I've been keeping a distant eye on the recovery of Gabby Giffords after she survived a gunshot wound to the head in 2011. As someone working in rehabilitation, I admire her persistence and determination to keep setting goals. Although she continues to have difficulty with finding words and lifting her right arm, she sets goals for herself that ensures she keeps pushing forward. Obviously, I don’t know Gabby Giffords myself (although I would … [Read more...]
About Jenna Butterworth
Building language early on: ideas for parents
About building language early on There is lots of research indicating that children with solid language skills in the early years will have strong literacy skills through school and in later life. The quantity and quality of words spoken to a child is associated with the strength of a child’s language, vocabulary and iQ later in life. Beyond just words however, research tell us of the powerful influence of giving positive feedback to children, … [Read more...]
Multiple Sclerosis and Swallowing
Difficulty with swallowing otherwise known as dysphagia can occur among people with Multiple Sclerosis. While more often seen with advanced disease, difficulty with swallowing can occur at any stage. About difficulties with eating and drinking Swallowing difficulties can occur in the oral stage or the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. The stages of swallowing Oral phase (difficulty chewing and controlling food in the mouth) Pharyngeal … [Read more...]
World Cup Socceroos Speech Therapy Ideas: ‘Hopping’ Our Way to Better Communication
Every four years there is a little event called the FIFA World Cup (Soccer/Football). It’s a minor affair that attracts (at the last Cup) around 3.2 billion television viewers and 3,170,856 game spectators inside stadiums over 64 matches. Given that just under half the world’s population get involved (and let’s face it, it’s a whole lot of fun), I thought it was about time we put together an ideas list for getting the Socceroos into speech … [Read more...]
Multiple Sclerosis Day: About MS
What is MS? May 28 is World MS Day. MS stands for multiple sclerosis. The term ‘Sclerosis’ is a Greek word that translates to ‘hard tissue or scar’. Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease. The nerves of the brain and the spinal cord are damaged by a person’s own immune system. This is why MS is known as an autoimmune disease. The body’s immune system usually serves to destroy foreign substances in the body. In MS, the system mistakenly … [Read more...]
Multiple Sclerosis and Speech
May 28 is World MS Day. MS stands for multiple sclerosis. The term ‘Sclerosis’ is a Greek word that translates to mean ‘hard tissue or scar’. Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease. The nerves of the brain and the spinal cord are damaged by a person’s own immune system. This is why MS is known as an autoimmune disease. How can Multiple Sclerosis affect speech? It is estimated that 41-51% of people with MS will experience speech … [Read more...]
Social Ramifications of Aphasia
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. (Dr. Seuss) What if you had a stroke and all of a sudden you were not able to say what you meant, even though you knew what you meant? Aphasia is an acquired language disorder. It results from damage to the brain. It means someone will have difficulty with talking, listening (understanding what others say), reading, writing or using numbers. Sometimes it is a mild difficulty, other times it is … [Read more...]
What Does It Take To Be A Speech Therapist? Part One
A while ago, I received an email from a friend of a friend in America asking me about the profession of speech pathology. Would I recommend it? What was the salary like? Did I enjoy it? I thought his questions were good (quite insightful really) and hopefully I was able to answer his questions appropriately. If you are reading this and have other suggestions, please feel free to contribute. Here is my friend’s first question. I was wondering if … [Read more...]
Mother’s Day 2014 Edition: Mother’s I’ve met
Mother’s Day 2014 Edition Mother’s day seems to roll around quite quickly every year, as with most notable days in our calendar. I like Mother’s Day. I like that it is a day where we make a special effort to acknowledge the countless hours that Mothers, Aunts, Grandmothers dedicate to the upbringing of children. Hopefully we are appreciative all year round, but I don’t mind having a special day too. I liked doing things on Mother’s Day as a … [Read more...]
His sister was talking by this age! The urge to ‘compare and contrast’ children.
His sister was talking by this age! As adults we tend to compare our performance with others. At times we have an unfortunate tendency to see the best things in others, while focusing on our weaknesses. In talking with parents socially and clinically, I often see people comparing their child’s behaviour, school results and social skills with siblings and other children. If nothing else, worrying about how your child ‘rates’ compared to … [Read more...]
