Speech and Language Remediation Center, Inc.

It's that time of year again - Speechy the Elf has arrived! We're counting on him to keep us all on the nice list!

We are hiring - we are seeking a Learning Disabilities Specialist to join our team! Please check out our website at www.houstonslrc.com for more information regarding the position.

We are a team of professional and committed certified, licensed speech-language pathologists and educators. We are seeking a certified, licensed speech-language pathologist who is experienced in diagnosing and treating pediatric speech, language, and language-based learning differences. If you are a motivated, conscientious, team-focused clinician seeking an outstanding opportunity to work in an environment with unparalleled mentoring, SLRC may be just the right fit for you!

Job Summary

-Location: Speech and Language Remediation Center
-Setting: Clinical
-Schedule: Part-time position to build into a full-time position

Job Responsibilities and Duties

-Screen, evaluate, and diagnose speech and language disorders
-Conduct hearing and vision screenings in various preschool settings
-Develop and implement individualized treatment plans for clients
-Conference with parents, teachers, and other professionals
-Maintain clinical records as required by ASHA code of ethics, clinic’s standards, and state law

Qualifications and Skills

-Master’s Degree
-At least 2 years experience
-Experience with ASD diagnosis preferred
-Current license as a speech-language pathologist
-Current certification by ASHA

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Setting: Clinical

Schedule: Part-time position to build into a full-time position

We are a team of professional and committed certified, licensed speech-language pathologists and educators. We are seeking a certified, licensed speech-language pathologist who is experienced in diagnosing and treating pediatric speech, language, and language-based learning differences. If you are a motivated, conscientious, team-focused clinician seeking an outstanding opportunity to work in an environment with unparalleled mentoring, SLRC may be just the right fit for you.

Job Responsibilities and Duties

-Screen, evaluate, and diagnose speech and language disorders

-Conduct hearing and vision screenings in various preschool settings

-Develop and implement individualized treatment plans for clients

-Conference with parents, teachers, and other professionals

-Maintain clinical records as required by ASHA code of ethics, clinic’s standards, and state law

Qualifications and Skills

-Master’s Degree

-At least 2 years experience

-Experience with ASD diagnosis preferred

License

-Current license as a speech-language pathologist

Certification

-Current certification by ASHA

Apply by visiting:

https://www.indeed.com/job/speech-language-pathologist-ccc-slp-d230b400be759b6b

www.houstonslrc.com

Teletherapy Toolbox

In the midst of crazy transitions to an even more virtual world, I worried about how our little friends would adjust to and continue the progress we had been striving for in each therapy session. Did I even have the tools to be a teletherapist? My next thought was not to fear, for children are resilient, and I love a challenge to add to my “toolbox” as a clinician. Little did I know the incredible progress and success this challenge would bring to families I’m blessed with whom to work. I have moms that can add “parent-training toward my child’s speech goals” to their toolbox. The commitment, patience, love, and time spent with a parent and their child in a virtual therapy session have pushed progress to another level. The final result is a natural emergence into extended activities and daily routines. This new “teletherapy tool” has been utilized frequently and has been essential in connecting me with my clients and their families. I am grateful, however, to resume therapy sessions with my clients in the clinic, and I also appreciate the parents who have built their “speech toolbox” with me!

-Rachel Kern, M.S., CCC-SLP

To the SLRC Family:

To meet Harris County’s recent COVID-19 requirement, any and all individuals above the age of 10 years are required to wear a face mask in order to enter SLRC’s suite. As stated in SLRC’s Reopening Plan (May 2020), it is likely that these masks will need to be removed for some part of the therapy session to deliver services effectively.

We are so grateful for your flexibility and understanding as we move through and learn to adjust to living in this time of uncertainty.

Please feel free to call us if you have questions or concerns regarding this updated policy.

SLRC is Set to Reopen Monday, May 18, 2020!

Speech and Language Remediation Center (www.houstonslrc.com) will reopen to see current clients and new referrals on Monday, May 18th. In addition, services via teletherapy for those clients who prefer that service delivery model will continue to be provided.

Given the current circumstances regarding COVID-19, summer groups for the month of June (Language for Littles, Social Scouts, and Cool Cognition [teen social skills group]) have been cancelled. Pending guidelines and policies from the CDC and local officials, these groups are tentatively scheduled for the month of July. The Executive Functioning Skills Program, an individually administered program, will be offered as scheduled. As always, SLRC will continue to provide speech, language, and language-learning intervention, study skills, and tutoring, as well as extensive evaluations.

Please contact us for additional information regarding our services and programs.

We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with you as we work together to meet the needs of children in the Houston community!

Because we are aware of the importance of our clients’ progress, particularly during this COVID-19 crisis, SLRC is providing services via teletherapy. As we move forward, we will continue to offer teletherapy as an optional mode of delivery of services, when appropriate.

We recently have been informed that we are allowed to be open to continue seeing our clients during the “Stay-Home-Work-Safe” order. In an abundance of caution, however, we will offer limited appointments. Please consult your clinician regarding scheduling an in-office appointment, if appropriate.

SLRC is currently monitoring the ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus. We will notify our clients at once in the event of a clinic-wide closure or other developments. Please see our director's statement on our website for more information.

https://www.houstonslrc.com/covid-19-statement

COVID-19 Statement | houstonslrc In consideration of the concerns about the COVID-19 virus, SLRC is taking every precaution to ensure that you and your children are safe while you are here at our clinic. We are routinely sanitizing the clinic, and are continuing to monitor the news about COVID-19.

Is listening to an audio book the same as reading? My husband and I go back and forth on this topic all the time. I think it might be because he was an English teacher that he leans heavily on his position that it only counts if it’s a “real book” – no e-books or audio books, and no, Hayley, reading Wikipedia articles about strange and obscure topics also doesn’t count. :)

I think it’s the experience of reading that’s so important to him: the feel of the book in his hand, the distinctive smell of a bookstore or library, and most importantly, the time carved out to sit and enjoy a book without distractions.

I take a more nuanced position. I hardly ever read a book in the traditional sense anymore, and it used to make me feel...a little ashamed, maybe? Then I realized how much I read articles on websites, and listen to audio books (and a lot of podcasts!). So, I’ve decided I’m comfortable with the fact that I’m learning every day, even if it’s not the most traditional method.

Recently, I was reading an article (https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/audiobooks-or-reading-to-our-brains-it-doesnt-matter) about how our brains respond the same way to written or spoken stories, at least in terms of understanding the words. You can be sure that I very smugly sent this article to my husband. However, I’m not sure that the study corrected for “new book smell”, or the anticipation of a sequel to a series coming out, or that perfect quiet moment after you’ve read the last page of a book that you ended up loving.

It’s National Reading Month this month, and I encourage you to celebrate it by reading as much as you can, and in any way that makes you feel comfortable. Read out loud to your kiddos, have them read to you, listen to audio books in the car, or lock yourself in the bathroom and take a long bath with a real book (or a Kindle if you’re a real risk-taker!). I’m making a pledge to read a book a month for the remainder of 2020 – physical or audio, it doesn’t matter to me!

Hayley McCuiston-Zirkle

Audiobooks or Reading? To Our Brains, It Doesn’t Matter ...

We're going to be having fun making heart-shaped pretzels with the kids this Valentine's Day! This is a great activity to practice sequencing, following directions, oral language, and memory (try having your child repeat the instructions back to you, or have them remember how to make them the next day)!

VALENTINE’S DAY IS COMING!
Don't wait until February 14 to engage your child in celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Consider this the perfect opportunity to teach the executive functioning skill of PLANNING, and to strengthen beginning writing skills.

PLANNING:
1. Use a calendar
2. How many Valentines do you want to send?

Go to buy them:
1.How many packages do you need (do a little math)?
2.If you do x number a day, how many days will you need to address all of them?

WRITING:
1. Have your child sign the Valentines. Get fun colored pencils/markers, etc.
2. If your child is still learning to write his/her name, give him/her a model to copy. Put a red dot where he/she should start each letter.
3. Good smiles for effort.
4. Addressing: Write each child's name so that your child can copy it on each valentine. For older children, have them listen while you dictate the name. For longer names, spell the name syllable by syllable.

IT IS SO DELIGHTFUL TO GIVE AND RECEIVE BEST WISHES FOR GOOD FRIENDSHIP.

Announcing our 2019 Heifer International rabbit names: Cinnamon and Snowball!

Thanks to all our kiddos for coming up with great names and voting!

“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them that we call them everyday things.”
-Hans Christian Andersen

I recently read this quote, and it gave me pause for reflection. How often do I take for granted all the wonders around me? Awakening to a new day each morning is a miracle. Hot and cold running water at my fingertips is miraculous. It is pure splendor to witness a baby’s smile. Each time I bite into a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie, I experience a miracle. I should marvel whenever I step into the elevator in my office building and am lifted gently and quickly to the eighth floor. I consider a banana a miracle; after all, it comes in its own wrapper. Gravity is certainly a phenomenon. Awakening slowly and lazily from a Saturday afternoon nap is indeed a miracle. When I receive a smile that reveals the person’s soul, particularly if that smile is borne on the face of someone I do not know, I now understand that I am the recipient of a true miracle. So, miracles are all around me – everyday – every minute. At this time of the year, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, it is not only good to notice these wonders, but it is important to see them as miracles, and to give thanks for each of them.

Last week at Kids' Meals- a rare opportunity to get almost all of us together to give back in such a small way to our most generous Houston community. We were delighted to be involved with a charitable organization, such as Kids' Meals, that serves children, a population that is close to all our hearts! We had a blast making sack lunches, and I think we were pretty great at it, too!

We're so excited to announce the winning name for our SLRC turtle - Splash!

Thanks to everyone who submitted a name - we got an overwhelming amount of suggestions this time around, but we had a blast seeing them all!

SLRC is pleased to announce our new client portal is going live on August 15th. At that time, our current clients will receive invitations to join, which will allow them to communicate securely with their clinician and check their scheduled appointments at any time.

New or former clients, or professionals needing to communicate securely with us will be welcome to set up a portal account at any time by visiting our website (https://www.houstonslrc.com/).

After this date, we will be restricting the electronic communication of potentially sensitive information between clients, other professionals, and clinicians to the portal ONLY. (Clients can still feel free to communicate through phone calls, mail, and faxes, of course!)

Please let Hayley in the front office know if you have any questions or concerns; she'll be happy to tackle them for you!

We wanted to say thank you to all of our clients, (past and present) who have come along with us every step of the way as we try to make our clinic a more secure place for your child's information!

Speech & Language Remediation Center Houston Speech Therapy Speech and Language Remediation Center, providing Houston families with outstanding speech, language, and learning therapy and evaluation services since 1973

Whew! We are making some big changes around here - new waiting room chairs, new artwork, and other little touches here and there. We also received the nicest gift from one of our clinicians - a beautiful picture of a turtle to put in our office!

Some of you may know that the turtle is our official SLRC mascot, but so far, we don't have a name for him. So we are officially starting the SLRC "Name the Turtle" contest! To make it easier, we'll be "naming" the picture of the turtle pictured, but the winning name will be the name of our mascot in general as well.

Put in your suggestions in the comments, or when you come visit us. We will announce the winning name on Thursday, August 22nd!

The Fourth of July is a perfect time to address new vocabulary with your children. Terms such as historical, patriotic, defeat, and citizen can be interwoven easily into conversations with your children about our country’s birthday celebration.

This holiday also is a good time to play games that can improve language and memory skills.

Reader’s Digest offers a game labeled, Red, White and Blue Concentration, which is a fun way to address categories and memory skills. Have the children sit in a circle. The first person names something red, the next names something white, and the next person names something blue. If an item cannot be named, or if there is a repetition of an item, that individual is out of the game.

A new take on the old alphabet game of letter hunt while traveling is suggested by kids.lovetoknow.com. Each child receives a list of patriotic words. The list should be age-appropriate for the children who are playing. The child crosses a letter off his list each time he sees a letter outside the car. The letters, however, must be identified in the order that they appear in the word. For example, if a patriotic word on the list is united, the letter u must be found first, then the letter n, etc.

Enjoy our nation’s birthday celebration with your family!

Happy Birthday, America!

We thought we'd take a picture in our brand-new SLRC shirts! Happy summer, y'all!

What I’m Reading Now

There are several books on my bedside table waiting to be finished, but the one I am most excited about is The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gordon. We have three children ages 13, 11, and 6 and every night we gather together to listen to my husband read aloud. It is my very favorite part of the day. Gordon explores not only the joy of reading aloud, but also the “new science of storybooks” and the measurable difference reading aloud can make on children’s brains. She also includes an extensive list of great read aloud books if you’d like a to start a new family tradition.

-Jennifer Randall, M.Ed.

It's time for one of our yearly SLRC traditions - making cascarones! The kids love dyeing and filling their eggs with candy, and making an adorable basket to "nestle" them in! 🐣

Please see our photo album of instructions for making the baskets if you'd like to get in on the fun!

Instructions for making origami Easter baskets.

March is National Reading Month and we know how important it is read to your children. Reading to your children not only fosters speech and language development, but it also facilitates development of imaginative thinking, is a special way of bonding with your child, and it can establish a love of reading. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is teaming up with the organization Read Aloud 15 MINUTES (http://readaloud.org/) to promote the 21-Day Read Aloud-ASHA Challenge (https://www.asha.org/About/news/21-Day-Challenge/). The Read Aloud organization believes that reading aloud regularly to children ages 0 to 8 years can alter education in the United States. Take the 21-day challenge. Spend 15 minutes a day reading to your children. It will be time well spent. Watch for the benefits!

Have you heard of a “Lemon Squeeze”? It’s a relaxation technique that was taught to me by a child psychologist who sees one of my clients. Pretend you have a whole lemon in each hand. Now squeeze it hard. Try to squeeze all the juice out! Feel the tightness in your hands and arms as you squeeze. Squeeze hard! Don’t leave a single drop. Now relax, and let the lemon drop out of your hand. This process triggers a relaxation response that I have found helpful with some of my clients.

Learning skills like this is one example of the many benefits of collaboration. Communicating with clients’ teachers and therapists has been very instrumental in my practice. I have seen how teamwork helps a child achieve their goals efficiently and effectively in the classroom and in speech and language therapy. I love supporting my clients’ teachers by reinforcing/teaching skills that might be an area of concern at school. In addition, teachers have helped me by supporting the techniques that I am using with a particular child in therapy. Yay for teamwork!

-Kim Schuenemann, M.S., CCC-SLP

March is National Reading Month! This year, SLRC is celebrating by hosting a book drive to benefit Books Between Kids, a wonderful organization that provides Houston's at-risk children with books to build home libraries! We are accepting donations through March 29th, so please feel free to drop off any new or like-new children's books at the front desk. Visit booksbetweenkids.org for more information regarding the types of books they're looking for, and thanks for supporting Houston's young readers!

Books Between Kids