Ms. Winebarger, pediatric therapy director, and Ms. Curry, speech therapy assistant, penned the paper “Creating Effective Therapy Tools for Children with Multiple Speech Goals.”
The women found that many of their patients have articulation problems that make it difficult for other people to understand them. They may also have language problems that interfere with their ability to put a sentence together. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be distracted during a treatment session and unable to focus on the therapy materials.
Ms. Winebarger and Ms. Curry said they knew the importance of quick patient progress so family and friends can understand what they say, and of the importance that academic progress not be affected by a child’s speech. So they developed therapy tools that are effective and inexpensive to make and that are enjoyed by the children.
They submitted their ideas to the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association in San Antonio as the vehicle to share the information with their peers, and the association chose their paper for presentation.
The therapy tools that Ms. Winebarger and Ms. Curry will teach other therapists to create will also support pre-literacy and emergent literacy skills.
Ms. Winebarger has been a speech-language pathologist for 18 years and Ms. Curry graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in May 2006. They have been working together with At Home Healthcare to serve the children of East and Northeast Texas.
At Home Healthcare’s pediatric home care program serves acute and chronically ill children and their families in 48 counties. Pediatric offices are located in Tyler, Rockwall, and Texarkana.
First Students
R. Chris Morris and T. Parker Hardy, both 2005 graduates of Hallsville High School, are the first two students to graduate under the East Texas Manufacturers Scholarship. They received their diplomas on Dec. 7 from Texas State Technical College in Marshall
Both students received an associate of applied science degree in instrumentation technology. Both are employed as electrics technicians by FracTech in Longview.
Leaders of local manufacturing companies, facilitated by the Longview Economic Development Corp.¸ created the scholarship in 2005 to help students interested in manufacturing become highly trained and also to fill the workforce needs of the Longview area.
Restaurant Growth
The Texas Restaurant Association announced it expects Texas restaurant industry sales to grow to $33.7 billion in 2008, a 5.8 percent increase.
The association made this announcement as part of the National Restaurant Association’s 2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast. The number of restaurant jobs in Texas will also increase. They are projected to grow by 22.9 percent by 2018.
The restaurant industry is a major driver in both the nation’s and Texas’ economy and a leader in job creation, as the industry enters its 17th consecutive year of real growth, the association said.
“More than 995,000 Texans will be employed in the restaurant industry in our state in 2008,” Richie Jackson, TRA executive vice president and chief executive officer, said. “As the largest private sector employer in the state, the restaurant industry offers exciting career opportunities for many Texans. With industry sales consistently increasing, the restaurant industry continues to play a vital role in the state’s economy.”
On the national level, sales will reach $558 billion in 2008, an increase of 4.4 percent, or 0.9 percent real (inflation-adjusted) growth. This reflects a total economic impact of more than $1.5 trillion, the NRA said.
Restaurant jobs are also on the rise nationally, with an expected 13.1 million employees in 2008. The industry is expected to add two million jobs nationwide in the next 10 years.
“The restaurant industry is entering its 17th consecutive year of real sales growth in 2008, and while the overall economy is slowing, the industry will still show respectable growth,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and chief executive officer of the NRA. “As industry sales continue to increase and its total economic impact exceeds $1.5 trillion, the workforce is also growing. In 2007, we added 400,000 career and employment opportunities, and we expect to add an additional two million in the next decade. With consumers now spending 48 percent of their food budget in restaurants, our industry is a major part of Americans’ lifestyle.”
Business Editor Greg Junek may be reached at 903-596-6280, or by e-mail at business@tylerpaper.com.
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