speak up

When I was an older child/pre-adolescent I remember commercials from the NBC campaign, "The More You Know...", really sparking my interest.  The commercials aired as I watched my Saturday morning shows and featured celebrities promoting anti-drug, pro-reading, and other positive messages for children and families.  The premise of the slogan is if you educate yourself, you make better choices.  This sentiment certainly applies to my life now as a speech-language pathologist in Charlotte, NC.  Though I still refer back to text books and research articles from my graduate school days, my exposure to new information and ideas did not stop with my diploma.  At Child and Family Development each physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, pyschologist, and educational specialist is provided with the opportunity to attend a wide variety of continuing education courses.  We attend courses in Charlotte or travel to hear specialists present the most current research and treatment information.  Following courses we often have the opportunity to share what we have learned with our colleagues.  I may learn about NDT from a physical therapist, sensory processing from an occupational therapist, or behavioral management from a Child and Family Development psychologist.  Recently I had the opportunity to attend two courses in Charlotte with several other speech-language pathologists from Child and Family Development.  In October I attended a course about cleft palate and resonance disorders, and just last week I attened a pediatric neurology seminar.  By attending continuing education courses and collaborating across disciplines, the clinical staff at Child and Family Development maintains very current practices of evaluation and treatment.  This helps us feel more confortable treating children with a wide range of disabilities and differences, some of which may not be specific to just one particular discipline.

Back to "The More You Know...": In conclusion here is a link about disability awareness to help you talk to your child about how to interact with children with disabilities and differences.

http://www.themoreyouknow.com/disability-awareness/