Speech and Language Disorders Blogs 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.

Resources for Treating Clients With Craniofacial Differences
July is officially Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness month, but I celebrate craniofacial awareness every month. Working with a team of more than a dozen medical and dental professionals, I follow nearly 2,000 patients with craniofacial differences through yearly evaluations, from infancy to young adulthood or beyond. After working in the profession for 28 years—when did THAT happen?!—evaluating and treating patients with craniofacial differences is second nature to me. So I sometimes forget that when these patients go home, the speech-language pathologists helping them might not know about the same strategies or resourc...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - July 20, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Lynn Fox Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology cleft palate craniofacial disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

What ’ s in My Patient Treatment Bag?
As a kid, I loved long drives with my mom. We’d listen to music, catch up and, my favorite part—I’d go through her purse. I’d read and then throw out old receipts, collect loose coins and throw out old Ziploc bags of Band-Aids or ibuprofen. You can learn a lot about someone by digging through their bag. What did I learn about my mother? She’s neurotic and quite literally prepared for anything. OK, fine, I didn’t learn that from her bag. Exploring it just confirmed what I already knew. When I began working as a PRN (as needed) speech-language pathologist at an inpatient rehab facility, I knew I’d need to get a...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - July 11, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Michelle Garmizo Tags: Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology Aphasia Apraxia of Speech bilingual service delivery Cognitive Rehabilitation Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Voice Disorders Source Type: blogs

Spotlight on SIG 2, Neurogenic Communication Disorders
SLP Heather M. Clark shares how her experience as an affiliate of SIG 2 has enriched her professional life and teaching career. When did you join your SIG—and what made you want to join? I joined SIG 2 in 1996. At that time the groups were known as Special Interest Divisions. I had just started a new career as an assistant professor and was eager to join a community of SLPs with similar interests, but with a wider variety of experiences than I had. I predicted, correctly, that this network would enrich my teaching and help me feel more connected to other professors and clinicians. How has your involvement with the SIG he...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - July 9, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Heather Clark Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology communication sciences and disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

Strategies for Expanding Oral Language and Narrative Development
Narrative language skills present challenges for many children with social communication issues. A lack of narrative language skills can negatively affect academic success as well as social skill acquisition. In addition, a child unable to generate oral narratives most likely needs help with other language skills, including vocabulary, flexible language, abstract concepts and figurative language, perspective taking, nonverbal language, and executive function. In this blog post I share a number of strategies in the areas of story grammar, visual supports and vocabulary development to help improve oral narrative language sk...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - July 5, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Deborah Crawford Tags: Events Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Language Disorders social skils Source Type: blogs

Summer Screen Time: Parent Fears and Tips to Help
By now, it’s pretty well established that just about everyone is using their smartphones, tablets and other popular technology devices a lot. And that this includes everyone from toddlers (and younger!) to adults. But what is all this screen time taking time away from, in the day-to-day lives of children? According to the results of a new national YouGov poll commissioned by ASHA and Read Aloud 15 MINUTES, released this week as summer officially begins . . . 43-percent of parents of children ages birth to 8 years said popular technology devices are a barrier/distraction to daily conversation and interaction between them...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - June 22, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Francine Pierson Tags: Advocacy News Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Source Type: blogs

The How and Why of Collecting a Language Sample
SLPs reading this essay: I have a favor to ask you. Please suspend judgment when reading this post. I’m sharing a time-saving and accurate way to complete one of our most valued activities. And also one of the most despised. The dreaded language sample! I know. Many of us still need counseling from the language sampling rituals we endured in grad school. But things change, and technology and techniques improve, so please read on. Language samples provide some of the most useful information we can gather about a child’s communication because it’s an immediate snapshot of: Utterance length Complexity Articulation abil...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - June 20, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Scott Prath Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Bilingual assessment bilingual service delivery Language Disorders Source Type: blogs

A Balancing Act: Diet Selection for Older Adults
This study highlights that, beyond the detrimental effects of tube feeding on quality of life, there could be detrimental effects from non-oral feeding on the health of our patients. This is obviously not the case for all patients, so each individual case needs to be considered, but these studies comparing outcomes are important to consider. Participant: When using the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative), are there at least two numbers included in a diet order: one for foods and one for liquids? Are dietary departments fully onboard? Rogus-Pulia: My understanding of IDDSI is that, yes, there w...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - June 18, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jillian Kornak Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Dysphagia Feeding Disorders nutrition Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs

Two SLPs Multiply a Child ’ s Gains Through Collaboration
Meredith Gennaro and Stephanie Sigal are speech-language pathologists who met in September 2017 when they began working with the same child. This school year, I worked with another speech-language pathologist to help 4-year-old Michael improve his articulation and language skills. His parents wanted to supplement his school-based intervention—provided by SLP Meredith Gennaro—so we began working with him simultaneously. We knew we needed to work collaboratively. Using each other’s assets, we could enhance Michael’s progress. These are the steps we took to help Michael along the way. Reach out right away to the othe...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - June 11, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Stephanie Sigal Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

5 Considerations for the Family/SLP Relationship
Speech-language pathologist Phuong Lien Palafox anticipated a delicate approach for treating her close friend Nada’s son, especially when she realized he had childhood apraxia of speech, not an area of specialty for her. With the foundation of a trusting relationship, she rallied her resources and dove into treating him, learning valuable lessons about client relationships along the way. Nada’s Story Our speech-language treatment journey began like that of many other families. We trusted our intuition and had our 2-year-old son Sammy evaluated for a speech delay. He qualified for early intervention treatment at a...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 23, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Phuong Palafox Tags: Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Source Type: blogs

Medicare Proposes SNF Payment Overhaul
An overhaul to Medicare’s payment system for beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities—which would use patients’ clinical characteristics, such as diagnoses and other factors—is scheduled to take place Oct. 1, 2019. The proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would eliminate Medicare Part A (inpatient) payment for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) based on the amount of therapy the beneficiary receives. Under the proposal, a SNF would receive payment for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and/or speech-language pathology services based on the patient’s diagnosis and othe...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 18, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Sarah Warren Tags: Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology medicare reimbursement skilled nursing facility Source Type: blogs

Children Who Stutter Speak Out to Build Awareness, Confidence
This past March, seven children who stutter spoke to a crowd that included their parents and 50 graduate students in an effort to deepen others’ understanding of how stuttering affects their lives. They facilitated this “Increasing Stuttering Awareness” event with me and Northwestern University graduate students studying speech, language and learning. The event was held at the Northwestern University Center for Audiology, Speech, Language and Learning (NUCASLL). The children led presentations on important aspects of stuttering and concluded with a Q&A session. The idea for the event came from one of th...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 11, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Meaghan Moriarty Tags: Academia & Research Health Care News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Fluency Disorders Speech Disorders stuttering Source Type: blogs

Poll Shows Need for Raising Awareness of Communication Disorders
May is Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM)—a time to celebrate our colleagues and collaborators, our clients and the everyday breakthroughs they make under our care, the latest practice and research advancements in the field, and the professions as a whole. This is also a time to look more broadly—and consider what the public at large knows about communication disorders. In this area, there’s work to do, indicate results of a new poll surveying more than 1,100 ASHA members about early identification—and there likely always will be. For example, 69 percent of poll respondents say parents of young children are ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 4, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Elise Davis-McFarland Tags: Advocacy Audiology Slider Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: blogs

Spotlight on SIG 5, Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders
Do you serve patients with cleft palate or craniofacial and velopharyngeal disorders? Then ASHA Special Interest Group 5 can help. Find out what affiliate Amy Morgan Linde gained from being a part of SIG 5. When did you join your SIG—and what made you want to join? I first joined SIG 5 in 2010, shortly after taking a position on a cleft/craniofacial team. It was a great way to link up with colleagues who share similar interests and learn more about cleft-palate–related speech disorders and management. How has your involvement with the SIG helped you in your career? Being active in SIG 5 has allowed me to get to k...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 3, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Amy Morgan Linde Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology cleft palate craniofacial Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

Spotlight on Special Interest Group 5, Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders
Do you serve patients with cleft palate or craniofacial and velopharyngeal disorders? Then ASHA Special Interest Group 5 can help. Find out what affiliate Amy Morgan Linde gained from being a part of SIG 5. When did you join your SIG—and what made you want to join? I first joined SIG 5 in 2010, shortly after taking a position on a cleft/craniofacial team. It was a great way to link up with colleagues who share similar interests and learn more about cleft-palate–related speech disorders and management. How has your involvement with the SIG helped you in your career? Being active in SIG 5 has allowed me to get to k...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 3, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Amy Morgan Linde Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology cleft palate craniofacial Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

Fun Ways to Promote Yourself and the Professions this BHSM
When it comes to promoting the professions to the public at large, Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) is the main event. May is also a time when the larger community—media, consumers and allied professionals—are primed to receive information about our work. BHSM sets the scene for our collective voices to generate greater impact. However, practically speaking, it’s also a busy time—whether you’re working in a school, in a health care facility or in private practice. The pre-summer rush gets underway and finding time for extra commitments can be difficult. ASHA will engage in national media and consumer outr...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 1, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Francine Pierson Tags: Advocacy Audiology Events Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Fluency Disorders Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Schools Social Media Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs