American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Your Advocacy Brings Legislative Successes and Opportunities
The legislative pace in Congress is often slow and unpredictable. However, thanks in large part to ASHA member advocacy, we saw significant progress in 2019 on issues important to ASHA members and their clients. And as the second session of the 116th Congress begins, ASHA is ready to seize opportunities to achieve key public policy priorities in 2020 and beyond. Once again, sustained member advocacy is key. In 2019, we worked on Medicare coverage for audiology services, as well as audiology and speech-language telepractice. ASHA—working with the American Academy of Audiology and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology—secu...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 22, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Brian Altman Tags: Academia & Research Advocacy Audiology Health Care Speech-Language Pathology Cultural Diversity Early Intervention medicare Telepractice Source Type: blogs

Spotlight on Special Interest Group 5, Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders
Peer support. Engaging exchanges on velopharyngeal surgery. Access to timely resources. SIG 5 offers all that and more. What would you say to encourage other colleagues to join SIG 5? Angela Dixon: For much of my career I was the only SLP in my state who specialized in cleft/craniofacial disorders. That was a lot of pressure and can be very isolating. It was difficult to not have an easy team of SLPs to learn from, bounce ideas off, etc. Joining SIG 5 provided that for me. I met a group of SLPs who had passions similar to mine, and SIG 5 allowed me an opportunity to network, learn, grow, and eventually even make friends. M...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 21, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Alison Scheer-Cohen Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology communication sciences and disorders craniofacial craniofacial disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

ASHA President: Is Parents ’ Smartphone Use the New Secondhand Smoke?
In a prominent “USA Today” op-ed—featured in the newspaper’s online Opinion section and reprinted by publications all over the country—ASHA 2020 President Theresa Rodgers addresses adults’ digital usage habits. Rodgers writes about how parents’ preoccupation with smartphones can negatively affect their children’s speech and language development. Parents’ diverted attention deprives children of essential day-to-day human interaction. This crucial early interaction fuels language development and communication skills. In the piece, Rodgers writes: “But anyone raising or caring for children today should kno...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 17, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Francine Pierson Tags: Advocacy Audiology News Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Language Disorders social skills Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

ASHA Voices: What If Permanent Hearing Loss Could Be Reversed?
On this episode of ASHA Voices, we dive into the research behind hearing loss reversal. While investigating a genetic form of hearing loss affecting transduction, researcher Jeff Holt  found he could successfully reverse hearing loss in mice. How did the researcher test the rodents’ hearing? By unexpectedly playing loud music and looking for a response in the subjects, nicknamed Beethoven mice. “A deaf mouse doesn’t jump at all, no matter how loud a sound you play. But after introducing our gene therapy into the ears of Beethoven mice, we find they jump again,” says Holt. Also on the show, sensorineural he...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 16, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Podcast Slider Speech-Language Pathology ASHA Convention audiologist Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Source Type: blogs

5 Tips for Communicating With Educational Advocates Before and During IEP Meetings
“There’s an educational advocate coming to the IEP meeting.” Believe it or not, those were some of the first words I heard minutes into my first day of being a school-based speech-language pathologist. I began working as a school-based SLP in Los Angeles five years ago. I worked in an elementary school with a large special education population. Within my first few days at the school, the administrator who ran IEP meetings told me education advocates often came to meetings and asked a lot of questions. Insights on IEP Meetings as a Parent and SLP AAC Goes to School SLPs: Ideas to Build Your Brand With Colleagues and...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 15, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jasmin Nikzad Davoodi Tags: Audiology Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs

5 Questions to Guide Post-High School Transition Goals
How can we plan for a student’s post-secondary journey while working on current educational needs? As a school-based SLP in the secondary setting, I see the importance of creating meaningful transition plans for students with communication disorders. But I can’t address these needs alone. A student’s entire school team needs to understand the importance of this stage in a student’s life. Providing the right kind of support for transitions out of high school can foster growth in social and personal skills, while enhancing carryover of communication learning into employment settings. This is a critical area of need�...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 13, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Nicole Shaffer Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Language Disorders social skills Source Type: blogs

Everyday Ethics: Avoiding Conflict-of-Interest Situations in Your Practice
Question:  I’m an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist who has been practicing in my school district for more than 15 years. A parent of one of my students approached me about providing additional services to their child outside of school. I’ve been considering opening my own private practice—are there ethical concerns about me privately treating students on my school caseload?  Your question is frequently asked by school-based SLPs—and practitioners in other workplace settings. The key issue to think through is whether seeing a student on your caseload outside the school setting as a private patient is a ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 10, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Donna Euben Tags: Audiology Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs

Why Involve Siblings in Speech-Language Intervention
For some time now I’ve been talking about incorporating sibling participation into speech-language intervention. I know what you’re thinking: It’s hard enough to focus on goals, take data, and find functional, motivating activities to help generalize skills into daily routines. Why add one more thing into the mix? Here’s why … sibling participation can create a win-win situation for both the sibling and the child needing services. Siblings often feel left out and confused about their brother’s or sister’s special needs. I experience this first-hand as a sibling of a sister who stutters, a mother of a child wi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 8, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Denise Underkoffler Tags: Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Fluency Disorders Language Disorders Source Type: blogs

Discover Which CSD Stories Topped the Charts in 2019
A lot happened in the world of communication sciences and disorders in 2019. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved cochlear implants for single-sided deafness. Skilled nursing facilities reacted to Medicare reimbursement changes in an unexpected and unfortunate way. A video clip showing comedian D. J. Pryor “talking” with his baby son went viral and demonstrated the benefits of communicating with your child to millions. People with communication disorders made more appearances on big and little screens. One of those featured was a child with a cochlear implant in Pixar’s Toy Story 4. We covered these events ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 6, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Hearing Assistive Technology Professional Development Source Type: blogs

ASHA Voices Rings in the New Year and Looks Back at Our Beginnings
Happy New Year, ASHA Voices’ listeners! We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are ready to tackle 2020. We certainly can’t wait to bring you more discussions about audiology and speech-language pathology—conversations about how we communicate and how communication changes our lives. We’re excited about what’s in store, and we hope you’ll join the conversation. We’ll be back on Jan. 16 with a full episode, but until then, listen to a sampling of what you can expect this year: In upcoming episodes, you can expect to hear from researchers exploring ways to reverse hearing loss. We’ll also t...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 2, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Podcast Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Dysphagia Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Voice Disorders Source Type: blogs

Spotlight on SIG 10, Issues in Higher Education
This article emphasizes the importance of clinical experiences for building student confidence in applying content learned in the classroom. This is also a favorite article because it addresses the importance of excellent clinical training in our degree programs, which is key to developing future clinicians in our profession! Angela Beckman Anthony, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Departmental Honors Coordinator for Communication Disorders & Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. abanthony@eiu.edu The post Spotlight on SIG 10, Issues in Higher Education appeared first on Leader Live — Happening now in the speech-language-hearing ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 30, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Angela Beckman Anthony Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Slider Speech-Language Pathology communication sciences and disorders higher education Source Type: blogs

A Letter to My Childhood SLPs
If I could write to the many speech-language pathologists who helped me throughout my younger years, here’s exactly what I would say. Chances are, you don’t hear much from students or clients after you finish listening to them repeat “r” or “l” sounds for months or even years. Maybe this is particularly true of the children. You watch their confidence flourish and their speech become clearer, until one day they stop coming to you because they’re exploring the world with the language and speech tools you taught them to use. Sometimes I wonder if you know what a difference you made. That’s why I’m writing ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 27, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Kelsey Kloss Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

SLP Helps Grandmother With Alzheimer ’ s and Uses Lessons Learned With Clients
“Are you on your lunch break from work?” I didn’t want to hear this unrelated question in response to calling my grandmother from Italy to tell her I just got engaged. But my grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease so that’s what happened. My grandmother—affectionately referred to as “Grammy” by our family—used to serve as my extended family’s matriarch. An independent woman much of her life, Grammy lived with my aunt to help her raise my cousins. While I was in college, however, my family started noticing little moments of forgetfulness or confusion. She would occasionally get disoriented, ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 26, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Brittany Stroker Tags: Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Cognitive Rehabilitation dementia Source Type: blogs

Insights on Feeding and Swallowing Differences for Infants with Cleft Palate/Cleft Lip and Palate
Infants with cleft palate or cleft lip and palate (CP/CLP) have specific feeding needs based upon unique anatomy and swallow physiology. Poor or absent inner oral pressure and compensatory muscle movements affect all phases—oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal—of swallowing, and in some cases, increase risk of aspiration. These babies expend a significant amount of energy in the act of feeding. They demonstrate an average rate of 109.26 sucks per minute compared to infants without clefts who averaged 75.07 sucks per minute. Increased energy expenditure might lead to fatigue. Under these conditions, infants experience chall...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 23, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Allyson Goodwyn-Craine Tags: Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Dysphagia Early Intervention Feeding Disorders Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs

ASHA Voices: How Will January ’s Home Health Changes Affect Services?
When changes in how Medicare reimburses for services took effect in skilled nursing facilities in October, we heard stories of speech-language pathologists who experienced job loss and changes in their pay or status. What will happen when similar changes hit the home health industry on Jan. 1? Listen in as we discuss how to show your value under the Patient-Driven Grouping Model, or PDGM. The new Medicare reimbursement model taking effect in home health might seem complicated and confusing. But in this week’s episode, we have two experts break it down for you. Find out what you need to know about as we parse the PDGM ch...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 19, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Health Care Podcast Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Cognitive Rehabilitation dementia Dysphagia Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs