And ... This is some of us from the TalkTools Team posing at the Lowcountry Buddy Walk last Sunday!!! We are so proud to have donated to this great cause and have met incredible people who live Down Syndrome as superheroes. TalkTools also helps the Down Syndrome community everyday with targeted courses and tools. To learn more, read Colter's success story here  and follow Annabelle updates on TalkTools Blog. Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month!!!

In this article in Norwegian published in Media Planet, Line Avers discusses the need in many cases to look at the child´s foundational skills for feeding and speech.

"In feeding therapy just as in speech therapy, it's about doing exercises that contribute to strengthen mouth muscles and improve oral motor skills," says TalkTools® Instructor in Norway, Line Avers.

"Det er mange barn som sliter med å spise, og det henger ofte sammen med nedsatt munnmotorikk. Fysioterapi i munnen kan være en løsning.

Det er godt dokumentert at barn med Downs Syndrom og Celebral Parese ofte sliter med å spise. Årsaken er gjerne at musklene er svake, særlig i kjeven, og disse barna tyr ofte til myk mat, unngår brødskorper og bruker ofte lang tid på måltidet. De har ikke gode nok tyggeferdigheter, fenomenet henger gjerne sammen med dårlige språkferdighet og gjelder også barn uten disse diagnosene, ifølge logoped ved Barnas språksenter, Line Avers.

Motoriske øvelser

– Akkurat som ved språkproblemer handler det om å gjøre øvelser som bidrar til en bedre muskulatur og motorikk i munnen. Det kan gjøres både hjemme og i barnehage/skole, og er effektivt i kombinasjon med spesifikk spisetrening. Det er viktig å begynne tidlig, og vi jobber alltid sammen med foreldre og barnehage/skole når vi følger opp, sier Avers.

Sensoriske problemer

En annen årsak er at mange barn også strever med sensorikk, og derfor prøver å unngå mat med klumper. Det er gjerne forbundet med negative opplevelser, og resultatet kan da bli et ensidig kosthold. Både i forhold til det sensoriske og det motoriske er det viktig at treningen foregår 1:1, ifølge Line Avers."

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Line Kristiansen Avers, MS, SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has over 12 years of experience specializing in topics within Apraxia, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), and Oral Placement Therapy. Line teaches classes in Apraxia and AAC at the University of Oslo, lectures at numerous seminars within Norway, and is a member of the TalkTools® speakers bureau. Line heads a private oral-motor, speech and language clinic in Norway, BARNAS språksenter. She has an M.S. from Penn State University and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Hint: if you don't read Norwegian, click right and select "Translate to English". 

TalkTools is heading to the National Down Syndrome Congress Annual Convention this week in Phoenix. We hope to see many of you there!

We have two tables where you can visit us to find out more information about our workshops, services, and products. We will be located at tables 410 and 412, and will have lots of giveaways during the event.

Please visit our booth to register to win a TalkTools Parent Kit, which we'll be giving to 3 lucky winners during the convention!

Also, be sure to check out TalkTools presenter Whitney Pimentel's "Oral Placement Therapy to Improve Speech Clarity" course on Saturday, June 27th from 3:30 to 5pm.

We'll see you in Phoenix!

The Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area's mission is to promote the unique contributions of children and adults with Down syndrome by providing direct services to them and their families, and to educate the general public by fostering inclusive and integrated involvement with the Down syndrome community and society at large.

The DSCBA has put together a wonderful video explaining the profound impact their valuable resources and support have on their members and the community.

We are so proud of Heather Peterson-Vukelich, MS SLP-CCC, TalkTools Level IV Certified Therapist, who is featured in the video providing Oral Placement Therapy to one of the DSCBA's clients.

Keep up the great work Heather & DSCBA!