I wanna WIN!

So, Rhett's mom over at The Bird Flock is having a Signing Time giveaway. I need to blog about why I want a Signing Time DVD in order to win. So here goes!
First of all, I have no kids. I do not plan to have kids anytime soon. However, I think the title of my blog is a good clue about how I would put this DVD to use if I got it! I'm in graduate school to be a speech-language pathologist. This means that I am A) broke and B) in need of materials to use when I get out into the real world! I would use this DVD with many children who might not otherwise get exposed to sign language. I would combine the DVD with the skills I will surely one day have to get these children communicating! Although learning sign language can be beneficial to kids who don't need speech services, it can be crucial for those who do, and I'm not just talking about children with hearing impairment. Sometimes children have so many speech problems that it is difficult for even their parents to understand them. For these children, sign language can be a way to communicate and connect with people until their speech becomes more intelligible. Sometimes children with autism are non-verbal for whatever reason, and do not/cannot use speech. Sign language can be a lifeline to these children.
Now, I would not just pop in the DVD during my sessions and let Rachel do all of the work for me! I would watch a short clip with the children and then reinforce the signs they just saw with different activities and games that would have them interacting with me AND each other. I would show the DVD to parents and tell them that Signing Time is an easy way to reinforce what the children are learning in speech. I would use it in classrooms to give other children a way to connect with their friend who communicates a little differently.
In short, I would use Signing Time as a tool in my SLP toolbox to help as many children as possible become better communicators!

Social Skills

How do you handle people using the word "retarded" in a group of friends? Is there a lighthearted way to let someone know they're being offensive? When I say nothing, I feel kind of scummy. If I speak up, I'm afraid I'll start a big messy debate because the other person doesn't understand why it's a big deal. My fiancee points out that if you try to force someone to stop using a word, they miss the message even if it's the right one. He suggests apologizing for bringing up the subject and then telling them that "retarded" is actually an offensive word and letting the person take it from there. I like the idea of Dave's cards, but they imply that people who use the word "retard" are bigots. I do not believe this to always be true. I used to use the word "retarded." I didn't realize how deeply it cut people. When I started reading blogs, it drove the point home and I made a deliberate effort to cut the word out of my vocabulary. If a person uses the word with the intention to hurt others, then I believe that person is cruel. If a person uses the word because they simply don't realize it's offensive, I don't think they should be outright condemned. What do you think?

Smattering of Thoughts About the Semester So Far

I have four evaluation reports to write up, a video to watch painstakingly for the second time so I can rewrite a SOAP, a lesson to plan, classes to read for, kids to chase (my favorite part!), two treatment plans to write up, meetings and classes to attend, and a poster to put together. In other words, this semester I hit the ground running!
The new semester really drives home how impossible it is to put clients into neat little diagnostic boxes. Every single one is so different! I feel like I'm starting over at Day 1. The only kids I have this semester are in an early literacy program. They are typically-developing kids, which is good because I have no kiddos of my own and thus when I see kids it tends to be because they have some speech/language issue(s). It's nice to have a comparison. But planning lessons for older folks is really a challenge! I don't get to play games and be goofy.
My classes are going well so far, and I'm interested in all of the material. I had Feeding and Swallowing for the first time today. We had to eat something and write down a detailed explanation of how we chewed it. Chewing is complicated!
The highlight of my day: my professor told us to purchase our own stethoscope. Apparently we will use it to listen to swallows. I confess, I look forward to wearing it around and feeling important because I have a name tag AND a stethoscope! Look out, world! ;)

The Final Countdown

This is my last evening of vacation. Tomorrow I start back up bright and early with a 9am meeting reminding me of the portfolio I haven't started on and the resume I should, you know, think about or something. ;) This semester I shall be taking:
1. Public School Methods, which I hear will involve copious amounts of IEPs. I will attend my first IEP meeting ever this semester for this class, an occasion which I feel will call for a cake. I am accepting aid that obligates me to work in the public schools, so this class is going to be extremely useful. One day I, too, shall be an IEP veteran like the noble bloggers I follow!
2. Feeding and Swallowing Disorders: I have not been exposed to this area of my profession at all, so it will be a grand adventure. I imagine it will also involve a lot of frantic page-turning through my anatomy book to remember all of those structures and muscles. Again, many of the noble bloggers I follow know more than I do on this subject!
3. Language Disorders in School-Age Children: This is a very important class for me due to the population I will be working with for at least a little while after graduation. I am already interested in this area and have some basic knowledge in it, but I am excited to build on my knowledge base. Yay kiddos!
4. Clinic- We won't meet as a class, but being in the class allows me to see clients. Thus far, I'm going to be doing a lot of testing this semester. Acronyms ahoy!

I am also going to be presenting a poster at a conference, which is hilarious. More on that when I put glue to poster board!

First day of school tomorrow!

Fruits of perusing toy stores

First of all, happy holidays to everyone! I haven't really had much to write about since school is on hiatus, but I've really enjoyed reading everyone's posts about Christmas goodies and festivities. I feel like Christmas is always more fun when wee ones are involved.
Second of all, I found these books in a bookstore yesterday and was intrigued. There are several little books in one binder and they have rhyming words and phoneme targets and the whole nine yards. I was looking at a level 2 book about food and I really liked the way they started with a simple sentence or phrase and then added a little bit to it every page, to show kids how they can expand sentences while working on target sounds. I might have to invest in some of these!

Half an hour after my dog gets a new toy...

She is the face of repentance, isn't she? So much for getting her a durable dog toy. I tremble for our Christmas tree; she already chewed off some of the pre-strung lights over the summer when it was stored in the room where she sleeps, but I doubt Christmas will go by without her snatching an ornament or two! The other day she took out a couple of potatoes and a party hat. My mom caught her with a potato hanging out of her mouth! What a goofball. Her name is Darby, and she is almost a year old. She certainly makes life interesting. ;)
In other news, I am DONE with school for a glorious month and have epic plans to clean everything. We'll see how that goes!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It's finals week!
I'm two down and have two more to go. I have no idea how to study for my Articulation final. None at all. I will stare blankly at my notes and pray for knowledge, in the proud tradition of students everywhere during finals week. Posting grades online has made doing the, "How badly can I mess up and still pass?" ritual calculations even easier, and the atmosphere around the clinic has the familiar twang of stress to it. However, there is an additional twang of anticipation; only two more finals, and then we are done for a month! My apartment will be clean again! :D
Good wishes and prayers are much appreciated. Around 8pm on Thursday, I'll be done with my first semester of graduate school!