Providing speech, language, and social communication services to children of all ages for
15 years! We specialize in physically-supportive services to children with autism diagnoses, and others who benefit from sensorimotor supports.

CDC News

Indy! next weekend!

Join us in Indianapolis for the 45th Autism Society of America National Conference, on July 23 - 26, 2014 hosted at the Indiana Convention Center.

Click here for the full program, and make sure you attend Marge and Kristen's presentation from 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM on Saturday, July 26th. It's entitled, "Language Development in Autism: Echolalia to Self-Generated Language."

Here's the description from the program:

"What to do about echolalia. This session will demonstrate how echolalia is the first step in our kids' development of flexible, self-generated language. It presents a proven system of seeing how echolalia communicates, and supporting kids through it towards flexible, original language — as a part of true language development!"

Echolalia Communicates!

Let's look at the two sides of echolalia! It's functional for self-regulation — and functional for communication!

The article entitled, "Echolalia: Functional and Communicative" is on page 8, right here.

yup! we're speechies!

SLPs are known as "speechies" and speech therapists, but our little buddy came up with the best label when he protested going some place other than our clinic:

"No — I'm sorry — Word girl!"

WHO'S READY TO DELVE FURTHER INTO ECHOLALIA?

If you're an SLP, you can check out Marge's on-line course on language development from echolalia to self-generated grammar — and take it for ASHA credit! Take a look HERE at Northern Speech Services.

In the fall, you can bring your own language sample to score at the course in Madison, WI on September 12 — in Northbrook, IL on October 3 — or Schaunberg, IL on November 14.

Check the NSS website for more information.

What's New on facebook?

As fluent talkers, we don't often think about all the levels of communication that are possible. We can be silly with our friends, be completely non-verbal with our spouses, and engage in dramatic antics with our toddlers, and no one thinks we are less intelligent.

But for folks whose oral communication is unreliable or sometimes lacking intelligibility, it seems like the world quickly misunderstands and doubts their intelligence — until they have a reliable means of verbal expression.

Emma, whose popular blog often appears on our facebook page, expresses her thoughts so exquisitely that hopefully her intelligence will never be doubted again. Under these conditions, she types, she is now free to communicate with silly faces and playing!



You can find this post on Emma's blog page here!

There's other great stuff on out Facebook page! Check it on the CDC Facebook page!

Tweet! Tweet!

We love to stay updated on the latest information! Feel free to tweet or follow our CDCTwitter (our Twitter handle is @ComDvlpCntr)!

NLA Forum

Many of you downloaded the form for scoring language samples with Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) protocol!

We hope you are finding success in identifying some "gestalts" (stage 1), "mitigations" (stage 2), and isolated words and combinations (stage 3) among your kids' language.

Please continue to send your questions to our email address: communicationdevelopmentcenter@gmail.com.

Even if you've read the articles on echolalia, you may want to read about: dyspraxic speech support, language retrieval, and self-regulation.

Read more at our articles page.

ORDER the CDC book now!

Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language is ready to be sent your way!

Reviews are starting to come in!
Check out the new book page for the latest.

Order your copy today!
$29.95 plus shipping and handling.

Here's what SLPs are saying:

"Marge's work will revolutionize your thinking about your child's language and help you understand the depth of meaning behind it!"
-- Megan Snow, M.S., CCC-SLP

"It has been a joy to share Natural Language Acquistion with parents, and witness their excitement the first time they participate in a meaningful and reciprocal conversation with their child with ASD. This book empowers parents and SLPs to fully appreciate and honor the language their children have, provides strategies and tools to facilitate further language development, and provides opportunities for families to experience mutually fulfilling and exciting communicative interactions."
-- Jessica Schmidt, M.S., CCC-SLP

There are two ways to order:

For orders in the United States, please click here:

For international orders:
Please send your name, billing address, and address to: communicationdevelopmentcenter@gmail.com

articles by Marge Blanc

Bringing It Home: Physical Supports for Speech at Home and in Other Environments

It's All Gibberish to Me: Redefining "Non-verbal"

More Than Words (Parts 1-6)

Click here for more articles by Marge Blanc

 

Welcome to CDC!

We are a small, non-profit clinic on the
west side of Madison, WI, specializing in communication services for children who benefit from play and physical activity to support their interactions and language: children with challenges associated with autism, dyspraxia, and sensorimotor coordination. Please browse our site to learn more about us!

For some of the latest thinking on ASD and child development, please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar

Only three more weeks left in our sumer session! We have a couple of openings for fall so if you are hoping to enroll your child, let us know in the next couple weeks!s

August 8 - summer session ends

September 2 - fall semester starts

Kid Quotes

We're continuing to hear comments about how wonderful summer is -— and how it nurtures our kids! as one of our teens said this week:

T: I love my life!
A: did you say you love your life?!
T: life is good!

Our kids say the best things!
(C=Child, T=Teen, A=Adult)


and Overheard earlier this summer during an outing with one of our teens:

A: What's your favorite part about summer?
T: well you see...my favorite part about summer is...not being in school.
A: yeah that's pretty nice...
T: and hanging out with you guys!

maybe it does last forever! later on this same teen exclaimed:
"I love my life!"


what do you do when the batter on the opposing team is making your job as pitcher too easy?

C: Why are you so scareD It's just a softball.
A: (cowers from another pitch)
C: You're too scared. It's not coming at you.
A: (cowers yet again, and the pitcher continued to encourage her)
C: see it's not coming at you! see, it's not coming!


The Wallet Conundrum:
A: We can't today because I don't have any money.
c1: I don't have any money either because i don't know where my wallet is!
c2: i don't have a wallet because i don't have any money!


Power-up:
A: what's your super hero's name?
C: strong man!
A: What should the villain's name be?
C: Wrong man!


Imaginations run wild:
A: I'm going to Door County this week.
C: Oh, a county of doors you mean?
A: Yeah there are doors everywhere.
C: That must be in your imagination.


ALL GROWN UP for a 12-year-old:
C:Hey Ellen, let me know if you get hungry. I can take you to Culver's. 


We'd love to include other favorite quotes from your kids, so when you have one, send it to us!

Chloe's Corner

Our friend chloe loves art!
Here are some of her creations!



Color rain



Outer space