Advisory

Committee

Rachel Fuerer

Brooke Neeb

Sheri McFarlane

Alice Walker

Rick Conklin

Board

Members

President

Sarah

Golladay

Vice President

Cheryl Tryon

Treasurer

George Krogh

Secretary

Michelle Zellar

Trustees

Dr. Cindy Statler

Mary Jenerou

Wendy

McCluskey

SPEAKS Welcomes Laurie Mold!!

Laurie Mold joins SPEAKS Education as the Western/Central U.P. Parent

Mentor. She will service Delta, Schoolcraft and Menominee Counties. Laurie

recently relocated to the Escanaba Area from Toledo, OH where she worked

as a Director for the Project D.O.C.C. (Delivery of Chronic Care) program at

Toledo Children’s Hospital which utilized parents of children with special

healthcare needs to act as teachers for residents and community partners

about the realities and needs families share who

care for children with chronic issues. Laurie

also worked at United Way of Greater Toledo

as an advocate providing information and

assistance to people and families with

disabilities. Laurie is a parent of two children,

her oldest having high functioning

autism/ADHD and youngest with a learning

disability. Laurie has worked in the past as a

parent mentor for the Arc of Lucas County

and the Autism Society of Northwest Ohio.

She also served on a number of disability

related community committees, grants and

workgroups in addition to being a Sibshop

facilitator. She has a passion for education and

resources and looks forward to providing trainings, networking, I & R as well

as a number of social opportunities for the disability community in the U.P.

She is excited to work with families, educators and community partners so

please contact her at lmold@speakseducation.org or 906-420-8298 for

assistance or to be added to her SPEAKS Education list- serv to learn about

disability related trainings and opportunities in the area.

November/December 2011

Please note that SPEAKS will be closed in observance of the holidays December

19th and will re-open January 3rd. We wish everyone the happiest and safest

holiday!

Dear Families and Friends,

Where is the snow? The Eastern Upper Peninsula is behind in snow fall, and I don’t think it has hurt anyone’s feelings as the roads are dry for traveling. Speaking of traveling, I have done enough of it lately and in December it looks no different. I get to go to Baraga next week and to Wilson this week. I look forward to seeing new and past faces the next 2 weeks.

I would like to welcome our new employee, Laurie Mold. In the Newsletter you can read her bio and see the picture of her handsome son Shamus. I feel she will bring great things not just to SPEAKS, but to the Delta, Schoolcraft and Menominee counties for families and professionals. Laurie comes with a lot of knowledge and experience. Laurie and I are looking for grants and funding/fund raisers for SPEAKS, so in the future we can possibly hire a few more people to cover the Upper Peninsula. Welcome aboard Laurie!

The State of Michigan has come out with the new and revised laws for Special Education. I plan to share the link with you after the State has its training in mid-December. I don’t see anything that is really shocking, but there are more details to some of the laws that have been in place for a long time. Once the state explains in detail the laws, I will pass it on in the January Newsletter.

As we just finished the Thanksgiving holiday, we are all blessed to have our families and friends, I am especially blessed to have the agencies that are SPEAKS Educations family. The last 3 years agencies that have collaborated with SPEAKS, and supported SPEAKS have become our family. Michigan Alliance for Families, Michigan Protection and Advocacy, Family to Family Health Services, The Arc of Michigan, Michigan Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education OSEP, the Intermediate School Districts across the Upper Peninsula, the ISD Parent Advisory Committee’s of the Upper Peninsula, The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the numerous schools, parents and of course students that we work with in the Upper Peninsula. SPEAKS has grown faster than we ever thought it would, the demand is just huge, and these agencies and people have supported and inspired the employees at SPEAKS and the board for the last 3 years. We are Thankful for your support and giving that has guided SPEAKS along the way.

Happy Holidays everyone and remember the office will be closed Dec 19th thru Jan 3, 2012! During the month of January I will be unavailable the 7th thru the 16. I will be available the 16-23 via phone, email or SKYPE only.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

Dorie France

SPEAKS Education has relocated to

downtown Newberry, Michigan. We are always

trying to increase the quality of the services we

provide and the new office space allows us to do

that. We now have 2 formal offices, 2 conference

rooms with a refreshment center in the middle,

and a web/television/audio training room. With

this space we are able to provide a proper setting

for trainings and parent support groups, privacy

for our clients when they visit, as well as a quiet

area to watch video trainings or webinars.

SPEAKS’ new address is 224 Newberry Ave,

Newberry, Mi. All of our previous contact

information has remained the same, and our

services have not changed.

Do you or someone you know have a child with disabilities that have oral sensory issues? Has the desire to chew, grind their teeth, spit, bite, or are constantly putting things in their mouths? Kid Companions has a great product specifically for this. The product is called Chewelery. These pieces are safe, bpa, phthalate, PVC, lead and latex free. Within the website is a blog for parents as well, allowing another great support group and resource for parents and educators. For more information, go to their website at http://kidcompanions.com/. The parent blog can be found at http://kidcompanions.com/blog.

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What is Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that

affects writing, which requires a complex set

of motor and information processing skills.

Dysgraphia makes the act of writing difficult.

It can lead to problems with spelling, poor

handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper.

People with dysgraphia can have trouble

organizing letters, numbers, and words on a

line or page.

There are many ways to help a person with

dysgraphia achieve success. Generally

strategies fall into three main categories:

Accommodations: providing alternatives to

written expression

Modifications: changing expectations or

tasks to minimize or avoid the area of

weakness

Remediation: providing instruction for

improving handwriting and writing skills.

Each type of strategy should be

considered when planning instruction and

support. A person with dysgraphia will

benefit from help from both specialists and

those who are closest to the person. Finding

the most beneficial type of support is a

process of trying different ideas and openly

exchanging thoughts on what works best.

-What is Dysgraphia?

www.ncld.org

Dyslexia is an impairment in your brain's ability to translate

written images received from your eyes into meaningful language.

Also called specific reading disability, dyslexia is the most

common learning disability in children.

Dyslexia usually occurs in children with normal vision and normal

intelligence. Children with dyslexia usually have normal speech,

but may have difficulty interpreting spoken language and writing.

Children with dyslexia need individualized tutoring, and treatment

for dyslexia often involves a multisensory education program.

Emotional support of your child on your part also plays an

important role.

School age

Once your child is in school, dyslexia symptoms may become

more apparent, including:

Reading at a level well below the expected level for the age of

your child

Problems processing and understanding what he or she hears

Difficulty comprehending rapid instructions

Trouble following more than one command at a time

Problems remembering the sequence of things

Difficulty seeing (and occasionally hearing) similarities and

differences in letters and words

An inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar

word

Seeing letters or words in reverse (b for d or saw for was) —

although seeing words or letters in reverse is common for

children younger than 8 who don't have dyslexia, children with

dyslexia will continue to see reversals past that age

Difficulty spelling

Trouble learning a foreign language

If your child has dyslexia:

Be supportive. Having difficulty learning to read may affect

your child's self-esteem. Be sure to provide love and to

support his or her talents and strengths.

Talk to your child. Explain to your child what dyslexia is and

that it's not a failure on his or her part. The better your child

understands this, the more likely he or she will cope with

and compensate for this learning disability.

Take steps at home to make it easier for your child to study. Provide a clean, quiet, organized place for your child to

study, and designate a study time. Also, make sure your

child gets enough rest, good nutrition and family support —

through outings and activities — to provide a better

environment in which he or she can learn.

Work with your child's school. Talk with teachers frequently to

make sure your child is able to stay on track. Be sure your

child gets extra time for tests that require reading, if needed.

Ask your child's teacher if it would help your child to record

the day's lessons to playback later. If available, tutoring

sessions with a reading-disorders specialist can be very

helpful for many children with dyslexia.

-The Mayo Clinic

What is Dyslexia?

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Friendly reminder that the Eastern Upper

Peninsula ISD Parent Advisory Committee is having

their annual Christmas Party December 14th, 2011

starting at 5pm at the Pickford High School!! If you

live in the EUP, call us today to register your

family!

Community Event-

Luce County Pet Pals is having their annual

Christmas fundraiser- “Pet Photos with Santa”

December 10th at the Luce County Community

Recreational Center from 10 am to 2 pm.

Photos are only $5.00 ea. and will definitely

make your holiday cards stand out this year!

Come on by and bring your pet!