-understand question-and-answer format; guidelines for assessing your child's speech and language development; practical strategies for coping with stuttering, poor listening or memory skills, vocal fatigue or hoarseness, ear infections and hearing and much more; and ways to enhance speech and language development that both you and your child will enjoy. This introduction examines the definitions of language impairments in children; categorizing language impairments; methods of diagnosis and assessment; related or accompanying problems; testing methods and strategies for intervention. Examining the prevalence of language disorders in children, the book is an important summary of current awareness of language impairments in children. It offers advice on assessment methods and intervention, and provides a detailed glossary of the most important terminology used in the book.
 * ====**Hamaguchi, P. (2001). //Childhood Speech Language and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know.// New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.**====
 * ====**Katherine, M. (1997). //Does My Child Have a Speech Problem?// Chicago: Chicago Review Press.**====
 * ===Donaldson, M. (1995). //Children With Language Impairments: An Introduction.// London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.===


 * ===Ripley, K., Daines, B., & Barrett, J. (1997). //Dyspraxia:A Guide for Teachers and Parents.// London: David Fulton Publishers.===

__National Websites: __

LD Online
Apraxia.org American Speech, Language, Hearing Association

__ Speech and Language Impairment Support Group __ [|Pathways to Parent Support & Training] SPEECH PATHways Westminster Professional Center 532 Baltimore Blvd., Ste. 403 Westminster, MD RSVP - 410.374.0555 or speechpathways@direcway.com with name and phone #. Sponsoring Agency: SPEECH PATHways Meetings: PPST is a group specially designed for parents & caregivers of children with speech & language delays/disorders. The first group of its kind in Carroll County, PPST will offer parent training and support. Each meeting will include a meet & greet, a guest lecture on various topics & a Q&A time. Trained professionals & other parents/caregivers will be on hand for support and guidance. Date and Time: 3rd Friday of each month from 7-9pm Fee: none RSVP to contact info on left

__ Speech and Language Impairment Webseminar __

**Advocacy Strategies for Parents** Parents are often faced with the challenge of being an advocate for their child. A parent’s ability to be an effective advocate directly influences outcomes for that child. Today’s workshop will explore the importance of advocacy, what it is, and how a parent can become the best advocate for their child at home and in school.

**Advocacy Strategies for Parents** **- Part 1** - held Wednesday, September 16, 2009 **Presenter**: Deb Gordon, IEP Specialist, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health Topics covered:


 * History and summary of pertinent laws
 * Where is it important to use advocacy skills
 * Levels of service available in school

**Advocacy Strategies for Parents** **- Part 2****-** held Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (Archived presentation coming soon) **Presenter:** Deb Gordon, IEP Specialist, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health
 * Summary of the IEP process
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Practical advocacy strategies for IEPs
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Provide references for you to use later

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">**Advocacy Strategies for Parents -** held Thursday, August 13 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Parents are often faced with the challenge of being an advocate for their child. A parent’s ability to be an effective advocate directly infl uences outcomes for that child. Today’s workshop will explore the importance of advocacy, what it is and how a parent can become the best advocate for their child at home and in school.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Presenter**: Deb Gordon, IEP Specialist, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">**Empowered with Organization: How to Organize Your Child's Important Information -** held Thursday, July 9, 2009 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Presenter**: Cindy Hottinger, Family Navigator, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Parents of children with disabilities are confronted with an ever growing mountain of paperwork. What do you do with it? How do you organize the important information? You need a simple, foolproof document management system. In this workshop, you will learn how to organize your child’s file. As a result, you will have a clearer understanding of your child’s disability, strengths and needs at home, at school and in the community.

__** Education and Services **__ [] 1, 2, 3 Speak to Me is a service provider who offer a range of services for individuals as well as groups. They use 15 minute intervals for individual sessions according to the child’s unique needs. The company provides a variety of therapeutic services for children who display a multiple of speech and language disorders from Apraxia of Speech/Motor Speech to Written Language. 1, 2, 3 Speak to Me provides comprehensive screenings, assessments and treatments for infants to school age children.

[] Kids’ Village Therapy is a service provider who has consultants who offer therapeutic services in the field of Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and a variety of other language areas. Their services are conducted bright, positive atmospheres to ensure that your child receives the attention and care that they need and deserve. They also work on building social skills and self-esteem to all of the children they see.

[] The Hearing and Speech Agency is a program that provides educational services to children ages 3-12. They offer two programs for the Gateway School for children ages 3-5. The one program is an Auditory/Oral preschool strictly for children with hearing loss. The other program is a regular preschool program that offers services to students with communication disorders. There is limited space in the preschool programs with a 3:1 student-teacher ratio. For children ages 5-12 the Hearing and Speech Agency offers classes that focus on language, academics and social skills instruction. Their instruction is individualized, as well as multi-sensory and works to develop reading, spelling, written language and mathematic skills.

[] The Vines is a program that provides pediatric speech therapy services. Their main focus is on younger children. However, they do offer parent training sessions as well as sibling groups. The Vines also offers individual speech-language treatments and video modeling for social communication deficits. The unique service The Vines offers, that many parents will find helpful is IEP Support. Their approach is to use a variety of evidence based therapeutic methods to fit each child’s needs.

[] The Kennedy Krieger School offers educational as well as therapeutic services to students grades K-8 on their Fairmount Campus. They have small classrooms with a low student-teacher ratio. Each classroom includes a fully certified teacher as well as a highly trained teaching assistant. They provide grade level instruction through a multi-sensory approach in individual and small group settings. Students receive instructional accommodations as well as pull-out sessions with related services providers such as Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology. These services are interwoven with the instructional program. This insures that the student is in the educational setting as much as possible.

__ Recreational and Community-based Resources __ [|http://www.nationalspeech.com/#!__camp] The National Speech Language Therapy Center is offering their Summer Safari Camp this upcoming year. The camp is offering three different camp areas in two sessions. The first camp is for 2-4 years old and is a journey into a speech and language jungle. Children will receive group and individualized sessions. The second camp is for 4-6 years and uses group based activities to build social skills and increase language abilities. The third camp is for 3-5 year olds and uses ABA/VB strategies to instill speech and language skills in their campers. All three camps are run by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and qualified assistants.

[|http://www.nationalspeech.com/#!__services/social-groups] The National Speech/Language Therapy Center is offering group therapy/social group sessions for two different age groups. They offer a Preschool Social Group on Thursdays at 10:00 and 3:00 to encourage age appropriate communication levels. Starting July 2012 they will be offering sessions two days a week instead of just one. They also offer a Preteen/Teenage Stuttering group for the opportunity to learn helpful techniques and the ability to practice these techniques in a comfortable setting.

[] The Caring Communities Program is holding the annual World of Possibilities Expo. The Expo will provide people with disabilities the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of their disability by visiting vendors and speakers with the great products and resources. There will be everything from Assistive and Adaptive Devices to Recreational and Travel resources. Attendees will have fun with the whole family enjoying food and entertainment along with the resources from the vendors and guest speaker workshops.

[] The Treatment and Learning Center offers the Camp Littlefoot program that combines Occupational and Speech Therapy in a camp setting. This is a full day camp that addresses communication and sensory/motor development through fun-filled activities that increase social interactions and promote friendships. The Littlefoot Camp is offered in two settings. One program is for ages 5-7 and the other is offered for ages 3-7.

[] The Maryland School for the Blind offers Music Therapy to students with communication disorders. They use Music Therapy to facilitate the changes in communication, cognitive skills and many other skills in students. The sessions are structures to provide comfort for the students. The Maryland School for the Blind offers social songs to help facilitate everyday communication in their students.

**__Funding/Legal Advocacy Resources__**
[] The Special Education Advocacy Services provides services to children and their families with a variety of school system policies. Dr. McCormick will aid families at all school meetings, with the development and continuation of IEP’s and 504 plans, and school placement options. The agency will also represent families at mediations and manifestations.

[] The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers the “Speak Out, Be Heard!” program for the advocacy of parents of children with speech and language disorders. The Grassroots Advocacy gives parents the tools to communicate with members of Congress through a variety of means. They will also give you strategies to insure that Congress responds to all of your emails, phone calls, or face-to-face requests. The Political Advocacy is the only political action committee (PAC) that represents both audiology and speech-language in the nation. This advocacy helps to ensure that member’s money is not used for the support of congressional candidates.

[] The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers the information and explanation needed for parents to have the knowledge of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This Act includes the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program. This program will help with the stabilization of state and government budgets to minimize the reduction of educational and public services to students with disabilities. It will also help ensure that educational agencies and institutions of higher education have resources to avert cuts and retain teachers and professors. [] The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers the resources and academic programs for federal grants for personal preparation. This site helps walk parents through the process of applying for a federal grant that will help support funding for personal preparation such as academic programs. They also offer references to successful grant candidates of the federal funding.

[] The Small Steps in Speech program offers an opportunity to be awarded a grant to help cover a variety of your child’s communication needs. This grant can be applied for only once a year unless proof of future need is provided. This grant can be used for any speech service provider for your child and can be nominated for any parent of a child with a speech and language disorder. The only requirement is that the service provider or parent is contacted and informed of the grant process.