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.

Easy, Fun Ways to Promote Yourself and the Professions this Better Hearing and Speech Month
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

12 Weeks of Simple Activities to Support Kids ’ Learning All Summer Long
Help your students and their families go from summer slump to summer triumph with engaging exercises families can enjoy together. Below I share 12 weeks of simple activities parents or caregivers can use to help their child—or entire family—build speech, language and literacy skills. Offer the list to parents or hand it out to students to take home! Week 1: Summer bucket list Ask the child to write a list or draw pictures of the student’s top five activities that they want to do over the summer, like go to the pool or zoo. Post the list and check off adventures as you complete them. Week 2: Library love A trip t...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 30, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Stacey Glasgow Tags: Audiology Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Augmentative Alternative Communication Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Feeding Disorders Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs

Using Music Activities to Teach Social Skills to Children with Autism
Meeting the benchmarks for social communication skills is a core challenge for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In typical development, young people often learn these skills by observing others in interactions with adults and peers, or through their own interactions. For children on the spectrum, learning appropriate social skills usually requires direct intervention. As a speech-language pathologist focused on working with children with ASD, I’ve used several different methods to help these young people learn how to interact with their peers and family, many of which are described on ASHA’s Practice ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 18, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder social skils Source Type: blogs

NYC Exhibition Showcases Products By and For People With Disabilities
A new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City features innovative designs by and for people with disabilities. The exhibition—Access + Ability—runs through September 3. Visitors can view more than 70 products ranging from low- to high-tech. Several items useful to people with communication disorders are included in the exhibit: The Laugh Out Loud Aid (LOLA) is a free app—available for Apple and Android devices—that provides silly social stories to help children with autism with social and daily living skills. A book by Sam Barclay is also on display: “I Wonder What It’s Like to B...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 13, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Audiology News Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Health Care Hearing Assistive Technology Source Type: blogs

Social Communication Disorder and the SLP
Jackson, age 10, is in fifth grade and fits the social communication disorder (SCD) profile. He has difficulty making friends. In an effort to be part of a conversation, he sometimes interrupts or changes the topic abruptly. Jackson doesn’t pick up on nonverbal cues and often misinterprets his classmates’ intentions or feelings. In the classroom, he has difficulty expressing his ideas in an organized way, and he struggles to understand nonliteral language, make inferences and draw conclusions when he reads curriculum materials. His classmates sometimes tease him If you are a speech-language pathologist working in the s...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 9, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Phyllis Bonelli Tags: Academia & Research Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder social communication disorder social skils Source Type: blogs

Let ’s Play Modified ‘ Musical Chairs ’ With Students With Autism
Over the years, as a speech-language pathologist—and mother of three—I realized the vital importance of play and how much language it involves. However, while play is enjoyable for so many students, those with complex communication disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, might find play difficult and overwhelming. For these students, I modify play-based activities to help students build complex communication skills. Incorporating modified play into treatment allows my students to gain valuable communication-based skills. I also collaborate with other members of students’ IEP teams to develop shared goals targete...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 28, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Rosemarie Griffin Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Language Disorders social skils Source Type: blogs

How Is Technology Use Affecting Children ’ s Communication Skills?
Technology’s effect on the communication and social skills of children pops up in the news a lot lately. This time, philly.com tackled the topic. Kids Health assistant editor, Anna Nguyen, interviewed Lisa Rai Mabry-Price, associate director of school services at ASHA, to gain insights into how technology overuse could jeopardize communication and social skills. As always, children who use low- and high-tech augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC) should continue to use them at all times—and in an interactive way. Help Families Find a Screen Time Balance Tech Industry Workers Express Concern About Chil...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 16, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Advocacy Audiology Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Technology Source Type: blogs

How Is Technology Use Affecting Children ’ s Communication and Social Skills?
Technology’s effect on the communication and social skills of children pops up in the news a lot lately. This time, philly.com tackled the topic. Kids Health assistant editor, Anna Nguyen, interviewed Lisa Rai Mabry-Price, associate director of school services at ASHA, to gain insights into how technology overuse could jeopardize communication and social skills. As always, children who use low- and high-tech augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC) should continue to use them at all times—and in an interactive way. Help Families Find a Screen Time Balance Tech Industry Workers Express Concern About Chil...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 16, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Advocacy Audiology Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Technology Source Type: blogs

The Speech-Language Pathologist ’s Role in Diagnosing Dyslexia
While language-based learning disorders—like dyslexia—fall squarely in the purview of speech-language pathologists, I’ve talked to several pediatric SLPs who don’t feel entirely comfortable treating—let alone diagnosing—this disorder. In my relatively short career as an SLP, I’ve worked with skilled SLPs treating children with dyslexia. We address various language and reading needs every day with our clients. When faced with the prospect of providing a diagnosis of dyslexia, however, I felt uneasy. Until recently. My graduate program didn’t comprehensively cover dyslexia and all its complexities. In...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 12, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Corie Viscomi Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders private practice Schools Source Type: blogs

Help Families Find a Screen Time Balance
I find myself addressing screen time and device use more often with my clients’ parents. Even though I specialize in early intervention, many parents brag to me about how games and apps teach and help their child, and they’re proud of their child’s technological adeptness. (“They know more than me!”) I particularly remember a family telling me their son spent approximately three hours on his iPad, approximately two hours watching TV or movies, and maybe one hour of using his parents’ phone—each day! This child could say “circle” and “triangle”—learned from an app—according to his ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - February 26, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jasna Cowan Tags: Advocacy Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders Technology Source Type: blogs

New Wireless Wearable Tracks Speech and Swallowing Patterns Post-Stroke
Northwestern University engineering professor John A. Rogers has developed a wireless and stretchable wearable that’s placed on patients’ throats to monitor their speech and swallow patterns. Photo credit: Elliott Abel/ Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Rogers designed the technology as a way for people recovering from stroke—and their rehabilitation team—to see data in real time, even after they go home. The sensors measure vocal-cord vibrations and can monitor speech patterns without the interference of ambient noise. According to an article on Northwestern Now, Rogers worked with researchers at Chicago’s Shirley Ryan Ab...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - February 23, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Speech-Language Pathology acquired brain injury Aphasia Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Technology Source Type: blogs

Stick-On Flexible Electronics to Track Stroke Recovery
Electronics that keep working even when repeatedly stretched and flexed have improved significantly in the last few years to the point that now they’re finally being introduced into real wearable medical devices. At Northwestern University, John Rogers, the scientist responsible for many achievements in the field of flexible electronics (see flashbacks below), has developed new sensors that stick directly to the skin on the throat and measure vibrations produced by the vocal chords. They are also able to help assess how patients swallow and aid in identifying unusual speech characteristics that may not be readily app...
Source: Medgadget - February 20, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Medicine Neurology Rehab Source Type: blogs

The ‘ Art ’ of Treating Communication Issues
A work of art is a form of language. Paint strokes, paper, shapes, colors and materials come together to form meaningful visual moments. Communication consists of the same basic principle. Sounds don’t have much power on their own, but when coherently strung together, they create meaningful human interaction. For this reason, I find using art in my speech-language sessions a natural fit for working with my students. I always loved how my college professors described the profession of speech-language pathology as “an art and a science.” As SLPs, we provide evidence-based interventions to motivate our clients, but also...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - February 12, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Erin Milewski Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders Schools Source Type: blogs

RESEARCH FELLOW POSITION at the BCBL- Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language
(San Sebasti án, Basque Country, Spain) www.bcbl.eu (Center of excellence Severo Ochoa)The Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (San Sebasti án, Basque Country, Spain) offers research fellow positions in three main broad areas or research: (1)-Language, reading and developmental disorders: How language acquisition, comprehension, production, and reading take place in the human brain. Special attention will be paid to language disorders and the development of computerized tools for their early diagnosis and treatment.(2)-Multilingualism and second language learning: The cognitive and brain mechani...
Source: Talking Brains - February 6, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greg Hickok Source Type: blogs

Explaining Language Skill Development to Parents Using a House-Building Analogy
Parents often ask me when their child will start talking. That’s a tough question to address. I’m not a believer in predicting the future or giving false hope by any means. I also don’t want to be negative and dampen parents’ dreams for their child’s future. To navigate this balance in answering, I try to stick to information concerning the here and now. I work hard to explain that when a child lacks expressive language or vocabulary, we should back up a little and evaluate the foundation of those skills. I start by asking parents or caregivers to tell me about interactions at home that might ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - January 10, 2018 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jasna Cowan Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders private practice Source Type: blogs