Rainbow Speech Pathology in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Speech pathologist

Rainbow Speech Pathology

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 7 3603 4997

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25.01.2022 Our extroverted, feisty, outgoing ‘rooster’ only child has really missed his friends since isolation began. I know a lot of other parents of single kids get the guilts about having an only child and worry they will turn out to be a ‘social pariah’. Research has proven though that single children are NOT worse off socially and are actually at an advantage in terms of language development as parents are the main teachers of pragmatic language up to 4 years. But that is really tiring for parents! Read Maggie’s article for more tips (and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back!!!)

25.01.2022 People with disabilities are more likely to experience discrimination and abuse. It’s so important to give them a voice to speak up. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems can help non-verbal or low verbal people with disabilities understand or talk about what is happening in the world and report abuse. https://www.assistiveware.com//using-aac-speak-about-what-

25.01.2022 What are sensory issues? Everyone has sensory differences because we all have different sensory systems. For me I like my curry spicy but the curry and rice separated not all mixed together, I also love being hugged and squeezed! An Occupational Therapist (OT) is the best person to assess you or your child’s sensory needs and differentiate whether it is a preference or a disorder through a Sensory Profile. The article below is a great introduction to learning about sensory issues.

24.01.2022 Would you want your mum, dad, teacher or support worker talking ‘for’ you? No way! They don’t know what you’re thinking or what you want to say. Non-verbal people who use AAC are the same. Model, model model but don’t talk for them.

24.01.2022 My next activity involves humble toilet roll! Not as precious as the paper that surrounds it in these uncertain times but has a multitude of uses none the less. I’m not particularly crafty but even I can put some masking tape on 2 toilet rolls creating a set of binoculars to work on speech language and literacy goals! These can be used to play ‘I spy’ on a walk or when driving in the car, look for treasure around the house or even in the backyard. There are loads of scaven...ger hunt lists to use for these adventures. In therapy I use them as a language activity it for following instructions: go find a ball, can you see some shoes? Put the pens you find back in the pencil case. It’s also great for practicing specific speech sounds if you hide the target sound pictures around the room and they have to find them and say each 10x before finding the next. You can photo copy pictures from your child’s favourite book and put them around the house for them to find as they read...We’re going on a bear hunt, Where is the green sheep, Brown Bear Brown Bear and I went walking are all great books to do this activity with. Bigger kids could read sight words or short sentences to follow instructions too. I wouldn’t recommend reading a book this way as you may go cross eyed My son also likes to turn them into a trumpet cardboard tubes are great for encouraging babble and vocalisations. I once took a suitcase full of different sized cardboard tubes (wrapping paper, cling wrap, paper towel and alfoil tubes as well as toilet rolls) to central QLD to see a legally blind little bubba on an outreach trip. True story! What other uses could you find for a toilet roll? I’m sure the crafty Pinterest mums have plenty of ideas for kaleidoscopes etc to keep little hands busy using those fine motor skills too.

24.01.2022 If you haven’t watched the first series of Love on the Spectrum you definitely should. Enlightening, heartwarming and sensitive it highlights the unique challenges of navigating the dating scene when you’re on the autistic spectrum. If you’re keen on applying for season 2 or know someone who is follow the link below.

23.01.2022 For people with Verbal Dyspraxia or Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) then automatic speech (counting, songs, days of the week, swearing) is much easier to produce than volitional speech (when being asked a question that requires an answer or being asked to say please, yes, no etc) Modelling language and commenting is always better that questioning and demanding. Just be careful what you’re modelling

22.01.2022 Who is goal oriented ? In this time of crisis it’s important to reevaluate those goals you set at the start of 2020 and make some more realistic goals. They may be more short term as we just don’t know what will happen. Therapy is going to look a little different through a screen and it will take time to re-build that rapport. It’s ok Be kind to yourself. This year I planned to grow my business, run some groups, maybe set up a clinic room that people could visit No more! Now I just want to make it to Easter without eating all the chocolate eggs in the supermarket. What are your revised 2020 goals?

22.01.2022 Parents of children with special needs are stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Stay home out of routine and away from support? Or back to school, kindy or childcare and at risk. It’s such a tough call and each family has to make a decision that’s right for them.

21.01.2022 It’s DLD awareness day. Read the article slow to learn more about this hidden disability that impacts 2 children in every classroom.

21.01.2022 Rhyme Rhytm and sign are holding workshops in the school holidays for children 5-10 years https://facebook.com/events/s/holiday-workshop-for-kids-5-to/292810991987564/?ti=icl

21.01.2022 Sending some love, rainbows and positive energy into the world. We can do this! Wash your hands, eat well and stay home if you’re not well.

21.01.2022 I love this blog about the power and importance of words by one of my favourite writers Niki Spivey. Definitely one I can relate to as an ex-English/Drama teacher and now Speech Pathologist. It has some colourful language in it https://nikispivey.wixsite.com//single-/2020/01/16/Word-Up

21.01.2022 What a weird and challenging year it has been so far. Here is a beautiful initiative from the Brisbane Festival team wanting to capture children’s experiences through art. Check out the link for more inspiration.

19.01.2022 Powerkids is coming into your home on Tuesday mornings! Perfect for little artists under 5 to play, interact and create! https://facebook.com/events/s/powerkids-little-artists-at-ho/531784837512887/?ti=icl

19.01.2022 Feeling overwhelmed? Getting cabin fever being at home? Trying to prioritise a million impossible tasks at once? Keeping calm is the best thing we can do in this uncertain time. Be like the rainbow ferret and just do what you can.

19.01.2022 I think we all need some positive self-talk right now. Here is a great activity to do at home to literally reframe how you think about yourself.

19.01.2022 Participants are wanted for a project researching the genetics of speech disorders. If you are an adult or child with a severe speech disorder such as childhood apraxia of speech ( or suspected CAS), atypical phonological disorder or dysarthria or children over 7 with a stutter you may be eligible to participate. As part of the Genetics of Speech project they will provide you with; - A comprehensive report of the assessment completed on the individual - A second opinion - Ass...istance to define the speech challenges the child is experiencing - Ending the parent’s diagnostic odyssey if we are able to identify a cause for the child’s speech disorder (bringing an end to invasive and expensive tests and consultations for families, such as EEGs, MRI scans, specialist appointments etc) - Provision of a genetic diagnosis can assist with funding, aid prognosis and treatment planning As part of our Genetics of Stuttering project we will provide you with; - Knowledge that you are contributing to research identifying the genetic causes of stuttering - Providing an outlet for patients and families to discuss queries related to stuttering - Updates on the progress of the study See more

19.01.2022 Rainbow Speech Pathology has a new speech Pathologist. Jacinta Quartermaine is experienced in working with children, adolescents and adults with disabilities. Jacinta has a Bachelor of Speech Pathology with Honours Class 1 from the University of Queensland and is a member of Speech Pathology Australia. Jacinta is passionate about assisting individuals to gain the skills they need to live an independent life. She has an interest in helping clients build and strengthen connections with friends and family through finding a reliable form of communication. In April 2020, Jacinta will be commencing her PhD researching the access and use of disability services for individuals with cerebral palsy. Jacinta also recently renovated an entire house in 6 weeks. Pretty impressive right? Welcome to the Rainbow Speech Pathology team Jacinta!

19.01.2022 An important reminder for everyone but especially those people with epilepsy. Heat and stress can be triggers for seizures. Stay cool a look after yourself.

17.01.2022 We love telehealth here at RSP. It saves on travel meaning clients who can’t get to a clinic due to living in a regional area can access services, it’s more convenient for families (and us) juggling work and multiple children. There’s a growing body of evidence for its efficacy too. Not to mention it’s the safest option if someone is sick- you can still do telehealth. Not every child will engage but it’s valuable for parent education sessions too.

17.01.2022 People often ask me what’s the number one piece of advice I would give to parents wanting to help their child’s speech and language development. My answer is always: read to them and then talk about it! Active reading or interactive reading is so important. I love this explanation by Dr Tina Payne and Dr Dan Siegel. I also love their book the Whole Brain Child for explaining how little brains learn and connect with others.

16.01.2022 Here are some great ideas for experiments to do making your own rainbows. All the ideas extend from reading the story A rainbow of my own. For children who don’t have the vision to see rainbows you can paint with sounds in the app Finger paint with sounds part of the helpkidzlearn app bundle.

16.01.2022 Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps are on sale! Great opportunity to trial a system for people with complex communication needs.

16.01.2022 Book week 2020 Curious creatures, wild minds. I eventually got a pic of our wild thing dressed as Max from Where the Wild Things Are. What dress ups are you doing for book week?

14.01.2022 I love this idea for extending interest in a book into play. I can see it really working for older school aged kids too to ‘play along’ to a book. E.g they could listen to the Harry Potter Audiobooks and make spells with home made wands, draw their own marauders map, write with a quill.

12.01.2022 I have loved using the story box library stories in telehealth sessions to work on language comprehension, narrative and phonological awareness skills with my clients. Chicken Divas read by Emma from the Wiggles has been a favourite! Check it out

11.01.2022 Well done Moreton Bay Regional Council introducing beach wheel chairs and this ramp to make the beautiful Woorim beach on Bribie Island more accessible to all.

11.01.2022 Some of the greatest minds in history have been on the spectrum. I love this clip celebrating neurological differences.

11.01.2022 Reading and singing nursery rhymes to children helps them develop language and literacy skills through repetition, rhyme and sound awareness. I Love this dramatic re-enactment of Jack and Jill. Follow Wouldn’t change a thing on FB for more inspiring content.

10.01.2022 Celebrate the little wins with yourself and your child’s goals too. What small steps are you proud of today? It’s Easter eve and I have only had 2 small Easter eggs today...doing well

10.01.2022 Source kids have released a COVID 19 survival guide with some great information and ideas for parents of children with special needs. You can download a free digital copy from their website.

10.01.2022 So important to think about the language we use to talk to our loved ones and ourselves. I love this concept of using soul-building words.

09.01.2022 Ordering this book today. I have a number of clients who would be very engaged with this science based story The Zoo in your Poo

09.01.2022 Key word signing course happening in Wynnum, Brisbane. Still a few places left for anyone wanting to upskill.

08.01.2022 I thoroughly enjoyed this morning's Little Artists at Play adventure this morning and made a fantastic snake puppet. My little helper loved searching the backyard for the perfect stick, scrunching newspaper to stuff the sock and decorating it with stickers (pics in comments). I love puppets for engaging kids in therapy and you can bet I'm going to borrow this one to work on the /s/ sound with some little clients. Check out the link below and enjoy making your own slithery critter...

08.01.2022 Germs are not for sharing. This is a short video of Teddy and I reading one of his favourite stories from the Best behaviour series written by Elizabeth Verdick. Some interactive book reading, good hygiene tips and terrible singing in here. Stay calm and wash your hands everyone.

08.01.2022 Round and round the garden is a great interactive people game I use with clients all the time to help open a circle of communication. Remember not all children like being tickled with light touch and some prefer firm pressure using a knuckle. You don’t have to do round and round on their hand (for kids with vision impairments I would never grab their hands) but on their back, foot, tummy works well. You can skip the tickle you under there too and just do a shoulder squeeze or air tickle.

08.01.2022 Good news about William. What an amazing effort from the Victorian Police and the local community to help find him.

07.01.2022 It has been a while since I posted and that is because we have been getting outside and playing in the dirt! Here in QLD some of the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted and the weather has been glorious for outdoor play in the mud and dirt. Getting away from screens, out into open space and playing in the dirt has numerous scientifically researched benefits for little brains: *Exposure to soil bacteria ( microbacterium Vaccae) actually benefits the immune system and stimul...ates the release of serotonin. Children who don't get opportunities to play in dirt are actually more likely to get sick and develop allergies. * Dirt play is unstructured, open ended and limitless so stimulates creativity in little brains to pretend the dirt is something else: make pies, cakes, towns, animals, race tracks. Children are developing their ability to problem solve, analyse and experiment with their imaginations when playing in this way. *Dirt play engages all 5 senses and can help children develop sensory awareness, fine motor and balance skills. It is very grounding for children to play with bare hands and bare feet in the dirt and really feel their bodies in space. * Playing outside and getting safe exposure to sunlight is necessary for humans who require vitamin D. This also stimulates the production of melatonin which means children sleep better- something we all benefit from! But even if you don't have relatives with a farm to visit within a 150km radius or are still in lock down here are some ways you can incorporate dirt play at home even with a pot on a balcony or a tray of dirt/ sand: https://www.primroseschools.com//benefits-of-playing-in-t/

07.01.2022 Blog update by Jessica McDade from Liberator about the importance of a team approach when it comes to (Augmentative Alternative Communication) AAC staring my mate Eli. I have been working with Eli who lives in central QLD over telehealth for over a year and have seen him just 3 times face to face. But he is making great progress :) https://liberator.net.au/news/know-your-team.html

06.01.2022 Being able to distinguish working memory from language memory difficulties is something a speech pathologist can help to assess. It’s common for people with ADHD to do poorly on assessments which require longer working memory and may not be a true reflection of their language ability.

06.01.2022 It’s ADHD awareness month and I’m excited to see a book that helps children understand their neurodivergent friends. Great resource!

06.01.2022 Another inspiring post from Karen Owens an amazing mum of special needs kids keeping it real. Remember parents you only have to be good enough there is no such thing as a 100% perfect parent who remembers the communication device ALL the time. Just keep trying, have a plan B, a first aid kit and change of clothes in the car

06.01.2022 We came across these great social story resources created by speech Pathologist Tara at Autism Little Learners and had to share. Ready to print social stories about wearing masks, social distancing, symptom checklist and getting your temperature taken. check it out https://www.autismlittlelearners.com/search/label/COVID-19

05.01.2022 So much growth happens in children’s brains between 2-7. It is a critical period for language learning and why we love working with this age group at Rainbow Speech Pathology read the article for more information about the critical early intervention period.

05.01.2022 Happy stim day!

04.01.2022 ABC are looking for stories from people over 18 with disabilities. If you have a story to share follow the link. https://mobile.abc.net.au//callout-for-writers-w/12731676

04.01.2022 Playing with some of the books, puzzles and board games we got at the Lifeline Bookfest. All items here were from the $2.50 section! Now I just have to try and get them off my son so I can use them for therapy. Who is going to the Bookfest this year? https://www.unitingcareqld.com.au//lifeline-bookfest-brisb

04.01.2022 Happy Speech Pathology week. This short video highlights what we do at Rainbow Speech. Helping people who have difficulty communicating verbally to find alternative solutions so they can communicate with confidence!

04.01.2022 As a therapist and mum of a toddler I like activities which require minimal prep and cleaning up and that I can use for multiple goals and activities. You don't need lots of expensive toys, apps and activities to learn and play. Over the next few weeks I'm going to share some of my favourite therapy activities which could be used for working on speech and language goals, home based learning and to keep kids occupied for 5 minutes or more so you have a minute to think! One of ...my favourite activities is playing with pebbles. You can use any pebbles you have in your garden and paint them or I bought these coloured ones from Officeworks for $10. They can be used for: Sorting into categories: colour, shape, size Making pictures: pictionary with pebbles (child makes a picture and you guess what it is then swap) Make shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle) Following instructions: you describe a picture and the child has to listen and create it. Pretend play: they become stepping stones for a character to jump across, build a little bridge to climb over, make great food for dolly or teddy to eat in a tea party Emotions: colours can represent the zones of regulation for a non verbal child to identify what zone they are in. You can also draw little faces on them to show facial expressions Phonological awareness: count out the sounds in a word, count the syllables, count the words in a sentence, swap a sound to make cat into bat using the pebbles as tactile counters Posting pebbles down a cardboard tube or into a box with a hole cut out As a re-enforcer: you get a pebble every time you say the sound, word, sentence accurately There are endless activities for little and big kids. can you think of any other uses for this versatile game?

04.01.2022 The BOM has declared today ‘find a rainbow day.’ When you’re out exercising and practicing safe social distancing look for rainbows. They can be found in all sorts of places not just the sky. Lots of Rainbows down my street today...Share pics!

03.01.2022 Zoom fatigue is real I am feeling it today. I have never spent so much time sitting in front of a computer! My clients too. I have had a few kids and adults ask if they can turn off the camera and that is totally OK! I try to break up my sessions with movement breaks: hokey pokey, yoga animals, charades and Simon says. Although one client this week said Simon says do 20 push ups. That definitely got the blood pumping I also try to get outside to water the plants , walk around the block, pat the dogs and get some sunlight in between sessions! Look after yourself in online meetings: switch to speaker view and depending on the platform you can hide your face from your view too. Don’t become a Zoombie!

03.01.2022 Great PD opportunity for those teaching children with Down Syndrome to learn about positive ways to manage behaviour with this population.

03.01.2022 It’s children’s mental health week in the UK. This clip from Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD) explains why language skills are so important for mental health. Nurturing language skills in young children and identifying and treating language disorders early is critical for lifelong mental health. https://youtu.be/-orJLnCgGJw

02.01.2022 What a great opportunity to work with Bus Stop Films. Tag someone you know who would love a job supporting adults with disabilities to make films.

02.01.2022 I have taken some time out from social media for some much needed self-care. The constant tragedy in the news and on my news feed has hit me close to home. I work with adults and children from Indigenous Australian as well as from African backgrounds (and a multitude of other races) and all these people also have developmental disabilities. Many are non-verbal, minimally verbal or have difficulty communicating clearly. They literally can’t speak up for themselves. With help a...nyone can be empowered to learn to communicate with others using low or high tech AAC. The children I work with blow me away every session with their resilience, determination and overall sassiness. But what world are they growing up in? I have to believe that their generation will change the status quo and tolerance and acceptance will thrive. Differences will be celebrated. Let’s make their future beautiful. Report abuse and neglect of children and people with disabilities when you see it. Call out racism when you see it. Be a voice for the voiceless. Use your privilege to empower others to make the world a better place. To report disability abuse or neglect to police, child protection and email [email protected] or call the Commission on 1800 035 544. #betheirvoice #childsafety #endchildabuse #blacklivesmatter

02.01.2022 Who has heard this before? ADHD and ASD are real. There has been an increase in diagnoses in recent years partly due to increased awareness and acceptance in the community. There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with a child with a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD. They are just neurodivergent and need different support.

01.01.2022 Here is my little therapy assistant cutting up some speech cards for me. While this little fella is a great apprentice speechie he is also the reason I am perpetually late for sessions and often turn up smeared with porridge with pieces missing off song boards and puzzles. Thank you clients for your patience and understanding. We have some real therapy assistants starting soon to help with the cutting, laminating and admin as well as seeing some of our clients. Watch this space!

01.01.2022 Lots of tensions running high at home at the moment. Parents and kids are stressed and grumpy. Don’t get frustrated and overwhelmed. Get help! The Triple P Positive Parenting Program is free online in QLD. Make the most of this free evidenced based resource

01.01.2022 Great article about how to talk to kids about disability. https://www.abc.net.au//helping-your-kids-to-not-/11739256