Amanda Goodison, Speech-Language Pathologist

I have a few spots opening up for new clients in the summer - this would be ideal for kids with one or two speech sounds to work on!

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This was a really helpful blog post, with real life examples!

Screen Time and Gestalt Language Processors While media may provide language models that are natural, easily mitigable and support a gestalt language processor in moving through the stages, it can also provide language models that can make it more difficult to move through the stages.

A great illustration of the double empathy problem!

Great news! This is something BC SLPs have been advocating for - EVIDENCE-BASED literacy screening and support in the primary grades!

B.C. takes action to improve literacy for students | BC Gov News More support for early screening and interventions will help students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities be more successful.

Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports does great work in our community, and many of my clients have used this service and had very positive feedback. If you feel like you have something to spare, please consider joining this fundraiser!

SUPPORT VANCOUVER ADAPTIVE SNOW SPORTS HERE, organized by Mehran Bagherzadeh Unlock the Mountains for Everyone with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports … Mehran Bagherzadeh needs your support for SUPPORT VANCOUVER ADAPTIVE SNOW SPORTS HERE

This is why reward systems make me cringe!

Rewards & Speech-Language Therapy Many speech-language pathologists and caregivers still use reward systems, meaning the child earns extrinsic rewards like special/preferred interest items/toys, stickers, food, movement/sensory “breaks”, etc. However, we are missing the big picture here. We’re not looking at the whole child an...

https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2023/11/consequences-of-autistic-masking.html

The Consequences of Autistic Masking & Camouflaging Some of the long-term effects and consequences of autistic masking and camouflaging

https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/blog/play-and-glp

Play & Gestalt Language Processors Many gestalt language processors have special/preferred interests in certain toys/activities/items.This may lead to them engaging with the same items each session. There are some things we want to consider if this is the case for a child you’re supporting.

Halloween tips and resources for multimodal communicators. And a reminder that all children should be able to choose how (and how much) they want to participate in the festivities!

https://neuroclastic.com/how-to-bond-with-your-autistic-child-through-your-special-interests/

How To Bond With Your Autistic Child Through Your Special Interests Parents often feel like they’ve got to lose themselves to bond with their Autistic child. The opposite is true, though.

https://www.jessieginsburg.com/post/4-ways-spot-dysregulation

4 Ways Spot Dysregulation Understanding dysregulation is so important. We cannot support a child’s sensory needs if we don’t know their needs. Making note of what is causing a child to be dysregulated is so important. But dysregulation can look different for each kid. So how can we tell if a child is dysregulated?? Here ...

https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-first-language/

Identity-First Language - Autistic Self Advocacy Network ASAN intern Lydia Brown originally published this article on their blog Autistic Hoya under the title The Significance of Semantics: Person-First Language: Why It Matters. At the Adult Services Subcommittee's final meeting last Wednesday, much to do was made about semantic disagreements -- "ASD indi...

October AAC sales - mark your calendars!

Did you know there are skills you can work on BEFORE kids start talking? These are some common pre-language tips!

Remember all kids develop differently and may respond to different tips or activities, so as always try to find the right fit for your child! ❤️

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fglobalnews.ca%2Fvideo%2F9951330%2Faccessing-better-communication-health-services%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2Ggabz1iP8tk5q5zpIk03ZGzSESru60Lg9hoqDSkoXLGNJWbm43cgIPi0&h=AT0A3gCrEKGCsgjlJMFaTpCqhcDY7NZqFbV0WAST2woMUSmh8eqEcNKwM_BohJjz2XAWFEy93Bsme_rJQe-RY0KV6C0LcGu7nwLSPXQDliO1lUdlOLoemDYs5JZECBcojwsZwuafzXeka9UYbjffptG8

Accessing better communication health services | Watch News Videos Online Watch Accessing better communication health services Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

Spending this week learning about executive function across the lifespan with Sarah Ward - so enlightening!

Situational Awareness What IQ scores do not answer: How Does a Student go From Intention to Action? Dismissed from class, John a 7th grader, leisurely walks towards his locker. At the same time, the peers around him are moving quickly towards their own lockers. He tries to catch the attention of his peers, but many just....

There really aren't words to express what a magical experience Panda AAC camp is - for the campers, for the families, and for the volunteers! If you are an educator, administrator, support person, family member, caregiver, or in any way support-adjacent to AAC users, I highly recommend checking it out and getting involved next year!

https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/how-compliance-based-approaches-damage-interoceptive-awareness-self-regulation/?fbclid=IwAR2yR6XJ8nycZVCAqTapeYUgY8dRfhrLFEHoHiBSTDLkPTraKGIzWTIdGbw

How Compliance-Based Approaches Damage Interoceptive Awareness & Self-Regulation - Kelly Mahler Lear more about how compliance-based approaches cause significant damage to interoceptive awareness which is the essential foundation of self-regulation.

Panda AAC Camp is truly something special! It has been such an honour to be part of it this year. ❤️

B.C. camp helps non-verbal kids and their families thrive | Globalnews.ca The Panda AAC camp is specifically for kids who communicate primarily through a computer-like device. The event helps parents and kids learn new skills while having fun.

https://www.autisticslt.com/communicationfeatures

Autistic Communication | AutisticSLT Autistic people have social skills. Learn about unique characteristics and strengths of autistic communication, such as info-dumping, echolalia, the differences between how NT and autistic people form relationships.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfSrKYKJqC4&list=PLvNy80ksTu8rTgkfb51jpgzP1lJ8q7HJQ&index=1

Parent Strategy Video 1 Face to Face Speech and Language at Home: In this series for parents, we will learn and practise strategies to help build your child’s communication at home. In the first...

So what's wrong with PECS and ABA? This is a really clear explanation.

PECS & ABA | AutisticSLT Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) - Autistic advocates are extremely vocal about abolishing ABA and see it as a human rights issue, due to the medical model which perpetuates the wrong narrative that autistic people need to be treated and fixed, and the number of people it has historically harmed. Le...

100%. We cannot expect the top blocks to stay up without making sure the foundation is secure.

We need to actively facilitate the wellbeing of our neurodivergent kiddos. We can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing and hope that the outcomes for this group of people will be somehow better.

The four base blocks are a big part of what we have been missing.
Many Autistic and ADHD kids simply don’t have those blocks in their tower. We need them to be there.

By strengths, I mean that the child knows what they are good at, and they have these skills and traits recognised by others (in other words, staying far away from a deficits model). A positive identity means that the person knows about their neurodivergent brain, and understands that it is different but not less. Support network refers to family or friends who offer love, empathy, connection, joy, and radical acceptance. And safety and health refers to the child feeling safe to be themselves, as well as speak up and self-advocate.

The next level of blocks (blues) is talking regulation. This is so, so important for our neurodivergent kids. Without regulation, they are unable to stack up any of their executive function skills (purple). And without those purple ones, they are unable to demonstrate the behaviour, skills development, and academic achievement that many adults expect from them.

Unfortunately, many adults (particularly in schools) focus big-time on the top few things without recognising that the blocks needed to hold these things up are missing, or have fallen down.

A dysregulated person can’t access their purple executive function skills, so they can’t operate in a classroom effectively. A person who feels unsafe in an environment cannot access their skills for good learning.

If you have a child who you have concerns for regarding those top few things (behaviour, skills, academics)- consider what the rest of their tower looks like. And work to build it up.

What do you think?

Em 🌈🌻✌️
AuDHD SLP

https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/blog/social-communication-goals

What social communication goals do we recommend? We often get questions asking what kind of social communication goals we recommend for later stage GLPs. Since many gestalt language processors are Autistic and therefore, neurodivergent, keep in mind that these goals should be neurodiversity-affirming.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/01/14/spoon-theory-chronic-illness-spoonie/ #

Perspective | Spoon theory: What it is and how I use it to manage chronic illness In the chronic illness and disability world, spoons have become a shorthand for people to explain their capacity. This comic depicts what it's like.