Multi- tasking is harmful to your health!  Yes,  Stanford University researchers  found that people who juggle different sources of electronic information do not focus or remember as well as people who work on one task at a time.  I’m in trouble now.   I have been so proud of my Iphone- it was going to be my way of staying off the computer while not at work- or not.  All I really have been doing is juggling my electronic addictions!

A study  from the U.K. found that 60% of kids with Smartphones consider themselves “highly addicted” to their devices,  while even twice as many  adults found themselves addicted.  A new term now exists to identify how often one looks for messages , called, “checking habits”.  To summarize, below are  some interesting stats on Smartphone usage.

• One  out of every three adults have a smart phone
• The average adult checks their phone 34 times per day
• Average checking  is  less than  30 seconds in 10 minute intervals
• Sixteen  is the average age kids get their first smart phone

For more details, please refer to NCC  News Online’s article,  Smartphone Addiction.

“Breaking the Smartphone Addiction”   in the Harvard Business School newsletter reviews the book  entitled, “Sleeping with your Smartphone” by Leslie Perlow. The book describes an experiment  completed by a  group of c0-workers who  proved that  saying goodbye to their Smartphones  resulted in  more productive use of their time, and reported the following positive outcomes (as compared to coworkers not involved in the project):

• 51 percent (versus 27 percent) were excited to start work in the morning
• 72 percent (versus 49 percent) were satisfied with their job
• 54 percent (versus 38 percent) were satisfied with their work-life balance

We have  been comparing  males to females even long before the book  “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” was written.  However,  this new era of comparing the sexes takes  a different angle.   Male characteristics are now  getting  labeled   as disordered with an accompanying symptom complex that goes something like this:

•  Concrete
•  Difficulty expressing emotions
•  Trouble multi-tasking
•  Inflexible thought patterns and behaviors
•  Unable to pick up on social cues
•  Has an unusual interest in certain topics
•  Has one sided conversations

All kidding aside, the incidence of Asperger’s in males is 4 times that of females, so how do we really know if our husbands or little boys (and girls) have Apserger’s or not? Click on the link below from the New York Times’ opinion page   to learn about one mistaken diagnosis:

I Had Asperger’s Once. Briefly

From experience in my practice at King’s Speech and Learning Center I have seen a change in the profile of Asperger’s. Because diagnosis of Asperger’s and all Autism Spectrum Disorders can come with a group of associated diagnoses such as anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and different degrees and affected areas of  sensory processing disorder, no 2 individuals present the same way. This combined with varying degrees of the  severity of  Asperger’s has made the profile of behaviors that much more difficult to fit neatly into a diagnostic category. Like the above article explains, a diagnosis is useful for determining eligibility for services, though what is more important for your child is the remediation of core communication, behavioral and learning  symptoms by the appropriate provider. Below are some myths about Asperger’s along with some basic symptoms that are consistent with Asperger’s that can be  improved  with treatment:

Common Myths of Asperger’s

• Scripted like speech verses natural conversation
• Lack of creativity
• No need for human contact or socialization

  Common Symptoms

• Talks a great deal about subjects that are of high interest to them
• Extremely creative and often gifted in the arts, though literal or concrete in their interpretation of symbolic language
• Longs for friends, and starts to realize their differences in being able to form strong connections with peers as young as elementary school
• Attention to others is limited by inability to filter out  distractions in the environment due to a sensory processing disorder

So, whether you, your spouse,  or your child have Asperger’s or not,  social communication, abstract language, and or sensory processing problems can all be managed through speech-language therapy,  occupational therapy, and social language therapy (individual and group).

Form more information call Judy Rosenfield at King’s Speech and Learning Center at 860-217-0098.

 Ali Carr- Chellman on TED Blog highlights 3 reasons why boys are out of sync with today’s school culture:

• “Zero tolerance” policies to violence, video gaming and how they are lived out-  Have we gone too far when a high school  Eagle Scout is suspended for carrying a pen knife in his car?

• Fewer male teachers- 93%  of elementary school teachers are female, so at least 30 hours per week lack a male role model

• Kindergarten is the old second grade, resulting in a compressed curriculum that is counter productive to active boys who are forced to sit still to read and write

Did you know???

For every 100 girls, there are: 

• 400-500 boys in reading resource programs
• 276 boys diagnosed with a learning disabilities
• 324 boys diagnosed with emotional disturbance
• 400 boys diagnosed with ADHD
• 350 boys suspended from school
• 331 boys expelled from school

Also noted….. 60% of bachelor degrees are awarded to females with  rates expected to climb to 70% in the near future

For  fascinating facts on why boys experience more learning challenges than girls, and what is needed to re-engage boys….

Click on the TED Story video link below:

Ted\’s Story: Gaming to Re-engage Boys in Learning

Wishing everyone (our favorite girls included) a wonderful holiday season!

Watch for King’s Speech and Learning Center’s next blog post titled,

” Male Species, or Asperger’s?”

Click below to see a great article by Dr. Michele Borba, on how to teach kids to respond to a bully in a way that

allows them to safely stand up for themselves  to inhibit future attacks.

It was posted on a Scoop-It site  called, “Bullying Bullyhing Bullying”, by  LindaMGraham, written  on “Ideas on how to stop bullying and ways to be kind” Bully-Proofing Strategies for Kids

http://www.micheleborba.com/blog/2011/11/02/bully-proofing-strategies-for-kids/

1. Use Strong Body Posture

2. Stay Calm

3. Teach Comebacks

4.  Question it

5.  Send a strong “I Want” message  

6. Shrug it off  

7. Turn it into a compliment.

8. Agree.

9. Say “So?”

10. Use manners

11. Use sarcasm

12. Ignore it.

        Walk away without even a look at the teaser.

13.“Really?

14. Express displeasure

15. Make fun of the teasing (not the bully).

         Fred Frankel, author of Good Friends Are Hard to Find, suggests that victims answer every verbal tease with a reply but not tease back. 

16. Halt Insults and Pleads

           Teach your child that most bullies want a reaction. If you beg or plead the response gives the bully the power he craves.

         *The key is to help your child understand where the bully is coming from. It doesn’t stop the bullying but it may help your child tailor his response.

* A note on where the bullying is coming from… My daughter’s teacher instructed her to write a journal entry every night and bring it in to school.  This was extremely helpful for the adults involved to see that part of the  problem, besides being territorial over her friends,  was that she thought she had to choose between playing with her friends and her twin on the playground.  She  had to be taught that she can be friendly and enter a short conversation with her brother, and then return to playing with her friends.  She also expressed concern over losing her friends since one of her male friends is now closer to her twin brother.  She did not connect the change in friendships to her preference, as with many 2nd graders, to play with  same sex friends. As a result, she took it personally and blamed  her brother for “stealing”  her friend.

17. Use a Stone-Faced Glare

18. Leave the Scene

Here is my response to the controversy over who to focus on to end bullying; bully vs. victim

• Flexible per-diem schedule
• Competitve Pay
• Creative environment
• Opportunity for program development and management

Possible opportunities at our second New Britain location as well

Please call for an interview at 860-217-0098.  Position will be filled soon.

NBYT has announced an addition to its offering of classes and programs this season. Introductory drama classes will be offered in partnership with King’s Speech & Learning Center of New Britain and Simsbury.

King’s Speech & Learning Center uses a multidisciplinary approach to address speech, social and learning challenges in children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, shyness, social anxiety/selective mutism, speech-language delays, Sensory Processing Disorders, apraxia, stuttering, dyslexia, Nonverbal Learning Disorders, and Auditory Processing Disorders, as well as in second-language learners and the general population without disabilities. The Center is owned and directed by Judith Rosenfeld, a licensed speech-language pathologist, and employs eight other therapists and staff members. Its services also include specialized tutoring and homework help, a handwriting clinic, assistive technology, an oral feeding program for picky eaters and nutritional challenges, and educational advocacy.

NBYT is excited to be expanding its reach and its services. The theater has integrated high-functioning special needs children in other classes and programs, and teaching artists have seen the positive impact that dramatic arts instruction can have. Each of the classes will be led by both an NBYT teaching artist and a speech-language pathologist from King’s Speech & Learning Center. Classes will also be offered both at NBYT in downtown New Britain, and at the Center’s location in Simsbury.

Each class will explore voice, movement, and improvisation while developing focus and concentration, and learning to work together as a group. Children will identify characters and parts of a story or script, and will act out activities, emotions, and roles in each script. Dramatic Play, for ages 5 through 8, will meet on Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. Introduction to Drama, for ages 9 and up, will meet on Saturday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Each class session will last one hour, and the class term will run for six weeks. Each term will conclude with a Share Day for family and friends.

Classes begin on Saturday, October 8, but will continue in ongoing terms. Speech intervention may be covered by some insurance plans for those who are on active speech therapy programs with King’s Speech & Learning Center.

For more information, please call King’s Speech & Learning Center at 860-217-0098 or NBYT at 860-515-8115.

Read more…

People often ask me what to do if their child mumbles. So, here are my best tips:

• 1st ask yourself why he/she is mumbling. Is it confidence, a structural problem (e.g. restrictive frenulum/ tongue tie, or an orthodontic issue), talking too fast, too soft, or just not opening their mouth enough?

If it is a confidence issue:
1. Seek professional support if you think the root of the problem is significant.
2. If you think it could be a typical childhood stage, then praise, praise, praise when he is presenting himself well, or exhibiting any positive behavior such as sharing, helping, or offering a good idea.
3. Use activities that your child excels at to build and reinforce confident behaviors so that he/she can generalize to other areas and contexts.
4. Make sure that a sibling or peer is not contributing to low self esteem .

Other suggestions:

• Video tape your child, and play it back for your child to self- evaluate. Gently offer your input as well.
• Target one behavior at a time to improve, such as, rate, loudness, eye contact, or facial expression.
• Offer only positive comments when they are implementing the behavior, while ignoring persistent use of unwanted behaviors.
• For younger children, practice story retelling after reading books to work on self expression. Set up the task for success by allowing any version of the story to be right. Praise for storytelling and speech behaviors.
• Have your child practice a school presentation with the family, and/or use of videotape, or audio tape for feedback.
• Validate what your child is saying on a daily basis, so that he will put value on what he has to say.
• Be patient- it may take several months to see improvement.

Let me know how you are doing!

Judy Rosenfield

Shyness is a form of social anxiety. In its most extreme state, it is called Selective Mutism. Although rather cute as a young child, shyness can become quite painful as the child enters school where there are increased demands to speak. The earlier it is addressed, the easier it is to manage. Here are some useful tips for parents and teachers:

PARENTS:

• If situation related (e.g. abuse, trauma, or tragedy), professional help is recommended to treat the underlying anxiety. In the mean time, you can still do the following.

• Take all pressure off. Allow spontaneous attempts to talk in natural conversations rather than following your commands.

• Reinforce any attempts to talk by giving your full attention and response without comments such as, “good talking”. Respond to the content of speech, and not the act of speaking.

• Use humor, emotion and music/rhyme to build on speech

• Use either a younger child, a pet, or a toy figure/doll for your child to care for to shift the focus away from them.

Model without expecting a response, things you can say as the caregiver of that toy or pet, such as, “Come on Rover, time for your dinner”. Using dolls in a doll house is a classic way to facilitate speech/language output with little girls. Play can shift from child alone with you in the room, to playing with you, and finally generalizing to a conversation without the props.

Goal Setting

Set goals according to your child’s individual hierarchy of contexts from easiest to most difficult. Do not move to the next level until targeted goals are achieved at the easier level. Keep a journal to track progress.

Most difficult

Easiest/
Most comfortable

Note: Your child’s hierarchy make look different from the above based on his/her own set of experiences and associations contributing to the speaking anxiety.

Ideas for Goals:
Will initiate conversation at least 3 times in 30 minutes
Will speak in an audible volume in that particular context
Will respond to questions using speech (vs. head nods, etc.) 80% of time
Will look at the listener when speaking
Will participate in activity at hand without prompting from adult

TEACHERS:

• Seek input from the school social worker or psycholgist if you suspect an emotional issue that is not otherwise being addressed

• Be careful about writing off expectations by labelling a child “shy”- It is not necessarily “all or nothing”

• Avoid drawing attention to the child by suddenly calling on him/her

• When a task requires each student to have a turn in speaking, then make it easier for the shy child by allowing a shorter response, or cueing with the 1st part of the answer

• Determine what it takes for any success at speaking in school (a particular structure, an activity outside the classroom, cueing, working with a best friend, etc.), and build from that

• Follow the hierarchy instructions above and modify for school contexts

• Increase the child’s self confidence through class jobs and praise

• Assign another student for the shy child to mentor to take the focus off of him/her

• Communicate regularly with the child’s parents so that you can each be working towards the same goals, and/or using similar methods to help

Wait Your Turn offers teacher workshops, and individual and group therapy to treat shyness, and has developed a program for teens called, “Unmask the Face Behind Facebook”. The teen program focuses on public speaking, job and college interviewing, and informal conversational skills through either individual therapy or peer matching.

Judy Rosenfield