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There are 3 ways to register with early bird status for the upcoming ASHA conference titled Leadership into New Frontiers to be held on November 18–20, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
http://www.asha.org/events/convention/

According to an article by Katrina Woznicki in WebMD Health News, as reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD, a new technology that assess children's speech patterns and helps in identifying who has autism spectrum disorder or language delay has been developed. The article states "The new tool could have an impact on how children are screened for autism, language delay, and other developmental disorders.he tool is a battery-powered device that attaches to children's clothing.

ASHA's annual Schools Conference, titled Connect, Create, Innovate will be held Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18, 2010 at The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference is offered in conjunction with the Educational Audiology Association (EAA). Participants can earn up to 1.6 ASHA CEUs (16 professional development hours). For more information go HERE

Other upcoming ASHA events can be seen HERE

The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) announced the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Checklist for application the iPhone. According to PEATC, the new IEP app "helps parents of students with special needs become better-informed advocates by making IEP information easier to access." The IEP app is offered free of charge. You can download it at http://www.peatc.org/peatc.cgim?template=IEPChecklistiPhone

Here is a You Tube demonstration of the application:

SpeechPathology.com offers Live e-Seminars and CEUs for practicing speech pathologists. Their course offerings are varied and include Live E-Seminars" and "Self-Study Courses" such as:

Using Stories to Facilitate Speech Fluency in Children
Presenter: Craig Coleman, M.A., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD; Mary Weidner, M.S., CF-SLP

Solutions to Caseload Issues in the Schools, a Workload Analysis Approach
Presenter: Sally Disney, M.S., CCC-SLP

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Update
Presenter: Gail V. Pashek, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center

Cognitive Intervention Provided by the Speech-Language Pathologist
Presenter: Jean Neils-Strunjas, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati

The 3 R’s of Ethical Decision Making: Recognizing, Reporting, and Resolving
Presenter: Glenn M. Waguespack, M.S., L-AUD, CCC-A; Theresa H. Rodgers, M.A. (SLP), Ed.Sp. (LD), L-SLP, CCC-SLP

Using Stories to Facilitate Speech Fluency in Children
Presenter: Craig Coleman, M.A., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD; Mary Weidner, M.S., CF-SLP

Solutions to Caseload Issues in the Schools, a Workload Analysis Approach
Presenter: Sally Disney, M.S., CCC-SLP

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Update
Presenter: Gail V. Pashek, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center

Cognitive Intervention Provided by the Speech-Language Pathologist
Presenter: Jean Neils-Strunjas, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati

To Browse these and other courses go to: http://www.speechpathology.com/ceus/index.asp?class_type_id=3

DSM V Draft

The last update to medical disorder descriptions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, more widely known as the DSM IV, was in 1994 and many believe revisions are past due given the accumulating research in the field. On February 10, 2010, Neal Conan of NPR's Talk of the Nation interviewed Dr. David Kupfer, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School and chair of the DSM-V task force, regarding proposed changes in description of some medical disorders, including bi-polar disorders in children and Asperger's.

According to Dr. Kupfer,"...there's been a tremendous amount of research since that time. There's also been, I think, a clarity with respect to the fact that a number of diagnoses did really not work well in real-life practice, and why were patients being diagnosed as often with NOS, not otherwise specified." In addition, Dr. Kupfer offered examples,"...for example, DSM-IV used the term mental retardation. There are important changes in the use of that term, and language is important. And so, for example, not only will we propose the use of
'intellectual disability", but we've included a number of criteria changes there to be more precise with when that diagnosis is appropriate."

Neil Conan asked Jon Hamilton, NPR's science correspondent, about other revisions such as the re-categorization of Asperger's disorder. Hamilton, who had reviewed the new draft said,..."it will be called the autism spectrum disorder, and it includes not just Asperger's but several other what used to be sort of sub-categories of autism. And as Dr. Kupfer was saying though, the point here is to try to put things that are similar into one category and then worry about severity of the symptoms rather than in having all these different buckets to put things in."

Many parents and professional have concerns about maintaining services based on changing diagnosis criteria and how insurance companies might react. The current draft has been put out for comment and revisions will not take effect until after public and professionals respond. DSM V will then be published in 1013.

For the full NPR article go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123570221
Also Note: The new DSM-5 Web site, which includes proposed revisions and draft diagnostic criteria, is now available at http://www.dsm5.org/ According to the APA, "May 2013 will mark one the most anticipated events in the mental health field." Visitors can log in to comment on the draft.

NIA Public Domain Sketch

The play Wings by Arthur Kopit gave many of us pause regarding the assumed level of communicative awareness of stroke and or comatose patients and how one might reach them. We've long been dependent on external physical indicators of response to our attempts to communicate. For those who were semi or unconscious, that was not an option.

According to Fergus Walsh, Medical correspondent for BBC News "Scientists have been able to reach into the mind of a brain-damaged man and communicate with his thoughts. The British scientists said they could communicate with a patient who has not shown any sign of outward consciousness for five years. They used a new brain scanning technique to 'talk' to the 29 year old Belgian man who damaged his brain in a car accident and has been classified as being in a vegetative state. The patient was able to communicate "yes" and "no" using just his thoughts during a research conducted by a team from Cambridge University. Dr Adrian Owen, who led the team and co-authored of the research article said "this is a rare case...This changes things". The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. For the full BBC article, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8497148.stm

Sister Merry Harmony would like to thank their fans for coming to the Cannon Mine for a wonderful show on January 16th!

Kate writes, "We could not have done it without you! And now, a special announcement:

Feeling a little light in the wallet?
Pinching the ol' pennies?
Getting in touch with your inner tightwad?
Well, Sister Merry Harmony has the cure for what ails you (and everybody else too)!

The Recession Special performance...It's free, free, free!

EH? Sister Merry Harmony is doing a 45 minute opening show for Cannon Mine's open mic. After we are done, a bunch of other musicians show up and play short sets. No door, no tips. Just come have some fun! Without you, it wouldn't be a show!"

When? Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010, from 7:00 pm to 7:45 pm

You can view it , and listen to some of our songs, even if you are not a myspace member.

Founded in 1977, LinguiSystems was the first company to be founded and operated by speech-language pathologists. According to their website, they "vowed to always have the products you need and the tests you want, to guarantee them forever, and to give you the service you deserve".

Ever since, their "mission has been to provide innovative, effective, affordable, and therapeutically-sound materials for speech-language pathologists", including:

* authors who are experts in their field
* speech pathology editorial staff
* design experts who understand the needs of the youngest and oldest client
* field-tested and research-based content

In addition to a variety of products that help educate professionals and prepare them for exams, they offer
FREE Online Continuing Education courses. Course topics include attention disorders, evidence-based practice, intervention strategies for ELL, and courses on a variety of disorders. They also have free material samples and demos for downloading. Have you taken advantage of their free CEU's? If so, sign in and tell us about it at the bottom of this blog.

For more information on LinguiSystems free CEUs go to http://www.linguisystems.com/ceu_intro.php

On January 29-30, the 2010 Metro Speech-Language Symposium Conference, titled Partners in Progress, will be held in Littleton, Colorado at the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows.

Keynote Speakers this year include Drs, Roanne and Alejandro Brice and Dr. Diane Frome Loeb. The Keynote presentation will cover intervention strategies for ELL students as well as school-aged language interventions. The new Colorado Severity Rating Scale will also be presented.

For more information visit http://www.metrospeechlanguagenetwork.org/HTML/conference.html or call 1-800-686-2767 (toll free) or 303-925-0004

Metro Speech Language Network's general website is http://www.metrospeechlanguagenetwork.org