THE NEURO NEWSLETTER – April 2002

Please visit our sponsor:

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"Thank you for having resources like this on the web for me to go to for help. I really appreciate all the hard work the you have gone to. Some days are better for him then others but we keep on working on it.

Hugs and God Bless!"

- Anonymous reader

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Does your computer mouse frustrate you? Have trouble clicking on all those tiny little buttons?

Using the mouse effectively can be fun (really !). Using it INeffectively can be frustrating and painful.

A few years back, I was helping the county library with their new computer system. It allowed patrons to look up (and check out) books with their web browser. While instructing library patrons I noticed a very interesting pattern with how they used the computer mouse.

Many of the folks who were new to computer moved the mouse with their entire arm and, in sometimes, their whole body. That makes it very difficult to click on all those tiny things on the screen. It can also cause painful fatigue in the shoulder and arm. These people didn't know how to effectively use the mouse. That's not surprising. Where are people supposed to learn this? Mouse University?. Some people pick it up naturally, but most muddle through the difficulty of not using the mouse effectively. They get the job done. But they also get very frustrated. This is even more of a problem for stroke survivors.

Stroke survivors often have difficulty moving their arms and hands. If they don't use the mouse effectively, they may not be able to use it at all.

HOW TO USE THE MOUSE EFFECTIVELY

I hold and move my mouse LIKE I would a PENCIL. My hand rests on it's heel (that pointy bone on the pinky side of your wrist). When I form a letter ( "A", etc.) with a pencil, I do so with my fingers moving the pencil, not with my arm moving my hand.

I do not slide my wrist around to move the mouse. Instead, I move the mouse with my fingers and by rotating my hand around my heel.

I am not a physical therapist and have no idea if this is the best ergonomic way to hold the mouse, but I've found it makes it much easier to use the mouse.

The sites below have more assistance for using the mouse.

MOUSERSIZE : Instruction and practice

Point, Click and Scroll

Seniors Online : Absolute beginner's guide

Ergonomic tips for mouse use

The item below requires Power Point (if you don't know what it is, ignore this link)

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Numbers 'n Sounds is a new program from Bungalow Software.

This program helps the patient with articulation and word-retrieval of numbers of all sorts.

How it works

The goal of this program is for the patient to say simple and complex numbers with minimal assistance.

The program can display any or all of the following "cues" for each of over 5,000 exercises:

• The number ( $456.23)
• The words for the number (four hundred and fifty-six...)
• Speak the words (above) as it displays them.

You can choose which cues it displays.

The program then plays back the patient's speech and the model speech so the patient can hear how s/he sounded compared to the model. This program helps the patient say numbers. It helps them with articulation and word-retrieval of NUMBERS in all their various forms.

FOR MORE INFO on Numbers 'n Sounds visit our website at:

DOWNLOAD A FREE TRIAL from:

Or go to the Bungalow website DOWNLOAD PAGE. This program is File #8 on that page:

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<A HREF="www.caremanager.org">Click here to visit their website</A>

or calling (520) 881-8008.

Tell them you heard about them on Bungalow's NeuroNews newsletter.

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FREE SERVICES FOR SLPS!!!!!

http://www.Speech-LanguagePathologist.org , also known as http://www.SpeechTherapist.net is dedicated to providing information and free services to Speech-Language Pathologists including email, job classifieds, products, courses, message board, guestbook, chatroom, and resource links.

Come see us today!

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(Special thanks to Cheryl Tomoeda, who posted this on the Audult Neuro list serv.)

Dr. Delaina Walker-Batson presented some of her results to date in a TELEROUNDS on February 7, 2001. Her presentation was titled, "Use of Neuropharmacologic Therapy in the Treatment of Aphasia." If you are interested in a copy of this program, videotapes are available for for purchase ($25 each) from the National Center for Neurogenic Communication Disorders at the University of Arizona (520) 621-2097.

You can earn 0.1 ASHA CEUs (self-study) for this program. If you’d prefer to review journal articles related to this topic, here are selected references that would be of interest:

Unwin, H., Walker-Batson, D. Negligible side effects of amphetamine administration in stroke rehabilitation. Stroke, July 2000.

Walker-Batson, D., Unwin, H., Curtis, S., et al. Use of amphetamine in the treatment of aphasia. Restor Neurol Neurosci 4:47-50, 1992.

Walker-Batson, D., Smith, P., Curtis, S., Unwin, H., Greenlee, R.G. Amphetamine paired with physical therapy accelerates recovery from stroke: Further evidence. Stroke 26: 2254-2259, 1995.

Walker-Batson, D. Pharmacotherapy in the treatment of aphasia. In Goldstein, L.B. (ed.). Restorative Neurology: Advances in Pharmacotherapy for Recovery after Stroke. Armonk, NY, Futura Publishing Co., 1998.

Walker-Batson, D. Use of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of aphasia. Brain and Language 71:252-254, 2000.

Dr. Walker-Batson, or her research coordinator, Sandra Curtis, can be reached at:

The Aphasia Center

1810 Inwood Road

Dallas, TX 75235-7299

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This month, it's Inspiration, not Humor.

This was a great offer I found out about and I wanted to let you know as soon as possible. The only spot we had room for was here in the "Inspiration" section.

Stroke Connection Magazine is an award-winning, bimonthly,

publication about stroke for stroke survivors, caregivers and family

members. Provides inspiration, information, resources, and

tools to assist stroke families during their "life after stroke" recovery

process.

Get your free one-year introductory subscription by calling

1-888-478-7653 (1-888-4STROKE) and ask for the Stroke Family Warmline.

Tell 'em you heard about it on the NeuroNews newsletter !