Meet Debara Tucci, Incoming Director of NIDCD
The recently appointed director of NIDCD brings an extensive research background in hearing loss, ear disease, and cochlear implantation—and an enthusiasm for addressing barriers to hearing health care.
Interview by Jillian Kornak
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently named Debara L. Tucci the next director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), replacing acting director Judith Cooper. Tucci will leave her position as professor of surgery in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, where she has served on the...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 24, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jillian Kornak Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Schools Slider Aging and Hearing Loss audiologist hearing health care public health Source Type: blogs
3 Steps for Using Wait Time to Improve Treatment Outcomes
Wait … what?!
Working with children with speech and language delays can require significant patience. Sometimes expressing this patience translates into waiting—I mean a bit longer than we normally do—for the student to respond. Children benefit from extended wait time to allow them to process.
Let’s look at the positive outcomes associated with increased wait time.
How much time is enough time? Classroom teachers rarely wait more than one second after asking a question for a student response. However, when they wait three to five seconds, teachers see a higher accuracy in responses, decreased “I don’t know...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 22, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Klaire Brumbaugh Tags: Academia & Research Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs
Parents and SLPs —Partners in Success
As a speech-language pathologist who worked in the school trenches for 17 years, I’m familiar with the push and pull that can sometimes take place between parents and professionals. During this week of Better Hearing and Speech Month focused on school-aged children, let’s focus on those relationships.
If you work with challenging parents, you might want to try sharing some of these strategies with them. You can attribute them to to ASHA, if that makes the situation less awkward, to encourage a positive and productive relationship that could last for a year or two, or even longer. You could send them home with students ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 20, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Stacey Glasgow Tags: Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: blogs
Why Join SIG 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders?
Consider becoming a SIG 3 affiliate to connect with peers who share a passion for treating voice and upper airway disorders.
What would you say to encourage other colleagues to join SIG 3?
SIG 3 provides valuable opportunities to discuss clinical practice and research in voice and upper airway disorders, get advice from colleagues, and form lasting relationships with other clinicians with similar interests. If you have a strong interest in voice and upper airway disorders and want to expand your knowledge and your practice, it is an excellent resource.
How has your involvement in this SIG improved your understanding of...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 17, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Maia Braden Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Speech Disorders upper airway disorders voice Voice Disorders voice therapy voice training Source Type: blogs
5 Tips to Share With Parents of Preschoolers Who Stutter
As a speech-language pathologist who works with preschool children who stutter, I often hear the same questions from parents: Is there anything I can do to improve my child’s chance of outgrowing stuttering?
Although stuttering is not caused by ways parents interact with their child, I can certainly recommend interaction strategies for SLPs to share with parents of their clients or students. Parents can incorporate these supports at the guidance of their SLP once their child starts showing signs of childhood-onset stuttering.
These five tips allow parents to support their child in facilitating confident verbal expression...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 15, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Alexander Whelan Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Fluency Disorders Speech Disorders stuttering Source Type: blogs
The Best Toys for SLPs Are the Toys That Do Nothing
Pediatric speech-language pathologists often get asked about toy recommendations for young children. It makes sense because we often use toys in sessions to keep children engaged in learning. So, which toys should we recommend to parents?
A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) compared traditional toys to electronic toys. The report concludes—not surprisingly—that traditional toys result in better child-caregiver interactions. These interactions provide multiple communication-learning opportunities. So how can we help parents look beyond advertising that promises toys will teach children ABCs, num...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 13, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Emily Ferjencik Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Speech Disorders stuttering Source Type: blogs
NICU Graduates: On Track for Ongoing Feeding Success!
As each little feeder prepares to transition from our 20-bed, level III (very tiny or sick newborns) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home, the interprofessional team assigns them one of three tracks to support their feeding skills progression. We do this as part of the rounds our team participates in together each day.
This approach helps monitor feeding as babies mature, provides prompt intervention when needed, and supports our ongoing goal of reduced hospital readmissions associated with feeding.
Here’s how each track works to support our smallest patients:
Third track infants receive the guidance of our nurse...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 10, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Allyson Goodwyn-Craine Tags: Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Feeding Disorders NICU Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs
Help Parents Navigate Online Resources About Communication Development
It is an exciting time for speech-language pathologists and families of young communicators. Important new information exists on early identification and intervention for young children with or at risk for communication delays and disorders. And much of the information is easy to find online.
While not yet universally available, mobile technology is a useful tool for sharing information with families on communication development and supporting their participation in their children’s communication development.
Parents want to learn more about their children’s development but often express uncertainty about where and whe...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 9, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Juliann Woods Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology autism Autism Spectrum Disorder social skills Source Type: blogs
Recognizing Early Signs of Autism
In this podcast, speech-language pathologist Amy Wetherby discusses the importance of early identification and early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She also shares a new resource—Baby Navigator—that she helped develop to educate and empower parents.
https://blog.asha.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/WetherbyBabyNavPod.mp3
SLPs and other professionals can diagnose autism at 18–24 months. However, it routinely does not get diagnosed until 4 or 5 years of age. The early signs of ASD can cause a cascading effect on brain development. Without early detection and intervention, these indicators can lead to signific...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 8, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: ASHA Staff Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Podcast Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Source Type: blogs
A Child Who Stutters Shares His Experience at a Science Fair
Conducting a science fair project on stuttering can provide an outstanding opportunity for students to experience empowerment when it comes to their speech. As we launch into National Stuttering Awareness Week, I want to share the story of a student who did just that.
Last year, Jacob, a brilliant 12-year-old, elected to do his science fair project on the experiences of people—like himself—who stutter. He researched the disorder online, consulted with me and other university faculty, designed his own survey, and distributed it to hundreds of adults who stutter. Many of those adults rushed to provide feedback to his que...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 6, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tricia Hedinger Tags: Academia & Research Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Fluency Disorders stuttering Source Type: blogs
Handling Trolls on Social Media: A How-To Guide
Discussions.”
In response to concerns about incivility, especially in online conversations, ASHA has developed a digital toolkit of civility-related tools, templates and resources. Here are some examples of what you’ll find.
Hashtag
Use of this hashtag is voluntary, and is meant to encourage and/or acknowledge the civility of others in a social media discussion. For example, “Thanks for pointing out that perspective. I’m glad we could have this discussion! #ASHACivility”
Trolls
An Internet troll is someone who posts off-topic, aggressive or unnecessarily controversial complaints—usually anonymous. Cyberbullies...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 3, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Kellie Rowden-Racette Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology civility Social Media Technology toolkit Source Type: blogs
Poll Shows Caregivers Need Help Flagging Early Warning Signs
May is upon us! Today marks the beginning of Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM), when public education about communication disorders shines a well-deserved spotlight on audiology and speech-language pathology. The 2019 BHSM theme is Communication Across the Lifespan, making the opening outreach focus on communication disorders in young children a great place to start. Today ASHA unveils new survey results that shed light on the state of parental awareness about the signs of speech, language, and hearing disorders. Early intervention and parental involvement has been a consistent focus—and passion—throughout my ca...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 1, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shari Robertson Tags: Audiology Events News Slider Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: blogs
Steps for Keeping Students ’ Skills Sharp Over Summer
Speech-language pathologists understand the havoc transitions can wreak on speech-language progress and performance. Everything from weather to a change in routine can produce obstacles to generalizing skills or bolstering performance. So when summer comes around, it’s key to give students tools to minimize the disruption caused by a few months away from treatment.
Empowering our students and their families with creative, functional ideas to maintain and generalize skills into their daily routines can help them keep up skills over the summer break.
Here are three steps that work for me in tackling the summer transition f...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 29, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Kristina Peterkin Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs
World Health Organization Recommends Against Screen Time for Infants
Screen-time guidance is a first for the World Health Organization (WHO). As part of a larger report on the risks of physical inactivity and sleep deprivation for children under age 5, WHO recommends no solitary, sedentary screen time at all for infants up to age 1, and only an hour a day for children ages 1 to 5.
Editor’s note: 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.
The guidelines say infants should get at least 30 minutes each day—spread throughout the day—on their stomachs, as well...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 26, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Audiology News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Augmentative Alternative Communication Early Intervention Language Disorders Professional Development social skills Speech Disorders Technology Source Type: blogs
How Can SIG 11 Help Build Your Supervision Skills?
ASHA Special Interest Group 11, Administration and Supervision, affiliates, share how the SIG helps them support one another to build their supervision competency and confidence.
What would you say to encourage other colleagues to join SIG 11?
Joining SIG 11 gives you access to a diverse group, focused on using its knowledge and experience to problem-solve in real time for its members. It provides information and support for issues in supervision and administration that involve students, staff, speech-language pathology assistants, and clinical fellows.
How has your involvement in this SIG improved your understandin...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 24, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Michele Simler Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology administration Professional Development supervision telesupervision Source Type: blogs
