Quote of the Week

If you think in seasons, plant cereals. If you think in decades, plant trees. If you think in centuries, educate your children.-Chinese Proverb

Merry Christmas

Quote of the Week

We do not need to be told whether to be strict or permissive with our children. What we do need is to have respect for their needs, their feelings, and their individuality, as well as for our own.~ Rita Nakashima Brock

Little Help, Please!

I just wanted to share some tips for helping your child with Auditory Processing Disorder in a classroom setting.

1. Reduce background noise.
2. Try to talk to the student in a quiet environment
3. Constantly monitor to check that they understand the task, often rephrasing instructions if necessary.
4. Use visual cues to help when describing concepts.
5. Maintain eye contact when speaking.
6. Break down longer messages into smaller messages
7. Break down multi step tasks
8. Emphasis key word(e.g. first, if, then)to improve comprehension.
9. Be supportive and show understanding
10. Use specific words, instead of vague vocabulary
11. Use clear speech and try to reduce your speed slightly
12. Speak using a slightly louder volume.

The above was found on a university website in Australia that is doing extensive study on CAPD. Now here are some of my insight.My daughter picks up on facial clues and tones of voice like no bodies busy. She can tell when your frustrated and when your angry. When she senses it she will become anxious and often shuts down mentally. I'm not sure if that CAPD or her being so freaking intuitive. Seriously, I think its a little of both.

Edward M. Bannister 1826-1901

Edward Mitchell Bannister was the best-known landscape painter associated with Rhode Island in the late 1800s, and was the first African-American artist to win national recognition. At the Philadelphia World Centennial of 1876, Edward Bannister was the only New England artist to win a bronze medal. Born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada and raised in the small seaport town. Bannister was the son of a black man from Barbados and a white woman from Canada. He arrived in Boston in 1850, after a successful career at sea. His early artistic talent was only equaled by his keen work ethic. Neither the Fugitive A Slave Act of 1850, nor the paucity of educational resources for a black man hindered Bannister from realizing his dream of becoming of of America's finest painters. His paintings are often in the news, and are found in major museums as well as the White House.

In Boston, Bannister met his wife Christiana Babcock Carteaux, who owned successful hair salons under the name Madame Carteaux. Together, they lived and worked with Lewis and Harriet Hayden, William Lloyd Garrison, Dr. John DeGrasse, and Frederick Douglass, amongst other Abolitionist leaders. After the war, the Bannister moved to Christiana's home state of Rhode Island. Their careers flourished. Edward was a co-founder of the Providence Art Club, winning acclaim, awards and commissions. Christiana's successful salons backed all their endeavors, including founding a retirement home for women of color. They were as devoted to the community in Providence as they had been to the abolition of slavery.(above information found here.)

This is a great example of not letting adversity stop you....EVER!! This is why teaching accurate history is so imperative to the psyche and self esteem of so many young people. What a beautiful thing to teach our children that even during the bleakest times for minorities, we not only survived, we prospered. Sharing this history is so important because it is American history in the truest sense.

What is APD?

"Have you ever tried to join a conversation but because you had missed some of what had been said, your contribution was off the topic? Unless you were with close friends or family, it is likely that one of two things happened: either the others in the discussion politely ignored your input or glances were exchanged along with barely suppressed titters of laughter discreetly behind cupped hands….Can you imagine this situation occurring almost every time you try to converse? … For individuals with (C)APD this is a frequent occurrence, making social communication a chore rather than a pleasure" (Bellis 2002)

The quote above made me cry and ache for my daughter because she also has apd. See, I know my daughter is bright and social. I often forget, no that's lying, I often wish that maybe one day things will normalize for her. I see this bright child, who goes out of her way to make you happy, even if she doesn't have a freaking clue as to what you're saying. She will cheerfully say she understands when she knows darn well she doesn't. At times, she speaks with such clarity that I forget about her speech issue and her apd. Just for a minute. I relish in that minute of utter 'normal-ness'. Then I'm abruptly brought back to reality when she tries to imitate the rapid fire speech of her peers. I often find myself gently reminding her, "Slow down, honey" or "Take your time, baby". Those words should be just for her, but they are reminders for me too!! Every once and a while I have to go to a site like this to remind myself how she hears. Please listen to this because it may help explain what you can't understand. It helps me and it may help you too.

What is (Central)Auditory Processing Disorder or CAPD? (C)APD is a disorder in the ability to take in the verbal messages, make it meaningful and interpret the message.

Causes of (C)APD: There is no known cause, but it may be genetic or acquired. It may be secondary to neurological impairment or head injury.

Present Behaviours:

• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments leading to the individual misunderstanding messages.
• Difficulty understanding rapid speech and abstract information.
• difficulty hearing the difference between similar speech sounds( eg.'p' and 'd') and perceiving speech intonation to mark meaning (e.g humor, questions and sarcasm)
• Difficulty locating where a should has come from.
• Poor performance on task that require high level listening.
• Difficulty following multi-step verbal directions(eg. Go get the plates and utensils and set the table)
• Does not participate in the classroom or workplace and may be withdrawn.
• Problems with divided attention.
• Improved performance when auditory information is presented with visual supports.

Co-existence with other conditions:

• ADD/ADHD
• Speech and language disorders
• Learning disorders, such as dyslexia.
• Autism
• Hearing loss
• Emotional or social difficulties.

Assessment: Assessments are primarily conducted by Audiologists. The individual would require a hearing assessment to ensure that a hearing loss is not the cause of the deficits. An audiologist would then assess hearing and auditory processing abilities. Most of the times during testing a speech language pathologist will need to be present to help assist in the testing.

How You Can Help:

• If possible, talk to the individual in a quiet environment.
• Be supportive and show understanding
• use simple language and paraphrase to ensure clarification
• Use clear speech and slightly reduce your speed
• speak slightly louder in volume
• Use visual cues when speaking, if possible
• use specific words, instead of vague vocabulary, such as "stuff" and "thing"
• Provide clear and precise information
• Use explicit or direct statements
• Emphasis key words to improve comprehension of the message.
• Provide extra time during conversation for the individual to process information.
• Encourage the individual to sit in a position where they can clearly see the speakers facial expression and hear the tone in their voice.
• Use effective listening strategies such as writing down key points and rehearsing information( repeating and rephrasing information to oneself).

As for now, this is what I have to go by. Since Bella is only 6 years old, she won't be officially tested for apd until she turns 8. Her Speech Language Pathologist stated that she most likely had it but we wouldn't know for sure until she was tested by an audiologist. We recently found a audiologist that will test her now, but I might have to sell a kidney to afford it. You can live on one kidney, right???????

All above information found here

Quote of the Week

The test of every religious, political, or educational system is the man which it forms. If it injures the intelligence, it is bad; if it injures the character, it is vicious; if it injures the conscience, it is criminal.~ Amiel

Books About Learning Challenges

During the early stages of getting a diagnosis for our daughter, I often found myself frustrated, angered and confused. I wanted answers, no, I needed answers, but I didn't want to follow blindly. I wanted to educated myself so that when others spoke, I could listen, understand and articulate my opinion based on facts. I delved into books as if they were feeding my soul and in a way they did. I wanted to know everything about learning disabilities and how some children learn differently. Many books have helped prepare me for our homeschooling future. Or at least I hope they have. Out of the 20 plus books I've read many have been about learning styles, education and how the brain operates. Several books have stood out and helped solidify my resolve to homeschool my daughter. I want to share with you the books that helped my journey and gave me guidance.

The first book is called The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide. My second choice is Like Sounds Through Water by Karen Foli. My final selection is How Your Child is Smart by Dawna Markova and Anne Powell.

The Mislabeled Child is just an amazing book filled with practical and straight forward advice. The authors of this book are both Medical Doctors who are also leading researchers and clinicians on learning disabilities. This book covers the gamut of learning disabilities, discusses how they are assessed, what other disabilities they might look like, as well as providing some ideals for remediation. This was actually the first book that allowed me to breath again. It gave me hope. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's saved me from wallowing in my own self doubt and doubts about my daughter. I knew this book was special because by page 5 I was hooked after I read this passage:

"Labels matter because they don't just express our thoughts, they can shape them as well, often without our realizing it. Labels can point us in the right direction or lead us astray. They can draw our eyes to truths we might other wise have missed or hide important facts we might otherwise have seen. Labels can affect how closely we look at a child and what we see when we do. Labels can even mislead us into viewing the label as the reality and the child as the abstraction, rather than the other way around. This is a tragedy. We must never mistake the label for the child. Even accurate labels tell only part of the story. that 's whey a label should never be used as shorthand for a child's whole existence."

Can I get an AMEN!! Yes, this book will change how you see your child. If you only get one book, let this be the one.

Like Sounds Through Water by Karen Foli is the mother of a child who has Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Her book is a factual account of her journey to get her son properly diagnosed. We hear her challenges and feel her pain. Excellent book from the perspective of a mom. The book also contains tons of information about Auditory Processing Disorder(APD).

How Your Child is Smart by Dawna Markova and Anne Powell. In their book, they discuss 6 different learning styles or thinking patterns( Show and Teller, Seer/Feelers, Leader of the Pack, Verbal Gymnasts, Wandering Wonderers, and Movers and Groovers), that can help you identify your child's strengths. It's a very easy read and even has a quiz to help you figure out what category your child may fit into. I love this verse in the book:

"We understand parents. We are parents. We understand both your undivided commitment to your children and your frustration. It is possible to make a difference. Everything that exists in the world of human effort was created by someone who refused to accept the unacceptable."

......and once again, the choir says, AMEN!!

I hope these selections will help guide you to a place of hope and understanding. All these books will change the way you look at your child. All the above books can be found on Amazon.

Grafton Tyler Brown 1841-1918

Grafton Tyler Brown was a cartographer, lithographer, and painter, widely considered the first professional African American artist in California. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1841, Brown learned lithography in Philadelphia and then became part of a cohort of African Americans who sought better economic and social opportunities in the West during the 1850s. Brown migrated to San Francisco in the mid-1850s, where he found work as a lithographer at Kuchel and Dresel. He bought the business in 1867 and renamed it G.T. Brown & Co., continuing his efforts to document the gold rush towns and other Bay Area settlements. Brown sold his business in 1872 in order to devote his time to traveling and painting. In 1882, Brown settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where he opened a studio. During Brown’s travels throughout the Pacific Northwest, his work transformed from concentrating on commercial and expansionist aims, to focusing on the loss of open lands and the need to preserve them. In 1886 Brown moved to Portland, Oregon where he belonged to the Portland Art Society and opened up his own studio. Brown moved to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1892, working as a draughtsman for the U.S. Army Engineer's Office. He died in 1918. Brown's maps, prints, and paintings are housed in archives in Victoria, British Columbia, San Francisco, California, and Tacoma, Washington. Major exhibitions of his work in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Tacoma demonstrate Brown's significant contribution to the settlement of the West as well as reflecting the beauty and diversity of the Pacific Northwest.

can be found at Blackpast.org

Say What?

Just a couple of ideals I learned to help with Baby girls speech.

The Who? board

1. Have your child make a collage using magazine or photo's
   
2. Cut out pictures of community helper, family members, friends or characters that he/she likes( Elmo, Dora, grandma, best friend......)


3. At the top of collage have your child cut out the word WHO.

After your collage is done, you can point to a picture and say, "Who is that?" or "What do they do?". Just make sure your child answer with at least 2 or more words. You want your child to give the most descriptive answer. For example, "He is a fireman' or "That's my sister and she has a dress on." Sounds easy enough, but if your child has speech issues you will have to vigilant and repetitive.

Who is it? The second exercise is tons of fun.

1. Take a file folder and on the front cover draw or paste a photo of a door.


2. Add a strip of velcro inside.


3. Create flashcard of various people or characters( my daughters fave, spongbob and dora), but make sure you have at least 10.


4. Once I found all the characters, I cut them down to size and laminate them or skip the last part all together.


5. Have your child 'knock on the front door' and identify the person inside. Make sure they use proper greeting etiquette.

example:

Bella: Knock, Knock

Me: Who is it?

Bella: It's me, Bella

Me: Hi Bella, guess who I am?

Bella: Sponge Bob( at this point, let your child know that they need to say, 'Is it sponge bob?')

Me: No Bella, it is not Sponge Bob. Guess again. Who I am?

Bella: Is it Grandma?

Me: (opening the door) Yes, it is grandma!!

Bella: ( I like to make sure she practices her greetings) Hi grandma. How are you?

Me: Fine, thank you for asking? And you?

Bella: Fine, thanks.

We'll continue this game for at least 4-5 cards. Normally by the 5th card she is completely over the 'game'. I'm still trying to figure out to make this more interesting and fun for her. I might give her fun( monopoly) money and every time she gets an answer wrong, she has to give me a buck. But if she gets it right I give her a buck. At the end of the week depending on how much fun money she acquired she can pick herself out a gift at Target.

Quote of the Week

" We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate." Dr. Martin Luther King

Karito Kids- Dolls for a Cause!

 

Lulu  from Kenya

 

Pita from Mexico

Wan Ling from China

Piper from Australia

Gia from Italy

Zoe from the USA

I wanted to share the coolest dolls I’ve EVER seen.  The company is called Karito Kids and for every doll that is sold the company will donate a portion of the funds to a children’s charity.  What’s really cool is that your child will decide which charity she wants her funds to go to.  The dolls have some similarities to the American Girl dolls( which I can’t stand by the way, but I’ll discuss that on another post ) when it comes to size and cost. And they also come with a well written hardcover book too.  But that’s where the similarities stop.  Karito Kids are so much cooler!!  Karito kids also has  a website where you can sign your doll up, play games and interact with other Karito kids.  I think the concept is so unique, but as you can tell by the pictures, these dolls are so above anything else out there.  These dolls aren’t cute, they are absolutely beautiful.   My faves are Lulu( The MOST striking black doll that I’ve ever seen) and Wan Ling , oh and Piper…and Gia is adorable too…and( you get the picture right…love them all!!)

The only major setback is that these dolls are not cheap.  In fact, they are darn right expensive at about $90 a pop, but if you are forking over dough for American Girl doll’s ($100+) this might be a nice alternative.  Trust me you’ll be happy you did.   Not only will your child learn about another part of the world and culture,  she will also learn to give to others in need.  It’s a win-win situation.

Quote of the Week

" I hear and I forget. I see and I remember.

I do and I understand."Chinese Proverb