Accessible Education

My goal is to make learning easy for everyone.

Learning How to Speak

The Basics:

Learn in detail HOW to make each sound:
-tongue placement
-distance between top and bottom teeth
-amount/speed of air used
-looseness the cheek/lip muscles

Understand HOW to create sentences:
-which sounds are/aren't stressed
-the length of time between sounds/words
-when to make your voice higher/lower
-using tone to make a sentence a joke, question, request, command, implication, etc.

Advice For Speech Therapists

Having a trained speech therapist to answer the millions of questions about mouth positions is crucial to help children with speech impediments as effectively as possible.

Focus on Improvement

Positive reinforcement is so important for kids that struggle with talking properly. Hearing that you finally got it right is a huge motivator.

Explain Phonetics

Stress how many distinct sounds each letter can make. Some letters sound completely different in words than in the alphabet song. It can be very difficult to know which version of the letter to use.

Demonstrate Everything

Everyone learns differently. Some can only conceptualize what they can see. Exaggerate your mouth so it is clear how to position everything (above lists specifics).

Encourage Odd Questions

Many speech impediments are accompanied by a difficulty in find the right words to use. This means some of the things that are asked might not make perfect sense. That is okay!

Hyperacusis

Often caused by damage done to the cochleas. It often heals; but, it can be a permanent disability.

What it is

Sufferers' cochleas treat all sounds as equally important. There is no difference in volume, only level of pain felt.

What it isn't

It is often confused with Misophobia: the fear/ avoidance of certain sounds because of the emotional triggers attached to them.

The reality

Hope?

Nothing can "be tuned out". Any noise can be startling, no matter how "quiet" they seem. It causes real, physical, long-lasting pain and migraines. Insomnia is a common side effect because of the inability to hear "quiet".

There is no treatment other than ear protection. Sadly, it can be counter-productive, causing discomfort to the ear cartilage, or a pressure migraine.

Nystagmus

Uncontrollable, rhythmic eye movements

Pictured is a visual representation of what I see when wearing my glasses. I am Nearsighted, which is corrected by my prescription (while reducing glare caused by my Astigmatism). Sadly, my Horizontal Nystagmus is impossible to correct. Because my eyes are constantly moving side-to-side, everything I see is doubled. This is why Nystagmus is the only vision issue I have that disables me in my daily life.