CNS NEWS
Children's Neurotherapy Services
Busy Summer Months
It is summer time and the kids
are out of school and you are
wondering what to do with
them. This issue will provide
you with several activities that
you can do with your children
outside and inside. The news-
letter will also offer some ideas
to keep your children enter-
tained while you are traveling
in the car for those long trips.
CNS continues to grow. We
have added several new em-
ployees at both the Hickory
and Lenoir offices. There are
also several physical therapy
and occupational therapy stu-
dents completing their intern-
ships with us this summer. You
can find out more information
about the new employees and
students in the newsletter.
OT and PT Students
CNS Clinic currently has two
occupational therapy students
from Lenoir-Rhyne College,
Katie Spencer and Alisha
Baker. They are in their 3rd
year of Graduate school work-
ing towards their master’s de-
gree in occupational therapy.
They began their fieldwork on
May 12th and will be with us
until July 31st. They anticipate
graduating in May 2009.
CNS has also had several other
You can also read how our
speech therapist are using
American Sign Language and
baby signs during therapy
sessions to encourage chil-
dren to communicate.
If you have any information or
know of things happening
within your community that
students from Lenoir-Rhyne
who have been completing
their Level I fieldwork. These
students have only been with
us for a week or two at a time.
We expect to have a few more
Level I students before the
summer is over.
As mentioned in the last news-
letter, we have several Doctor
of Physical Therapy students
interning with us throughout
the year from the University of
Volume 1, Issue 3
Newsletter Date
July 2008
Inside this issue:
Employee of the Quarter 2
New Employees 2
Activities for Infants, Toddlers 3
other parents would be inter- Baby Signs Program 3
ested in, please contact Jenni-
fer Carpenter by email at jcar- Homemade Finger Paint 4
penter@cnsclinic.com or by
calling the office at 267-1688.
We would be glad to share Backyard Activities 4
any information that would
benefit other parents and pro-
fessionals. Traveling with Children 5
Rainy Day Activity 5
KidSenses 6
CNS Spirit Week 6
St. Augustine for Health Sci-
ences.
We currently have LeeAnn
Kemp with us until August 22.
After that Bekah Caldwell Aul-
baugh will be with us from
August 25-October 17, then
Marisa Ball from October 27-
December 19. This is an in-
valuable part of their learning
experience. Please make them
feel welcome.
Page 2
Employee of the Quarter
The Employee of the Quarter is deter-
mined by all the employees at CNS
Clinic. Everyone votes for the co-
worker whom they feel is the best
team player for that quarter. The
chosen employee receives a gift card
and a certificate containing com-
ments their co-workers wrote.
The Employee of the Quarter is Kei-
sha Phillips, Office Manager in Le-
noir. Comments written about Keisha
were that she helps everyone with a
good attitude; she goes above and beyond her job duties and has
a way of making parents feel very comfortable and important; she
New Employees
We are excited to have the following new employees join our
team.
Annabeth Covert, SLPA, treats children out of both the Hickory
and Lenoir offices. She graduated with honors in May 2007 from
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Speech-
Language Pathology Assistant program. She currently lives in
Hudson with her husband Barry. She has five “furry children”,
Jack, Leo, Pippi, Mr. Stripes, and Greyboy. Annabeth enjoys at-
tending music concerts, reading, and traveling in her spare time.
Caley Kuenzel, MS, CCC-SLP, treats children at the Lenoir clinic.
She graduated with both her undergraduate and graduate de-
grees from Clarion University of Pennsylvania (where she met her
husband). Caley worked for Speechcenter, Inc for 3 1/2 years
targeting the pediatric language and dysphagia populations. She
resides in Lower Creek with her husband of 5 years, Bob, her 2-
year– old daughter Jadyn and her Norwegian Elkhound, Ellie.
Caley is expecting her second child and is due January 4th. Her
favorite activities include spending time with family, church family
and friends, eating, shopping, and going to the beach. Caley is
thrilled to be working for CNS and really enjoys her new col-
leagues, reduced amount of paperwork, flexibility, and FRIDAYS
OFF!
Brenda McConnell, is the new Scheduling Coordinator at the Hick-
ory office. She lives in Lincolnton with her husband, Steve, and
son Joshua. Joshua just graduated from North Carolina State Uni-
versity with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Brenda and Steve will be celebrating their 28th wedding anniver-
sary on July 26th. She also has her Real Estate Broker License and
CNS NEWS
is a blessing; she is always willing to help others no matter how
busy she is; always has a positive attitude; has been a team player
by keeping a great attitude under pressure and having lots of pa-
tience when new employees are “learning the ropes”; and she
does it all.
Keisha has been with CNS since December 2007. She graduated
from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute with an
Associate’s Degree in Accounting in 1995 and from Catawba Col-
lege (Salisbury, NC) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Man-
agement in 2004. She is currently attending Gardner-Webb Uni-
versity where she is completing a Master’s Degree in Business
Management and Health Care Management with an anticipated
graduation date of May 2009. Keisha is the mother of three
adopted children: Tyler, Sadie, and Mollie.
works part-time with Marc 1 Realty in Denver. Brenda enjoys
church activities and going to pottery shows.
Judith Turner, OTR/L, treats children in both the Hickory and Le-
noir offices. Judi graduated from Gannon University in Erie, PA in
2007 where she earned a master’s degree in occupational ther-
apy. She recently moved here with her husband, Mark, from Hous-
ton, Texas.
Dru Powell, is working as a Community Based Rehabilitate Ser-
vices worker in Burke and Caldwell County. She completed her
undergraduate in Elementary Education K-6 and Early Childhood
K-4 at Appalachian State University. Dru then went on to complete
her Masters in Special Education. BEH, LD, MH, B-K, VI at Univer-
sity of North Carolina of Charlotte. She taught at Broughton Hospi-
tal for 6 years and for Hickory City Schools at Ten Broeck Hospital
for 6 years. Dru started Governor Morehead Preschool in Morgan-
ton in 1992. She has one son, Brett, who was married in August
2007. He taught History, coached football and baseball at East
Burke High School for three years and this year will transfer to the
new Daughn High School where he will teach History, coach foot-
ball and baseball. Dru enjoys traveling, shopping, and antiques–
especially when she can combine all three!
Heather McCabe, MS,
CCC-SLP, is working part-
time in the Hickory office
as a speech therapist for
the summer.
Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3

Activities for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

While very young babies cannot paint or
make up a poem, they actively engage in
playful exploration of their environments.
They explore with their senses as they
look, listen, feel, and test their influence.
That must be Daddy’s face; it always makes
Daddy’s voice. Mmm, this blanket smells
like Mommy__ I can sleep here. I smile, she
smiles. Does that always work? I think this is
my hand. I wonder if I can make it touch
that. “Lurdle lurdle lurdle,” I have a talking
voice, too!
To promote the openness to experience
that underlies and expands playful explo-
ration, try holding or “wearing” your infant
in a soft carrier (such as a sling, a front
carrier, or a traditional baby wrap worn on
the back). The pre-mobile infant will have
a new and dynamic point of view. He will
not only have more experiences than in a
seat or swing, but will also feel the care-
giver’s own emotional responses to those
experiences through the adult’s heartbeat,
breathing patterns, skin temperature, and
muscle tension. Assuming a confident,
competent adult is holding him, he learns
openness to a variety of experiences.
As babies mature, they employ their physi-
cal mode of exploration on a larger envi-
ronment, and their emerging language
skills produce unique pronunciations and
combinations of words. Toddlers can focus
almost exclusively on their processes of
exploring places, combining materials,
and trying out ideas. What parent isn’t
bursting with stories of their toddler’s
creative exploits?
Just fill a sink with water, add some bub-
bles and a cup or two, and watch what a
toddler does. He or she explores the prop-
erties of the substances itself, the laws of
physics, mathematical rules, cause and
effect, and associated language. The tod-
dler’s natural, playful exploration fills her
or his brain with new ideas.
Play may be both instinctive and necessary
just as chimpanzees’ play in the forest hap-
pens to let them know about sources of
food. Play gives animal young a way to
make sense of their world and their re-
sources in it. Toddler humans, who are
acquiring culture knowledge, often imitate
adults. This is a form of play where they try
on other ways of acting and being in the
world. It is fun to copy Daddy while he
brushes his teeth, even if you have only
two. It is fun for both the mimic and the
mimicked.
Imagination grows dramatically during the
preschool period, bringing greater free-
dom to try out new ways of being in the
world. Alone or with others, preschoolers
spend hours in worlds created entirely in
their minds and from their hearts. This
imaginary play is sometimes based on
actual experiences. You may observe pre-
schoolers re-enacting something but
changing the scene or ending. They are
practicing social skills and trying out dif-
ferent ways of acting in the world.
Imaginary friends express children's crea-
tivity in action. Consider, for example, a
preschooler whose real friends from pre-
school inspire for her an entire cast of
imaginary friends at home. These compan-
ions are playmates, rivals, and often crea-
tive solutions to preschool problems. For
example, there is “real” Jamie (the pre-
school friend), the there is Little Jamie who
is “a toddler and she’s little and she plays
with us every day,” and then there is Big
Jamie who “doesn’t come to my school but
she sleeps in my bed with five blankets
and five pillows and five stuffed animals.”
Demonstrating a preschooler’s increased
planning skills, she can now argue that she
needs to sleep with her parents because
her own bed is too crowded.
This information was obtained from PBS
Parents online at www.pbs.org/parents.
You can find more information about de-
velopment and activities you can do with
your child.

CNS Speech Language Pathologists Use Baby Signs Program

The Baby Signs Program is a sign language
communication program for hearing ba-
bies. These are “baby friendly” forms of
American Sign Language (ASL) that allow
children to communicate before they talk
or while your child is learning to speak.
The signs are gestures that resemble the
words, activities, or emotions they repre-
sent, such as bringing the fingertips to the
mouth for “eat”. This program was devel-
oped by Linda Acredolo, Ph.D and Susa
Goodwyn, Ph.D, child development ex- esteem and confidence, jump start lan-
perts. guage learning and create a bond between
parent and child . If your child is in speech
CNS Speech Language Pathologists use
therapy, and you have questions about
ASL and baby signs in conjunction with
Baby Signs Program or any other therapy
many therapy activities to encourage your
technique , please discuss this with your
child to increase the understanding of
speech language pathologist.
words, ideas and concepts (receptive lan-
guage development) and to encourage
word and sound development (expressive
language development). Benefits include
reduced frustration, enhancing infant self
Page 4
Homemade Finger Paints
All kids enjoy finger painting but you may
not always have it laying around the house.
Now it is easy and inexpensive to make
from scratch.
Materials:
1 cup of cold water
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of light corn syrup
Washable, nontoxic tempera paint
Bowls
Finger-paint paper or freezer paper
Masking tape
1-Before you begin: Spread out a plastic
tablecloth, keep wipes handy, and wear a
Backyard Activities
Here are some activities to keep your chil-
dren busy and active this summer.
Bean Bag Toss: Make an easy Bean Bag
Toss using a double layer of poster board
glued together and a large box. Use the
large box as a base, and attach the poster
board to one side of it. Before attaching the
poster board, paint a design on it, allowing
for one or more holes. You can make bean
bags if you sew.
Scavenger Hunt: Hide items in the yard
and have the kids try to find them. This can
be as easy or elaborate as you chose.
Rather than encouraging competitiveness ,
have the children work together to find all
the items.
Duck, Duck, Goose: Don’t forget this clas-
sic although you need at least five friends
to make this game a lot of fun. Sit in a circle
and have one child walk around patting
each child on the head saying, Duck, duck,
duck” and finally “goose.” The child
deemed “goose” stands up and runs
around the circle in the opposite direction
from the other child. Whoever gets back to
the spot and sits down first wins the spot
and the other child starts again with the
smock or old clothes.
2-In a small saucepan, stir together the
cold water and cornstarch. Whisk the mix-
ture over low heat for about 5 minutes until
it thickens and clears– this will happen all
at once. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of light corn
syrup, then divide the mixture into bowls
and stir a squirt of tempera paint into each
one.
3– After the paint has cooled, scoop blobs
of it onto finger-paint paper (taped to your
table) or let your kids scoop it out them-
selves-whichever they prefer– and com-
mence smearing. Leftover paint can be
stored in sealed containers in the fridge for
a day or two.
Tips:
“Duck, duck, goose.”
Simon Says: An oldie but goodie. If your
child has a favorite character, substitute
“Simon” with a character from the theme.
Children should listen carefully and only
do what “Simon” Says.
Charades: Give a child the theme or group
of animals then have them act out what the
animal does. You and the kids can try to
guess the name of the animal.
Freeze Tag: One child is chosen as being
“it”. The chosen child tags the other chil-
dren by catching up to them and touching
them. Once tagged, the child must remain
frozen until another free child goes
through their legs. When all the children
are frozen (except the one who was chosen
as being “it”) with no one to set them free
the game is over and you can start again.
Balloon Bust Relay: Purchase large bal-
loons, stuff with a prize such as a whistle,
then inflate and tie. You will need one bal-
loon per player. Divide children into two
teams and place each team behind the
start line. At the other end of the room are
balloons. On your mark a child from each
team runs to the other end of the room,
CNS NEWS
Getting Started with Creative Projects for
Little Hands
1-Keep it safe. Make sure supplies are la-
beled nontoxic and are not chocking haz-
ards. Discourage kids from putting sup-
plies in their mouth.
2-Set it up. Designate an art area in your
home with an easel or a low table where
young artists can stand to work.
3-Don’t’ rush. Make sure you allow plenty
of time for setup, exploration, and cleanup.
4-Don’t stress over mess. Set things up so
cleanup is easier for you, then try to relax
and let your child have fun.
Obtained from FamilyFun.com.
grabs a balloon and sits on it, bounces on
it, lays on it, anything they can do to make
it pop.
When the balloon pops they collect their
prize and run back to their teammates. The
game continues until every child has re-
trieved their prize. If one team falls behind
parents are allowed to help. If you don’t
have time for a relay yell, “GO” and let
every child grab a balloon at the same
time and try to pop it. Make sure to care-
fully clean up the balloon remains, as they
are choke hazards for young children.
Wits and Consequences: Blow up balloons
with questions, written on strips of paper,
inside and place balloons in Bag “A”. Let
each guest reach in and pull out a balloon
on their turn. If they answer correctly they
stay in the game for another “round”, if
they answer incorrectly they pull a balloon
out of Bag “B”, pop it and have to do what it
says… “rub your tummy and pat you head
at the same time.” If they complete their
task, they can return to the game. If not,
they can cheer on the remaining players.
When all questions are answered the game
is over.
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5

Traveling with Children

Traveling with children can often be chal-
lenging and fun. Here are some tips to
help you be prepared on your next road
trip.
Have several activities in mind that you can
introduce as you need them. The good
news is that traditional travel games are
still as much fun now as they were when
you played them as a child. Brush up on
old favorites so that you can teach them to
your child: Counting Cows, license plate
games, Twenty Questions, I Spy, Rock Pa-
per Scissors, Slug Bug, and any others you
can remember.
Next, gather materials for additional activi-
ties that will engage your crew, such as
travel-sized board games, music, and
books. Many items can be printed from
your computer such as scavenger hunt
lists, car bingo, tic tac toe, hangman, color-
ing pages, and battleship. Toddlers in par-
ticular tend to be better with actual materi-
als they can manipulate. Try aluminum foil
modeling, drawing boards, sewing cards,
and magnetized activity sets or felt boards.
Keep in mind that old adage, “Getting
there is half the fun.” Cop a new attitude
that the adventure starts in the driveway as
you begin your trip —not once you arrive
at your destination. Traveling together
provides you an opportunity for hours of
uninterrupted time to spend with each
other.
A great way to start is by playing a simple
game such as “Playing Favorites”. Ask
each person their favorite color. Then take
turns and have everyone think of a differ-
ent “favorite” quest for the group—-
What’s your favorite… movie, flavor of ice
cream, song, game, toy, place to visit, res-
taurant, book, animal, website or
teacher..? Be creative with your questions.
You are going to learn things about each
other, surprising things, that you didn’t
know before.
Remember to give yourself a break. It’s not
always going to be sing-alongs, happiness,
and giggles. You are not a failure if the
kids get whinny, or your toddler has a
screaming meltdown. Give yourself per-
mission to go “off road” and change your
plans or to switch the activity if things
aren’t working out.
Try these activities for keeping your kids
happy on long trips.
• Snacks– bring old favorites and try a
few new items. Why not try some of
the “forbidden” snacks?
• Get the kids involved— give them a
map and teach them how to use it
along with road signs. Let them keep
track of the journey so they’ll know
exactly “how much farther” it is and
feel in charge .
• Find fun new uses for common objects
—aluminum foil can be molded into
jewelry and shapes. Kids love to use
tape to make funny faces or sculpt fast
food drinking straws into instant art.
Create your own drama, or comedy,
by using air sickness bags and per-
forming a puppet show.
• Bring puppets with you and perform a
show or use them to playfully “bite” or
“kiss”. You can make puppets with
paper bags or socks and a marker.
Perform familiar stories like Three
Pigs.
• Get books or books on CD from the
library before you leave that you can
read to them or that can be read on
CD.
Hopefully you will find these suggestions
helpful. If you would like more information
about traveling with children, check out
MomsMinivan.com. This information was
obtained from an article Traveling with
Children: Are You Having Fun Yet? By Lau-
rel Smith on www.pbs.org/parents/
experts/

Rainy Day Activity

A favorite rainy-day project is the newspa-
per fashion show. But you don’t need a
rainy day to play; set it up outside and set
up the video camera to document your
family’s creativity.
All you need is newspaper, scissors, and
masking tape.
Start by giving each person or team a stack
of newspapers and a pair of scissors. Tip:
Roll sheets of newspaper into tubes, flatten
them, and tape them together for sturdy
base pieces and accessories, such as
waistbands, hat bands, belts, suspenders,
and more.
Once outfits are created, have each person
take turns striding the catwalk to show off
their fashions. You can even award prizes
for “Most Creative,” “Funniest,” and other
silly categories.
Activity obtained from FamilyFun.com.
Children's Neurotherapy Services
CNS Spirit Week
Children's Neurotherapy Services
1087 13th St. SE CNS is having spirit week the week of August 11th– 14th.
Hickory, NC 28602 Each day the therapist will be dressing funny and would
Phone: 828-267-1688 like for all our friends to join us.
Fax: 828-267-1690
Monday August 11th Pajama Day
Lenoir Clinic
144 SE Tremont Park Drive Tuesday August 12th Backwards Day
Lenoir, NC 28645
Phone: 828-754-5550
Wednesday August 13th Mismatch Day
Fax: 828-754-5558
Thursday August 14th Team Spirit Day
Email: help4kids@cnsclinic.com

We look forward to seeing everyone dressed up this

week.

KidSenses
Would you like to take your children
somewhere different for a daily out-
ing? Then try KidSenses. It is lo-
cated in Rutherfordton, NC. Their
exhibits and special workshops are
specially designed to stimulate the
imagination and educate the mind.
Children and adults experience
hands-on as they play, learn and
create together in this exciting envi-
ronment.
They offer daily programs or let you
explore the museum on your own.
They also offer birthday parties and
mini summer camps.
KidSenses is open Tuesday thru Sat-
urday from 9 am to 5 pm and on
Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. General
Admission for all guests is $5 per
person. Annual Memberships are
available.
Check out their website at
www.kidsenses.com to see pictures
of the museum, view the calendar of
events, and get directions. Or call
828-286-2120, to get more informa-
tion.