TWO EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM BRIDGES TO COMMUNICATION!

Our NEW therapy space is open!  

This child-centered office space parallels our evidence-based and evolving philosophy.

• Our cozy environment mimicks being at home, only we have taken many of the

distractions away. We are centrally-located on Geary between Stanyan and Arguello.

• We can help you figure out how to modify your childʼs environment at home or at your childʼs preschool too, so that your childʼs communication has a better chance of sticking. (We do this through our parent training program and through our home consultation offerings.  See below more information.)

• Our interactive approach invites families to participate and/or be close by during office visits so that you can observe what approaches are being used, actively discuss how your child is communicating at home and discover new ways to help your child be a better communicator during the week (essential to helping your young preschooler or toddler).

PARENTS, do you want to learn more about how to help build your child's communication?  Check out these exciting parent training programs!

Bridges to Communication is offering three fun and educational Hanen parent training programs led by our Hanen-certified speech-language pathologists:

 

1. “It Takes Two to Talk” for young children with language delays (16 months to 3.5 years)

2. “More Than Words” for children who have difficulties using early social

communication (2 to 4 years).

3. “Talkability” for children who are learning to engage in conversation, but benefit from support to better access the nuances of social communication, i.e., social understanding and perspective taking. (for children ages 4-7 years).

*CALL US TODAY to find out more information about any of these programs. We are now starting to recruit families for the spring of 2013.

Loss from the Perspective of a Pediatric Speech Therapist, Jill Flores, M.S., CCC-SLP

I recently had a loss in my family. I was midway through my pregnancy and I lost the baby due to some complications. When this event happened, I was faced with finding a way to talk about this with my friends, family, my close colleagues, my community and the families that I work with through my speech therapy practice. Through this process, I also needed to consider some of the older preschool and school-age children I work with, who had noticed or were aware that I was pregnant. One child said to me after my loss, “your face looks different” and another said, “when are you going to have your baby?”. Children observe much more than we realize. 

Death and loss are topics that are not openly spoken about in our society. Many people, including myself, find it awkward to use the words needed when we are confronted with this topic. When Diego, my son, was stillborn, I realized that I was going to need to face death in a way that I had never done in the past. Not only was I going to have to realize the death, but I was going to have to find a way to remember something that ended before it started.

When I spoke to my families within my private practice, I explained to them openly about what had happened, since most of them were aware that I had been expecting. Through the contact that I had with families, I was struck with how much the families I work with cared about what was going on; they wanted to know. I also discovered that many of the parents I work with have gone through similar experiences and that this event is actually quite commonly encountered in our country, but rarely shared or discussed openly.

Diego my son was buried in a cemetery close to other babies. We were fortunate to have some of our friends and family close by to share this event with us and find a way to say goodbye to our son. It is amazing how our community and circle of friends can

support us in situations that are so difficult to bear.

This experience has brought me closer to some of the families within my practice. Sharing a loss as a professional is important. Families can speak more openly, when the therapist has shared something about their experience as a human being.  In turn, when a therapist experiences birth, they gain an appreciation of what it feels like to be a parent. Having felt a loss so directly, one gains perspective about what it means to feel disappointed about something that did not come out the way it was expected. Some parents may experience a sense of loss repeatedly, such as when their child takes longer to develop, during transitions or when their child is given a diagnosis. Having a way to talk about this experience openly can relieve the stress that surfaces each time this truth comes to mind. Having a way to talk about our losses with relatives, friends and our social network, as is appropriate, can strengthen our bonds within our community. However, depending on each person, his or her level of comfort, their cultural values, etc., this can vary. Certain discussions are best shared within a small group of individuals or families who have had the same experience. We are fortunate to live at a time when it is easier to gain access to information and resources within our community. If you have experienced a loss, attending a support group or speaking to others who are in the same boat, can be a tremendous source of comfort. 

Some Favorite Resources for Pregnancy Loss

http://www.handsupport.org/pregnancy-loss.html

http://www.angelnames.org/

Sherokee Ilse, Arlene Appelbaum, Empty Arms: Coping with Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Death (Wintergreen Press, 2000).

Bay Area Resources for Family Members of a Child who has a Disability

http://www.supportforfamilies.org/

http://www.caseadvocacy.org/services.html

http://thearcsf.org/families-caregivers/

Play-Based Speech Therapy

What is play-based speech therapy? Is it right for your family?
By Jill Flores, M.S., CCC-SLP and Kristy Hirokawa

Do you ever wonder what it means when people talk about using a ‘play-based’ therapy approach? We have asked ourselves this too and thought it would be helpful to families to clarify this terminology. You may have concerns that play-based therapy is unstructured, unfocused and lacks validity in its use. We at Bridges to Communication believe that therapy sessions should be fun and incorporate the use of engaging toys and props. However, play-based therapy is much more than that. Therapists who use a play-based approach focus on building a relationship with the child using play as a medium. While it may be less structured than traditional therapy approaches, it is nonetheless purposeful and goal-oriented. Its theoretical underpinnings focus on looking at how the child develops and how the child’s communication can grow.

Jill Flores, the founder of Bridges to Communication, believes that a therapist should work with family members to develop specific goals for their child that will enhance communication at home. Based on these goals, the therapist can work on targeting communication during highly motivating and interactive play activities. Each child’s play is going to be at a different stage, just like their communication will differ depending on their individual skills. A well-trained speech pathologist takes the time to evaluate these two areas, as she knows that communication skills go hand-in-hand with the development of play.

You may be asking yourself, "would this approach be a good fit for my family or child?” The play-based therapy model is a good fit for children typically under the age of five. It is successful for many children, in part, because it involves fun activities. When we situate therapy in the context of topics or scenarios that interest the child, the child is motivated to participate. She is working on targeting speech and language skills, while having a great time. Secondly, the play-based model is a low stress approach for children and their families. Sessions are held in the child’s natural environment (which may also include the child’s preschool). Additionally, children naturally use play to explore, discover and learn. At Bridges to Communication, we view children holistically. We know that play is tied to a child’s development not only linguistically, but socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively as well. We cultivate a child’s play skills and structure play situations to increase the scope of his or her communication.

If you are interested in learning more or discussing a play-based therapy plan for your child, please contact Jill Flores at bridgestocommunication@gmail.com.

Resources:

·      Hanen Centre (http://www.hanen.org)

·      Summary of Carol Westby’s Stages of Play Development (“Assessment of Cognitive and Language Abilities Through Play”) – Article by Autism Teaching Tools (http://www.autismteachingtools.com/page/bbbbfg/bbbbtj)

·      A wonderful article on play-based therapy written by a speech-language pathologist at Chatterboxes (http://teamchatterboxes.blogspot.com)