Bright Beginnings Pediatric Services

Why do the numbers do that? Mathematics can be a difficult subject for students, because many are not taught to understand how the numbers work. The Discover Math program uses manipulatives, visualization, and dialoguing to help students understand concepts and processes and develop reasoning skills to help them solve problems. This program spans from the basic concepts of number counting and addition all the way to the advanced subjects of algebra and geometry. ... #learningtip #schoolhack #understandingmath #discovermath #numbers #learningathome #lakids #learningtherapy #bbps

Learning requires more than just your brain! It may be difficult for a student to learn because their body has retained primitive reflexes that hinder their ability to learn efficiently. We use a collection of exercises in our Core Learning Skills program to help our students integrate these reflexes so that our students can learn comfortably and functionally. Here is a before and after picture of one of our students performing the "Rocker". By helping to tone this s...tudent's core and back muscles, this exercise will improve a student's sitting posture and increase their attention and concentration. #learningtip #bbps #learningtherapy #corelearningskills #rocker #concentration #posture #schoolhack #lakids

Did you know? The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots who guided and guarded American pilots on bombing missions during World War II. One of these heroes is BBPS Director Stacy Payne’s grandfather-in-law! Edward Tillmon was drafted during his third year of college and sent to the infantry, like many Black soldiers those days, which he says did not want to be part of. Upon hearing about the Tuskegee pilots, Tillmon took and passed tests for navigat...ion, bombardier, and pilot training. He was accepted to the aviation program but due to the era, he was convinced that he would not have a career as a Black pilot in the private sector after the war ended. He decided to go back to college and get a degree. More recently, Tillmon and his fellow airmen spend time speaking to groups of teens and young adults at schools, churches and other organizations. He says, Minority kids are still not equal in this country. We try to convey to them that whatever they want to do they can accomplish. It might not be easy, but you can accomplish it. Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who served as a psychiatric counselor during the Vietnam War, said the Tuskegee Airmen were instrumental in setting the stage for not only desegregating the military but also for making the road easier for women, and to a lesser extent gay soldiers and sailors in later generations. In addition to his 3 grown children, he's got 16 grandkids, 27 great-grandkids, and 2 more due this year. Wow! #blackhistorymonth #tuskegeeairmen #edwardtillmon

Kobe Bryant was an NBA star, humanitarian, poet, filmmaker, coach, and girl dad. Drafted right out of High School at the age of 17, Bryant won five titles as one of the marquee players in the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. men's basketball teams at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2018, Bryant became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the fir...st former professional athlete to be nominated and to win an Academy Award in any category for his film Dear Basketball. Bryant was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in thirteen US cities. We keep his family in our hearts. #blackhistorymonth #kobebryant #2/24

Teletherapy can be tricky for keeping kids engaged and motivated. Mr. Patrick works on increasing a child’s motivation and language use with the help of his puppets! Kids enjoy talking with the puppets, so they speak in longer utterances, imitate, ask questions, take turns... all because they’re having fun. Have you ever interacted with your kiddo using puppets? ... #bbps #talkingtips #speechtherapy #earlyintervention #languagedevelopment #pediatrics #lakids #imitation #turntaking #gestures #followingdirections #puppets

Sensory play all day! Sensory integration in play is another great tool to use that allows your child another outlet to learn and experience the world. It also gives you a chance to expand your child's vocabulary. Bean and rice bins are awesome, inexpensive ways you can integrate sensory play at home. You can dig, find, search, scoop, etc. and find new toys in the bin!... What’s your favorite sensory play? #bbps #talkingtips #speechtherapy #vocabulary #languagedevelopment #pediatrics #lakids #paralleltalk #pretendplay #sensory play

Happy New Year and bye bye 2020! Don’t forget we are closed tomorrow for New Year’s Day and back open on Saturday. Stay safe!

Get to know one of our excellent Therapeutic Learning Coaches, Sarah! Sarah helps our kiddos build a solid foundation of cognitive learning skills, such as executive function, processing, and core learning needed for higher academic success. Learn more about her below! My name is Sarah and I am currently in school at Arizona State University. I have been keeping busy during quarantine by taking care of my houseplants and learning how to make succulent arrangements. ... My favorite part of my job is helping kids reach educational goals that they never imagined they would be able to achieve. My favorite outdoor activities are kiteboarding and tennis. If I could learn to do anything, I would learn how to belay and lead climb so that I can rock climb in Joshua Tree. #bbps #learningtherapist #pediatrics #lakids #languagedevlopment #adhd #autism #earlyintervention #languagedevelopment

Meet one of our spectacular Speech-Language Pathologists, Kanyin! She specializes in feeding and swallowing as well as early intervention. Learn more about her below! My name is Kanyin and I went to Howard University. I've been keeping busy during quarantine by going on bike rides and trying new recipes.... My favorite part of my job is hearing my clients say their first words. I absolutely hate folding laundry. If I could focus on only one project for the next year, I'd figure out how to grow my own garden in my apartment. #bbps #speechtherapist #pediatrics #lakids #languagedevlopment #adhd #autism #earlyintervention #feedingtherapy

Make language development fun! Playing games like this holiday matching game is an awesome way to work on skills like turn taking, pronouns, vocabulary, language expansion, and more! This little guy found the game super motivating and had a blast working on these targets without even realizing it. Targeting pronouns can be difficult for everyone because intuitively you respond from your perspective. When Ms Kathleen teaches pronouns she models the language from the ...child’s point of view. This reduces confusion from whose perspective the child is coming from. What are your favorite turn taking games? #bbps #talkingtips #speechtherapy #vocabulary #languagedevelopment #pediatrics #lakids #turntaking

Who says you need to read books how they’re written? Some kiddos come back to the same stories dozens (hundreds?) of times, so why try out some language enriching strategies to keep things fresh and expansive? When reading a familiar story with your kiddo, try pausing before the end of a phrase and waiting for them fill in the rest, or find silly ways to interact with the book - including pretending to eat the food right off the page! ... Ms Marni’s favorites for interactive reading include No David, Brown Bear, and Pete the Cat! What are your favorites? #bbps #talkingtips #speechtherapy #reading #languagedevelopment #pediatrics #lakids #readwithme #nodavid #brownbear #petethecat

Q: Why can't you trust burritos? A: They tend to spill the beans. This little cutie made a gorgeous bean, cheese and avocado burrito in feeding therapy today!... She loves cheese and avocado (who doesn’t, right?) but legumes are hit or miss. Mom would love for her to incorporate more of them into her diet to up her protein intake since she doesn’t eat much in the way of meats. We decided to capitalize on what she likes and add in black beans and garbanzos, which she is still learning to love. To help her acclimate slowly, we started with one bean in the avo-cheese burrito, then added in two, and then three, until her mouth was used to the taste and feel of the beans. With each bite, she decided what she was ready to try. Had she said she needed to start with of a bean, or even a speck of a bean, we would have started with that. When mom came to pick her up, she requested bean, avocado, and cheese burritos for dinner! I always allow kids to be the boss of what they eat in our sessions. By asking if they think their mouth can handle a food and how big of a piece/bite they can handle, it puts them in control, which decreases anxiety and stress. Stress during mealtimes is no good for parents or kids. It makes mealtimes a distasteful (pun intended) experience and actually decreases appetite. Pro Tip: Letting her be chef creates a sense of ownership over the experience and is totally fun! #feedingtherapy #dysphagia #SLPeeps #nostresseating #kidchef #bbps #pickyeating #pediatrics #feedingtips

Merry Christmas wishes from our fam to yours! Stay safe and we hope Santa is good to you We are closed today and back open tomorrow. #bbps #christmas2020 #safechristmas #pediatrics #lakids

two days until Christmas!

We are SO excited to introduce our newest BBPS family member: Jenny Philp! She is completing her speech-language pathology clinical fellowship with us and has been an awesome addition to our speech team. Get to know her below: My name is Jenny and I went to Arizona State University for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I have been keeping busy during quarantine by taking nightly walks around my neighborhood and having Netflix Party movie nights with friends.... My favorite part of my job is sharing in the excitement when a little one first experiences success with their words or their sounds. One of my favorite quotes is: "It always seems impossible until it's done." - Nelson Mandela. I think the thing I miss most about being a kid is getting home from school, having a snack, and going out to the backyard to lay on our trampoline and read a book. There's just something about the whimsy of reading about fantastical worlds and people as a kid that isn't quite the same as an adult. #bbps #pediatrics #speechtherapy #earlyintervention #lakids #adhd #learning

Happy Hanukkah from our family to yours! We hope you have a safe a lovely holiday week. #pediatrics #speechtherapy #learningtherapy #hanukkah2020 #bbps

Meet one of our amazing Speech-Language Pathologist-Assistants, Bryar! We are thrilled that she will be joining our speech team for her clinical fellowship this coming year. My name is Bryar Cochran and I went to California State University, Long Beach. I have been keeping busy during quarantine by finishing my master’s program and planning my wedding.... My favorite part of my job is giving my kiddos a voice through any modality possible. Also, creating life-long meaningful connections with my clients and all their family members. What do you want to be when you grow up?A mom! I cannot wait to start a family of my own. What is something you learned in the last week? Mental health is SO important to talk about, especially in the world’s current state. Check on your loved ones, a simple text could change someone’s day #bbps #speechtherapist #pediatrics #lakids #languagedevlopment #adhd #autism #earlyintervention

This week’s Talking Tip Tuesday is an activity for school-aged kiddos from one of our awesome SLPAs, Bryar! Activity: Walk through how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Goal: This advanced activity pulls together lots of goals, including sequencing, syntax, semantics, oral expression, organization/planning, and providing appropriate/ important details.... Key tip: Learning at home can get monotonous when targeting the same goals for an extended period of time. I recommend finding fun, silly ways to keep your kiddos engaged and laughing. These two could not stop laughing about this activity throughout the entire session. #bbps #talkingtips #speechtherapy #languagedevelopment #adhd #processing #syntax

Our warm coat drive was such a success! Thank you SO much to our Bright Beginnings families for sending in over 70 coats, sweaters, and jackets for us to provide to a LA county elementary school in need. Thank you thank you! #coatdrive #bbps #lakids #pediatrics

When smart children or teens struggle in school or have to work harder or longer than they should in order to keep up or make good grades, it is almost always because there are one or more areas of underlying processing (or learning) skills that are not supporting them well enough. Accommodations in school and tutoring after school may help students to get by, but just putting a bandaid on the problem is not the answer (and it is not fair to the student). These underlying pr...ocessing (learning) skills can be dramatically improved or completely corrected through specific brain training - ending the need for years of tutoring. With the right kind of help, children and adults with learning and attention challenges can work to their full potential comfortably and independently. If you suspect your child is falling behind in school, Bright Beginnings can help you uncover the problem and start the process of fixing it. While the world and schools are moving at a slower pace, use this time to help your child bridge the gap between their performance and their potential! . . . #closethegap #adhd #dyslexia #learningdisability #readinghelp #writinghelp #mathhelp #tutoring #homeschool #virtualschool #covidschool #speechandlanguage

What’s really going on when smart students struggle in school? When a smart child or teen has to work harder and longer than they should in order to keep up or make the grade, it is almost always because there are one or more areas of underlying processing (or learning skills) that are not supporting them well enough. Accommodations at school and tutoring at home may help students get by, but just coping with a problem throughout school isn’t the solution (or necessary). Th...ese underlying processing (learning) skills can be dramatically improved or completely corrected through specific and targeted brain training. With the right kind of help, children and adults with learning and attention challenges can work to their potential, comfortably and independently. Make the most of our slowed down world right now and use this time of remote learning to boost your child’s brain power and academic performance. Call Bright Beginnnings today to find out how: 323-525-0247 or schedule a director call on the web at www.BrightBeginningsLA.com . . . #levelup #lessenthegap #virtualschool #adhd #dyslexia #speechandlanguge #executivefunctioning #learningdifferences #brainboost #cognitivetherapy #readingskills #writingskills #mathhelp

Tip #7 in our series 7 Tips for Starting the Virtual School Year Off Right Keep It Consistent! In this time of uncertainty, keeping your child’s routine consistent will bring a sense of calm and order. Here are a few common sense ideas:... Wake your child up and get him to bed at the same time every day. This will help regulate his internal clock and promote good sleep (which is a neccesity, not a luxury)! Get her fully dressed and brush her hair for the school day. This will help her get in the right mindset for the business of learning. Jammies are for relaxing. Start each day with a protein packed breakfast to feed the brain. Save the sugary cereals for the weekend. Try pre-packing snacks and lunches for the kids just like you did during in-person school. This will not only reduce stress for you (it’s a pain to stop your virtual work day to make snacks and lunch) but it will also keep your kiddos from reaching for the junk food during the school day. . . . #homeschoolersofinstagram #virtualschool #speechandlanguage #learningdifferences #adhd #dyslexia #learningcenter #mommyhacks #bbpsla #learningpods

Tip #6 in our series 7 Tips for Starting Your (Virtual) School Year Off Right Set A Homework Routine Designate a set time for homework and don’t deviate from it. Guard it with your life! Having a non-negotiable homework time will reduce conflicts and pushback. Restrict phone calls, device time and even doctor’s appointments during homework hour(s).... Pick a time that works for your child’s routine as well as your own work-from-home routine. Schedule homework time earlier in the evening if possible. A tired kiddo will take twice as long to do the simplest of tasks. Even if there is no homework assigned (we’ve all heard that one!) use the designated time to study for upcoming quizzes or tests, work on upcoming projects or reports, read for fun, journal or do something creative like draw. Plan for a break in between school and homework time. Kids need 30-45 minutes of downtime to have a snack, recharge, and get set for the next phase of the day. . . . #virtualschool #homeschool #adhd #dyslexia #speechandlanguage #executivefunctioning #auditoryprocessingdisorder #bbpsla #losangeleskids #brainboost #parentinghacks

Bright Minds Learning Tip #5 in our series 7 Tips For Starting Your (Virtual) School Year Off Right : Take Movement Breaks It’s sooo hard for kids to sit and pay attention to a 2-D teacher on a computer all day and even worse for kids with #learning and #attention challenges. Check out your child’s daily routine and plan out ways for him to get moving in between classes or subjects. Even 30 seconds of purposeful movement can energize the brain, organize the body, and help ...improve focus and attention. Here are a few of our faves that can be done quickly and in very tight spaces: Do 25 Jumping Jacks. Researchers at East Carolina University found that physical activity in the classroom actually keeps kids more on task. This kind of physical activity get the heart rate up, gets more oxygen to the brain, and even encourages the growth of more brain cells! Hold a 20 second plank pose. Planks develop core strength and stability which leads to better gross and fine motor control (think: neater writing), improved breathing, and all the endorphins released will combat the stress of remote learning. Cross Crawls for 45 seconds helps integrate the right and left hemispheres of the brain and promotes whole brain learning needed for better reading, writing, and math. Soothe and refresh overworked, stressed out eyes by using the Palming Technique. Vigorously rub your hands for together to warm them up a bit then very gently place your palms over your eyes. With a relaxed back and shoulders, rest your elbows on the desk and breathe deeply in this position for 20-30 seconds. Be careful to not put any pressure on the eyes or cheekbones. Aaaahhh. . . . #learningcenter #learningtips #backtoschool #homeschoolersofinstagram #adhd #brainhealth #dyslexia #speechandlanguage #slpeeps #movementtherapy #pandemiclearningpods #pandemic2020 #bbpsla #losangeleskidstherapy

Tip #4 Get Your Tech On Track! These days, we can’t really do school without a computer or device and good, stable internet. Consider these 3 things to optimize learning and avoid connectivity fails: Make sure your connection is stable. Position your kiddo as close to the router as possible or, better yet, hardwire directly to the modem. At our office, we’ve used 100 ft. ethernet cords to plug in for therapy sessions!... Invest in a pair of headphones (with or without a microphone). We’ve found some really great ones with a mic for under $30 on Amazon! Headphones help your kiddo focus on processing what the teacher is saying while limiting distraction from noisy siblings, dogs barking, and mom or dad teleworking! Manage your audio settings on Zoom to suppress background noise. By going into the ‘Advanced Settings,’ you can reduce ambient background sounds to make listening easier. This makes for a more pleasant listening experience. . . . #learningtips #themoreyouknow #adhd #backtoschool #dyslexia #executivefunctions #learningdisabilities #uniquelearners #schooltips #virtualschool #auditoryprocessing #speechtherapy

Bright Minds Learning Tip #3 Set a visual schedule. It’s tough for grown ups to work on a computer all day long and it’s even harder for kids. Sitting in one spot at home for school can seem never ending.... Making a visual schedule for the day with the time and activity to be completed can break up the school day into smaller, more manageable chunks. It can help your student see what he’s already accomplished, what’s next on the list, and how long he has to spend on each task. You can use a whiteboard, chalkboard, or even a piece of paper to plan out the tasks for the day and at what time they’ll happen. For non-readers, swap out words for pictures. Oh, the joy when he gets to cross an item off the schedule! Don’t forget to include breaks, lunch, and homework time on the schedule. The Bright Beginnings Therapeutic Learning Coaches and SLPs use visual schedules all the time in our sessions with students. We like to save a fun reward, game, or yummy treat for the last item on the schedule. . . . #learningtips #executivefunctioning #auditoryprocessing #speechandlanguage #dyslexia #schoolhacks #virtualschool #homeschool #laparents #cognition #school2020

Bright Minds LearningTip #2 Have everything your child needs for the school day within reach! Does your kiddo sit down for school or homework time and then constantly need to get up to find something they forgot? A book? An eraser? A pencil sharpener? Having to go in search of materials can break a student’s momentum before they even start their work. Things you’ll want within arm’s reach each virtual school day:... Fully sharpened pencils, pens, highlighters & erasers A ruler Textbooks and notebooks Extra lined paper and scratch paper Special materials like a protractor, compass, or scientific calculator Going in search of materials in the middle of instruction or homework time can lead to BIG distractions (think, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie + ). Having easy access to everything your student needs will help keep her on track. And encouraging her to return those materials to their designated spot (see Tip #1) when tidying up will ensure all is in place for tomorrow! . . . #learningtips #bbpsla #adhd #homeschoolhacks #executivefunctions #uniquelearners #learningdisability #homeschool #auditoryprocessing #speechandlanguage #virtualschool #losangeleskids

Bright Minds Learning Tip #1 Create a special workspace where your child can do schoolwork and homework that is: Comfortable... Well lit Quiet/free from distractions Clutter free Desks are hard to come by these days but you can create a good study space at a kitchen or dining room table. Make sure your student has supportive seating that is comfortable and appropriate for their size. Use a step stool for foot support if their feet don’t reach the ground. A lamp or task light is a must if the room doesn’t have good overhead or natural light. A tiered storage cart, crate, or simple box can be used to store books, paper, and supplies when not needed or when the school day is over. This will keep a tidy environment and a clear mind. . . . #learningtips #bbpsla #adhd #executivefunctions #backtoschool #dyslexia #learningdisability #uniquelearners #schoolhacks #homeschool #auditoryprocessing #speechandlanguage

Did you know that your child’s struggles in school could be related to their early speech and language challenges? Check out Stacy’s discussion with Jill Stowell of Stowell Learning Center where she talks about: what to look for during early speech and language development... the connection between speech, language and learning challenges the underlying skills that support language and reading ways to support early language development FAQs about speech and learning challenges Watch the video in our bio and check out our website for more information on our speech, language, and learning services! #bbps #adhd #autism #pediatrics #losangeles #speechtherapy #earlyintervention #feeding #learning #learningchallenges #development