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      • The Beacon
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BLOG​

Meet Occupational Therapist, Elizabeth (Bubba)!

4/20/2022

 
Elizabeth (Bubba), occupational therapist, shares her story!
"I was placed at Little Light House for my occupational therapy doctoral capstone project last February, and shortly after graduating school, I began working as an OT here. One thing I always say about Little Light House to people who ask me is that everyone here is doing OT, whether they realize it or not. I even feel like the OT’s are doing a little bit of teaching. What this means is that everybody here is doing a little bit of everything - speech, OT, PT, and teaching - all together. The disciplines here really are so fluid, and it definitely is a transdisciplinary approach. It is cool to see. The kids are getting every discipline all day long, and it is so beneficial for them. Everything here is very inclusive, and we are all working together on everything the kids need all the time. 

One of the big things that I focus on for my overall OT treatment is getting the kids as independent as possible. Things like feeding themselves, following directions, participating in their school routine, playing with toys, putting objects into containers, color, etc. can help them gain independence. When I work one on one with the kids, they love to sit and bounce on the therapy ball. The whole time they are having a blast bouncing, they don’t realize I am actually helping them to engage their stomach or core muscles for better balance. I may have them put shapes into a shape sorter or do a simple shape puzzle to work on grasping while they sit on the ball as well. I have found that bouncing on the ball can be used as a reward for participating in an activity.
​The children in the yellow room are all under age 3, so developmentally, I am working on things like pointing, using two fingers in a pincer grasp to pick something up rather than them grabbing it with their hold hand, or picking up their food and bringing it to their mouth. There are so many ways to play with a child that can promote their development, and that is why it is so much fun.

 I actually feel like today I experienced one of my most favorite days since working here. A little boy I was working with started crawling for the first time. It was like I could just see it click for him. He got up on his hands and knees and crawled toward what he wanted. I was at such a loss for words when I saw it! It is things like that that make it so worthwhile working here. You will think, I wonder when this will click, and then it does, and you see a child do something that you have never seen them do before. All of sudden they are talking when they weren’t talking before, or feeding themselves for the first time, etc. Kids are always advancing and making improvements, even in as little time as a week, and it is so cool to see that happen.
​
I feel like LLH is the ultimate place for a child with special needs. The children here will get what they need. We have children with varying needs and diagnoses, but they are all getting treated equally, while still getting what they need individually. If a child needs it, LLH makes it happen. They find the funds. They find the people, and they do it. There really is no place like Little Light House!"

Meet Our Speech Pathologist, Terri!

4/15/2022

 

Terri, Speech Pathologist, Shares Her Story

"Little Light House is a mission, and it is an amazing place. It is so true that it makes just as much or more of an impact on our lives as it does on the kids and families lives."
“I am the speech pathologist and the lead therapist at Little Light House. I have been here pretty much since the beginning when LLH opened their doors in Mississippi in 2006. I had a home health patient, and her mom asked if I could start seeing her at this new school they were starting instead of coming to their house. I agreed, and I came with her to the very first class, seeing her once a week there. One day, the director at the time, Maureen Harbison, told me that they had lost their speech therapist. She looked at me and said, “You are a speech pathologist. Do you want to work for us?” So, I took the job and started in 2007. I have been here for 14 years now. 
​
I have been the lead therapist for two years now. It had never been a position before then, but as the therapy team grew, there was a need for that. I guess I wear two hats. One hat is trying to really coordinate our therapists and teachers so that the kids get the most benefit out of all disciplines. I help the therapists understand what is going on on the education side of things, and then I help the teachers understand what is going on on the therapy side of things. It has really made a huge difference in the care and education that we all provide to the kids. My other hat, the one I love the most, is working with kids directly. That is my absolute love when it comes to my job as a speech pathologist. 

I am in a classroom every day. I sit in on circle time to help the kids communicate, I help the teachers learn how to help kids communicate with their communication devices, do a language group in the classrooms, and help teach the kids American Sign Language. I also love doing feeding, and I sit in on snack time and lunchtime to work with the kids on developing their oral-motor skills and feeding. I also pull kids for one on one speech therapy during the day. I help teach them language or give them a way to communicate and give them a voice. 
​
The difference between speech and OT or PT is that OT and PT can take a child and physically help them go through motions such as crawling or grasping. With speech, I am not able to physically put them through the motion of speaking. The children have to enjoy what they are doing. You have to engage with them, help them learn to trust you, and you have to make it fun for them. Most of the kids we see are nonverbal, especially when they start at LLH. Helping them feel comfortable and making sure there is absolutely no pressure to communicate is important. My job is really giving them the desire to and encouraging them to communicate in fun ways.
​
​​I make the activities fun and they don’t realize they are even getting speech therapy. For example, I have a lot of fun, sensory toys that light up or spin, and the kids love them. I may put a child on a spinner and spin them around then stop, encouraging the child to then communicate that they want more, “go” or “stop”, etc. When a child is excited or having fun, they are more likely to communicate.
Research has shown that your brain neurons fire better or faster and you make better brain connections when you are happy. I have just seen it over time that when a child is happy, those connections are going to be made and they are going to be able to communicate better. It is very very cool and rewarding to see. 
​
One of my favorite memories working at LLH was treating a little boy several years ago who had Cerebral Palsy and no way to communicate. You could tell how smart he was. I mean, he was super bright and always happy. I got him a communication device, and by the time he graduated from LLH, he was reading and spelling with his device. He went to public school the next year, and his mom texted me one day and said, “You are going to love this.”

​She told me that his class had had a spelling test that day, but the teacher forgot to turn the volume off on his communication device. Apparently, all the kids in his class could hear him spelling words, and they all had cheated off of him. When the teacher started grading their papers, she noticed it was unusual that everyone had made a 100 on the test, then realized that it was because the volume on his communication device hadn’t been turned off. It made me laugh so hard, and I was just so happy to hear her share that with me! It is hands down my favorite memory. 

We have grown exponentially since I started. The number of kids we served increased, going from one classroom to now five. We have moved from building to building over the years because we outgrew every space we were in. My favorite part is that the therapy team now has six people instead of three people who only worked part-time. We have enough therapists now to serve every classroom, which is amazing. It took years to get to where we are with our staff, being more coordinated and all on the same page as a team now.

We put in a lot of effort to get our curriculum all together so that it not only was incorporated by the teachers, but also included speech, OT, and PT. Our therapists are now totally involved in the classrooms and use the curriculum to guide their activities as well. Part of our mission is to be transdisciplinary, meaning we all work together, and we definitely live up to that. 

LLH has always been very Christ-centered, and that is the biggest part of this ministry, being able to teach the kids about Jesus. It has stayed Christ-centered since the beginning, and that is really a hard thing to do. We have been intentional to make sure that is the case, and that is huge. 

This place means everything to me. It is my life, and it is my passion. LLH is a mission, and it is an amazing place. It is so true that it makes just as much or more of an impact on our lives as it does on the kids and families lives. I really do feel like everybody that comes through our door grows spiritually and gains a family. There is NO place like Little Light House!"

We Get to Erase Their “Nevers”: Tammy Tells Her Story

4/13/2022

 
Written by Kali Russell, Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student at University of MS Medical Center
Sixteen years ago, in January 2006, Little Light House of Central Mississippi opened its doors. The nonprofit, Christian developmental center began with the mission to serve children from birth to six years old with special needs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Maureen Harbison relocated to Mississippi from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she had volunteered at Little Light House of Tulsa.

After relocating, she immediately saw that Mississippi was lacking in the services offered to individuals with special needs, and children with special needs in particular, and she felt called to make a change. After raising money for a few years, Maureen started the affiliate location in Rankin County, Mississippi, which was housed inside of a church near the Reservoir, with just six children in one classroom with one teacher.

After being encouraged by Maureen to volunteer, Tammy Tadlock walked through the doors of Little Light House of Central, Mississippi with no idea what would come next. Six months later, she became an associate teacher with no experience working with children. Sixteen years later, Tammy still works at Little Light House, and has not only seen the change within the organization, but also within herself.
 
The following January, in 2007, the organization added a second classroom, and throughout the years, they were slowly able to open five classrooms. “Every time we gain enough funding, we add a classroom. In sixteen years, we grew from one classroom with six students, and four employees, to now being able to serve 40 children in 5 classrooms with 22 staff members.


Our staff includes occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists, and certified teachers,” says Tammy. There are currently over 60 children on our waiting list, and the current time it takes to get off of that list is 18 months to 2 years. It is devastating for families to hear this when calling. We want to instill hope in them, and as we grow, we can continue to serve their children as well as them.”
$17,000 a year. That is what it would cost for each child to attend Little Light House of Central, Mississippi, but it is TUITION-FREE. The care that children with special needs require and deserve is not easy to find in Mississippi.  Many two income households suffer because one parent must stay home, as many daycares or facilities are not equipped or willing to provide that level of care.

Tammy states, “When parents learn of their child’s diagnosis, they often feel alone and unsure of what to do or where to turn. They frequently hear all the things their child will NEVER be able to do. We celebrate everything here. We get to erase their “Nevers.” We are where probabilities and possibilities meet. Parents may hear, ‘Oh, your child probably won’t do this and they won’t do that,’ but at Little Light House all things are possible. What about that same mom whose little boy was told he would never walk, yet walked down the aisle with his walker at graduation? We celebrate everything here.”
 
Little Light House serves forty children, with teachers and therapists working together in the classrooms, for five hours a day, four days a week, and the impact it has on each child during crucial learning years is substantial. Tammy states, “One of the things I love about Little Light House is that our parents get to meet and talk with other parents who have those same fears and questions, and they also meet parents who have already been where they are. It is a support group that God has waiting for you.”

​The organization also prioritizes being an advocate for each child after they graduate and transition into the school district. “Parents may send a communication device with their child to their new school, but if the teacher is stressed with helping other kids, she may not have sufficient time to learn how to use it. So, we offer training courses for educators so they can be prepared to help children with devices when the time comes.”
 
“We would not be here without the community. From donations of cleaning and classroom supplies to money that allows us to pay a salary for a teacher or therapist, it all goes right back into supporting these children. We trust God and know He is going to supply for our needs,  and His timing is perfect,” says Tammy. Support from the community is allowing Little Light House to make a change in Mississippi and in the lives of the children with special needs, their families, and their communities, who need and deserve it.

Meet Our Occupational Therapist, Lynn!

4/12/2022

 

Lynn, Occupational Therapist, Tells Her Story

“I have been an occupational therapist at Little Light House since 2015. After working for the school district for many years, one of my former coworkers told me about LLH. When I interviewed for the OT position, I immediately knew this was where I was meant to be.

I remember one night I woke up in the middle of the night and had this thought that I needed to help children with special needs find a place to go to daycare or school. I saw how the children I was treating in my school district at the time struggled to find care, and parents struggled to find a place for their child to attend that would not only care for them but teach them and nurture them. I ended up staying eight more years at my school district job, then when I found out about Little Light House, I knew God had been preparing me for the moment I would become the OT there.

​My best memory of working as an OT here was seeing a child graduate from LLH that had started with me when she was 8 months old. When she got here she was not able to grasp any of my toys, and she wasn’t walking. I had to meet her where she was and adapt some of my toys at first, and by the time she graduated when she was 6 years old, she was able to write and use scissors. I was amazed when I watched her grow leaps and bounds over those six years. She is now in regular Kindergarten. 

In our yellow room, our youngest children are usually working on things like pointing with an isolated finger, trying to get them to imitate some of my movements after watching me do the task first during group therapy, helping them form more of an arch in their hands for better grasping and fine motor development, and helping them to participate. My job is to meet the child where they are. What can they do? I start there, and help them progress, celebrating them the whole time. 
​Each week, I will bring on a couple of activities that focus on one particular thing, such as stringing beads one week or stacking blocks, and grasping small objects another week. During group therapy, the teachers are able to see the way I present the activities to the whole group, but also the way I have to adapt it for each child in the group I go from child to child. For example, I may loosen something for one child so it is easier, and then I may help another child by placing my hand on top of theirs to assist them so they can each be successful. 

I am able to help the teachers see different ways to help each child, such as explaining different adaptations or ways to do an activity to promote their ability to participate in it.  For example, the little girl I referenced previously was the only one in her class that wasn’t able to sit up at one point, and I was able to help figure out a way to get her sitting up and able to participate with the class as much as possible. If they were all sitting up, she was sitting up. If they were all at the table, she was at the table. It is so important for everyone to be able to be included. 

One way my job as an OT fits into the LLH environment, aside from typical one on one therapy, is working within the classroom directly with the teacher to help figure out a way to make sure each child is able to participate in all activities. A lot of people don't think about school and play being a child's main occupation, but participating in school IS an occupation. Sharing with peers and engaging in whatever is going on in the classroom is an occupation. 

​Little Light House is just a part of me. It is where I am called to be, and where God has led me to be. I have grown in my faith as well while working here. This place is truly amazing."

Camille Shares Her Story

4/12/2022

 
"There is so much hope here, and we see miracles everyday of kids that have been told they can’t and they do.”
Camille, Orange Room Teacher 
“I am the teacher in the orange room. My son was in the first class sixteen years ago, so that was my introduction to Little Light House. I have personally worked here since 2015. Since I have been here, my perspective of LLH has been through the eyes of a parent, a volunteer, an assistant teacher, and now as a head teacher. This place is amazing, and it gets better and better every single year. 

I love how the Biblical curriculum is intertwined into every aspect of the day here. Kids are learning to walk, talking about walking through the Red Sea, and kids are learning to sing Bible songs. That has been so amazing. ​I always say the Little Light House is like an onion, and there are so many layers to this. ​

Speaking as a parent whose child attended LLH, the family interactions are so incredible. One family may know something that another family needs to know, and the connections and friendships really develop a bond between everyone involved here. Everybody is kind of in the same boat. Their child might not have the same diagnosis, but they are special needs parents.

​Being a teacher, I have found so much joy in seeing the hope for each parent and child. Parents can finally know that their child can go to school, their child can learn, their child can have friends and play with peers, and their child can do what their siblings may be doing. There is so much hope here, and we see miracles everyday of kids that have been told they can’t and they do.”

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Little Light House 
Central Mississippi
​
 6000 Old Canton Road, 
Jackson, MS 39211
​Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13662, 
Jackson, MS 39236-3662
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Ph: (601) 956-6131
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Little Light House Central Mississippi is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit Christian Developmental Center for children with special needs, age birth through six years of age. All gifts to Little Light House Central Mississippi are tax-deductible, less goods and services received.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS: Little Light House-Central Mississippi is a non-profit Christian Developmental Center for children with special needs, birth through six years of age. The Little Light House does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, or medical diagnosis (unless it affects the child’s ability to attend on a regular basis) in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other school programs. Some behavioral conditions may be evaluated on an individual basis. Little Light House assures that all children’s records will be maintained as confidential.