Stars in Her Eyes by Dr. Linda Barboa with Elizabeth Obrey

By -
In graduate school, I always enjoyed going to Dr. Linda Barboa's class. I enjoyed her classes because she provided theory/evidence within her teachings and she provided real life experiences. When I found out that Dr. Barboa and Elizabeth Obrey were writing a book about Autism, I was thrilled!



Stars in Her Eyes provides an informative look into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This book gives a unique perspective from a Speech-Language Pathologist, an educator, and a mother of two children with ASD. This collaboration may have been my favorite part of this book! To have the opportunity to not only hear what an SLP would say about a topic but also see the perspective of a mother and an educator was incredibly helpful. It serves as a reminder that a multitude of perspectives can add value to treating a child with Autism.

Though I am not a mother, I imagined myself as a parent who discovered her child has Autism. From this view, I felt validated that my child is not the only one, that the sleep issues my child had been experiencing are common, and that there is hope! This book is a great place to start, with all of the literature and different treatment options available it is nice to have a book where you can review it all and then make a decision. Another benefit of this book is that the language is easy to understand. You are not reading a journal article where you have to look up what Pearson R Coefficient means! You are able to get the information you need, reflect on it and move on to what you feel you need to do for your family.

As a Speech-Language Pathologist all I can say is "I want more!" The wide variety of challenges and interventions that can help with those challenges for children with Autism are extensive! In order to dive deeper into communication, sensory issues or social skills this would warrant an entire text book dedicated to any of the aforementioned skills. Dr. Barboa, how about those additional text books? :-)

Since I am an Outpatient Speech-Language Pathologist and I do not work within the school system I appreciated the overview of the school system guidelines and how to advocate for a child with ASD. I also appreciated insight into sensory issues, various interventions and resources provided in the book.

I feel confident in recommending this book to several of the parents that I work with as well as fellow Speech-Language Pathologists who work with our plan to work with children with Autism. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sharing Research: A Behind the Scenes Look

By -
Image
This past year has been such an exciting adventure in professional growth and development. When 2019 was nearing, I took the time to reflect on my professional aspirations. One of my goals was to start sharing my research findings from my dissertation. My dissertation chair encouraged me to submit my research to the Dysphagia Research Society (DRS) for their 2019 conference. That was goal #1. Goal #2 was submitting for an oral presentation at my annual state organization conference. I completed both applications and I was thrilled when my presentations were accepted at both conferences! My goal for this blog post is to talk about my personal experience in preparing and presenting research. The process of sharing your research can be intensive but it is truly an invaluable experience. There are two main types of presentations out there. An oral presentation which can last for a variety of times, 30 minutes, 1 hr, 2 hrs, 3 hrs, or full day institutes. Then there is a poster pr...
Read more

Shaving Cream Fun!

By -
Image
This Week in Speech ~ Shaving Cream Fun! This week in speech we decided to get a little messy! With shaving cream, a lunchroom tray, lots of towels, and various treatment plans we were able to have a lot of fun!   My department orders these tiny shaving cream canisters. Simply spray onto a surface that can be wiped off and you are set for fun!   There are so many options that you can use this in therapy! Here are just a few ideas! Articulation – you or your student draw out target words to practice Reading sight words Spelling Visual memory – write it down, draw it out, and then wipe it off – recall later Story telling Receptive language – identifying drawings Vocabulary – Learning about the vocabulary terms of “soft” “messy” “fluffy” and “white.” Drawing/writing synonyms and antonyms. Expanding vocabulary knowledge by letting the child draw or try to explain the feature that you drew. Receptive language – following directions through d...
Read more

"Swing Thoughts"

By -
Image
Once upon a time, I wasn’t a Speech-Language Pathologist. Crazy right? My identify for so many years, has been that I am an SLP. But yes, before I went into the field I was actually a golfer. That was my identify for the majority of my life. My dad, Charlie Mahon, is a Class A PGA Golf Professional. My older brother, Charlie Mahon Jr., ran golf courses for most of his career and played for UMKC in college. My older sister, Courtney Mahon, she is now an LPGA Teaching Instructor and played for the University of Arkansas in college. My mom, our biggest cheerleader! I guess you can say I was born into a golfing family and it appeared that golf would be my destiny. I played golf throughout high school and then moved onto earning a scholarship to play for Missouri State University. I learned so many life lessons from playing golf. I learned how to be patient with myself and patient with others. I learned about ethics, being a good teammate, and how to work incredibly hard. I lea...
Read more