Newsletter Autumn 2020

Welcome to the first quarterly Aurora Speech Pathology Services newsletter for 2020. We hope you had a safe summer break and that your year has begun smoothly, settling into your new routines!

Bushfires - Tips for managing world events

This summer has seen fellow Australians and wildlife experience the toughest bushfire season yet. The visible smoke in the air for extended periods, might have caused your child to feel anxious. Autism Tasmania have adapted some suggestions from Sandy Shaw PhD, for helping children on the autism spectrum adjust to the changes and stresses, and the information may additionally prove useful for any parent with children feeling anxious about bushfires, or fire in general - some of these strategies could also be relevant to the recent Coronavirus fears. Let us know if you'd like some help in crafting 'Social Stories' to assist you and your child.

Thank you for making a difference

The 2020 T20 World Cup Women’s ICC World Cup cricket tournament is currently unfolding in Melbourne. In fact, the final is scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 8 March, International Women’s Day. So what better time to celebrate the females who support Aurora Speech clients?

A huge part of the success of our clients is the support they receive at home from mums (and dads!), sisters (and brothers!), grandmas (and grandpas!). These very important people ensure that our clients make it to therapy each week, get their home practice done and liaise with the other members of their child’s support team whether that be teachers, paediatricians, psychologists or occupational therapists.

You make such a difference to your child's world, so in the spirit of the event, we'd like to mention a special thank you!

Embracing reading: Characters your child can relate to

It can be hard to embrace reading for pleasure if you never come across characters like you. Here are some books your child might find themselves reflected in…

I’m an Aspie Girl: A book for young girls with autism spectrum conditions

By Danuta Bulhak-Peterson

This book is about Lizzie, a girl with Asperger’s Syndrome (now referred to as an autism spectrum condition). In the book she explains what it’s like to be an Aspie Girl – how her brain works differently to her friends and even to boys with autism.

Here’s Hank series

By Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver

This series follows the adventures of Hank Zipzer, a high-spirited second grader with learning differences. Inspired by Henry Winkler’s own experience of growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia.

We’ll share more relatable book titles in upcoming newsletter editions. Characters include children with dyspraxia (now known as Developmental Coordination Disorder), sensory processing disorder, autism, stuttering, and perspectives of a non-verbal child with Rett’s syndrome.

School holiday activities - Fun with a hidden purpose!

Want to keep working toward your child’s speech therapy goals without them realising it? Here are a few simple ideas:

Make something – Whether you and your child decide on making biscuits, a meal or a robot, making something involves planning what materials you will need, following instructions, working well together (whether it’s you, a sibling or grandparent), making requests and resolving problems that arise. Making something can help your child practice many of the skills they’ve been working on in speech therapy, including articulating speech sounds.
Read something – Reading doesn’t always have to involve a book. You can help your child explore reading by visits to libraries, museums, art galleries and even parks – most of which have plaques with information, maps to read and more www.kidsnews.com.au also offers current news stories at varying reading levels – you can help them find a topic of interest from sport, space, animals and much more.
Do something – New experiences build your child’s knowledge of the world, their vocabulary and gives them plenty of things to talk over with friends or family, or write about. Best of all, playing board games, walking the dog, going to the park or going to the beach gives your child happy childhood memories.

Any topics you'd like covered?If there are any topics you’d like to learn more about, let us know so that we can cover it in future editions of Aurora News. Call Kristina on 0422 667 596 or email kristina@auroraspeech.com.

Aurora Speech Pathology Services Suite 4, 609 Canterbury Road Surrey Hills, VIC 3127 Australia