Language During Mealtime

Interview with Therese Van Ryne, Author of Zippy's Special Gift

Therese Van Ryne is Global Director of PR, Thought Leadership, and Advocacy for Zebra Technologies. She joined Zebra as part of the acquisition of Motorola Solutions Enterprise business in October 2014. Her accomplishments include leading Zebra events with Harvard University and TED. She also recently published a children’s book titled, “Zippy’s Special Gift” which reflects the inclusive culture at Zebra. All profits from its sales are being donated to Bernie’s Book Bank.

Zippy's Special Gift, written by Therese Van Ryne and illustrated by Walter Policelli is a story about embracing the special gifts that make us unique. The story begins with Zippy telling her mother how she doesn't like her stripes. Her mother tells Zippy that the stripes are her special gift. She then encourages Zippy to ask her friends about each of their special gifts such as Frog's leaping gift and Duck's webbed feet. 

Zippy's Special Gift is written to help represent the diverse culture of Zebra Technologies. Therese is the Global Director of Public Relations at Zebra Technologies. Listen to our podcast to learn more about Therese and how Zippy, Zebra Technologies Mascot helps children embrace diversity and inclusion. To learn more about Zebra Technologies, visit their website here.

In addition, this book is dedicated to Bernie's Book Bank. This non-profit organization is committed to transforming the educational journey of children by giving them the tools they need to be successful readers. All of the profits from the sales of Zippy's Special Gift are donated to this organization. 

To learn more, visit my website here.

Interview with Jennifer Gennari, Author of MUFFLED

MUFFLED written by Jennifer Gennari is a middle-grade novel about a young girl named Amelia who has a high sensitivity to noise and certain sounds. How has Amelia worked through this sensitivity? For the past few years, she has worn noise-canceling headphones. Amelia is starting fifth grade and her parents don't want her to wear the headphones anymore. Her father, who is empathetic to Amelia's struggle with noise gives her a pair of earmuffs. Amelia loves these earmuffs. They are soft and protect her from the sounds that make her anxious. On the contrary, the earmuffs also make it difficult to interact with peers and make her stand out. How can Amelia navigate friendships and learn to have the courage to take off her earmuffs? This book is a wonderful novel about friendship, courage, and learning to navigate different relationships at home and in school. It's also an excellent book to teach others about sensory processing disorders, overall sound sensitivity, and neurodiversity.

When reading this book, I could feel the emotions of Amelia and really empathize with her noise sensitivity. As a speech-language pathologist who works with neurodiverse children and adults with a variety of sensory processing disorders, I understand and see this struggle on a regular basis. For these children, certain sounds can be painful and extremely uncomfortable. To us, these sounds may just be loud or sometimes not even noticeable. The most important part of working with someone that has sound sensitivity is giving them the language to talk about it. For example, when I work with children that have sound sensitivity, I pay attention to their nonverbal cues and teach them the words "uncomfortable", "loud", "I don't like it" and then provide them a way to access a tool that will help them feel better such as a quiet space, headphones or a walk in the hallway.

To access free discussion questions and listen to the first chapter in her book read by the author, visit my website here.

Interview with Michelle Schaub, Author of Kindness is a Kite String

"Kindness is an open door to welcome others through" Michelle Schaub, Kindness is a Kite String

Kindness is a Kite String...The Uplifting Power of Empathy written by Michelle Schaub and illustrated by Claire LaForte is a beautiful book to help teach children about the power of kindness.

This poetic book is full of literacy and language opportunities. Kindness is a Kite String can help teach children about the power of being kind to others on a daily basis. Sometimes we discuss kindness being this grand gesture but it can be as simple as holding the door open for someone or giving a friend a hug. Kindness can also be about taking care of our earth and living creatures.

When reading this book to your child, stop and pause on each page and discuss the various actions in the book. Take it a step further and discuss why that particular action is kind. In the back of the book is a short guide for parents and teachers about similes and metaphors, which are immersed into the book. I love this book because it can serve as a valuable reminder of the simple act of kindness. With the hecticness of each day and the stress of the pandemic, it can be often difficult to be mindful and reflect on how we can be kind to others. It's such an important gesture and helps build empathy, which we all need! 

To download the free reading guide and learn more about the author and book, visit my website.

Interview with the Creators of CalmConnect, Roberta Scherf and Chris Bye

CalmConnect is a patented system containing dozens of short (2 – 5 minute) digital sequences designed to quickly and effectively calm the nervous system and build a bridge to the social world. The program is used around the world in thousands of schools and therapy centers, as well as in hospitals, behavioral health centers, cognitive care centers, and homes.

CalmConnect is a program that I have been using with my students since 2010, which was a long time ago! Back then, the program was called MeMoves. Each morning, every classroom in the school that I working in would be doing MeMoves. The program brought a feeling of calmness, reflection, and mindfulness for all of us including both students and adults. After leaving that particular school, I lost touch with the program for many years until recently. One of my students who is Autistic and has complex communication needs, would often request breaks and needed movement, but each time we would go for a walk, he wouldn't ever come back to the task. I thought about this particular program and longed to introduce my student to it. I knew that this is what he needed to feel calm and focused for our sessions. When I found CalmConnect, I immediately got in touch with Chris Bye about starting the program again and scheduling an interview so we could talk further about the journey of CalmConnect. I began using this program with my student and he immediately responded to it by being able to focus during our sessions and was visibly calm and relaxed.

To learn more and enter the giveaway, visit my website for more details! 

Interview with Michelle Wagner, Author of Mickey on the Move

As a speech-language pathologist, I love discovering books about various topics. Mickey on the Move is a picture book written by Michelle Wagner and illustrated by Jenny Phelps about a young boy named Mickey who has bilateral cochlear implants. The story takes the reader through a typical day for Mickey and his journey as he becomes mainstreamed into a local public school.

In the beginning, the author explains the long rides to his other schools, the intensive speech and language sessions, learning sign language, and seeing various doctors determine the best course of action for Mickey. What are cochlear implants? The author explains what cochlear implants are and how they work, which is very helpful for the reader who may not know what they are or how they work. The story continues with how his mother advocates for Mickey as he overcomes some obstacles in the classroom (e.g. noisy environments).

I enjoyed this book because the author explained the basics of cochlear implants and the process of obtaining them. Also, she discussed the importance of sign language, which is still essential given that Mickey is completely deaf when he takes off the implants. To read more about the book and learn about Michelle, visit my website here. 

Interview with Evita Sherman, Author of Does Grandma Remember Me?

Does Grandma Remember Me? written by Evita Sherman and illustrated by Chayla Bolden is a wonderful book about the connection and love between a granddaughter and her grandmother who has dementia. The story, which is written from the young girl's perspective takes the reader through how her grandmother has changed because of dementia. For example, she doesn't smile in the same way, constantly looks for something she is unable to find and often forgets what time it is.  At first the young girl is very sad about her grandma and wishes she can fix her dementia. However, in the end she realizes that dementia can't take away the love she has for her grandmother and how she makes her feel. That becomes the true common denominator. 

To learn more about Evita nd her book, visit my website here.

Interview with Ann McCallum Staats, Author of Thrill Seekers 15 Remarkable Women in Extreme Sports

Thill Seekers..15 Remarkable Women in Extreme Sports written by Ann McCallum Staats is a book full of adventure and fascinating stories!

For myself, the topic of extreme sports has always been very interesting for me to learn about. This collection of stories introduces readers to diverse and passionate women who are passionate about sports such as wingsuit flying, skateboarding, cave diving and race car driving. 

The book is organized into five sections which include Maximum Sky, Extreme Ocean, Radical Rides, Epic Ice and Snow and Adrenaline Earth. Within each story include a short biography of the featured person, facts about the specific sports and ways to learn more (e.g. social media accounts including youtube). 

This book is ideal for both home and the classroom. This non-fiction book is perfect for older elementary and middle grade students. I also think that older students and adults would love this book. 

Ann McCallum Staats didn't just learn about the sports, she also experienced them herself! She wanted to get a taste of what it's like be a sky diver like Melanie Curtis. Check out Ann below!

Interview with Ori Gutin, Author of The Butterfly Who Flew in the Rain

The Butterfly Who Flew in the Rain written by Ori Gutin and illustrated by Winny Kwong-Sito is a story about Cody, a little caterpillar who is born in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm. He feels sad and alone and wonders if he will ever find any happiness until one afternoon he starts to change! He becomes a butterfly, the sky becomes bright and warm and all of the animals in the forest come out. When a storm returns, Cody worries he will feel sad again. He then realizes that he doesn't have to feel that way because he can persevere and work through his feelings.

I really enjoyed this book because it talks about going through hardships and working through different feelings of isolation and sadness. Many children may go through these feelings throughout our pandemic with remote learning, lack of socialization, etc. What do we do when we feel like this? The author takes the reader through overcoming obstacles and working through difficult feelings.

To read more and learn about Ori and his book, click here.

Interview with Author and Psychologist, Dana Hall

Beyond Words

"Not being able to speak is not the same as having nothing to say" Dana Hall (Beyond Words)

Beyond Words written by Dana Hall and illustrated by Shruti Prabhu is a beautifully illustrated story that will take the reader on a journey that emphasizes the power of friendship, connection and imagination.  How do we get to know someone when they don't have verbal speech or limited verbal speech? This beautiful book about apraxia of speech can teach both children and adults that we can go "beyond words" to connect with children with complex communication needs.

I loved this book for so many reasons. As a speech language pathologist that works with children that have complex communication needs, I felt very connected with the story. My students have so much to communicate and it can be expressed in so many ways. The term "total communication" is what I refer to when we use all modalities to communicate (body language, facial expression, sign language, gestures, AAC device, etc.) For any parent that has a child diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, this book can be a powerful tool for both the home and school environment.

To read more and learn about Dana Hall and her valuable resources, click here.

Interview with co-authors of Four Paws, Two Feet, One Team, Connor Quinn and Mary Cortani

Four Paws, Two Feet, One Team written by Connor Quinn and Mary Cortani and illustrated by Susan Szecsi is a picture book about a rescue puppy named Dakota that grows up to a service dog. After being found in a field, she is rescued by Mary Cortani, who runs an organization called Operation Freedom Paws. Dakota trains to be a service dog throughout the book and then gets matched with his forever person, a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Both Dakota and his owner learn from each other and provide support for each other through difficult situations. 

This picture book teaches the reader many important lessons. When reading this stop your child will learn about service dogs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and celebrating the achievements of both veterans and their service dogs. Throughout the book, the reader learns the etiquette of how to approach a service dog, their uniform and much more. Additionally, Four Paws, Two Feet, contains valuable information about the types of service dogs, requirements of service dogs and what tasks a service dog provides for their owner.

To learn more about the authors and visit my website click here.