Better Hearing & Speech, Resources on Sale by Speechelp

The month of May has been dedicated to promote better hearing and speech internationally by Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

In conjunction with this, SpeecHelp is having some offers, discounts and rebates.

RESOURCES FOR SALE
1 st May-31 st May 2007
Shop for your clients, families and friends!
Visit the Speech Shop for more information on discounts


SPEECH ASSESSMENT SUBSIDIES
1 st May-31 st May 2007
This year, SpeecHelp is happy to provide a 50% assessment subsidy for all children or adults with • Down Syndrome • Those afflicted with difficulties of the Cleft Lip & Palate and other Craniofacial challenges

All assessments are by appointment only.
Please contact the SpeecHelp Clinic at 03-7954 2288 to book your appointment today.
Visit us at www.speechelp.com




The SpeecHelp Team SpeecHelp Therapy & Resources Sdn Bhd

Your One Stop Speech Spot www.speechelp.com
No 20, Jalan Bukit,
Section 11/2
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Malaysia
Tel/ Fax 03- 7954 2288



[tags : disability epilepsy autism children pediatric neurology]

Talk on Postural Control, Arm & Hand Strength - 19 May

19 MAY 2007 - SATURDAY

POSTURAL CONTROL, ARM AND HAND STRENGTH

Brief overview:

Conducted by 2 therapists, you will take home knowledge on:

• What is occupational therapy and who needs it?
• What is postural control? Why is it important?
• Normal development of arm, who will have weak arms and how to spot them
• Normal development of normal grip patterns, how to identify abnormal grips, effects of pinch & grip strength in a person’s life and lots of
• Activities to improve arms and hand strength

Speakers:

This session will be conducted by US trained Ms Minnie Tam and UK trained Ms Yam Pui Fun.

Ms Tam, a registered Occupational Therapist in the US, worked for a year in San Francisco. She started her career in adult-care; however, she has since dedicated her attention to children. Today, based in Cheras, Ms Tam has close to 10 years of pediatric experience.

Ms Yam obtained her BSc in Occupational Therapy from UK. Upon graduation, she ventured into private practice and to date, has more than 6 years experience working with young children.

Specially organized for parents, teachers, medical students and anyone involved with special-needs children.

This half-day talk will be held:

On: 19 May 2007

At: Sau Seng Lum Dialysis & Stroke Rehab Centre

Add: Lot PT 39480, Jln Industri PB3, Tmn Industri

Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47100 Selangor

Time: Registration starts at 9.00am

Session 1 : 9.30am – 10.40am

Tea Break : 10.40am – 11.00am

Session 2 : 11.00 – 12.15pm

Q & A : 12.15pm – 12.30 pm

Fees : RM60.00 per person ( RM45.00 for students )

Please note that in the event of cancellation, we are unable to entertain any request for refund. Thus, substitution of participant is strongly encouraged.

Register/Payment:

Please send Registration Form together with cheque ( with name and contact number written clearly on the reverse) made payable to : Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd or

direct debit into Hong Leong Bank account #19400009994. Kindly fax bank-in slip (with Registration Form) to confirm registration.

Please note that seat is confirmed only upon receipt of payment.

Organised by: Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd.

Founded by 2 mothers with sp-needs children, GS retails educational toys, teaching material and therapy tools, and also organizes seminars and workshops on a regular basis.

Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd

38, Jln Sri Petaling 1, Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel/Fax: (03) 9058 8014

Mobile : 012 372 3776 & 016 917 9955

[tags : disability epilepsy autism children pediatric neurology]

United Voice : Train Them, Don’t be Overprotective

Let go. Despite its implied simplicity, this is perhaps the most difficult thing for a parent whose child is intellectually impaired.

“Don’t be too overprotective or your child will have no future,” said Juan Fang, a homemaker.

Fang’s 28-year-old daughter Felicia is intellectually impaired, and “letting go” was what Fang had done over the years to teach Felicia independence and maturity.

The family had uprooted from Kuala Terengganu to the capital a few years after learning of Felicia’s condition so that she could have a better future.

“For Felicia to learn better and catch up in school, I made flash cards to help her. I didn’t give up,” said the soft-spoken Fang.

Today, Felicia is an office assistant at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Petaling Jaya. She has worked there for the last six years.

“She’s more confident and independent since she started working and interacting with people. Over the years, I had to let go bit by bit, or the family’s sacrifices and move to KL would be in vain,” said Fang.

Selangor Social Welfare Department statistics reveal that the registered number of those with intellectual impairment or learning disability in the state from 1998 till today stands at 13,924.

According to officer Eny Edayu Mat Ali, the actual figure is higher.

“The increase in the number of intellectually impaired from 2005 to 2006 alone, is significant – about 58%,” she said.

While the department has no records on the intellectually impaired who are currently employed, it admits they face a greater, if not the same challenges in getting job placements, no thanks to society’s prejudices.

“It’s even more difficult now than before,” said St Paul’s Day Training Centre (centre for people with intellectual disabilities) co-ordinator A. Annamaney.

Eny agrees, adding that the physically disabled have a better chance at employment than the intellectually impaired.

“Malaysian society holds very distorted views on disability. People are more
willing to employ the physically disabled as their limitation is physical,
whereas the intellectually impaired are just dismissed as cacat or
retarded.”

This has caused even high-functioning slow learners – who are capable of basic clerical, administrative and computer work, as well as despatching and packaging in an ‘open’ (real world) environment – to be mislabelled as unproductive.

“Given early intervention, those with learning disabilities can communicate,
think for themselves, and know how to be responsible in life and the workplace,”
said Eny.

Realistically speaking, seamless integration between regular society and the intellectually impaired community still appears a far-off goal.

“Japan was exposed to intellectual impairment at the same time as Malaysia, but Japan is far ahead of us today,” said United Voice co-ordinator Yeo Swee Lan.

United Voice is a self-advocacy society of persons with learning disabilities in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

United Voice's Website - http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/

Download United Voice's Jan's Newsletter - here


Source

[tags : disability epilepsy autism children pediatric neurology]

Autism Speaks Website

Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of the growing autism epidemic and to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for a cure.

It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, General Electric, and Chairman and CEO, NBC Universal.

Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now (CAN) recently announced plans to combine operations, bringing together the two leading organizations dedicated to accelerating and funding biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism spectrum disorders; to increasing awareness of the nation's fastest growing developmental disorder; and to advocating for the needs of affected families.

To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/.








What is Autism? An Overview

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.

Autism was first identified in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital. At the same time, a German scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that is now known as Asperger Syndrome. These two disorders are listed in the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as two of the five developmental disorders that fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorders. The others are Rett Syndrome, PDD NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder), and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. All of these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviors. For more discussion on the range of diagnoses that comprise Autism Spectrum Disorder, click here.

Autism Spectrum Disorders can usually be reliably diagnosed by age 3, although new research is pushing back the age of diagnosis to as early as 6 months. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child's failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills. Pediatricians may initially dismiss signs of autism, thinking a child will “catch up,” and may advise parents to “wait and see.” New research shows that when parents suspect something is wrong with their child, they are usually correct. If you have concerns about your child's development, don't wait: speak to your pediatrician about getting your child screened for autism.

If your child is diagnosed with autism, early intervention is critical to gain maximum benefit from existing therapies. Although parents may have concerns about labeling a toddler as “autistic,” the earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier interventions can begin. Currently, there are no effective means to prevent autism, no fully effective treatments, and no cure. Research indicates, however, that early intervention in an appropriate educational setting for at least two years during the preschool years can result in significant improvements for many young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. As soon as autism is diagnosed, early intervention instruction should begin. Effective programs focus on developing communication, social, and cognitive skills.


[tags : disability autism children pediatric neurology]

Training Manual to Tackle Sexual Issues faced by Children with Disabilities

A training manual to tackle sexual and reproductive health issues for children and teenagers with disabilities is in its final stages of development by the Health Ministry.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that the manual would focus on the personal care and safety of the child with special needs to prevent them from getting abused.

"We have to face reality that sexual harassment will continue to happen," he told reporters on Tuesday after the media launch of the 24th Kiwanis Treasure Hunt.

"The manual is to help doctors and people to identify and treat. There are guidelines and procedures to follow especially when the person is unable to communicate effectively."

The treasure hunt is organised by the Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur which hopes to raise RM125,000 to help the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation National Centre here, Joy Training Workshop in Malacca, Kiwanis Orphanage in Batu Pahat and other Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur community service projects.

Earlier in his speech, Dr Chua said that Down Syndrome was the most prevalent chromosomal disorder which occurred about one of every 650 births.

This meant, he said that 770 children in Malaysia were born with the disorder yearly and that about 46,200 children and adults have Down Syndrome assuming that the lifespan of a person with the condition is 60 years.

"This figure could even be larger, as no study has been done on the actual situation," he said.

He said that early detection and intervention were important to getting "better outcome" for babies with Down Syndrome adding that more than 90% of deliveries were in hospitals and all babies were examined by doctors before discharge.

Children who have Down Syndrome features will be followed up by the paediatrician and go through check ups for confirmation.

Dr Chua said that child developmental screening is also done at all health clinics, community clinics and mobile clinics throughout Malaysia and any suspected case of delayed development is closely monitored and started on early intervention programme.

There are also 140 health centres, which provide rehabilitation services for children with special needs including Down Syndrome.

Source
[tags : seic epilepsy seizures children pediatric neurology]