Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) webinar on Tuesday, May 2 at noon. Emily Brandt, MD, developmental-behavioral pediatrician, will give a presentation on “Talking With Your Child About Their Diagnosis.” Please visit the event section on Facebook.com/HamiltonCares for live-streaming information. For more information, call 706-226-8900.
The Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI), part of Hamilton Health Care System, is a Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) Certified Center of Excellence and is the first in Georgia with this distinction.
LAMP is an augmentative alternative communication (AAC) approach designed to give individuals who are nonverbal or have limited verbal abilities a method of independently expressing themselves through the use of a speech-generating device. There are no cognitive prerequisites for implementing the LAMP approach. Intervention can begin at the cause-and-effect level and systematically build upon the stages of natural language development.
Providers and patients at ASCI are using this high-tech communication system to allow patients to quickly relay messages to caregivers in order to meet immediate needs and improve ability to communicate beyond requesting by expressing emotions, negotiating, commenting and engaging in meaningful interactions.
“We’re excited to have the certification, but more than that, it’s so valuable for this communication system to be available to our patients and families,” said Terri Woodruff, executive director of ASCI. “By learning to use this communication system, children will experience fewer tantrums, which improves the quality of life for non-verbal children and their caregivers.”
The device features auditory feedback, robust vocabulary (3000-plus words that take no more than a sequence of 3 buttons to access), portability and user-friendly interface and a focus on motor planning rather than requiring the user to have a strong understanding of semantic relationships.
According to Woodruff, there was a significant need in the region for the system. There are a high number of young patients with no reliable method to communicate. Many are using behaviors to communicate, which are displayed in many different forms such as leading their caregivers by hand to the child’s desires, displaying dissatisfaction with lack of communication by having tantrums or climbing to obtain desired items – all causing a high level of frustration in both the child and parent.
Two of the five LAMP-certified professionals in the state of Georgia are therapists at ASCI. They include Hannah Cannon, lead pediatric therapist, and Laurie Shaw, speech therapist. “Hannah and Laurie are stellar therapists,” said Woodruff. “To have forty percent of Georgia’s LAMP-certified professionals providing care at Anna Shaw Children’s Institute speaks to the dedication of our providers and the quality of services we offer.”
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at noon. Nancy Carnevale, MD, developmental pediatrician, will give a presentation on “Read to Succeed.” Please visit the event section on Facebook.com/HamiltonCares for live streaming information. For more information, call 706-226-8900.
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 2 at noon. Nancy Carnevale, MD, developmental pediatrician, will give a presentation on “Tips for School Success.” Please visit the event section on Facebook.com/HamiltonCares for live streaming information. For more information, call 706-226-8900.
The Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will host the seventh annual North Georgia Autism Conference on Friday, Oct. 28 at the Dalton Convention Center. ASCI follows social distancing and CDC guidelines.
Registration is now open by visiting www.hamiltonhealth.com/autismconference.
Keynote speakers will include Haley Moss, Esq., and Jackie and Jordyn Moore.
Moss, an author, artist and advocate who made international headlines when she became Florida’s first attorney who was open about having autism, will present at the conference. Moss was diagnosed with autism at age 3. She says she is passionate about disability inclusion and neurodiversity. She has been featured in Forbes Magazine, USA Today, Yahoo! Life, New York Post, CNN and more.
“I take that passion to help our world be more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities,” Moss says on her website. “My personal and professional experiences allow me to bring unique insight and perspective across different professions and settings.”
Jackie and Jordyn Moore will share their stories related to autism. Their family has a business, at bekindtoeveryone.com, selling T-shirts. The business began as a summer project to sell shirts to family and friends with the purpose of teaching job skills to Jordyn, who has autism. Be Kind to Everyone tees have been sold in all 50 states, and Jordyn has been featured on 11 Alive, Fox 5 Atlanta, 94.9 The Bull, Forsyth County News and Love What Matters.
“We are excited to continue our mission in providing a well-rounded conference with presentations to help increase functional skill development and decrease behavioral challenges to ensure individuals with autism can live enriched successful lives,” said Lindsey Coker, educational resource coordinator. “By bringing speakers such as these, the North Georgia Autism Conference can continue to be viewed as the premier conference in the region.”
The event is intended for parents, caregivers, educators, professionals, medical providers, young adults on the autism spectrum, self-advocates and other interested individuals.
The planning committee is requesting presentation proposals from professionals, to be presented in one of the conference tracks: parents, educators, young adults with autism, Spanish speakers and healthcare providers. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12. The submission deadline may be closed early if all presentation slots are filled.
Limited stipends may be available on a case-by-case basis.
Interested individuals may go to hamiltonhealth.com/conferencepresentations.
For more information, please contact Coker at lcoker@hhcs.org
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) webinar on Tuesday, May 3 at noon. Nancy Carnevale, MD, developmental pediatrician, and Lindsay Coker, educational resource coordinator, will give a presentation on “Summer Learning Fun.” Please visit the event section on Facebook.com/HamiltonCares for live streaming information. For more information, call 706-226-8900.
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will hold a Saturday workshop on “Strategies for Behavior Management” on Saturday, June 12 from 9 a.m. to noon. Evan Anderson, PhD, pediatric psychologist, will present the program. The workshop is for parents, grandparents, and guardians. No childcare will be provided. If you would like to attend this class and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids, please indicate when registering. ASCI follows social distancing and CDC safety guidelines. Please park in the lower-level parking lot. Space is limited. Call 706-226-8911 to RSVP.
Social learning is the focus of Get Along Group, a summer social learning camp for children and their peers, at Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI).
A camp for children age 5 to 7 will be held from June 7 to 11 from 9 to 11 a.m., and a camp for children age 8 to 11 will be held June 14 to 18 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Camp directors will utilize a social learning program based on Social Thinking, a methodology created by Michelle Garcia Winner (www.socialthinking.com), a speech and language pathologist in San Jose, Calif.
Jessica Truelove, nurse navigator for ASCI, (left) and Jennifer Bray, social worker for ASCI, are co-coordinators for the camps.
“This is a great opportunity to take the next step in social interaction,” said Truelove.
During the camps, instructors will discuss strategies for social communication and interaction between peers.
“The curriculum is designed to be fun and effective,” Bray said.
The cost is $100 per child. Those who would like to attend and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids are requested to indicate when registering. Please register by calling 706-226-8911.
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI), 1201 Burleyson Road, will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) in webinar format on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. Lindsey Coker, educational resource coordinator, will present an introduction to school-based services. Register ONLINE HERE. For more information, call 706-226-8900.
Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI), 1201 Burleyson Road, will soon hold a 12-week social skills workshop for parents of children with autism. The cost is $20 per session.
They will meet in the Southern Magnolia Room. Sessions include a caregiver group and children’s groups for ages 5 to 7 on Mondays, from 4 to 5 p.m., July 27 to Oct. 19, and groups with children ages 8 to 11 on Tuesdays, from 4 to 5 p.m., July 28 to Oct. 20.
These groups are collaborative and will provide skills and support for facilitating social success for children. ASCI follows social and CDC safety guidelines.
If you would like to attend this event and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids, please indicate when registering. Space is limited. To register or for more information, call 706-226-8911.
