Mixed Model Approach

Everyday I’m thankful for the beautiful state I live in… the beautifully, BIG state. While Wyoming has over 97,000 square miles, it’s ranked 50th in the nation with its small population (577,737 in 2018). There are over 15,000 students in our rural state between the ages of 3 and 21 years old who receive special education, and a majority of those kids also receive related services including speech, occupational and physical therapy. Many school districts have gone to great lengths to find therapists often advertising for months and years only to fill with traveling therapists who are short-term and expensive.

By combining teletherapy services with on-site services, called our Mixed Model approach, Trilogy Therapy offers a solution to the challenge school districts face daily obtaining speech, occupational and physical therapists.  Trilogy Therapists have their feet on the ground working and collaborating on-site with students, teachers, PLC teams, and district therapists all while combining virtual services through teletherapy. The Mixed Model approach decreases the inefficiencies (including inability to fill therapy positions, increased expense, travel, etc.) of only using on-site therapy.

Trilogy Therapy is committed to providing related services to rural and hard to access areas where therapists are difficult to find. We believe no matter where you are, access to therapy should have no boundaries and we are working hard to fulfill this need throughout Wyoming.

Trilogy Therapy offers the best of both worlds with our Mixed Model approach. By combining virtual therapy services with on-site therapy services successful outcomes are achieved! Ask us about our Mixed Model approach and how we can help you implement it today! 

Contributed by Ellen C. Treide MS, CCC-SLP 

Back to school!

Back to School!

 As of this week, most everyone is now officially back to school! While this can be such an exciting time for both parents and students, it can also present some challenges. Going from a carefree summer with less of a set schedule, more outside play time, and more family leisure time, “back to the grind” can be difficult for many children.

 It’s not uncommon to deal with more meltdowns, exhaustion, and resistance in the home and school routine this time of year. The good news is that there are some great OT strategies we can implement to make these transitions a little smoother for your household or classroom. There are two huge tips that I have learned in my time in practice (and now as a working mom of a toddler!) that have helped so much!

 1)   Keep a consistent morning schedule. For kiddos who struggle more in the mornings…taking too long to get ready, refusing to get out of bed, etc.  can signal decreased initiation of task skills. Some kids have a hard time finishing a task because just getting started is so difficult for them. Keeping a consistent schedule with wake-up times, order of tasks (for example: wake up, breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, pack backpack) can give these children a leg up for increased success and decreased stress. Knowing what to expect next and mentally preparing for that transition is key. Some kids may even benefit from a visual schedule – either written or in picture form. Another great tip is to use a visual timer for each task (ie. “ok, you have five minutes to get dressed”). There are many awesome options (that you can even Amazon Prime!) that give that guidance and support. If you need more information or help formulating your own visual schedule, enlist the help of your OT or do a quick Google search to get some more customizable ideas. There are so many great resources out there now!

2)   Get outside right after school! I realize there can be barriers to this – extracurricular activities, parents working late…so you really have to make it your own and figure out a way that works for your family. Unstructured and free play time after a strict schedule all day is so good for busy brains and busy bodies! Even as an adult, I am not built to sit in a formalized setting without huge breaks for movement for long periods of time. I feel like I’m squirming out of my skin by the end of the day. We can only imagine, most kids feel the same after a long day at school! This outside time can be as simple as sending your kiddos out to the backyard to play a quick game of tag while you cook dinner or a quick swing by the local trampoline park to blow off some steam. Like I mentioned, make it your own!

 We hope everyone is off to a great 2019-2020 school year! We have so many upcoming and exciting things here at Trilogy Therapy and are happy to have you on this ride with us!

Emily Washut, MOTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Five Great Gross Motor Activities for Summer

1. SWIM

   • Get out in the water - pools, lakes, ponds, and oceans

   • Develops bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together), enhances motor control and builds overall muscle strength

2. RIDE BIKES

   • Pedal-less bikes (like Stidor, Glider bikes), training wheels, tricycles, two and three wheeled bikes - ALL are beneficial

   • Also encourages bilateral coordination, visual motor skills, balance training, and executive function for safety awareness

   • ALWAYS WEAR THAT HELMET!

3. GO TO THE PARK/PLAYGROUND

   • Find that local playground and go have fun

   • Monkey bars, climbing jungle gyms, stairs, rock walls - encourages motor planning and strengthening

   • Slides, merry-go-rounds, moving bridges/unstable surfaces - exposes young bodies/minds to great vestibular and proprioceptive experiences

4. THROWING GAMES

   • Toss pinecones into the garbage can; knock over objects with a ball rolled, thrown, or kicked

   • Tie a hula hoop to a tree limb or clothes line - throw a ball through the hoop (a still hoop or even a slowly moving hoop!)

   • Develops upper body motor skills, visual tracking, and coordination

5. OBSTACLE COURSES/RELAY RACES

   • Utilize any space available - back yard, park, pool, even in a basement

   • Have kids take turns being the leader - jump, crawl, run, be creative

     • EXAMPLE:

       • Sprint to the back fence, crab walk to the purple flowers, do a somersault down the hill, walk backwards to the tree, bear crawl back to the start line

   • Great gross motor skills practice that improves language development and social interactions

Most importantly - MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!!!!

Contributed by Rebecca Newton, PT, DPT, and mother of 3

Summer's here... how to get out, enjoy it and add in speech and language!

Summer’s here!

As a mom of three girls, I can relate to both the ups and downs of that statement, but mostly the ups.  I LOVE putting little nuggets of speech and language into all of our family activities especially our summer ones. Whether we are camping, splashing around in the lake, or slipping down outdoor water slides I’m always looking for chances to increase phonemic awareness, articulation or language skills. Here are some ways you can do it too!

Camping

If you are able to go camping there are a fortune of opportunities to work on understanding and expression through talking about the experience. It’s a great time to work on prepositions (i.e., going in or out of the tent/cabin/stream, walking around the tall pine tree, standing next to the fire, etc.), following directions (i.e., “first put the marshmallow on the stick, then hold it near the fire, last take it out and blow on it,” etc.), and building new vocabulary (i.e., “those trees with leaves are called deciduous trees. Their big, broad leaves fall off in autumn,” etc.).

If you aren’t able to go camping setting up the experience in your home will provide for loads of fun and learning too. Use blocks to build a fire and roast marshmallows with sticks around it, turn on a flashlight and see what you can find in your own backyard or living room with your child. If you have access to a sleeping bag pull it out and work on climbing in and out of it. Maybe a nap or even a night’s sleep might happen in the sleeping bag!

Kick the Can, Hide and Seek or Running through sprinklers

Our family loves these games on hot summer evenings! It also provides for a great opportunity to work on a variety of vocabulary concepts such as fast/slow, high/low, up/down, behind/in front of/next to/between, etc. Your child will have a chance to use lots of gross motor movement, and this movement will help him or her produce speech sounds while having lots of fun doing it!

I Spy

Those long car rides heading to new places will give you lots of time to play “I Spy…” This is the perfect game to increase your child’s ability to describe, make inferences and reason. Ask your child to try and give two or three descriptions (or let you give two or three descriptions) before answering. You can play this in your own backyard or living room too. Try turning off the lights, and adding a flashlight to make it even more fun!

Beach

Like camping, going to the beach is filled with vocabulary building and understanding galore!  Simply talking and interacting with your child about the experiences going on around them will increase your child’s understanding and language use. Build a sand castle and use concepts such as short, tall, small, round, etc. Cover yourself or your child in sand and describe what is happening (“the sand is wet, cold, itchy,” etc.). Go swimming with your child and let them move and play with you in the water! You’ll be surprised by the speech and language during that time together!

Blowing bubbles, Sidewalk chalk, or Bike riding

Being outside and moving in the fresh air is not only exhilarating, but it brings out the speech and language too! All of these activities give you ample time to work on describing, following directions, prepositions (i.e., under/over, up/down/, next to/between/around, etc.), concepts (i.e., right/left, big/medium/little. etc.), reasoning and problem solving.

Have your child follow your directions drawing a mystery item (i.e., “draw a big circle, then a medium sized circle on top of the big circle and last a small circle on top of the medium sized circle”, etc.) or let them give you directions to draw an item. Locate a new destination while riding bike by giving your child clues (i.e., “turn left, now go straight and then take a right next to the blue house,” etc.) or let them give you clues to a new destination. Work on speech sounds while blowing bubbles by saying that sound each time you pop a bubble (i.e., “okay let’s say /s/ this time, every time we pop the bubble!”).

Summertime is a grand time for all sorts of reasons! Get out and enjoy it with your child. Playing and interacting with them will increase speech and language immensely, and I promise, you won’t even have to think about it that much!!!

Contributed by Ellen C. Treide MS, CCC-SLP

Your Future Therapy Job... Now

Statistics show the average American changes his or her career path every 4.5 years (2018: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm), and I would suspect this is true of speech therapists.  “Burnout” is the overwhelming response I receive when I ask my fellow SLP colleagues why they decided to turn to a new career path.  Whenever I hear this I encourage them to look into speech teletherapy. It really is a great option to renew, refresh and reignite your love for speech therapy.

Here are just a few benefits of speech teletherapy:

Flexibilty

As a speech teletherapist you are able to set hours for when you want to work. You have the ability to move therapy sessions around important life events if need be (i.e., soccer games, choir concerts, etc.).  There’s no drive to and from work. In fact, you can work from anywhere!

Smaller ratio of students to therapists

Most teletherapy sessions have a therapist to student ratio of one to one which gets you right back to doing what you love… speech therapy! Even if the therapist to student ratio isn’t one to one the group size is usually very small.

Impact

Group sizes are small so it gives you ample opportunity to provide direct feedback, and because you have this opportunity, your therapy makes more of an impact.

Working with Professionals Around the World

Being a speech teletherapist allows you to work with talented professionals around the globe. The wealth of knowledge shared this way is incredible, and is undoubtedly, one of the best reasons to consider being a speech teletherapist.

Collaboration

Speech teletherapists have direct access to teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers servicing the students they see in speech therapy. This collaboration is essential to the student’s success and something that’s not always easy to find in brick and mortar settings.

Smiles

The connections made doing speech teletherapy are unparalleled. Although, there’s no “pat on the back,” there are virtual high fives, pounds, lots of cheering and thumbs up. I look forward each week to seeing students virtually, and I know they feel the same.

Being Part of a New, Exciting Trend

Telehealth is going to continue to grow. Isn’t it great to be a part of it?!

Before you hang up that speech therapy bag permanently consider taking a look at what Trilogy Therapy has to offer for your next career!

Contributed by Ellen C. Treide MS, CCC-SLP

Our favorite podcasts...

It’s probably no secret that as teletherapists, we love and appreciate the ease, efficiency, and effectiveness that technology can bring to so many different areas of our lives. There are so many great opportunities for use of assistive technology, apps, and programs to utilize when working with our students (I know I like to mix in my favorites during my OT sessions!). I also love the opportunities technology provides us as therapists (and parents, teachers, or anyone who works with children), to learn even more and consume more valuable content than ever before. One of my favorite ways to do this is through postcasts. I spend quite a bit of time in my car and writing reports, and I listen to podcasts to make that time even more productive and valuable. I’ve accumulated quite a list related to therapy, related services, and child development and wanted to share some of them today.

 I have to start with the OT School House. Jayson and Abby feature amazing guests and a wide range of OT related content. I’ve found so many of their episodes helpful, and it’s always fun to listen to guests that I follow elsewhere too! (Think Cara Koscinski of PocketOT.com and The Zones of Regulation’s Leah Kuypers). Also of note, in episode 22, Jayson interviews Tracey Davis about telehealth and her career in teletherapy. Great information!

Glass Half Full : Occupational Therapy Talk - Natalie Barnes and Jessica Kersey cover a wide range of topics, not just related to pediatrics, and many of their episodes are eligible for continuing educating credit through AOTA!

Milestones, A Child Development Podcast - Allison Carter (OT) - Tantrums, fine motor skills, regulation, transitions, parent coaching… Allison really covers it all. I recommend this to parents as well as clinicians. There’s just so much valuable information!

Preschool and Beyond - brought to you by Discovery Child Development Center, this pod covers preschool-aged issues for children and families by interviewing authors, authors, physicians, attorneys, and therapists (to name a few) to discuss a great range of topics. Definitely one of my favorites!

There are so many options to choose from, these are merely a few on my regular rotation. What are some of your favorites?

Contributed by Emily Washut, MOTR/L

Easy Peasy: Essentials for Teletherapy

“Goodbye, I love you!” were the words I heard through my headset as I looked at a beaming face on my computer screen at the end of a productive speech therapy session. Immediately I knew we needed to work on proper greetings! But through that realization, I could also see the joy on this student’s face as he completed another successful speech therapy session.

There are countless studies that prove speech, occupational and physical therapy provided through teletherapy are just as effective as a face to face model. Research even proves students who participate in speech teletherapy “outperform control groups and national benchmarks” (according to Towey, 2013 and Gorgan-Johnson, 2011) in the areas of expressive and receptive language, social pragmatics, and articulation skills.

It doesn’t take much, as far as equipment is concerned, to complete a meaningful teletherapy session. Here are the essentials:

• Internet

• Computer, laptop, or tablet

• Web camera

• Headset with a microphone

Before your first teletherapy session we can do a test run to make sure your equipment is ready and to answer any question you might have. We know you’ll be just as happy with your session at it’s conclusion as our student who exclaimed, “Good bye, I love you!”

Trilogy Therapy is committed to providing related services to rural and hard to access areas where therapists can be difficult to find. We believe no matter where you are, access to therapy should have no boundaries and we are committed to fulfilling this need throughout Wyoming and across our nation.

Click on schedule a demo with Trilogy Therapy today so you can experience how great teletherapy really is!

How can Trilogy Therapy help you?

You may be wondering how can speech, occupational and physical therapy be done online? We’re here to show you not only is it done, but Trilogy Therapy does it well and with great results! Our therapists seek out innovation creating the best therapy possible for all of our students and patients.

Trilogy Therapy realizes there is a great need for therapy services not only in our home state of Wyoming, but across the entire United States. Trilogy therapists are able to deliver those therapies effectively and efficiently using teletherapy. Rebecca, Emily and I have over 40 years of combined experience delivering evidence based, highly effective therapy. We have extensive experience working in school, medical, and private practice settings, but we’ve found teletherapy to be the best way to break through all barriers for access and opportunity to the best therapy.

Trilogy Therapy partners with school districts, providing services for all therapy needs. Our therapists treat, instruct, assess, consult, document services and collaborate with teachers and other team members regularly. Trilogy Therapy solves the problem of the shortages of therapists in schools, which increases full compliance with IDEA standards, and more reliable, higher quality speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Our therapists will keep you up-to-date with your student’s progress and make sure all students are tracking toward their goals. Trilogy therapists can also follow learners into the classroom or community to provide consultation and coaching in situations where the student needs help in the most.

Trilogy Therapy is able to come to you! Trilogy therapists provide additional services whenever and wherever a student needs, whether it’s during a summer break or for just an extra boost.  Trilogy Therapy provides effective services at the convenience of your schedule.  Our therapists are consistent and take away gaps in speech, occupational and physical therapy to the student, which is immeasurable for the quality and outcome of therapy services.

Click on schedule a demo today so we can show you how it’s done!

Contributed by Ellen C. Treide MS, CCC-SLP