Children’s Environmental Health: What All SLPs and Audiologists Need to Know
Stacy Antoniadis, MA, CCC/SLP, MPH
Learning and developmental disabilities afflict approximately one in six children in the U.S. Exposure to environmental contaminates such as mercury and PCBs adversely affect the developing nervous system leading to disability and school failure. Recent studies indicate that the incidence of learning and developmental disabilities (LDDs) is rising dramatically, affecting approximately one in six children in the U.S. under the age of 18. Also, studies show that learning and behavioral problems are more common in children from poor minority neighborhoods which are disproportionately impacted by environmental health threats. Given this knowledge, protecting children from exposures to neurotoxicants, starting as early as fetal development, is an ethical responsibility and an essential public health measure if we are to prevent further increases in LDDs, including speech and hearing disorders.
This presentation will provide an overview of neurotoxicants and how they affect brain development. It will also inform the audience about environmental justice, that is, how poor minority neighborhoods are often disproportionately affected by environmental chemicals. Implications for how therapists can help vulnerable populations will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how certain chemicals affect nervous system development
- Identify communities affected by environmental justice
- Learn 2 new strategies for assisting children and their families affected by environmental health conditions
About the presenter:
Stacy Antoniadis is with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network located in King of Prussia PA. She earned her Master in Arts in Speech Pathology from City College of the City University of New York in 1977 and her Master in Public Health in 1995 from Temple University. She was a practicing pediatric SLP for 14 years before becoming a training consultant for PA’s early intervention system. Her public health studies have been in the area of environmental health and data mapping using geographic information system technology.
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