MAY 1, 2015
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, which was founded in 1927
by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The aim of Better Hearing and Speech Month is to raise awareness
about hearing and speech problems, encouraging people to analyze their
own hearing and speech and to take action if they think there might be
a problem. Treatment can then be given to improve the quality of life in
people with communication problems.
The association offers many resources for patients, health professionals
and members of the public. A section of their website is dedicated to Better
Hearing and Speech Month, which features personal stories about this
month, at www.asha.org.
Better Hearing and Speech Month also encourages parents to identify
possible speech and language problems in their children that can affect a
child’s learning and self-esteem.
How do speech and language develop?
The first three years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing,
is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills.
These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights and
consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.
There appear to be critical periods for speech and language develop-
ment in infants and young children when the brain is best able to absorb
language. If these critical periods are allowed to pass without exposure
to language, it will be more difficult to learn.
What are the milestones for speech and language development?
The first signs of communication occur when an infant learns that a
cry will bring food, comfort and companionship. Newborns also begin to
recognize important sounds in their environment, such as the voice of
their mother or primary caretaker. As they grow, babies begin to sort out
the speech sounds that compose the words of their language. By 6 months
of age, most babies recognize the basic sounds of their native language.
Children vary in their development of speech and language skills. How-
ever, they follow a natural progression or timetable for mastering the skills
of language. A checklist of milestones for the normal development of speech
and language skills in children from birth to 5 years of age can be provided
by a speech/language pathologist or doctor. These milestones help doctors
and other health professionals determine if a child is on track or if he or
she may need extra help. Sometimes a delay may be caused by hearing
loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.
What should I do if my child’s speech or language appears to be
delayed?
Talk to your child’s doctor if you have any concerns. Your doctor may
refer you to a speech-language pathologist, who is a health professional
trained to evaluate and treat people with speech or language disorders. The
speech-language pathologist will talk to you about your child’s communica-
tion and general development. He or she will also use special spoken tests
to evaluate your child. A hearing test is often included in the evaluation
because a hearing problem can affect speech and language development.
Depending on the result of the evaluation, the speech-language patholo-
gist may suggest activities you can do at home to stimulate your child’s
development. They also might recommend group or individual therapy or
suggest further evaluation by an audiologist (a health care professional
trained to identify and measure hearing loss) or a developmental psychol-
ogist (a health care professional with special expertise in the psychological
development of infants and children).
For a free hearing, speech or language screening at the Grand Ronde
Health and Wellness Center, call Sarah Ross at 503-879-2006.
Information provided by Sarah Ross, MS CCC-SLP
SEEKING INFORMATION!
We are looking for information from Tribal members concerning services
you may need, but currently ARE NOT receiving.
We are specifically asking about:
• Hearing aids;
• Additional funding for orthodontics (braces);
• Glasses;
• Dental services;
• Lasik eye surgery.
We will be gathering this information for a few months, so if you are aware
of family members or friends who are enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal members
who need these services, please contact PRC staff at:
• Tauni McCammon – 503-879-1406
• Erica Mercier – 503-879-2080
• Melody Baker – 503-879-2011
• Tresa Mercier – 503-879-2008
This applies to all enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal members, regardless of
where they reside.
S moke S ignals
13
Significant increase seen in
dental visits for children under 5
By Erin Lange, DMD
In the first quarter of 2015, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Tribal Dental Clinic saw a remarkable increase in the number of youths
accessing dental care.
In the first quarter of 2014, the Dental Clinic saw 19 children 5 years
of age and younger. In that same time period (January through March)
of this year, we saw 117.
The 500 percent increase is attributed to many factors, but we really
want to thank the parents and guardians of all our little patients for
understanding the importance of good oral health. We also want to
acknowledge all the hard work that the Head Start program has put into
emphasizing good oral health practices and encouraging dental visits.
By seeing children so early in their lives, we are preventing future
cavities and also helping to prevent development of dental fear,
something that plagues many adults. As the saying goes, an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
More good news is that compared to last year, we are referring far
fewer children, as a percentage, to pediatric clinics for extensive dental
work. Good job parents!
Please spread the word that our Dental Clinic has an open-door pol-
icy for children 5 and under, meaning an appointment is not required
for us to check your child’s teeth.
Checkups and preventive treatments can be accomplished quickly,
so simply bring your children in! If you prefer to schedule, that is fine as
well. Call the Dental Clinic at 503-879-2020 to make an appointment.
Pharmacy Medication
Refills Guidelines
In an effort to ensure our members don’t run out of their medications,
please follow the guidelines listed below:
1. If you are picking up medications at the Grand Ronde Pharmacy and
have refills left on your prescription, please allow three business days
for processing. If there are no more refills, please start your refill request
seven days in advance.
2. In-state mail order refill requests should be started seven days in ad-
vance if you have refills left on your prescription and 10 days in advance
if you don’t have any refills remaining.
3. Out-of-state mail order refill requests should be started 15 days in
advance whether or not you have any refills left on the prescription due
to possible mail service delays.
4. Narcotic/controlled substances refills may be picked up three days in
advance. The mail order service sends narcotic/controlled substances
refills seven days in advance.
Don’t get caught without your medication
Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center Pharmacy hours:
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday.
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
REFILL LINE: 503-879-2342
WALK-IN DENTAL APPOI NTMENTS FOR KIDS <6
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY FOR DENTAL CHECK-UPS FOR KIDS 5 AND
UNDER WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE SEEN AT THE TRIBAL CLINIC.
JUST COME ON IN!
We will check your child’s teeth during any of our clinic hours without an ap-
pointment. Dental check-ups are recommended beginning with the first
tooth!
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Dental Clinic
Phone 503-879-2020
Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 8:00—5:00; Thur 9:30-5:30