There is a group of therapists here in Charlotte, including myself, who are meeting and dedicated to educating parents, professionals, and the community on the available resources and various service models within the Charlotte Mecklenburg area. Tentative name is Kids Team: Therapy, Education, Advocacy, and Mentoring. Stay tuned....

Therapy visits

Families should always ask their insurance companies what specifically is covered in their plans for speech therapy services. Ask your provider what procedure codes will be billed; always get reference numbers for your phone calls; and know your visit limitations (# of visits per calendar or benefit year).

FDA and simplythick thickner in infants

Discontinue use of simplythick thickner with infants warns the FDA. It can cause necrotizing entercolittis.  I was just told by CMC Levine's rehab department that they are not evening using simplythick with children 3 years of age or younger. 

American Affordable Act

I hope the person you voted for won.  
I am waiting for an online class to begin on Healthcare Reform. I will post information in the New Year!

HealthCare Reform

Yes healthcare reform is needed. Insurance companies should not have so much power over how medical treatment is provided. Specifically in pediatric rehab- there should be no stipulations on place of service; unreasonable visit limits; change of co-pays/deductibles; or diagnosis specific coverages.

cooking and language

Use cooking with your child as a good way to work on vocabulary and adjectives. You can adjust this activity based upon your child's age. For a young child,  simply imitating the different foods works on expressive language.  Do simple naming tasks to see if your child can remember the name(s) of the foods. Ask: "What's this?" (model if needed or provide cues).  Always provide praise for all  verbal attempts. Stay tuned for more ideas next week. Live life to your best abilities and absolutely love yourself.

Convention

Learning more about marketing and business aspects of private practice. They do not teach you about this stuff in grad school.