Consider Experience as Part of Evidence-Based Practice to Evolve Our Profession

I was happy to read Melanie Potock’s recent blog, “Three Structures in a Child’s Mouth That Can Cause Picky Eating.” The post sparked a considerable amount of discussion on social media. I also appreciated ASHA’s response about professional experiences, and the value they bring to our profession. I have several thoughts on this blog regarding evidence-based practice and tethered oral tissues (TOTs). ASHA reminds us on the website that evidence-based practice (EBP) involves clinical expertise/expert opinion coupled with scientific evidence and client perspective. To me, EBP means more than level-one research or large-sample, double-blind case studies. EBP evolves with new evidence and truly listening to our colleagues and their observations. After all, broader research evolves from patterns noted in clinical practice and individual case studies. Blogs are a way for clinicians to present their experiences and they often spark interest in our doctoral-level researchers for designing larger case studies. As a speech-language pathologist with more than 20 years of treating and studying orofacial myofunctional disorders, feeding, and muscle-based speech disorders, I still look at each patient and case individually. Potock’s article tackles an important yet controversial topic in this field—TOTs—commonly known as tongue-tie or ankyloglossia. Not all children with a tongue-tie are picky eaters and Potock reports only her observations from her clinical experience. I...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Feeding Disorders Professional Development Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs