SHD Reun 312 - Shodair Children's Hospital

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Tools of the Trade: Happy Children Seriously Working on Communication Skills Daylinda Q. Radley, MA, CGC-SLP Here at Shodair Children's Hospital, ongoing learning is definitely an important part of my job to ensure I'm applying techniques that are effective in helping our patients make necessary gains. It's also an excellent way to stay innovative and current as I continuously strive to use tools and technology that are relevant to today's generation. Our patients who receive speech therapy services have the opportunity to use intervention tools that target a variety of needs. For example, the speech pathologist and teacher collaborative program on our High Desert Unit, which is home to our youngest patients, have now focused on the introduction of Story Grammar Marker and Braidy: The Story Braid in the classrooms. These are evidencebased multi-sensory programs that entail the use of manipulatives, a puppet, visual icons, and graphic organizers that support the comprehension of literary materials, promote oral language development and enhance writing skills, to name a few of its benefits. Needless to say, the younger kids have enjoyed the arrival of Braidy the puppet as they learn about character's emotions and settings while working on their ability to recall details and re-tell the stories. The older ones are noticeably defining characters more elaborately and are starting to identify the "kick off events" in each story. The social stories and Behavior Mapping Strategy are fast becoming one of the most popular intervention methods used in the hospital. A few social stories have now been thoughtfully and individually written for the younger children and pre-adolescents at Shodair to target specific social skills deficits that cause frequent conflicts or that prevent them from being successful in the classroom or community. For example, “Jaime,” who has been struggling with transitioning from activity to another, has a social story entitled "Why I Need to Follow a Schedule," along with use of visual timers and visual schedules. These strategies have gradually helped Jaime follow her schedule throughout the day and understand why it's important to be on time. The Behavior Mapping strategy is frequently used for older children also exhibiting social skills impairment in their small group and individual therapy sessions. This graphic organizer has allowed a teenager like “Mike” to understand why saying verbally inappropriate things to peers can be harmful not only to his reputation, but also to his relationship with others. The Behavior Mapping strategy makes abstract social concepts concrete by allowing kids to see the direct correlation of their expected or unexpected behaviors to others and its impact to themselves. Shodair Speech-Language Pathologist Daylinda Radley demonstrates how to use Braidy: The Story Braid puppet. Many of these tools are available at Shodair and are used frequently to promote learning and the development of skills necessary to be successful in the real world. These intervention techniques are definitely not magical in the sense that it makes all our children's aches and problems disappear. It does take fidelity of implementation, team effort, and a lot of patience to reach a point of growth. Having the adequate resources to continue supporting the vast communication needs of our patients makes the work worthwhile. It's also a great way to make work feel a lot like play! 4 Reunion
Christmas at Shodair: A Tradition of Caring Above: The Montana A Cappella Society visited from Hamilton to carol to Shodair's patients on December 3, bringing with them Christmas stockings for each child. Below: The Touchmark Quilters Club from Helena were among the groups who made soft fleece blankets for our patients. Christmas 2011 Donors Included: Spring 2012 The holidays can be tough for the children and adolescents who are in treatment at Shodair. As in years past, staff and donors gave generously of their time and funds to make Christmas a bright one for our patients, who range in age from four to seventeen. Preparations began in early November, as staff from all units gathered wish lists for Santa that identified items both practical and fun for each patient. Despite difficult economic times, many individuals, businesses, and civic organizations familiar with Shodair's mission once again made Christmas possible for our patients by contributing gifts of toys, clothing, and quilts. Gift cards and cash were also donated, allowing nursing staff to shop for items just right for each child. One the shopping was complete, staff from all corners of the hospital volunteered to wrap presents. “During the holidays, we feel especially blessed by the support we receive from people all across Montana,” said Community Relations and Marketing Director Anastasia Burton. “Thanks to their generosity, we were able to provide nearly 50 patients with Christmas stockings and gifts, as well as the knowledge that there are many people who care about them.” The holidays were also filled with events to bring the joy of the season to patients, starting with carols sung by the Montana A Cappella Society from Hamilton. In the Children's Classroom, the annual Holiday Read-In drew guest readers like Santa himself. Helena's 89th Cavalry once again helped usher in the new year with a visit to the hospital, delighting the children with an opportunity to interact with the horses. The generosity of the community had a ripple effect on patients, as they looked for ways to make the holidays brighter for others. Adolescent patients made crafts, selling the items to Shodair staff, then donating the money raised to the local Humane Society. Younger patients caroled to Shodair staff throughout the hospital under the guidance of music therapist Cheryl Sobek. Shodair staff completed the circle of giving by adopting a local Christmas family, providing them with food, clothing, and gifts. Thanks to everyone who made the holidays brighter for Shodair's patients! 89th Cavalry Advanced Litho Printing Art & Image Chris Bardash Family BlueCross BlueShield of Montana Carroll College Student Nurses Assn. Comfort Inn -- Helena East Valley Middle School First Congregational Church Helena Forest Service Helena Independent Record Helena Photography Hunter's Pointe Lewis & Clark 4-H Clubs Melville Lutheran Church Women Victor & Donna Mertz Montana A Cappella Society Montana Deptartment of Environmental Quality Montana Girl Scouts Troops Montana Marketing Montana State Library Project Linus - Great Falls Quilting In The Country Quilts for Kids Virginia Quimby Rocky Mountain Credit Union Father Daniel Shea Toys for Tots The Friendship Center The Touchmark Quilters Club 5
Page 1 and 2: SPRING 2012 • Samantha's Story
Page 3 and 4: R EUNION / SPRING 2012 Spring 2012
Page 5: There, the Champions will also tour
Page 9 and 10: Thank You! To ALL of Shodair’s ge
Page 11 and 12: Miracle Makers ...continued from pa
Page 13 and 14: John Bradford - Thomas Christensen
Page 15 and 16: Memorial and In Honor Gifts Bold =
Page 17 and 18: Shodair's 13th Annual Soccer Classi
Page 19 and 20: Coming soon: Montana's First CMN Da
Page 21 and 22: Shodair Wins Employer of the Year A
Page 23 and 24: Former Board Member Leaves Legacy t

SHD Reun 312 - Shodair Children's Hospital

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?