The Give committee announced in early December that Hello would again be sponsoring a family for the holidays through Michelle’s Love. Michelle’s Love provides financial assistance, healthy meals, and home cleanings to single parents undergoing treatment for cancer. If you want to learn more, check out their web site or Facebook page. This year, we… (read more)
It’s the end of the year (the decade!) and far be it from us to bypass the trend of taking a moment to reflect and sum up the last 12 months of our work lives. We’re not widget makers or bean counters, so figuring out how to quantify what we do around here all day… (read more)
We gathered together at The Firehouse last weekend for our annual winter celebration and much merriment was had. This is the one event every year where we invite our partners and special people to join us, and it is such a delight to bring them along for all of the THF fun. As co-workers who… (read more)
One of the best things about providing speech/language services in a school setting is endless access to real-life communication demands. We are always pulling natural context into our therapy sessions, and building opportunities to use speech/language skills outside the therapy room. So in November and December, it is only natural to think about incorporating holidays… (read more)
We had a great evening with Wes Chernin as he shared his expertise in Building Transgender Cultural Awareness. Wes is an SLP working in Early Intervention in the Portland area who provides transgender cultural awareness trainings to SLPs and educators. His passion for his work is rooted in his personal story as a man of… (read more)
The theme for School Psychologist Awareness Week (SPAW) 2019 is “Find Your Focus,” so we asked our THF school psychs how they find (and keep!) their focus in their work. Here’s what they had to say: Laura As school psychologists, we can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of busy workdays, demanding deadlines,… (read more)
IEP accommodations are an essential yet often overlooked component of the special education system. They allow “a student to complete the same assignment or test as other students, but with a change in the timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response and/or presentation,” (Families and Advocates Partnership for Education). While an accommodation intends to assure that a… (read more)
Our Communication Red Flags series continues this month with a resource addressing the late elementary years (grades 3-5). The hallmark of communication development at this age is that all-important shift to becoming a Student with a capital S. Understanding and using academic vocabulary takes center stage with this group. Kids this age can have conversations… (read more)
An important part of our telepractice training for clinicians focuses on technology, including hardware, software, and the workings of the internet. There are sometimes questions about why this is necessary. Clinical skills are at the heart of my job. Our scope of practice already includes so many populations, settings, and disorders. Why do SLPs need… (read more)
Time for a new installment in our Communication Red Flags series! This time, let’s talk about the early elementary years. Communication development in early elementary school (kindergarten through 2nd grade) is an exciting time! Starting school means that children learn to understand and manipulate language in a whole new way. Every day brings new things… (read more)