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My Mom ~ where life is more important than age

Kathie — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:54:27 +0000

I took my mother to get a small cancer removed from up by her eye yesterday. She was not fearful. She was not alone.

When we got to her home and she exited the car, a bit more stressed than usual, she simply said with a chuckle, ”You’d think I was an old lady.”

My mother is 87 years young. She continues to work full time at the Five Star Wynn Resort on the Las Vegas Strip. She is known as Grandma Mary in the employee gift shop. She has NEVER been late for work. Has won employee awards, and greets each customer as if he/she were her first.

Live your life and forget your age.

~ Norman Vincent Peale ~

I think he knew my mom, Mary Kepler

A Santa list for Social Skills with ASD

Kathie — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:11:59 +0000

What better time to teach social skills to children with ASD than at Christmas!

Santa would so approve.

I believe that all children with autism want to please their parents, teachers, friends, speech therapist, and yes, Santa. I believe they don’t always know how. In fact, I know they don’t know how to make the right social choices. Many people without ASD don’t make good social choices either.

Christmas is a perfect time to make comparison lists of right vs. wrong, good compared to bad, and in Santa terms, between naughty and nice. Start making your lists of naughty and nice things to do for the holidays and compare them. Talk about them. Do the nice ones – together.

Acts of “niceness” at Christmas

encourage good social choices year round.

Norman Rockwell’s Thanksgiving from Kathie Harrington

Kathie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:35:58 +0000

Thank you Norman Rockwell

A very warm and thankful Thanksgiving from our house to yours.

Don’t forget to give thanks to whom it belongs.

Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen

Kathie — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:08:27 +0000

Good Speech, Inc. is the name of my private speech therapy practice in Las Vegas, NV.

My daughter, coined the phrase, “Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen.”

Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Children
By working with them, by caring about them, by constantly learning from them.
Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Adults
By making their lives worth living, by empathizing, by giving your time.
Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Families
By sharing, by listening, by praising, by encouraging, by empowering.
Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Other Professionals
By learning from them, by sharing with them, by teaming with them.
Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Their Communities
By sharing knowledge through speaking, writing, and charity events.
Speech Pathologists Make Good Things Happen for Themselves
By sharing knowledge and talents with children, adults, families, professionals and communities.

SLPs receive gifts every day of their lives as they look beyond the bucket that sits at the end of the rainbow. These gifts are heard in a child’s laughter as he/she shares a moment of joy in therapy. These gifts are seen in the tears of gratitude as they slide down a wrinkled face withered by time. These gifts are touched as a parent’s hand reaches out in gratefulness for your time and for going one step beyond the edge of the sidewalk. These gifts are felt in your heart as you walk for autism, light up blue for autism, or support any disability/charity in your community.

We, as speech pathologists, have chosen such an honorable, yet responsible profession.

I just returned last night from ASHA (American Speech Hearing Association) National Convention. There, I caught up with and met so many wonderful SLPs. We connect to make life better for individual people and families. SLPs love what we do and honor those with whom we work.

Yes, I took my Humpty Dumpty and will be doing a blog titled, “Humpty Dumpty Takes ASHA,” on his website at On the Road with Humpty Dumpty.

I attended many sessions on autism across the spectrum and will be blogging at ADVANCE for the Speech-Language Pathologist. Lots of great information and tips will be posted for toddlers to adults.

Honor Veteran’s Day 11-11-11

Kathie — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:18:32 +0000

Honoring all Veterans today. On this panel, 04E – Line 3 of The Wall in Washington D.C. is the name of LCPL – E3 Marine Corp – Larry Dean Borschel, from my hometown of Iowa Falls, IA, who gave his last full measure of devotion in South Vietnam on Dec. 9, 1965. The Vet. is John Roberts from PA who made the encased flag for friends whose names are etched next to Larry’s. The letter is from a class of sixth-grade students from Omaha, NE. I corresponded with them. My family was recently there. My Humpty Dumpty was there also and left the only American flag he has ever left on his travels. Today, 11-11-11 is a day of rememberance, rededication, and honor.

Meet and Greet with Senator Harry Reid in Washington D.C.

Kathie — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:31:20 +0000

Our recent trip to Washington D.C. started with a “Welcome to Washington” breakfast in our nation’s capitol. We were greeted in the Lyndon B. Johnson room by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada and several members of his staff. If you are from Nevada, Senator Reid holds a “Welcome to Washington” every Thursday that the Senate is in session. This is followed by a tour of the U.S. Capitol.

Thank you Senator Harry Reid of Nevada

Other state senators/represenatives hold similar greetings.

Go to the name of your senator/represenative and plan ahead.

For more pictures of our “Welcome to Washington” and

our Washington highlights go to

On the Road with Humpty Dumpty.

Dan Wheldon’s death in Las Vegas

Kathie — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:07:11 +0000

Dan Wheldon was killed right before our eyes last week, 10-16-11, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).

My husband, Tim, and I were in the grandstands on that day, at that time. Tim is an avid race fan and never misses a main even at the LVMS. We were in the Neon Garage (pits) that day to see the drivers, crews, cars, and awesome events that took place before the race began.

U.S. Airforce planes zoomed overhead from Nellis AFB as 34 drivers started their engines. Nineteen cars circled five memorial laps to the tunes of Danny Boy and Amazing Grace in honor of Dan Wheldon only two short hours later. The race was not resumed.

The LVMS is offering a full refund on any tickets that were scanned for the race that day. Tim and I decided to take that refund and when we receive it, we will send it to a charity sponsored for the Wheldon children, Sebastian, 2, and Oliver, 8 months. There is also an online sports auction to take place for Dan’s wife Susie, and children.

Bullying – with a deadly ending

Kathie — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:19:45 +0000

-Bullying- A Family

by Patricia (P. K.) Harrison, MA, CCC-SLP.

Seeing It, Hearing It, Stopping It

I have been a speech-language pathologist since 1983—the last 11 years in the public school system. I’ve always loved my job and enjoyed knowing that I help kids succeed despite their obstacles and differences. But one day, my job and mission became very personal.

On Feb. 7, 2009, our precious 16-year-old son, Alex, took his life after being the target of bullying so intense he saw no other way out. My husband found his lifeless body near a big maple tree one-half mile off our property, shot through the heart with a note nearby stating, “I love you guys. I am sorry, but I just cannot take it anymore.”

Sadly, my husband and I did not even know the extent of what he had been enduring. All we saw was our beautiful, wonderful son. Alex was an amazing, intellectually gifted child (150 IQ), who was like his peers in so many ways. He was one rank away from being an Eagle Scout, participated on the tennis and ski teams at his school, loved video games, and had a nice group of friends, a girlfriend, and a loving, close-knit family.

But with his gifts, however, came social differences. Alex was shy and quiet until he came to know and trust you. This “quiet differentness” made him an easy target, one who did not fight back. All of us who work with kids know the ones who are “different” for any reason can become targets. If no one stands up for them, and they don’t stand up for themselves, they remain a target.

So, how did this happen to us, to our son? We have asked the same thing over and over and over. It seems many of our schools have become places where unkindness has become the norm.

When unkindness is allowed to flourish with no one calling students on their behavior, the norm is created. “Bullycide,” sadly, is now the vernacular more and more families are facing. Our son took his life after the bullying became too frequent, too intense. Yes, bullying has always been around, but with the influences of social and other negative media, kids cannot escape its grasp. It’s 24-7.

Those of us in education must to do a better job of watching what is happening outside our rooms, in the hallways, on the playgrounds, and in the lunchrooms. We can no longer say, “I don’t have time. It’s not my problem. I am sure they will work it out.”

I urge you to become involved in anti-bullying efforts at your schools. Every single staff member is responsible for making sure kids are in a safe and secure learning environment. It’s too late for Alex, but it is not too late for all of the kids in all of the schools we serve. Take a stand and help them.

Patricia (P. K.) Harrison, MA, CCC-SLP, is a clinician at Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District in Cadillac, Mich. Contact her at tompkalex@aol.com. To honor Alex’s memory, visit his Facebook page, In Loving Memory of Alex Harrison (seeithearitstopit), or visit http://seeithearitstopit.org.

Iowa Falls, IA class of 1966 in 2011

Kathie — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:04:29 +0000

Wish I could have been part of this awesome 45th class reunion. I was here in Las Vegas thinking of all of the wonderful memories and my friends. I remember something special about each of your endearing faces. We certainly had it all in Iowa Falls. “This feeling will not end.”

“Goodnight Irene,” sunset after the hurricane hit North Carolina

Kathie — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:42:11 +0000

“Goodnight Irene,” a pic from my friend in North Carolina after Irene passed. Mother Nature’s way of apologizing.

God’s way of reminding us who is in charge.