Masks Pose Barriers for People With Hearing Loss: Here ’s a Novel Solution
Federal health officials are on the brink of recommending face coverings to help stem the spread of COVID-19, according to recent news reports. But masks and other face coverings muffle the wearers’ voices and prevent people from reading their lips, writes University of Florida graduate student Laken Brookes in a CNN article. For people who are hard of hearing, that’s a problem, she says.
Brookes, who has tinnitus, connected with a number of people with and without hearing challenges about communication problems related to masks. She notes that the fallback method—using a whiteboard passed back and forth—isn’...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 3, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Carol Polovoy Tags: Audiology Health Care Slider audiologist COVID-19 face masks Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Source Type: blogs
Coping with a Loss of Income During COVID-19 — or Anytime
Planning cures panic. At least it’s always made me feel better. Whenever I get hit upside the head with anxiety, the first thing I do after taking a few deep breaths is to figure out what actions I can take to regain some semblance of control and peace of mind.
We’re all trying to control as much as we can during this unprecedented time. If—among other things—you’re feeling on edge because you’ve recently seen a loss of income, or you’re afraid it may happen to you soon, here are the steps to take.
Evaluate your emergency fund
The first step is figuring out your essential monthly expenses. I’m talking the b...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 2, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jacob Parish Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology COVID-19 Practice Management Source Type: blogs
‘Not Just Dots On a Map’: SLPs Speak Their Truth From the COVID-19 Battlefront
Tuesday, March 10. Speech-language pathologist Fatima Warren was grocery shopping with her grandmother when she first noticed the painful body aches. Chalking it up to the rainy day and an earlier workout, she ran a hot bath.
Wednesday, March 11. Warren woke up with chills, fever, and worsening aches. She drove straight to the closest ER in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. There, staff ran numerous tests, but not for COVID-19. The 45-year-old didn’t qualify because she hadn’t traveled outside the country and couldn’t name a contact with the virus.
Thursday, March 12. Worried about infecting her 13-year-old son an...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 1, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Bridget Murray Law Tags: Slider Speech-Language Pathology Uncategorized acute care Cognitive Rehabilitation Dysphagia FEES Health Care MBSS personal protective equipment skilled nursing facilities Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 and Audiology: Closed Practices, Empty Campuses, Halted Research
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the country, most everyone has had to adapt in some way to accommodate this strange new normal—audiologists and hearing researchers included.
With calls and procedures for self-quarantine and guidance for small businesses and universities varying from state to state, hearing care professionals may find themselves thrust into new situations. Some are being asked to adopt telepractice for the foreseeable future, and others are quickly switching to virtual-only learning for their audiology students.
ASHA is constantly monitoring the situation as it evolves daily. For more informa...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 31, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jillian Kornak Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Slider audiologist COVID-19 Telepractice Source Type: blogs
COVID-19: Ethical Considerations for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
Many ASHA members are calling with questions, as almost all types of service delivery are changing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donna Euben, ASHA’s ethics director, along with our practices teams, pulled together some of the most frequently asked ethics-related questions during this unprecedented time. Read her answers to these questions, which also include links to numerous resources.
Plan for providing uninterrupted services.
I’m an audiologist at an outpatient/inpatient hospital clinic. Am I at risk of client abandonment if I refuse to treat patients to minimize my exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19?...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 30, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Donna Euben Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology COVID-19 Professional Development Technology Telepractice Source Type: blogs
UHC, Cigna, Tricare Health Plans Expand Telepractice Coverage
Three major health plans—United HealthCare (UHC), Cigna, and Tricare—have expanded telepractice coverage for speech-language pathology services, potentially affecting more than 70 million American subscribers.
UHC’s coverage includes commercial plans, Medicaid managed care plans, and Medicare Advantage plans, which together cover about 45 million Americans.
ASHA has been building relationships with UHC for two years through ASHA’s Private Payer Summits and has been advocating for several weeks for telepractice coverage in the wake of COVID-19. UHC announced the coverage expansion Thursday, March 26, and also shared...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 28, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tim Nanof Tags: Advocacy Health Care News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology COVID-19 Telepractice Source Type: blogs
10 Ways Children With Language Disorders Can Maintain Both Physical Distance and Social Connection
Social distancing—or more accurately, physical distancing—is now our way of life. As difficult as it is, it’s our new normal, at least for the short term. Even with physical distance, we find ways to connect socially. We call or use video chats to stay in touch with friends and family, email jokes or stories, and post on social media. Other community activities continue virtually: worship services, fitness classes, concerts, and more. We discover ways to maintain social distance without losing social connections.
Children with language disorders, however, find social interactions challenging in the best of times. ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 27, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Diane Paul Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Augmentative Alternative Communication Autism Spectrum Disorder COVID-19 Language Disorders social skills Source Type: blogs
ASHA Voices: How COVID-19 is Changing Our Work Lives
In this episode, we talk with audiologists and SLPs throughout the country about the pandemic’s immediate and drastic effects on their work. From the Seattle area to New York City, they are facing significant challenges, but they are also rising to those challenges.
Read the transcript for this episode.
Featuring voices of professionals in schools, private practice, academia, and health care, this episode delivers snapshots of what members are experiencing in various workplace settings, including skilled nursing facilities.
Before I can clock in, we have to go and take our temperature and record that. And then, i...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 26, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Podcast Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology audiologist Augmentative Alternative Communication communication sciences and disorders COVID-19 hearing loss Social Medi Source Type: blogs
COVID-19: Private Practitioners Report on Office Closures and Telepractice
As schools and businesses shut down the week of March 16 in response to social distancing and shelter-in-place directives related to COVID-19, private practitioners put the brakes on in-person treatment. To keep their services going in this uncertain time, many have embraced telepractice—a new medium for some.
State and individual payer regulations vary on telepractice coverage; check state and payer websites regularly for updated information. ASHA is continually updating webpages on telepractice and COVID-19 (also listed below in the resources section), and has also released new guidance on providing private-pay servi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 25, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Carol Polovoy Tags: Advocacy Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology COVID-19 medicare Source Type: blogs
ASHA Revisits Guidance on Medicare Telepractice
Audiologists and SLPs may provide telepractice services to Medicare Part B (outpatient) beneficiaries who choose to pay privately, according to ASHA’s new interpretation of Medicare laws. This determination stems from ASHA’s direct communication with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staff and consultation with Medicare law experts and other professional associations.
Very simply: A federal statute excludes audiologists and speech-language pathologists from Medicare reimbursement for telepractice. Therefore, because telepractice is not a covered benefit when provided by an audiologist or SLP, such services...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 24, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Neela Swanson Tags: Audiology News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Health Care medicare Telepractice Source Type: blogs
10 Strategies to Train Parents and Improve Carryover for Students Using AAC
Editor’s note: We’re hearing from school-based speech-language pathologists who want resources to share with parents during the COVID-19 disruption. Several SLPs told Leader editors they want to help parents ease changes in structure that might significantly affect their children with communication disorders, while also providing activities to continue their speech-language progress. Look for a series of blog articles starting soon that feature members’ stories of how they’re handling COVID-19 by work setting.
Often when I visit schools as an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) consulta...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 23, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Rebecca Eisenberg Tags: Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Augmentative Alternative Communication Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Source Type: blogs
5 Steps to Get Started in Telepractice
Over the last few weeks, many schools and clinics nationwide—well, really worldwide—have been shutting down in response to COVID-19. While this is an uncertain time for all of us, fortunately many audiologists and speech-language pathologists might be able to offer services for clients using telepractice.
Editor’s note: Per ASHA guidelines, use of telepractice must be equivalent to the quality of services provided in person and consistent with adherence to the Code of Ethics, audiology scope of practice, speech-language pathology scope of practice, state and federal laws, and ASHA policy.
Even before this pandemi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 18, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jessi Andricks Tags: Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Technology Telepractice Source Type: blogs
Using Telepractice to Provide Early Intervention Services to Families
Editor’s note: This post was previously scheduled for next month. In light of the closures and increased demand for telepractice services due to COVID-19, we posted it now. A post scheduled for later this week will detail steps for launching new and/or expanding existing telepractice services. In addition, ASHA staff have compiled telepractice resources for members.
I work for an early intervention practice offering speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy in Southern California. Like many early childhood service providers, we practice and understand the benefits of family coaching. We progress much more...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 16, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Ryan Landinguin Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology bilingual service delivery Early Intervention Source Type: blogs
West Virginia Is First of 3 States to Pass Interstate Compact for the Professions
West Virginia is pioneering flexible practice, becoming the first of three states to pass legislation approving the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). This legislation would allow audiologists and speech-language pathologists to legally and ethically practice across state boundaries and through telepractice with a single license.
In addition, Utah and Wyoming just passed similar measures.
How did West Virginia achieve this milestone? Basically, we networked with legislators and with professionals from other professions who had succeeded in passing their respective interstate compacts ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 13, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Vickie Pullins Tags: Advocacy Audiology News Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Telepractice Source Type: blogs
ASHA Voices: Talking Work Wellness With the SLP Happy Hour Hosts
We all experience work stress, so let’s talk about it.
Maybe you’re feeling depleted or experiencing burnout in some way. Once that cycle starts, it can get harder to step back and revitalize.
“I got home just feeling completely exhausted. It was hard for me to even carry my bag up the stairs.”
– Kristin MacInnis
On this episode of ASHA Voices, we talk with Sarah Lockhart and Sarie Wu, the hosts of the podcast SLP Happy Hour, about how to get some of that headspace back.
Courtesy: SLP Happy Hour
They share what they’ve learned from producing a show about healthy work and personal lives for...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - March 12, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Podcast Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development social skills Source Type: blogs
