HAPPY KIDS HIKE!

Join our Occupational Therapists, Barbara Talbert & Natalie Udwin, for a hiking adventure!

Being outside includes physical, sensory and emotional benefits. So let’s get outside, take an adventure, make some friends, and play!

Where: ShelbyBottoms Park  When: June 8th, 10:00—12:00 p.m.

Where:  Hidden Lake Trail, Bellevue  When: June 9th 12:00-2:00p.m.

We will provide water.  Please bring a snack.

RSVP: info@jonestherapyservices.com , Or 615-614-8833

* Make sure to pack bug spray and sunscreen.

I am honored to be part of the skilled Jones family. I obtained my undergraduate degree in marketing/management from Park University and my master’s degree in speech and hearing science from Tennessee State University. Speech-language pathology found me and I fell in love with it.

My youngest daughter was diagnosed with a speech sound disorder at the age of three.   She is nine years old and still has some articulation challenges. I was a first hand witness to her communication, literacy and confidence struggles. She would not speak to any unfamiliar listeners for fear that they would not understand her. She is still  a little shy today but speech therapy has brought her extremely far. I was so inspired by my daughter and speech-language pathology that I returned to school and earned my pre-requisite coursework to apply for graduate school in speech, and here I am today.

Outside of work, my whole world is my two daughters, my husband, and our rescued pup. I am either involved in what my active daughters are taking interest in or hunting with my husband. I am a vegetarian but I participate in “Hunt for the Hungry”; donating the meat to underprivileged families.

Prior to working at Jones, I was employed by Tullahoma City Schools in middle Tennessee. I have worked with children with special needs for six years.  I trained intensely with an Autism specialist in a classroom distinctly designed for this population. I learned many strategies that carry over into my field today in speech.

Recently, one of my client’s mother told me that her son “has improved so much with speech therapy”.  I feel very lucky to be in this profession. I love what I do and sometimes I cannot believe I get paid to make this difference in peoples’ lives!

Hi!

My name is Katie Markey, and I am a speech-language pathologist at Jones Therapy Services.  Jones Therapy has been my home since late December 2011.  Prior to working at Jones, I worked with geriatric patients in a rehabilitation facility in Columbia, Tennessee; however, I could not deny my love for working with children.  My husband’s job brought us to Franklin, Tennessee after we both graduated with our master’s degrees from Western Carolina University.  For those of you who do not know where that is, Western Carolina is located in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.  I spent six years living in the mountains during my undergraduate and graduate studies, and I loved every minute of it!  Being a girl that grew up in the big city of Atlanta, moving to the mountains was a big culture shock at first, but it did not take me long before I realized “mountain life” really isn’t that bad.  Hiking for a few hours after a long day of classes was a great way to ease my stress, and training for three half marathons was way more fun when you get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of God’s country.  I feel very confident that my no fuss, down to earth life in western North Carolina helped shape who I am today.

As I mentioned above, I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.  I am the youngest in my family and have two amazing older brothers.  My family is very special to me, and you will probably hear me talk about them often.  I married my middle school sweetheart, and I love him more and more every day.  My husband and I love to spend weekends being with family or friends.  We also spend a lot of time outside hiking or taking our dog on walks.   Anytime we can be active and outside, while also spending time together, is a perfect day for us!

All my life, I knew I wanted to work in a profession that afforded me the opportunity to work with people with disabilities.  I grew up with a brother with a rare eye disease that robbed him of his central and lower peripheral vision when he was 9-years-old.  This has been a huge influencing factor on why I do what I do.  As a professional, I feel my personal experiences with my brother have equipped me to be a better friend, listener, and therapist.  I can relate to the personal struggles a family goes through when they have a child or sibling with a disability, while also providing professional input and advice in treatment strategies.

So if you are ever in our office, feel free to stop in and say Hi!  Maybe I will invite you to go hiking with me!

My name is JoAnne Berns and I am a speech-language pathologist at Jones Therapy Services. I hold both a Bachelor’s of Elementary Education and Master’s of Speech-Language Pathology from Vanderbilt University. My husband and I met as undergraduates and we decided to settle down in Nashville after I completed graduate school.

I have always had an enthusiasm for working with children, particularly those with special needs. I first discovered the field of speech-language pathology when my younger brother was diagnosed with a speech-language disorder. During my student teaching I became acutely aware of the difficulties, both academically and socially, that children with speech-language disorders faced in the classroom. Because of these experiences I was compelled to become a speech-language pathologist.

Outside of the clinic, I tutor reading at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and work on a research project with the Vanderbilt Child Language & Literacy Lab. I also enjoy volunteering with my husband at Children’s Kindness Network, a registered non-profit organization that teaches kindness to young children through Moozie the cow.

For fun, my husband and I cheer on the Commodores in basketball and football. My husband loves the games and I love cheering on my younger sister, a senior at Vanderbilt, as she performs with the dance team during halftime. We often visit my family in Louisville, KY, which is where I attended high school after growing up in Long Island, NY and Charlotte, NC. I am also a member of the Nashville Delta Gamma Alumnae group. My hobbies include reading, singing, and bargain hunting.

I am very fortunate to work with so many wonderful children and families everyday here at Jones Therapy Services.

I am proud to be a part of the Jones Therapy Services team! I did not always know I wanted to be a speech-language pathologist, but it turned out to be the perfect job for me. Everyday, I sit cross-legged on the floor, blow bubbles, play Go Fish, and learn the names of the trains on Thomas and Friends.  More importantly, I am privileged to play a small part in helping children communicate more effectively with their families and friends.

I grew up in Jacksonville, FL where my happily retired parents still live.  I have a Bachelor’s degree from University of Florida (GO GATORS!) and a Master’s degree from the Florida State University.   After graduation in 2004, I moved to Baltimore, MD where I lived with my sister (who is also my best friend) and worked for the Howard County Infants and Toddlers program.  This job taught me that parents are truly their children’s best teachers and how I can help parents help their children.  In 2009, I moved back to Florida, and I worked for PATCHES PPEC.  At this childcare for medically fragile children, I worked with infants just released from the NICU, toddlers with rare syndromes, and adolescents with profound delays.  This job taught me how to work on a medical team and cemented my interests in working with infants and patients with feeding difficulties.

When a 5-year-old boy who has been living in foster care for much of his life spontaneously gives me a hug, I feel as if I am making a difference in the life of a child.  When a parent of a toddler recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder says, “We love speech,” I know I am making a difference in the life of a whole family!

Click below for a great clip from USA Today on air travel tips for children with Autism!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/04/17/flying-with-autism-airport-program-helps-affected-children/2088367

Airport Travel Tips from the Jones Family!

10 Helpful Tips when flying:

1. Before you purchase your ticket, think about seating arrangements. It might be wise to sit in the front of the plane to eliminate issues with kicking, bouncing, etc.

3. Call the airline in advance, and tell them you will be traveling with someone who has special needs. Some airlines have “special assistance coordinators, and almost all have “wheelchair assistance”. Many airlines provide Assistance Programs for a minimal fee which can be worth the extra costs.

6. Pack snacks and drinks! This will help with any issues with patience. Also, bring candy and/or gum to pressure issues.

7. Take a trip to the airport so they are a little familiar “before” the trip. Feel free to take pictures, and review them when you get home.

8. Know the details of your  Return Flight. Look at the airport, parking, time to get there, and situated, and the numbers for assistance there.

9. Check the latest TSA regulations the night before leaving so going through security runs smoothly. Once you are there, alert security about your child’s issue before going through.

Touching poem written by one of our adult patients who is receiving voice therapy as a result of issues secondary to Parkinson’s Disease.  We are thankful she agreed to let us share!

          Speech …speed … and stutters (with apologies to the book Eats. Shoots & Leaves)

Speech therapy is tough and I am only about half way

There is not much more (no pun intended) that I can say

 

I have been able to increase my volume and my range of pitch

But my inability to hear the latter has definitely caused a hitch

 

My assigned goal now is to really slow it down when I speak

As I normally talk very fast, my words sound more like greek

 

At times when I really stutter, I’d just love to be Mel Tillis’s clone

That he stutters terribly except when he sings, is not widely known

 

As many of you are aware, for me to sing miracles would have to abound

As I have been told all my life “just lip sing” and don’t make a sound

 

I’ll continue to compose these little verses from time to time

For It is truly therapeutic for me to put my woes in rhyme

Join  us, April 11th at Christ Community Church, for “Take Home Tools for Children on the Autism Spectrum”. 

Ginger Jones & Katie Markey will provide everyday tools for speech & language needs. Barbara Talbert, our new Occupational Therapist, will share her tools on social skills and feeding needs.

Christ Community Church   •  1215 Hillsboro Rd. in Franklin, TN 37069

Directions to Christ Community Church