New Beginnings in Negril
An occupational therapist shares her experience providing individualized recommendations for students with special needs at an inclusive school in Savanna- La- Mar, Jamaica.
There are certain individuals in this world who have an entire universe in their minds. A universe others try to demystify and learn from in awe. Sandy Dorsey, the founder of Smiles for Speech is one of those minds. Her mind is relentless in striving to achieve the goals she has set out for creating a better future. Artist LL Cool J recently interviewed and stated “ You were here to make the world better.” All positive messages resonate with Sandy as she lives by this day in and day out. She is fearless when moving forward to see her dreams come to light.
I had the opportunity to live just a small fraction of this worldwide vision and was quickly reminded of the reward and accomplishment one experiences to be able to provide a helping hand. I was invited to join her venture to Negril, Jamaica to provide insight, from an Occupational Therapist perspective, at a relatively new integrated school. Savanna-La-Mar inclusive Infant Academy (SIIA) was constructed purposefully to service children with special needs in an inclusive environment with the help of the Rockhouse Foundation.
We entered a beautiful and colorful school to children singing guided by their teachers. Several children greeted us with hugs and smiles and the school staff was transparent in their love for the children. There was a strong sense of unity as they had lived the opening of the school together with their hearts fully into creating a safe haven for these students.
The staff was receptive to therapeutic recommendations despite the very little time our team was able to observe, work with, and consult regarding a child’s specific individual needs. The school is blessed with a phenomenal speech-language pathologist- and person, who is unfortunately only able to treat and evaluate two days in the week. She travels 4 hours from Kingston, Jamaica. “I just blink, and the day is over” she states regarding her time at the school. Then she is back on the road home for another 4 hours.
At the very least, time was spent providing a general scope of a sensory integration-based approach and discussing modifications for safe seating. Reference and discussion regarding certain individuals with special needs with this approach assisted to generate realistic examples and techniques to start applying in the classrooms. Further, our team donated several sensory tools and educated staff on various uses for items.
There is a feeling that you need to do more, as you attempt to communicate years of knowledge within a short time frame and insufficient resources. You are hearing the needs of each child from parents and teachers, all of whom are seeking the best for their children. You know that each individual child requires a tailored plan of care. Although we merely scratched the surface, this elicited a great desire to help this school and others to help children with special needs reach their full potential. We are excited that we have started somewhere.
Individuals with cerebral palsy would highly benefit from expert seating and other modified augmentative communication devices. Physically positioning one particular young girl with cerebral palsy at eye level to her peers generated a magnetic approach towards her and excitement from the child who was very clear she wanted to stay standing. This young girl was sassy. She always wanted to engage in playful activities and communicated with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ nodding when asked a question.
It is a pleasure to work with speech-language pathologists from Smiles for Speech that have the right idea and are on the road to helping many children with these challenges. I look forward to more opportunities to come. You are helping to make the world a better place.
Reflections from an Pediatric Dysphagia Specialist
Speech-Language Pathologist shares her story about having the opportunity to present at the largest hospital in West Africa, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana.
When I think about the highlights from Project Ghana 2019, I immediately think about the opportunity I had to present at the largest hospital in West Africa, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH)!! Smiles for Speech (SFS) partnered with Nana Akua Owusu, a true pioneer in the field of Speech-Pathology in Ghana to organize this important event. It was such an honor after 25 years in the field and training and working with Debra Beckman, creator of Beckman Oral Motor Intervention, to share my of experience to help support families with children with special needs in Ghana.
The lecture hall was full of Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), Speech- Language Therapists (SLTs), and SLT students. The presentation was held in the afternoon after a full day training SLT students earlier that day. I knew I was presenting on a topic that is sometimes daunting to many, and occurred at a time when tiredness and weariness were present. My initial question to the group was: “What is the best way to eat an elephant? Answer: “One bite at a time”. That was my approach to the presentation and to the subject matter itself.
In order to keep over 50 participants engaged for 2 ½ hours, I decided to present the information like a 3 course meal with breaks in between to let the participants savor and digest each “bite”. Dysphagia has 3 stages and I focused on the 1st stage- the Oral Phase. Since the Oral Phase can be assessed and treated in any setting, I thought this would be the best place to start and the most beneficial for children and families in Ghana. If we are able to strengthen oral motor function, reduce drooling, increase chewing skills, and improve nutritional intake, this would be most impactful.
With team member/ SLP, Darlene Warner, we shared the “Tools of the Trade” which included a hands on demonstration of the use of the therapy materials. With the help of my colleagues/SLPs Wanda Ewing and Pamela Tatum from Houston, Texas, we were able to provide 40 Oral Motor/Swallowing Kits for the SLT students in Ghana. The kit included my “must have” items: flashlights, bubbles, flavored tongue depressors, chewy tubes, maroon spoons, a pad to use as mat or bib, toothbrushes, and cloth bands. I shared an inexpensive technique to adapt the spoon using a simple rubber band/hair tie to assist children with Cerebral Palsy or others that have difficulty with grip control.
The last activity participants engaged in was to complete the phrase: “I will start (using the new skill) by (date) ” and share this with their neighbor. This moment was for all to take the time to reflect and process the experience. When learning new information, it is extremely important to not only to absorb but also plan to implement the new strategies. We are grateful to Nancy B. Swigert for the donation of 6 copies of her text book Pediatric Dysphagia Link to be held at the University of Ghana for students to use as a reference.
Thank you to the Smiles for Speech team and Nana Akua Owusu and for giving me an opportunity to renew my passion for the field and prayerfully continue for another 25 years!
Miracles in Ghana
A Swedish Speech-Language Therapist connects with a family from Sweden and realizes her work and time spent in Ghana was not a coincidence.
One week into my trip with Smiles For Speech, I experienced a meeting that made me feel that it was really meant for me to be on the trip.
When I arrived on the bus, Tuesday morning, our team leader, Sandy read through the consultations to be distributed among the team. She offered an 8-year-old with hearing impairment, a 6-year-old with autism, a 10-year-old with reading and writing difficulties and several other cases. At first, I sat quietly. I was a little tired after the intense days and thought to myself, I should keep a low profile this day. But then I started thinking that I should still take the consultation if it was centered reading and writing. Sandy lists the cases again and I said, “I'll take it. It will be fine. I have worked with alot of reading and writing difficulties in my work and I also teach it at the speech therapy program back home in Umea, Sweden.”
Like all of the other days, the experience joining the team to arrive for the school visit is intense and warm (in terms of temperature but also emotionally). After a mentoring and guiding the speech therapy students in the early part of the day, it was time for me to start the individual consultations.
I met the parent and child in a classroom. We greeted each other and sat down. The child went to pick up something and I started asking the parent what they needed help with and asked about background information to better provide advice and guidance. Mom said that they have tried to seek help in the past but that they have had challenges receiving support and contradictory advice about the child's language development because they are multilingual.
To my surprise, this is how the conversation went:
Mom: "Yes, we moved from Sweden when she was four."
Me: "From Sweden ??" (I was totally surprised)
Mom: "Yes"
Me: "But I am from Sweden?" (I respond with a big smile and here the conversation switches from English to Swedish)
Mom: "WHAT, are you kidding me - are you Swedish?" (She was even more surprised than me!)
Me: "Yes, I'm Swedish. The others are from the US but I'm from Sweden "
The parent started to laugh and shook her head in disbelief, "But, it can't be true, how can this be true?
The feeling was almost indescribable. We both gasped and could not believe that it was true. How could I be a Swedish speech- language pathologist, traveling with an American volunteer organization to Ghana by some kind of coincidence, meet a Swedish family that needed my advice and support.
Mom was astonished and amazed. She rushed to find the school principal and and she to ask if she knew about this.
Mom: "Did you set this up? Did you know she's Swedish?"
We continued our conversation still switching between Swedish and English. We spent time talking about holidays in Sweden and the schools in Sweden compared to the schools in Ghana. In between, I provided advice on continued reading training and compensatory aids for reading and writing.
The rest of the day was filled with wonder and joy each time I stopped to think about what just happened. No one really knew the whole story but deep down inside I knew it was meant to be.
SFS team meets Kristin, a Norwegian photographer
There’s power in numbers. Find out how the SFS team joined a Norwegian photographer help the families of children with disabilities in Havana.
It was on a rainy afternoon when we met Kristin and her husband to visit the homes of the families that she assists with children with special needs. The families that we visited faced an array of problems. Some of the children were experiencing behavioral issues which affected the children’s performance in school, others had suspected pragmatic deficits. However, out of all of the families that we visited, no story was more touching than that of the family of the teenager we encountered with Coffin-Lowry Syndrome.
Coffin-Lowry Syndrome is a rare disorder caused by a mutation of the X chromosome, which results in severe cognitive deficits and craniofacial abnormalities. This teenager was supported by the love of his single mother who also was the sole provider for his younger sister and grandmother. This child was nonverbal, but quite social. He made numerous attempts at communicating by pointing, gesturing, and grunting. He had never received any previous formal education as the only service offered to his mother was placing him in an institution for children with disabilities. Despite these setbacks, his mother works with him individually on fine motor skills and refuses to give up hope for her son. His mother fears for her young daughter as her son his extremely loving, but can sometimes get violent if he does not have access to the medication that keeps his behavior under control. His mother also reported difficulties with feeding her son. With so many of her son’s needs unmet, we thought of a plan to make an impact in the life of this caring mother’s teenage son.
To facilitate the son’s communication needs and capitalize on his willingness to initiate communication, we decided to provide him with a simple low tech communication board to express when he is hungry, thirsty, and tired. We also provided his mother with some pediatric feeding tips to help alleviate some of her son’s difficulties with chewing, which were compiled in a packet of information with tips and strategies to help build upon the communication skills that he already has in place. We look forward to hearing how he progresses after using the communication board in conjunction with the feeding and communication strategies that were provided to his mother.
Who could have ever imagined that spending such a short amount of time in a new city could have taught me so much. Before going to Cuba, I was so excited to be a part of this organization’s mission to spread smiles to the children of Havana. However, it is important to note that while we were able to make an impact while we were there, the resilience and the demeanor of the people of Havana is something unremarkable.
As SFS continues to develop and make an even greater impact as a nonprofit organization, we will need to raise funds to provide more materials for the children that we’ll be helping. SFS will be planning a third project in 2018. Keep your eyes open in the coming days for details regarding opportunities to participate in our future fundraisers. We can’t wait for what’s to come in the new year. A sincere thanks to all who helped support us in this journey. We couldn’t have done it without you!
On Your Mark, Get Set, ¡Havana!
A lot of planning and organization goes into making a mission trip a success. Find out here how the SFS team turned a plan into lots of smiles in Havana.
As with any journey, much thought and preparation goes into making sure that the trip is a success. Careful planning and organizing involved reaching out to potential donors that could make contributions for supplies, Speech-Language-Pathologists, and individuals who dedicate their lives to helping children in need. In preparation for the trip, the SFS team stuffed their suitcases with books, toys, pencils, and supplies to complete activities with the children and spread smiles across the faces of whoever we met in Havana.
Our first day in the city was amazing. The sun was shining, the skies were clear and blue. Antique Fords and Ferraris zipped by us on the road as we left the airport. As soon as we put our bags down, we headed out for our first destination, La Casa del Niño y La Niña, a community center in Havana where neighborhood children with learning disabilities and special needs. We were received with open arms. To show their gratitude for our visit, the children sang and danced to traditional Cuban music and taught us a few moves or two. The talent of the children attending La Casa del Niño y La Niña was incredible. Two of the children had aspirations of becoming professional singers, and with voices like theirs I can’t wait to see where it will take them. After such a wonderful show from the children, they had to get ready to leave for the day. However, there was just enough time to play the classic game of Operation with the children before they had to go home for the evening. The children were so intrigued by the game since none of them had ever seen one before. They crowded around with glee to get a turn at removing one of the pieces from the game. This presented the perfect opportunity to practice turn taking skills (especially for those students with pragmatic deficits). The children laughed and giggled every time the buzzer on the game went off and the patient’s red nose lit up. The children were having so much fun with the game, their teachers almost had to drag them out of the school to go home for the evening.
When we returned the next day, we had each of the students create an All About Me Poster where they shared information about their interests and aspirations. The children ranging from 2nd to 5th grade gathered around on the floor to decorate their giant posters. Each of the children presented their posters to the classroom. The children dreamed of being everything from doctors to lawyers to professional singers. Despite all of these wonderful aspirations that the children had for themselves, none of the children in the room knew what a Speech-Language Pathologist did until we explained our jobs to them! Hopefully this new knowledge of our profession opened up their minds to all of the possibilities that they may have when choosing a career path of their own.
Before leaving the school, each child took a Polaroid Instant Picture to put on their posters, a Smiles for Speech t-shirt home, and Play-dough and balloons. The children were also presented with their brand new classroom book titled Coco based on the latest Disney animated film. The children were thrilled with all of their goodies. Many of the children had never had the opportunity to see a Polaroid Camera, have a printed picture of themselves, touch Playdough, or even blow up a balloon. These small experiences that many of us took for granted growing up were wonderful first time experiences for the students that we met. The children’s instructors informed us of how much of a help the t-shirts would be to the children and their families. In all, it was great to know that even in just two days we were able to make a difference in these children’s lives and we can’t wait to see what will come as our relationship with this community center strengthens in the future.
