Applying Google Tools in Telepractice / Distance Learning

Tools for Telepractice

• G-Suite (formerly Google Apps) for language and social interventions through a telepractice environment.
• Google Slides for building lesson visuals,
• Google Drawings for graphic organizers and other visual supports,
• Google Classroom and Docs for scaffolding communication and writing skills, and
• Google Earth for curriculum and real-world intersections with language objectives. 
• Zoom

Telepractice Resources by ASHA

https://www.asha.org/About/Telepractice-Resources-During-COVID-19/

For questions about telepractice coverage and payment, contact reimbursement@asha.org.

What to Know Before You Provide Telepractice Services

• State-by-state trackingof laws and regulations for telepractice and temporary practice [PDF]
• COVID-19Commercial Insurance Telepractice Policy Tracking [PDF]
• COVID-19 StateMedicaid Telepractice Policy Tracking [PDF]
• Resourcesto consult before beginning telepractice services
• Paymentand coverage considerations for telepractice services
• ProvidingOutpatient Telepractice Services to Medicare Beneficiaries

Information to Help You Provide Telepractice Services

• Leader Live:  5 Steps to Get Started inTelepractice
• Perspectives: Browse relevant telepractice articles made free by ASHA Journals 
• Practice Portal:  Findinformation about telepractice as a service delivery model and how you can continue to meet client, patient, and student needs
• Leader Live:  UsingTelepractice to Provide Early Intervention Services to Families
• Early Intervention (EI): Find telepractice resources specificallytailored for EI providers
• ASHA Community: Connect with others in discussions about telepractice in the SIG 18 community
• Evidence Maps:  Getsummarized, appraised, and up-to-date research on the use of telepractice for audiology and speech-language pathology services
• ASHA Learning Pass: Check out a list of telepractice-related courses 
• ASHA CEFind: Find telepractice-relatedcourses offered by ASHA Approved CE Providers

Information for Clinical Fellows and Supervisors 

Certification information and CFCC guidancefor graduate student clinicians and Clinical Fellows

World Autism Awareness Day

Art by Basia Panko, 2016

Today is 

World Autism Awareness Day!

Given the effect of COVID-19

In 2020, the CDC reported that approximately 

1 in 54 children in the U.S. 

is diagnosed with an 
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 
according to 2016 data.

10% increase in 2 years

Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed 
with autism than girls.

Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though 

autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.

31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability 

(intelligence quotient [IQ] <70 font="" nbsp="">

25% are in the borderline range 

(IQ 71–85), and

44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range 

(i.e., IQ >85).

Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.

There is no medical detection for autism.

Early intervention affords 

the best opportunity to support healthy development and 

deliver benefits across the lifespan.

Info from:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-statistics

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/new-data.html

Resources

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

Immune System, Viruses and Importance of Vaccination by Basia Panko

Immune System

Cartoon By Basia Panko

#learnfromthevaccine This picture shows how the vaccine teaches the immune system how to fight of the virus. The immune system is made up of white blood cells.

#staystrong The vaccine makes the immune system stronger so the nose, throat, or lungs don’t have to suffer from the sickness.

#scienceiscool The white blood cells are also known as lymphocytes and are made up of t-cells and b-cells. They remember the bad cells through receptors, which is how the body becomes immune to another attack and can destroys the invader. Each receptor only matches one pathogen, which is why these cells are very specialized. 

#happyeveryday Thankfully, the immune system can fight off the virus with the help of a vaccine. Vaccines are important in our everyday life so that we can be healthy and happy!

Immune System - Video Notes 

Influenza (nose, throat, and lungs.)

Flu vaccine to prevent getting flu (vaccination.)

Immune system is a defense system. It is made of organs, tissues and cells.

The body can be attacked by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.

Pathogens are germs which include bacteria and viruses.

The immune system has:

• the innate immune system which protects the body by attacking germs
• the adaptive immune system which gives immunity to disease.

Special cells build someone immune

White blood cells (lymphocytes) are responsible for adaptive immune response.

T-cells and b-cells are the common ones.

They remember the bad cells and that is how the body becomes immune to a second attack.

They recognize germs through receptors. 

Each receptor only matches one pathogen.

It destroys the invader.

Symptoms:

• Fever - body temp rises
• Inflammation
• Redness
• Swelling
• Soreness

Vaccinations teach immune system to fight certain infections.

The Importance of Vaccination

Cartoon By Basia Panko

#deadly Viruses multiply and kill cells that keep the body alive. Some diseases can become infectious, meaning that they can spread from one person to another. These deadly disease kill millions of people and most of them are caused by viruses.

#falseinfo Some people think that vaccines create more damage than benefit, but this is false because smallpox, measles and polio were cured and eliminated by vaccines. In 1796, an English doctor named Edward Jenner eliminated smallpox by making the world’s first vaccination. He used the cowpox virus to make the vaccine. The body became immunized

#scienceiscool The scientific method was used to make the discovery of the first vaccine and all after that. First, he did observation and he noticed that dairy maids who got cowpox, never got smallpox. Then he made a hypothesis, which was that cowpox infection would help cure smallpox. After, he tested it by infecting someone with cowpox and then smallpox. Smallpox was immunized and couldn’t spread by 1980.

Vaccination and Scientific Method Notes

Viruses multiply and kill cells that keep the body alive. Virus diseases can become infectious, meaning they can spread from one person to another. Many viruses have killed millions of people. Smallpox, measles, and polio were very bad viruses.

In 1796, Edward Jenner, an English doctor, found a way how to stop smallpox by making the world’s first vaccination. He used the cowpox virus to make the vaccine. The name vaccine, comes from the word vacca, or cow, because of the cowpox used for the vaccination. 

Edward Jenner used the scientific method to make that discovery.

• Observations - he noticed that dairy maids who got cowpox, never got smallpox
• Hypothesis - he thought cowpox infection would help cure smallpox
• Test - he infected someone with cowpox and then smallpox

Smallpox was immunized and couldn’t spread by 1980.

Measles is easily passed on but also we have a vaccine for it. An obvious symptom is a rash over the whole body. In 1968, Maurice Hilleman made a vaccine and measles was whipped out in the Americas in 2000.

Polio is another contagious disease caused by a virus. It attacks the nervous system and creates paralysis. In the 1950s, it was one of the most serious diseases in children. The iron lung was used to treat the virus and it helped people breathe. In 1955, Jonas Salk made polio vaccine and in 1968, Albert Sabin made an oral polio vaccine. In 1979, there was complete elimination of polio in the U.S.

How Vaccine Works

Cartoon by Basia Panko

#vaccinesareimportant Vaccines give immunity to fight off infections because they stimulate the immune system and help the body create protective proteins called t-lymphocytes, which make antibodies against antigens and later pathogens. 

#scienceiscool The antibodies detect and remember the pathogens and fight them. Antigens are part of the pathogen which stimulates the immune system but are not strong enough to kill the antibodies. Antigens are bits of a virus of bacteria.

#communityimmunity Community immunity is when vaccines protect the whole community, even those who aren’t vaccinated. Community immunity is important because then the virus gets completely eliminated from the community. Let's hope that a vaccine for COVID 19 is made soon!

How Vaccine Works - Video Notes

Vaccines give immunity to fight off infections.

The vaccines stimulate the immune system and help the body create protective proteins called antibodies.

They detect the pathogen and fight it.

Antigen is part of the pathogen which stimulates the immune system. Antigens are bits of a virus of bacteria.

The antigen makes the body create t-lymphocytes. They make antibodies which go against antigens and help the cell remember the pathogen, or virus and cells can respond with the right antibodies

Community immunity is when vaccines protect the whole community, even those who aren’t vaccinated.

How to Be Happier in Your Daily Life – Yale University FREE Online Course

Basia with Friends

Yale University is offering a FREE course online, 

The Science of Well-Being by Laurie Santos,

Approx. 20 hours to complete

Suggested: 3 hours/week

Sign up here for free

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being?ranMID=40328&ranEAID=EHFxW6yx8Uo&ranSiteID=EHFxW6yx8Uo-ydlk5CEIzuLr_E6F8E_1Cg&siteID=EHFxW6yx8Uo-ydlk5CEIzuLr_E6F8E_1Cg&utm_content=10&utm_medium=partners&utm_source=linkshare&utm_campaign=EHFxW6yx8Uo

Anyone can audit it for FREE or opt for a $49 certificate of completion.

Happy Family at The Dead Sea, Israel

The course can teach each of us how to be happier.

In this course a participant will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase his own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. The participant will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into his life.

Professor Laurie Santos taught a class called Psychology and the Good Life first in spring 2018 in response to concerning levels of student depression, anxiety, and stress.

The course covers the following topics in weekly installments:

• Misconceptions about happiness
• Why our expectations are so bad
• How we can overcome our biases
• Stuff that really makes us happy
• Putting strategies into practice

The course includes video lectures, optional readings, and "rewirement" activities to do each day to build happier habits. Research suggests that if someone do these rewirements as prescribed, he should get a boost in his mood and overall well-being.

What to expect from the class?

To make the class pleasant and welcoming professor Laurie Santos shot it in his own home, with a handful of Yale students in the audience so the participant can see how the material lands with other people. It feels intimate, and Professor Laurie Santos' tone is approachable and casual.

It feels relieving, watching a group of unguarded people commune over personal happiness and how to use intellect and research to untangle it.

There's absolutely no required reading. All the information the participant needs to know is summarized within the lecture. If someone wants deeper context, Professor Laurie Santos provides links to complementary readings. Everybody can work at his own pace.

Book Recommendation by Basia Panko: “The Amazing Brain” by Cheryl Reifsnyder

Basia looks at a head without skin

New information I learned from this book:

The brain weighs only 2 percent of your total body weight but uses more than 20 percent of our energy. There are 86 billion neurons in our body. They carry the electrical signals needed to think, and have memories, and feelings. Neurons form a network with more than 125 trillion connections called synapses. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. It is almost 75 percent of the brain’s volume and almost 85 percent of its weight. This is where most high-level brain activity takes place. The cerebrum interprets information from the senses. Ignoring things is an important part of the cerebrum’s job. Senses always give the brain information. The cerebrum is divided into two halves. A bundle of nerves called the corpus callosum connects the hemispheres and carries messages between them, which allows the two halves to work together. They control opposite sides of the body. The left hemisphere sends the signal to raise right hand and the other way around. Although some tasks can be done by sides, they are not the same. The right brain usually controls creativity, artistic skills, and interpreting what you see. The left brain generally controls speech, writing, and math skills. The corpus callosum allows the left brain to tell the right brain what it saw so that the right brain can decide what the vision meant. Each brain part has four sections, or lobes: the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. Each lobe processes specific information or has a special job.

For a long time the brain was not known about. People did not know about the lobes until Gage got his injury. They also learned a lot from the soldier’s brain injuries in WWI. Scientists needed a way to study healthy brains without damaging them to learn how the brain functions. In the 1920s, a German scientist named Hans Berger made a machine (electroencephalogram) that could measure the electrical activity in the brain. An EEG measures electrical signals through electrodes placed on the head’s surface so that researchers can “see” brain activity. The brain wave rhythm that an EEG measures is called a Berger’s wave after this scientist-inventor. An EEG can only detect signals near the brain’s surface. Observing activity deeper in the brain was difficult and dangerous until the test fMRI came out in the 1990s. FMRI identifies and maps active brain regions by measuring blood flow. This technique, which is noninvasive, gives an indirect measurement of brain activity because electrically active neurons require more oxygen. An fMRI allows scientists to detect the precise brain regions used when we do different things.

Scientists are wondering if it is possible to decode brain signals. If a computer could understand a brain’s electrical signals, people might learn to control an artificial body part.  Electrodes detect the brain signal, which is decoded by a computer, and the information can be used to control a mechanical device. This technique could also be used to send brain signals from one person to another. This type of human brain-to-brain communication was first done at the University of Washington in 2013.

Exercising the brain helps it grow. Also, feed your brain. Blueberries and walnuts have lots of the right nutrients to keep your brain working smoothly. There are many activities which help the brain grow. Brain changes usually occur only in regions directly involved with activity. Physical exercise, especially one that raises your heart rate has benefits for the brain. Children who exercise have better memories and attention and do better on tests. Dancing relieves stress. Now that we are in the time of the Corona virus and have more time, we can do some of these activities. For example, we can learn a new language (do Duolingo and try to get a long streak), do research on an interesting topic, play games, do a quiz, or watch academic movies.

Sleep helps the brain too. Brain replays memories during sleep. That may help skills and information “stick” in a person’s memory. Getting too little sleep decreases your ability to learn and think. The best amount of sleep is 7-9 hours. Shock-absorbing fluid, called cerebrospinal fluid, and a hard skull guard the brain against some injuries. If someone falls on concrete, though, it can crack the skull or bruise the brain (concussion). Serious concussions can cause swelling or bleeding inside the skull, which can cut off the brain’s blood supply quickly and the brain can survive only a few minutes without oxygen.

Summary on the section "Three Brains in One" (pg.5-8):

There are neurons in the brain which deliver instructions to muscles and bring back information from the senses. They also connect the three main parts of the brain, which are the brain stem, cerebellum, and cerebrum. They each have jobs to control specific body activities, and are connected so that each part can communicate with the others. The brain stem controls breathing, digestion, heartbeat, and other autonomic body processes, the cerebellum coordinates muscle movements, regulates balance, motor control, stores memories of muscle movement (unconscious memory of how to do something), and the cerebrum controls thought, speech, learning, and emotions, and interprets information from the senses. The cerebrum is divided into two halves and nerves called the corpus callosum connect the hemispheres. The hemispheres control opposite sides of the body. The right brain controls creativity and the left brain controls speech, writing, and math. Each brain hemisphere has four sections: the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. Each lobe has a special job, which scientists discovered not long ago. Scientists learn new things everyday which are important to cure sicknesses and help us in our everyday life.

Unity Story by Basia Panko

Basia and her Friend

What role has unity played in your life? Write a story about a positive experience of working together with others to meet a common goal. The story can be based on your life or other events. Then write a slogan to summarize this experience, or choose one of the slogans on this page. 

Once upon a time, there was a flock of doves that flew to search for food. One day, they had flown a long distance and were very tired. The leader of the flock encouraged them to fly a little further. The smallest dove picked up speed and found some rice scattered beneath a banyan tree. So all the doves landed and began to eat. Suddenly, a net fell over them and they were all trapped. They saw a hunter approaching carrying a huge club. The doves fluttered their wings trying to get out, but it did not help. The leader had an idea. He advised all the doves to fly up together carrying the net with them. He said that there was strength in unity. Each dove picked up a portion of the net and together they flew off carrying the net with them. The hunter looked up and was very astonished. They were flying high over hills and valleys. 

They flew to a hill near a city of temples where there lived a mouse who could help them. He was a faithful friend of the leader of the doves. When the mouse heard the loud noise as they approached, he hid. The leader of the doves gently called out to him and the mouse was happy to see him. The leader explained that they needed the mouse’s help to set them free. The mouse agreed and said that he would set the leader free first but he insisted that the mouse first free his subjects. The mouse understood the king’s feelings and obeyed him. He began to cut the net and one by one all the doves were freed including the leader dove. They all thanked the mouse for her kind heart and flew away together, united in their strength.

SLOGAN: When you work together, you are stronger.

Book Recommendation by Basia Panko - “Just the Facts Down Syndrome” by Kristina Routh

Question: 

Does the author of your text have an opinion about this nonfiction topic? What is their point of view on the topic? Respond using two paragraphs and evidence from the text.

Art by Basia Panko

Kristina Routh, the author of "Just the Facts Down Syndrome," has a firm opinion on the topic of Down syndrome. She believes that everyone must be cherished and respected for who they are. Her point of view is that they are regular people with normal lives and should not be treated differently. For example, in the book she states that it may take people with Down syndrome longer to develop both physically and mentally, “However, many people with Down syndrome manage well in… school, drive, play musical instruments, succeed at sports, and even act on television. And many have found useful and enjoyable jobs and live in their own homes.” If they work hard, these people can achieve a lot! The author thinks that we should not feel sorry for them because they have very good lives and are very happy. They wouldn’t want others to feel pity for them because it would mean they are not fortunate when they are because they have everything they want. The author includes many quotes that people with Down syndrome wrote and attaches pictures of very skilled people with Down syndrome. For example, on page 4 there is a girl with Down syndrome who is a very talented skater. The author wants to show their many great achievements. A quote that she includes that shows her opinion on this topic says, “People with Down syndrome should not be seen as different, but as people who happen to have some additional needs.” This shows that everyone is worth a life and high regard.

She includes a quote written by a woman named Kay. She said, “Remember that I am a person first and above all. The Down syndrome is a part of me, but it is not my full identity.” She is saying that people should not focus on the fact that she has Down syndrome and treat her differently, but treat her as a normal person, because that is who she is. The story about her states, “Some people are surprised that Kay can read and write so well. "Believe it or not, we don’t all fit the stereotype idea that some people still have of us all!’ says Kay. This portrays what the author wants to say, which is that there cannot be stereotypes about people with Down because they have emotions, great abilities to learn, as well as many talents! The author shows pictures of these people smiling showing that they have good lives and are happy that they are alive, learning and growing every day. 
In summary, the author believes that people with Down syndrome are not any different from us and are very special individuals with many talents.

 Painting

Designing 

 Creating

Exploring

 Cooking

 Joking

Sewing 

Swimming 

Traveling 

 Exercising

 Playing

Writing 

Observing 

Participating 

Taking care of environment 

Reading 

 Assembling

 Gardening

 Kayaking

 Listening

 Reflecting

 Hiding

 Cooking

 Biking

Competing