Saturdays News - The Teaching of Talking

The ability to speak and be understood is often taken for granted.  We know that when we open our mouth, the words will surface and be expressed.  Words are essential in human relationships. We learn, interact, love and work through the use of words.

What happens to the life of a child whose speech does not develop properly?  What happens to people who lose the ability to speak because of a stroke or brain injury?

This book is about helping children who have not developed speech or adults who have lost the ability to speak.  It focuses on teaching you, the reader, how to use techniques I have spent 40 years developing to help your loved one cultivate or regain the ability to speak.  For the speech language pathologist who is reading this book, it will help you become more effective in your approach to helping people talk.

If I could sum this book up in a few paragraphs, it would be this:

• You will learn how to help people talk again.  The method will be conversational in nature.  That means you will help the person recover the ability to speak as you TALK with them using words at their level.  
• You will learn how to step into their world, speak about what really lights them up, and begin showing them how to expand what they are saying from single words, to two-word combinations, then phrases and eventually complete sentences.  What is best about this method is the lack of “homework.”  
• Your therapy consists of stimulating them to talk all through the day in whatever activities you are doing.  What could be more enjoyable?

This book was written with the family member, caregiver or speech pathologist in mind.  It does not include a lot of theory.  You will be stimulating talking at home, where speech is first learned; and the one who will be modeling correct speech and language will be someone who loves or cares for the person who has difficulty speaking.  Do you see the simplicity in that?

Blogtalk-Radio: Establishing a Relationship With a Speech Language Pathologist.

Here is an interesting interview regarding some of the fundamental principles when establishing a relationship with a speech language pathologist.

 

Listen to internet radio with Better Speech with Mark on Blog Talk Radio

YouTube: Tips From Mark Ittleman

How to Select a Speech Pathologist

This video explores how to select a speech language pathologist to work with your loved one. Mark stresses that you evaluate the credentials of a therapist you are considering and determine if he or she has experience treating the kind of speech difficulty your loved one demonstrates. Often there are caps on the number of visits allowed for speech therapy and it is vital that you choose wisely.

The Importance of Rapport in Speech Therapy

Listen and watch as Mark discusses the role of rapport in the selection of a treating speech language pathologist for your loved one. This video has application to both the family member who wants to make sure the person selected to provide speech therapy is a human being first and takes the time to get to know you and loved ones.

Speech Pathologists should take notice that it is not always about the testing results when performing an evaluation. It is also about establishing trust and belief. Like dating anyone new, it is wise to get to know each other, and take the time to observe and establish a relationship.

Continuity of Care

In this video Mark explains the concept of continuity of care. Continuity of care means that you have a treating speech language pathologist who is consistent with regular visit times at a set frequency each week. For optimal therapy results it is important to be seen by a lead therapist who is familiar with therapy methods and procedures. Most people who receive speech therapy prefer a consistent therapist at a consistent day of week and time of day. Expect it.

Speech Therapy Keep it Simple

One of the Core Principles of speech therapy is that of simplicity. Those who have developmental delays, stroke, aphasia, or head injuries may listen, think, and learn in a different way then they did before. Keeping it simple within the speech therapy process enables the person with the speaking difficulty to be successful and confident. Confidence in the clinical relationship is crucial to the improvement in speaking.

The Teaching of Talking: Wear Anything You Want!

This is a short and fun video that emphasizes to therapists and caregivers that speech and language stimulation can be done in a comfortable environment like home, while at the same time wearing whatever you want. Speech and language stimulation is best done when a person is comfortable, both by the person who is stimulating speech and for the person with the speaking difficulty. No one has to rush to get to an appointment or spend time getting dressed in Monday-Friday go to therapy clothes!

When people are comfortable, they speak better. Caregivers can learn to stimulate speech at home with the Teaching of Talking method, and can do so around the clock without having to sit down to do formal therapy. The speech and language stimulation takes place in all daily activities where the caregiver learns ways to get the person with the speaking difficulty to say single words, phrases or sentences. This method is for the person who can imitate vowels or simple words. The method for instruction is outlined in "The Teaching of Talking, Learn to Do Expert Speech Therapy at Home with Children and Adults. Visit our website to order The Teaching of Talking at http://www.teachingoftalking.com/ and become our friend on facebook at markittleman.com or teachingoftalking.com.

The Speech Pathologist Who Can Make a Rock Talk

http://www.teachingoftalking.com/ Listen and watch as you meet Mark Ittleman, The speech pathologist who can make a rock talk! In this video Mark describes the Teaching of Talking book, and the principles of speech therapy that are revolutionary as compared to the standard ways therapy is being delivered in America today. Mark believes that the key to this method is the caregiver or loved one who will be with the person with the speaking difficulty year in and out. Since speech is first learned at home it should also be stimulated again at home for the person with a stroke or aphasia.

This book is also for mothers of children who have developmental speech difficulties or delayed speech, and describes various speech therapy methods to stimulate speech and language during everyday living activities. The book was written to teach families and loved ones how to do speech therapy.

In addition there are many people with speaking difficulties who do not have insurance and are unable to seek the services of a speech language pathologist. This program is designed to be used with a speech language pathologist or following discharge from therapy as a home program. Whether family member, loved one, care-giver or speech pathologist, just about anyone can learn to stimulate speech and language with those who have speaking difficulties. Come to our website and get your copy of Teaching of Talking now.

YouTube/Article: About Mark Ittleman

Mark is a recognized expert and teacher in the field of speech-language pathology. His revolutionary new method, The Teaching of Talking, introduces speech-language pathologists, caregivers, and students to expert methods which help people with speaking difficulties learn to talk.  Ittleman earned the nickname "The speech pathologist who can make a rock talk!" because of his outstanding success helping people regain the ability to speak.

His method is conversational, and he starts, in the very first therapy session, talking with his clients. Another unique feature of Mark’s method is that he invites caregivers and/or family members to join their loved one’s speech-language therapy sessions in order to learn the techniques he uses during speech therapy.  He shows caregivers and family members how to continue stimulating speech and language at home. Each additional hour spent by caregivers and family members stimulating speech and language at home greatly accelerates their loved one’s success with talking or speaking again. All of these methods are included in The Teaching of Talking. We are sure that you will receive outstanding value from reading and using the techniques in this book.

YouTube: Mark Ittleman at the Experts Industry Association Event

Mark Ittleman is a speech pathologist joining the Experts Industry Association Event in Santa Clara. This interview was taken while break time for lunch ...

(SSTattler: He talked about the reason for writing his book).

YouTube: To Brendon ...

This is my note with the key members of my Company: Be In Conversation PLLC. to Brendon regarding the influence his teaching have had on our lives and the new company we developed after returning from Santa Clara. We found a publisher for our books, have befriended Rick Frishman, and are spreading the word through out the land that people with speaking difficulties can be helped with our new methods of speech therapy which involve training parents, loved ones and caregivers to do speech therapy at home. Brendon, you have been an inspiration!

YouTube: Carl McIntyre & Aphasia The Movie & Best Short Film Audience Award

YouTube: Carl McIntyre and Aphasia The Movie

A short documentary about actor Carl McIntyre who, after suffering a massive stroke and losing his ability to read, write and talk, struggles against overwhelming odds to redefine his life. This is in support of a short narrative which is currently in production. Please visit Aphasia The Movie.

YouTube: Aphasia - Best Short Film Audience Award

Carl McIntyre performs his story in the short film Aphasia, the Best Short Film Audience award winner 2010. He tells a little bit about himself. Also, interview with Director/ Writer Jim Gloster, talks to festival host Vanessa Finney, about the story and how the film came to be.

Saturdays Comics - Sept/08/2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 2007-05-07 "... your chariot awaits !!!!"	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-09-05 "...large-scale analytical queries on un-structured data"
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-09-05 "Odie swallowed your phone again!"	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-09-07 "Compared to write résumé,  ..."

* For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. (See as well  the author Lynn Johnston).

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.

*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.

Saturday Eclectic Stuff - Sept/08/2012

Definition:Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Eclectic: Monty - Two Storey Outside Toilet!

Two Storey Outside Toilet!

I can't even think of anything to add to this!  This picture is worth 10,000,000 words ...

Eclectic: Akira - Brain Injury Centre a Place of Hope

By Gemma Karstens-Smith, Edmonton Journal

Networks program facilitator Akira Peters (left) and Cliff Metzan, who has a brain injury from a 1987 car crash, sing a karaoke duet. Networks is an activity centre for people with brain injuries.

EDMONTON - Warbles of classic karaoke tunes fill the second floor hall of Bonnie Doon Mall on Wednesday afternoons.

The singalongs seem like any other karaoke rendition — not always on key, but genuinely enthusiastic. But stepping inside Networks Activity Centre, the scene is more like a family carolling around a yule log than strangers watching a wannabe pop star.

It’s the sense of community that has kept many of Networks participants coming back to the activity centre for adults living with brain injury since it opened Sept. 1, 1998.

“It’s a family where everyone understands,” says Debbie Jackman, Networks president. “We don’t fit in a regular box, so, in this world, we’re all normal.”

See the full article Brain Injury Centre a Place of Hope by Edmonton Journal.

Eclectic: Diane - The Purpose of Speech Therapy

Diane - The Pink House OTC

I think the hardest thing for me to deal with post-stroke is aphasia and Bob's inability to speak. That's saying a lot, since most of you know, I have quite a bit to deal with, in fact, you would not have wanted to be at The Pink House yesterday, when there was not one, not two, but three (count them) bowel movements and the last two were complete surprises: one all over the bed and the other landing smack dab into a pair of real underwear. GAA! I tell you, right now, there is a perfectly good pair of real underwear headed to the local landfill because I could just not deal with it. You'd think my gag reflex would be better by now, but alas, it is not. But I have digressed. I was talking about speech therapy.

Since those first post-stroke months, when Bob could not utter a word, only make sounds--sort of garbles and gurgles, I knew he was trying to speak. To get the words out. As a writer, the ability to communicate is far more important to me than, say, the ability to use the bathroom. And so, since those first days, it has been a long and constant struggle to find Bob's speech, to unlock his words.

For a long time, I've been searching for that magic key that would unlock those words. Pretty much I've been trying every type of therapy technique I could get my hands on. Certainly since the "professional" speech therapists have given up on Bob saying that his "prognosis was poor" or he was "functional" enough, I have been trying harder than ever to prove those saps wrong.

This morning, I woke to the sound of rain on the roof. And I thought, well, I won't be taking the dog on a long walk in this weather, so I rolled over figuring I had bought myself a little nap time. When I heard Bob, from the next room, call to me:

"Hey? um, hey?"

That's me he's calling for. I am sometimes known around here as "Hey? um, hey?" But I figured I'd just ignore him, pretend to be sleeping and catch a few more winks. But then he said,

"Hey! The sun is up!"

I nearly bolted upright in bed, not because the sun was up and that meant I should have my butt out of bed by now, but because that was a very good, spontaneous sentence. And Bob's main problem area now is saying anything spontaneous, i.e. those type of sentences which just express what's on his mind.

I recently ordered a copy of the book "The Teaching of Talking" by Mark Ittleman, who is a speech pathologist. Though I haven't even finished reading this book, the one thing I gleaned so far (though the author never really states it) is that the whole purpose of speech therapy is this: keep him talking. However you can, just keep him talking .....

See the full article The Purpose of Speech Therapy in The Pink House at the Corner.

Eclectic: Dean - Scientists Shift on Brain Speech Centre

Deans' Stroke Musings

From Deans' Stroke Musing:

"We need this kind of specificity if we are ever to get a decent damage diagnosis".

From ABC Science:

The part of the brain used for speech processing is in a different location than originally believed, according to a US study that researchers say will require a rewrite of medical texts.

Wernicke's area,  named after the German neurologist who proposed it in the late 1800s, was long believed to be at the back of the brain's cerebral cortex, behind the auditory cortex which receives sounds.

But a review by scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center of more than 100 imaging studies has shown it is actually three centimetres closer to the front of the brain, and is in front of the auditory cortex, not behind.

"Textbooks will now have to be rewritten," said neuroscience professor Josef Rauschecker, lead author of the study which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We gave old theories that have long hung a knockout punch."

Rauschecker and colleagues based their research on 115 previous peer-reviewed studies that investigated speech perception and used brain imaging scans - either MRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) or PET (positron emission tomography).

An analysis of the brain imaging coordinates in those studies pointed to the new location for Wernicke's area, offering new insight for patients suffering from brain damage or stroke.

"If a patient can't speak, or understand speech, we now have a good clue as to where damage has occurred," says Rauschecker.

Humans And Primates 'More Similar'

It also adds an intriguing wrinkle to the origins of language in humans and primates, who have also been shown to process audible speech in the same region of the brain.

"This finding suggests the architecture and processing between the two species is more similar than many people thought."

Lead author Iain DeWitt, a PhD candidate in Georgetown's Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, says the study confirms what others have found since brain imaging began in earnest in the 1990s, though some debate has persisted.

"The majority of imagers, however, were reluctant to overturn a century of prior understanding on account of what was then a relatively new methodology," he says.

"The point of our paper is to force a reconciliation between the data and theory."

Eclectic: Randy - The Winspear Center presents - The Brilliance of Szechuan Culture

Saturday, Sep 8, 2012, 7 – 9PM

Location The Winspear Center (4 Sir 
                Winston Churchill Square)
City / Town Edmonton
Event Venue Winspear Centre
Description The colorful performance of the 
                Brilliance of Szechuan Culture 
                demonstrates the strong 
                vitality of Chinese arts and 
                culture!
Event Category Performing Arts / Culture
Cost            $50 VIP Orchestra & Terrace, $30 Orchestra & 
                Terrace, $25 Dress Circle, $15 Upper Circle, $10 
                Gallery
Where to purchase tickets
                - TIX on the Square (9930 - 102 Avenue, 
                  780-420-1757, www.tixonthesquare.ca) 
                - Asia Books (10655-97 St.) 
                - Edmonton Chinatown Multi-Cultural Centre (9540-
                  102 Avenue)
Contact Name Mei Hung
Contact Phone 780.908.9028
Additional Information   
                Opening Ceremony at the City Hall - the 
                Brilliance of Szechuan Culture on September 8, 
                2012 from 11:00 am to 12 noon, followed by a 
                Szechuan Cultural Carnival from 12pm to 3:00pm 
                and is open, at no charge, to the public. See 
                event listing for more information

Link         www.winspearcentre.com …

Performers from the Province of Szechuan and Chengdu Capital City, well-known for “Mask - Changing”, Shadow Puppets, and acrobatic stunts, accompanied by cultural performers playing traditional Chinese instrument such as the “馬頭-Horse Head” two string musical instrument, love of the Mongolians and also wrestling by a single person dressed in a two-panda costume will be some of the program highlights.

Accompanying the Szechuan and Chengdu performers during the show will be local renowned musicians and vocalists from the Chinese instrumental and vocalist groups who will join in the fun for the evening as we celebrate mid-autumn in Edmonton.

The colorful performance of the Brilliance of Szechuan Culture demonstrates the strong vitality of Chinese arts and culture. It is a show that will be remembered by all and will provide a good understanding of the wonderful cultures of Szechuan.

Eclectic: Jackie - Your Laugh for Today

If you don't laugh out loud on this one, your "laughter" is broken!

A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork, and was burned out.  Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic.

He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.  When the time of the practical exam approached, the gynaecologist prepared carefully for weeks, and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%.

Fearing an error, he called the Instructor, saying, "I don't want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade?"

The instructor said, "During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark.  You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark."

After a pause, the instructor added, "I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career".

Eclectic: Regina - Is Yoga a Kind of Medicine?

By Regina Price

Taking yoga classes and yoga teachings has made a huge difference in my life. During watching the Olympics on TV, I heard some statements from a doctor that made me realize that whenever we learn new things, our bodies can remember them by doing them constantly over and over again — a kind of “body memory”. This is good news for people who had strokes.

Dr. Timothy McCall writes:

“To really grasp what yoga can do, you need to experience it yourself. That’s why I’m urging you to consider taking a leap of faith… My experience tells me yoga works — in addition, of course, to the scientific evidence and what I’ve directly observed and heard from others… Yoga is not a panacea, but it is a powerful medicine indeed for body, mind and spirit” (T. McCall, M.D., Yoga as Medicine, New York, New York: Bantam Dell, 2007; p. xix).

He continued by saying that yoga is for anyone — including people who are bound to bed or wheelchairs because it can be modified to help anybody. Sometimes it helps -- whether you need to visual by doing postures in your mind instead of doing it physically or by doing the breathing to calm you to take away your stress. “With sustained practice, particularly of the stretching and strengthening exercises known as asana, and the breathing techniques known as pranayama, the body and breath become stronger. Posture and lung capacity improve, as does bowel function, lymphatic drainage, and the functioning of the immune system. Gradually one feels more balanced, better able to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

He cautions people who had serious conditions to be very careful before going to yoga classes because many yoga teachers don’t understand what might help you or hinder you. “Yoga therapy is generally taught one-on-one or in small groups. While general yoga classes may be great preventive medicine for people who are fit, many are too demanding for someone with a serious medical condition,” explained Dr. McCall. Taking therapeutic yoga is very different from regular yoga classes as it places a heavy focus on bodily awareness, proper alignment and breathing.

That is why I took yoga teacher training after my aneurysm rupture — being a psychologist, I knew that I needed more information and understanding to do yoga poses that would help me. Today, I am stronger and more flexible than I was before my aneurysm; as well I am sleeping better and more relaxed than I was before. Most of all, I breathe more deeply and feel better and have more understanding about and in my body.

Mr. McCall sends this tip: 

“Even if you are too sick to do your yoga practice,  yogis believe that there is value in simply imagining it in a step-by-step fashion. The more details you bring into the visualization the more effective it’s likely to be. The benefit of practising in your mind’s eye is that any groove you’ve created through regular practice isn’t weakened by your absence from the mat; instead, it is deepened."

Eclectic: Gary - The Bionic Brain

Gary - PEI Blog

I am now reading "The Bionic Brain" by Jon Mukand a new book about the BrainGate project. Other assists are also highlighted in the book including one used by Garrett Mendez a young stroke survivor. His mom Eileen posted a comment on Facebook to let me know that the book is now available. A great read for anyone with an interest in this area of research. The Kindle edition of the book is available from Amazon for under $10.00. -Gary.

The Man with the Bionic Brain: And Other Victories over Paralysis

Amazon.com

After he was stabbed and became paralyzed from the neck down, Matthew Nagle, a former high school football star, made scientific history when neurosurgeons implanted microelectrodes in his brain that recognized his thought patterns, allowing him to control a computer cursor. With the BrainGate system, Matt was able to use e-mail, manipulate a prosthetic hand, adjust TV settings, and play video games—all just by thinking about performing these tasks.

In The Man with the Bionic Brain and Other Victories over Paralysis, Dr. Jon Mukand, Matt’s research physician and a rehabilitation specialist, weaves together his story with firsthand accounts of other courageous survivors of stroke, spinal injuries, and brain trauma and the amazing technology that has improved their lives.

A behind-the-scenes view of cutting-edge medical research and discoveries, The Man with the Bionic Brain and Other Victories over Paralysis is an insightful and inspirational book about how biomedicine gives hope to people with disabilities and enables them to take control of their futures.

Saturday Articles - Sept/08/2012

Article: Sharon - Satisfaction with Services

The Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy used Leger Marketing to randomly survey people discharged to their pre-stroke residence about their experiences in hospital and after stroke.  You can read the results online Alberta Health Services 2011-02-11 Evaluation Report.

In 2007 57% were very satisfied with post stroke services and this increased to 68% in 2009.  However,  that means that 32 % or almost a third were only moderately satisfied  (17%) or dissatisfied  (15%) with  health and community services after  their discharge.

There are significant theoretical and methodological issues with measuring satisfaction only with numerical data and rating scales.  The questions people were asked in Appendix I.  Stroke survivors and family care-partners were telephoned and asked over the phone to rate their care on a 7 point scale. But, in the instructions, they were given 3 choices—1-- Not satisfied at all, 4---satisfied, and  7---completely satisfied.

A recent survey done in Greece of stroke survivors satisfaction with hospitalization notes that assessing patients views about quality of care shows contentious professionalism, but that measuring  patient satisfaction with numerical data  does not enable stroke survivors to talk about reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction.  Often in these type of surveys where patients rate their care on a scale,  a global response of satisfactory often is given by stroke survivors and care-partners who are dis-satisfied  with certain aspects  of their care or even highly critical of the care (Theofanidis, Fountouki, Pediaditaki, 2012).

So some questions:

• If you were called by a marketing company and asked about your satisfaction with your care in hospital and services in the community, would it be difficult for you to make this type of rating (1-- Not satisfied at all, 4 -- satisfied, and  7 -- completely satisfied) over the phone?
• Are you happy with community services after your discharge? 
• What services and supports would you like to see in the community after stroke?  What do you think is missing?
• Are there services and supports that you think are exceptional? 

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