Marnina Ellis & Marisa Portanova: Empowering Communication & Collaboration at Blythedale Children's Hospital

This week, Chris interviews Marnina Ellis and Marisa Portanova, two speech-language pathologists at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, the only independent specialty children’s hospital in New York State! Marnina and Marisa share about their role on the core assistive technology (AT) team, ideas for supporting AAC users and their families outside the hospital, taking a team-based approach to treatment, and more!
 
Before the interview, Chris and Rachel share about starting the school year and how changing school teams often bring a certain amount of new energy to school sites. Chris also shares about one of his favorite things to start the school year - donning the costume of Shadow the Dog, the mascot for his wife’s elementary school!
 
Key Ideas This Week:
 
1. Collaborative Approach to AT and AAC: Marnina and Marisa emphasize the importance of a collaborative approach at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, involving a core AT team that includes speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and a rehab engineer. This team works together to provide comprehensive support to pediatric patients with complex needs, ensuring that assistive technology solutions are tailored to individual requirements and are integrated into the patients' everyday lives.
 
2. Focus on Family and Community Involvement: The interview highlights the hospital's commitment to involving families in the therapy process, empowering them to feel comfortable and capable of using assistive technology with their children. They aim to provide ongoing education and support to families, recognizing that successful communication strategies need to be practiced in all environments, including home and school.
 
3. Make Learning Language Fun: Marnina and Marisa discuss their implementation of group therapy sessions that focus on fun, engaging activities like games and themed literacy projects, which allow children to interact socially while working on communication goals. This creates a supportive, interactive environment that promotes skill development and community building among AAC users.
 
Links From This Episode:
 
TED Talk - Derek Shivers: How To Start a Movement
 
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