Communication is THE Skill

Imagine your life if your body does not know how to communicate. Imagine an existence where you can not convey that you are hungry, tired, angry, happy, or scared. Imagine the frustration for the affected individual, family members, friends, teachers and others when our existence is based on the desire and ability to communicate. This edition of the "The Dale Roy Story" reveals the many facets of speech therapy that are used to assist those with disabilities. Making speech therapy even more critical is that often the ability to speak and communicate is put on hold as life-threatening conditions are given priority in early care. At Dale Roy School the therapy is provided by two licensed speech language pathologists who have at least a master's degree.

The recent surge in diagnosed Autism cases has shed new light, interest, and research on communication issues. Assistive speech technology devices now offer students and adults with autism, and others that can not produce sounds a means to communicate. The recent development of an iPOD that utilizes speech software gives the opportunity for individuals to converse without having to carry, larger cumbersome devices. Current speech technologies provide a means of speech for those who can not speak. The devices may also serve as a bridge until intervention and physical development occurs.

One of greatest obstacles for those with speech issues is to initiate speech. Often the affected individual will find other nonverbal means of communicating and thereby surviving. It is a goal for the therapist to take the client from the nonverbal mode to the vocalization mode. This is not an easy transition. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a relatively simple tool for helping to initiate speech. It is nothing more than pictures of objects, food, locations, people, verbs, etc., that the client must pick up and give to a communication partner to represent what is communicated. This replaces pointing and other non-verbal behaviors to communicate needs and interests. Use of pictures is often part of the first formal speech intervention and establishes the foundation for future use of assistive technologies.

Many people think that sign language is a tool that can be used to help most individuals with speech challenges. However, more prevalent is the use of signing for basic functional expressions. Sign language is not utilized as much as most people think, because a high level of motor and cognitive function is needed for its success. Signing is also not understood by most members of the community so it is not always a functional option.

With speech intervention, often success in real-life practical situations is the goal. What is acceptable in society is the standard. "Please", "Thank You", "Excuse Me", and "I am sorry" are functional yet powerful social expressions, At Dale Roy School students with speech impairments and two therapists make up the Lunch Bunch, which meets periodically to help students with "the rhythm of being social" as one therapist explained. This is a working lunch as the therapists guide and encourage the discussion amongst peers.

Speech pathologists also assist parents of newborns with feeding and swallowing problems. Any parent knows that newborns and infants want objects in their mouth. This is one way of learning and a very normal part of development. For some syndromes and conditions, the brain interprets that something in the mouth is bad. This may result in newborns that spit food out and/or do not swallow. Without intervention, this can be the beginning of a very dangerous process as decreased nutrients and nourishment yields diminished brain development which can contribute to numerous other physical and neurological problems.

Those readers who are baseball fans know the extensive use of bubble gum and chewing tobacco during the game. Interestingly this is much more than the culture or history of the game. Chewing gum or tobacco (for some players a mixture) is an excellent example of a technique that speech therapists utilize.

Depending on the event, most people function best when they are at a balanced, stable, grounded emotional and physical state, not too active, not too sluggish. Sometimes this existence is referred to as being "level". This state is often attained through oral activity. Think of how many people chew gum, fingernails, pencils, straws, tooth picks. and smoke cigars and cigarettes. Aside from any other positive or negative results, all of these help the individual become level or grounded thereby offering a better chance of success and productivity. Chewing rings, food and drink of different tastes, textures, temperature, and density are utilized by the speech pathologist to get the individual grounded so that a specific therapy can begin. The same approach may also be implemented by a teacher or therapist to help prevent.the client from becoming agitated or to calm so that other activities may begin.

So the connection to baseball? Many years ago a batter facing a Christy Mathewson fastball had to be grounded. He couldn't be slow or fast with the bat, he had to be just right. The aid of chewing something has continued through the decades. The same is true for the fielders. With the deliberate nature of baseball, fielders have to be not only on a level playing field but in a level physical and mental state. If you were wondering, gum and tobacco do not work in football and basketball, as both sports require that the participant be aggressive and active.

This chapter of "The Dale Roy Story" tells of dedicated staff committed to providing the life skill of communication. Try to imagine your world without the ability to communicate. Obviously silence is not always golden.