Blog #1- Welcome!

Welcome to Special Education 519.  Please take a few moments to add a post sharing with your classmates your experience (s) with speech and language disorders.Also, take an opportunity to be an observer of nonverbal communication this week.  Look carefully!  What do you see?  Can you find any recurrent gestures and/or facial expressions?  What do they mean?   Also watch for any misunderstandings caused by nonverbal communication.  Feel free to comment on your fellow classmates posts as well.  My master's degree is in Hearing Impairments so I took several classes in teaching speech and language and understand that speech and language disorders are an integral part of teaching hearing impaired children as well as children with many other disabilities.  I taught first grade deaf children at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind for five of the best years of my life.  I hope that I can prepare all of you to understand and use speech and language terminology and methodology since it will be an important part of your special education career.

                 

Blog #2 - Analyzing a Language Sample

You have now learned how to determine a MLU based on a language sample of 3-5 utterances.  Please share who you intend to use for your language sample, why you chose this person, and other things about this person's language that you may learn while taking this sample.

                             

Blog #3 - Teaching "Christianly"

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Please respond to our class discussion on "Teaching Christianly" particularly as it relates to  teaching children with communication disorders. Are there any Language Acquisition Models discussed in class that could tie into this theme?  We can take this discussion in any direction and see where it ends.


                       







                         

Blog #4 - Language Acquisition

Spend 10-15 minutes this week talking with a child under the age of 5.  Share with the class their age, the stage of language development you believe they are in, and why you think that.  Also share highlights from taking your language sample- what did you learn?

Blog #5 - Cultural and Language Differences

        


      This week listen to a person with cultural/language differences from you.  Did you understand everything they said, even the nuances?  How did you feel when you did not understand some or all of the conversation?

                            

Blog #6 - Releasing Your Full Potential

As teachers we want to release the full potential in our students and in ourselves.  What is one (or two) of the most important things you have learned so far about language and/or communication disorders and how will knowing this help you be a better teacher of ALL students with disabilities?

                             

Blog #7- Burning Questions

What is one (or maybe two) question (s) you still have about speech and language disorders, particularly in children with one of the disabilities discussed in class today?  Perhaps someone from our class can answer your question while coming up with their own question.  

       

Blog #8- SLPs

Today you had the opportunity to learn what a speech-language pathologist does in a school setting and how you as a special education teacher can support their work.  Please comment on either the SLP you heard today or the one you interviewed for your paper and share 2 or 3 things you learned from that person.  Feel free to comment on your classmates blogs as well.


                                

Blog #9- Wise Words From a Speech Pathologist

New post on Speechie.Kate

What Autism feels like… by ktskittles85 http://www.faithit.com/autistic-for-2-minutes-couldnt-believe-how-it-felt-groundbreaking/#.UyD7QKHDxur.facebook This is a great video that a friend posted on Facebook. Wow. Just wow. I feel like I have even been guilty of talking to my students or patients at the hospital as if their speech output is an indication at all of their comprehension/understanding. It must be maddening to walk around every day feeling trapped inside their body. Not only do some people struggle to communicate in their bodies, but sometimes they feel dramatic changes in sensory experiences, too. Like fire running down your side... ants crawling on my back... pricks on the back of my arms. I have heard all of these before. Can you even imagine? I'd scream and "meltdown" if I felt this way too. We should be comforting during behavior meltdowns, not punishing.... It definitely takes a second for us to realize what it must be like to be living with a disability. Some people, like my brother, maybe aren't as aware they are even different in the first place. He is unaware and insanely HAPPY. He loves his life exactly how it is. He sees everyone as being on the same playing field, doesn't discriminate because he doesn't even know how, trusts people before he judges them... We could all learn from him and others like him. But then there are those who DO know they are different. They know it and struggle with it every morning they wake up. They want to be just like everyone else. No matter how hard they try and work at it, their bodies or their minds remain what society deems "different". It's an uphill battle and it's their battle to fight every day. I can't even imagine. I used to work with a young boy who was hit by a drunk driver. He lived, but sustained a traumatic brain injury, physical impairments, and speech difficulties. He is now in a wheelchair, struggles to communicate, and will forever be "different". I always think of him and the person who hit him. I hope it is was worth the "buzz" that night... When you ask this kid what frustrates him the most is that "just because I'm in a wheelchair and it takes me a long time to communicate, people think I'm useless. Stupid. Unable to have a conversation." He has so much to say, but can't say it. How frustrating! I'm not writing this to depress anyone! :) I just feel like we aught to stop and think more about others around us. How to make those who are different feel less different. And there's a difference between "different" and "special".... feeling different means feeling excluded, feeling unwanted, feeling left out. Special means having a new or unique way to BE included. It's society's job to do their part. To take the time. Let them FINISH what they're saying-- we can't assume we already know. Don't talk to an 18 year old who is nonverbal as if they were a toddler. Don't rush someone through the checkout who takes longer to get around. Smile more at those who are special instead of staring. TEACH your kids about disabilities and how to react and how to include them. We need to encourage disability awareness training in our schools and in our homes! My brother is the biggest gift our family could have asked for, and we wouldn't have wanted him ANY other way. He has Down syndrome. He might not have the sensory difficulties that people with autism have, but he does have trouble communicating, will never get married or have kids, makes WAY less than minimum wage because he is "different".... but in my eyes, He IS PERFECT. He is loving, kind, trust worthy, dependable and someone of the highest character. Take a minute to stop and learn from those who we think are not "teachable". You'll be amazed. :) Please post your thoughts after watching this short video.

Blog #10- Gardner's Intelligences

Take Gardner’s MI test found at http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html.
What did you find out about yourself that can help you be a better communicator and speech and language teacher in the classroom?

Blog #11 - Can You Haiku?

Please write a haiku ( 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables) about communication.
Then add a brief explanation of...
1) How you've incorporated what you've learned in this class in your own classroom
2) How you intend to use what you've learned in this class in your own classroom
OR
3) Share a major take-away from this class

Blog #12 - Using AAC Devices in the Classroom

Based on your readings, class discussion, the video shown in class, and the SLP presentation, please share how you think AAC devices can best be used in the classroom with children with and without speech.  Think about high tech and low tech devices as well as aided and unaided devices. Do you currently use any AAC devices in your classroom?  If so, has it been a positive experience for you and/or the student(s) who use these devices?