Speech Intelligibility presentation: Why is speech difficult to understand in some children with Down syndrome

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 7 PM EST
Presented by Libby Kumin Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor Emeritus Loyola University Maryland, part of a three-part series sponsored by CDSPG.

Presentation is targeted for parents of children from age 4 to adulthood.
How can we help children with Down syndrome develop speech that is easier to understand? There are many factors that affect speech intelligibility in children and adults with Down syndrome but the occurrence and combination of factors are different for each person. Dr. Kumin will present a framework that can be used for identifying, analyzing, and treating the factors that affect speech intelligibility for your child, e.g. rate, articulation, oral motor skills and childhood apraxia of speech. Attendees will learn how to write IEP goals that target factors affecting speech intelligibility in your child and how to develop a home-school communication plan and to use home activities to practice speech skills. Handouts, forms and checklists will be included.

DSIG will be teaming up with DSA of Delaware and Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parent Group to present two virtual conferences for our families. The first virtual conference will be held on Saturday, 1/23/2021, from 2pm-4pm, featuring Dr. Brian Skotko. This virtual conference will appeal to families of all ages. His webinar will be covering two topics, “Brain Train: Smart Actions That Might Boost Cognition and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in People with Down Syndrome” and “Keeping Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome Healthy: All the Medical Updates that Parents Need to Know”. Please see the attached conference brochure for more details. There will be no fee to attend this conference as DSIG will be absorbing all costs for participants.

The second virtual conference will take place on Thursday, 3/4/2021, at 7pm, featuring Stacy Taylor, a behavior analyst, and is entitled “Toilet Training Tips & Tricks”. DSIG will be absorbing the cost of this virtual 1.5 hr. webinar. On Friday, 3/5/2021 and Saturday, 3/6/2021, there will be time slots for virtual 1-hour, One-on-One Behavioral Consults with Stacy Taylor and her team to address any toilet training focused or otherwise general behavior concerns you may have. These 1:1 sessions could be for any age for any concerning behavior your child, young adult or adult with Down syndrome is experiencing. The cost of each session is $100/hr., so DSIG is asking that each family who is interested in the 1:1 sessions, pay the $100 when they sign up for the session to secure your spot, and once you attend the session, DSIG will refund you $75 of the money that you paid for the session. Of course, if this would be a hardship for anyone who would like to attend, please let Patty know.

Read the Workshop Document

Here is the sign up link for the 1:1 sessions. Please enter your name, email, and which DSA you are with.