Burbank, CA, August 11, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Virtual Speech Center Inc., the provider of online speech therapy (telepractice), announced today the release of Quick Artic, an articulation iPhone application available for free download on Apple’s iTunes App store.

Quick Artic is a free IPhone application for Speech Language Pathologists which contains 566 images tagged with titles and categorized by "phonemes." This easy to use application features a scoring utility which keeps track of the correct and incorrect answers. Quick Artic automatically calculates the score.
The application includes ten most common phonemes in all positions of words. It can be used in speech language therapy or for quick articulation screening...

Instead of your average physical and occupational therapy, A Big Blast not-for-profit organization offers special needs kids what is more of a fun and engaging gymnastics class.

With locations in Mundelein and Downers Grove, the program's founder, Rhonda Penzell, talked about what makes it a unique and effective experience for kids.

Q. When was the organization founded?

A. “It was founded in July 2009.”

Q. Did you always know you wanted to work in physical therapy with kids with special needs?...

Robots are our friends, right? Maybe more than you think--a study finds that robot-assisted physical therapy may improve stroke patients' mobility more than regular therapy.

Researchers assigned 10 stroke patients to robot-assisted therapy, and 10 to a more traditional physical therapy program that included occupational therapy techniques (this served as the control group). Both groups had sessions lasting 90 to 105 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. The patients' arm activity was measured using an accelerometer, which tracks the body's acceleration, allowing researchers to record dynamic movement...

Four Utah State University graduate students and two professors recently spent a month in Vietnam training teachers to work with hearing-impaired children.

They also took with them thousands of dollars worth of hearing aids and other equipment to help treat Vietnamese children who have hearing loss.

The USU group was invited on the trip by Seattle-based Global Foundation for Children With Hearing Loss. Thirteen other audiology and deaf education professionals from around the country joined them to share their knowledge and latest techniques...

When Haiti was rocked by earthquakes in January of 2010, Larry Biron and the Medical Supplies Network sprang into action.

"We were the first people to make a delivery to Haiti," said Biron, director of operations.

The Medical Supplies Network, a nonprofit project of area Rotarian clubs that ships free medical supplies overseas, delivered boxes of water purification systems to the ravaged country...

Mary Ann Galle of Brandon says it looked like "seeing fireworks at night when they are quiet in the distance and kinda go poof! ... that's what it felt like was going on inside my head."

Galle, 68, was suffering a stroke Dec. 23, 2010, that left her unable to feel anything on her left side.

Paramedics rushed her to Baptist Hospital in Jackson where she spent eight days before undergoing nearly four weeks of therapy at Methodist Rehabilitation Center.

Her turning point on the road to recovery?

"When the therapist asked me what I liked to do, and I said 'I'm an artist. I enjoy painting,' " says Galle, recovering at home and able to walk with the aid of a cane. "In no time they brought me three canvasses and told me to start painting ... I felt like I had become alive again."...

Robots are our friends, right? Maybe more than you think--a study finds that robot-assisted physical therapy may improve stroke patients' mobility more than regular therapy.

Researchers assigned 10 stroke patients to robot-assisted therapy, and 10 to a more traditional physical therapy program that included occupational therapy techniques (this served as the control group). Both groups had sessions lasting 90 to 105 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks...

English writer Anthony Burgess probably said it best: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone.”

Very few — at one time or another — have not had their sleep disturbed by the torturous sound of sawing logs. Last year, the Associated Press reported that a Chinese college student confessed to stabbing his roommate to death due to his relentless snoring...

A Rehabilitation Hospital and Geriatric Center in Wheeling is partnering with gardeners to create, what they’re calling a therapeutic garden for patients. What was once a barren piece of land riddled with concrete behind Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital has now been transformed into a botanical paradise. “It’s just a feeling of peace and serenity, and it’s so nice to be out here. Quiet. Good air,” said Larue Bruce, a patient at the facility...

The new Biodex Balance System SD at the KORT Springhurst clinic is getting a real workout as physical therapists use it to assess and treat patients with a wide variety of conditions including: vestibular and balance issues, concussions, falls, orthopedic injuries, and rehabilitation following knee and hip replacement surgery...

The primary aim of this review study was to gather evidence on the effectiveness in terms of return to work (RTW) of occupational therapy interventions (OTIs) in rehabilitation patients with non-congenital disorders. A secondary aim was to be able to select the most efficient OTI.

Methods: A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed papers was conducted using electronic databases (Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Ebsco, Medline (Pubmed), and PsycInfo).

The search focussed on randomised controlled trials and cohort studies published in English from 1980 until September 2010. Scientific validity of the studies was assessed...

Two of the largest privately owned physical therapy businesses in the Philadelphia region have merged to form a new company.

Excel Physical Therapy of Philadelphia and Apex Physical Therapy of Blue Bell, Pa., are consolidating operations as E&A Physical Therapy.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed...

Radio-TV-Film senior Alex Murphy has a knack for storytelling through short stories, poetry and screenwriting. One of his undergraduate classes was a professional communication course, which requires students to deliver oral presentations in class.

On the day of his first presentation, Murphy felt well prepared and ready to tackle the assignment. But his four-minute presentation dragged into 15 minutes as he struggled with his stutter to get the words out...

Multiple births account for 15 percent of preterm labor births, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Poor prenatal care and pre-term delivery are more likely with a pregnant teen than older women, as they tend to receive late or no prenatal care, advises NIH...

How can Occupational Therapist Intervention help ADHD Children?

The psychology of children with ADHD must first be understood in order to deal with them. Getting them to mingle with other children is induced through group therapy. This way social interaction develops, a child is motivated to do an activity. For example if an introvert child is in a group with a hyperactive and or extrovert child, then the introvert child imitates the other...

Cary Edgar, co-founder and key principal of Ancillary Care Solutions (ACS), the nationwide leader in helping health systems and physician groups establish and manage outpatient physical and hand therapy programs, was featured in the July 11 issue of AAOS News, outlining how physical therapy practices can determine if their programs are functioning at an optimal level. AAOS News is published by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the preeminent provider of musculoskeletal education to orthopaedic surgeons.   

“With this information at their fingertips, leaders then can institute strategies to improve areas where performance is below par”...

Pacific University’s College of Education has established a School of Communication Sciences and Disorders to meet the growing need for speech-language pathologists.

Education Dean Mark Ankeny has announced the appointment of Martin A. (Marty) Fischer, Ph.D., to build and direct the program.

Dr. Fischer has been involved in the development of speech-language pathology (SLP) programs throughout the country and spent the past five years as academic director of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa...

Sherry Stanbach, Respiratory Therapist, is Cape Regional Medical Center’s Service Excellence honoree for June, 2011. Sherry was nominated by 18 of her colleagues.

The nomination states, “Sherry Stanbach demonstrated extraordinary customer care for an inpatient in the ICU. The patient had been transferred from a nursing home and had left a piece of equipment there that was needed. Sherry comforted the patient, assuring the patient that she would get it for her. After working a 13 hour nightshift, Sherry went to the nursing home to retrieve the equipment for the patient. While she was there, not only did she secure the necessary equipment for the patient, she also provided education to the nursing home staff. This is just one example of the many ways that Sherry routinely exhibits excellent care to all her patients.”...

No one knows better than Paula Tarver that children don’t come with instruction manuals.

“At birth, a newborn is placed in a mother’s arms, and she’s expected to know instinctively what to do,” said the Valrico woman.

But instincts aren't always enough.

As an children’s occupational therapist for 16 years, Tarver, 49, has worked with hundreds of children with a variety of disabilities who could have been helped earlier if their parents had the right information.

To help educate parents recognize problems, she and fellow occupational therapist Jeanne Martin have come up with a guide called “Advance My Baby: The Ultimate Secrets of Healthy Development for Your Baby – Birth to 3 Years.”...

I sat across the table from Chuck, marveling at his robust good health. We'd just been to see a play — and instead of looking pale and pinched after it ended, he stood up, clapping wildly through the last curtain call.

Six months ago, he'd been crossing a road in the crosswalk and was hit by a car, tossed up on the hood and dropped to the asphalt crosswalk below. Chuck is 75 years old. Even before the accident he was in pain from lifelong back problems and several resultant surgeries, tossing pills down and placing a special pillow behind his back when he sat down to watch a play.

He was the last person I expected to recover after being smacked by a car. Yet he did...

Over the years, Dayton Kinzer has learned how to hold his tongue when he speaks. He is very aware of every lift, thrust, curl and tuck that it can do as he articulates himself.

"It's hard to control all the muscles in your mouth," the 12-year-old said.

But it was even harder just three months ago.

Kinzer has been in speech therapy almost as long as he's been talking, according to his mother, but after making what she says is "miraculous progress" in 20 intense recent sessions, he is taking a break...

As a consultant who specializes in enhancing clinical and financial outcomes through rehab, nursing and the MDS process, I'm excited to have you join me in this new blog.

“Rehab realities” is designed to serve all kinds of long-term care professionals, to help explain the rehab perspective when dealing with new and changing regulations.

As an occupational therapist specializing in long-term care and skilled nursing settings for more than 10 years, I've had the opportunity to work with clients throughout the United States. I also have taught popular seminars and presented at numerous conferences throughout the years. My goal is to help you clarify rules and explain things in a practical manner — one that you can apply at your own facilities...

What started out as years of wishful thinking and abandoned plans by Fred and Tobi Baldwin has now become reality for the couple: They are business owners.

The Baldwins are now their own bosses at their private practice, Pinnacle Physical Therapy and Sports Performance, a physical therapy clinic in Julington Creek.

And despite a shaky economy, the couple is confident that their new business and its added perks will grow with the economy and the rising Julington Creek community...

Last week, this column covered “What Your Baby is Trying to Say” and touched a little on how you can encourage their language skills. But there’s much more that you can do for your little one’s nascent mind than just mimic their sounds and gestures. Expectant parents are encouraged to talk to their baby in the womb so the child can learn your voice and to begin developing a bond. Keep that practice up once baby is here! After all, now you actually have that little someone in your presence — and he or she will eventually respond in their own way!...

Dementia Care Specialists is pleased to announce today that Mary Gennerman of Muskego, WI is the first recipient of the company's Dementia Capable Care/Therapist (DCCT) Recognition. Gennerman, a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist, has successfully completed the training requirements and met the other standards to achieve the designation. The DCCT recognition is awarded to those who demonstrate a commitment to CPI's Dementia Capable Care training and principles, which is the foundation for high-quality dementia care...

The activity staff at the Rehab & Care Center of Jackson County has been exploring ways to enhance its residents stay. Among the many improvements in residents leisure activities have been educational programs, guest speakers, and games that are physically challenging and mentally stimulating. The staff also asked residents what they would like to add to their daily routine, and many that do not meet the criteria for physical therapy expressed an interest in actively improving their physical functioning. So, the Rehab & Care Center now has a fitness center, complete with treadmills, stationary bikes, a cardio glider, and weight bench...

Hospice El Paso, the first and oldest hospice in the Sun City, has opened up its first-ever stand-alone in-patient facility. It's a place where terminally-ill patients can receive care 24/7. The not-for-profit organization says the unit is going to make a huge difference in the lives of hospice patients and their families. And as they wait for their first patient to arrive, we received a tour of the "Center for Compassionate Care West". The first thing you see when you enter the "Center for Compassionate Care West" is a warm and inviting living room.The 16-room facility, paid for through donations and grants, is the first stand-alone hospice in-patient unit in El Paso...

An estimated 300,000 sports-related traumatic brain injuries are reported in the United States each year. Concussion is the most common sports-related brain injury, second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic injury among 15 to 24 year-olds. Properly diagnosing concussion and seeking treatment early helps athletes recover more quickly, and this is the reason KORT developed its new Concussion Management Program...

Richard Reese is a speech language pathologist at Trinity Speech, Language and Learning Center in Gardendale, but it wasn’t his first career choice. “I was originally an actor,” he said. “But, I decided to get out of the industry and pursue something else... ”

The College of Health Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is developing an online occupational therapy program to meet the state's health care and work force needs. The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved a letter of intent for a master's in occupational therapy at ULM at Friday's meeting...

One-to-one conservative physical therapy does not improve urinary incontinence in men compared to standard care after prostate surgery, according to a study published online July 8 in The Lancet. Cathryn Glazener, Ph.D., from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed whether formal one-to-one pelvic-floor muscle training reduces incontinence in men...

The proposal to add a mostly online occupational therapy master's degree program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is welcome and needed, both for the prestige of ULM and to satisfy demand in the work force.

The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors has approved a letter of intent for a master's in occupational therapy at ULM. A full proposal will be submitted to the Louisiana State Board of Regents in August, and the application for developing program status will be submitted to the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. The first class could start as early as the spring of 2013...

Charlie Miller was a bright, active and intelligent 3-year-old. He knew his numbers, colors and letters. He spoke in full sentences. But by the time he was 4, he could no longer form words or sit still. Late-onset autism had reversed his ability to talk and focus. Charlie's parents, Carlene Miller and Jason Batcheller, took him to doctors, specialists, speech and occupational therapists. They tried natural medicines and homeopathic remedies...

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that while three of the leading causes of death were on the decline, only chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, increased. These new findings mean that COPD moved into the No. 3 spot for leading causes of death, behind only cancer and heart disease...

Portable touch-screen technology can help patients overcome the debilitating effects of memory loss due to brain injury, according to an Australian study.

Researchers at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Sydney have been using smartphones and electronic tablets to help patients remember daily tasks such as taking medication, remembering appointments and recalling names and faces...

Chattanooga is teeming with world-class athletes across a number of sports and disciplines, and most of them don’t want a little thing like an ankle sprain, knee inflammation or a shoulder tweak to slow them down or, worse, prevent them from competing. A growing number of local athletes are turning to laser therapy to return them to action. Yes, laser...

Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union will bring occupational therapists "in-house" next school year, instead of contracting the services that help students in all nine of the supervisory union schools. Filling the positions through SVSU employees will allow the administration to "have more oversight of what they're doing, how they're doing it and where they're doing it, as opposed to contracted services," SVSU Special Education Director Kathy Buck told the supervisory union board last week...

A woman posing as a physical therapist intern is accused of conning a dementia-addled elderly man out of $65,000, MyFoxHouston.com reported Wednesday. Joanne Ayoube, 30, was arrested after she tried to get the 95-year-old victim to change his death benefits at a financial institution, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office...

Much about the future of health care is uncertain, but this much we know. The U.S. population is growing and aging, and the health care work force is aging with it. The future will hold a greater demand for services and a likely shortage of nurses and general practice physicians. Doctors and nurses are only the tip of the iceberg in the health care sector, however. It also takes a number of allied health professionals — radiologic technologists, sonographers, EKG technicians, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians and others...