Podcasts about speech language pathology

Hey Friends~  The language you use  may be LESS effective  than you want!  When we change HOW and WHAT we say, our communication becomes more effective.  Today's guest, Polina Shkadron, is a fellow Speech Language Pathologist who has a wealth of knowledge and experience.   She guides us to focus on the LANGUAGE that helps our kids engage in play - and with you - and teaches us how to create a language-rich environment naturally, and at home.  No matter the age or skills of you or your child, the information in this episode will be fun and delightful,  eye-opening, and capture your attention. You are sure to get lots of ideas of what you can do with your kiddos at home and classrooms to grow them in their communication skills.  Always cheering you on!  Dinalynn CONTACT the Host, Dinalynn:  hello@thelanguageofplay.com   ABOUT THE GUEST:    Polina is a NYC based neuro-divergent therapist specializing in helping Autistic and ADHD kids find their strengths. She uses play to engage with each child's unique perspective of the world. Understanding the why is not enough, you also need knowledge of the how. That's one of the reasons Polina coaches parents and ND kids using the latest brain-based research and a cross-disciplinary approach. Polina earned her Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from CUNY Queens College, where she was an adjunct lecturer for 7 years. She also has a Master of Science degree in Nutrition Education from American University, which has transformed the feeding therapy aspect of her practice. With additional certifications in trauma and ADHD, Polina is an integrator of information, expanding her knowledge and ensuring effective therapeutic intervention.   CONTACT THE GUEST:  IG/FB: @playtolearnconsulting website: https://playtolearnconsulting.com/ Freebie link: https://playtolearnconsulting.com/resources/     YOUR NEXT STEPS: Send Dinalynn a thought or question!  hello@thelanguageofplay.com FREEBIES:    Discovery Call:  https://calendly.com/hello-play/discovery-session 5 Ways To Get Your Kids To Listen Better: https://dinalynnr.systeme.io/7ca5ce43-d436ea91 21 Days of Encouragement:  https://dinalynnr.systeme.io/1-21signup Sign up for the Newsletter:  https://dinalynnr.systeme.io/newsletter-optin   ** For Speaking Engagements, Workshops, or Parent Coaching (virtual or live), contact me at hello@thelanguageofplay.com    If You Liked This Episode, You Will Want To Listen To These Episodes: 81 How Your Direction Isn't Clear, Even Though You Think It Is! It's Time to Notice! 141 How Do You Inadvertently Build Doubt Into Your Child?  Here's One Way To Change Doubt Into Confidence!  155 Does Your Language Build Courage In Your Child? Here Are 12 Examples of Courage-Building Phrases!   MAY IS BETTER SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING MONTH SERIES:  212 From Non-verbal To Verbal To Speaking On a Podcast! Sound Advice from Marsh Naidoo About Building Capacity 213 Dr. Richelle Whittaker: Raising Boys? What Every Boy-Mom Needs to Know To Build Open Communication And Emotional Connection 214 Wonder About Stuttering and Fluency? Jason Heffler Shares What Is Helpful From Personal Experience 215 Suzanne Culberg: Downplayed and Dismissed? Seeking Help For Your Child   Traveling with kids?   BabyQuip is the #1 baby gear rental service, and a total game changer for families who don't want to haul bulky gear while traveling! Follow this link for a BabyQuip Provider where you travel:  https://www.babyquip.com?a=7486bd3

05/25/25The Healthy Matters PodcastS04_E16 - We're Talkin' Speech-Language PathologyWith Special Guest:  Adam Terrell, MSWhen it comes to the field of Speech Pathology, we might tend to think it's all about helping people with the challenges of a stutter or helping kids get out a proper "R" sound - but it turns out there's a lot more to it!  Communication is a 2-way street, and there can be a lot to manage when it comes to speaking, listening and retaining information.  From a child struggling to say their first words, to stroke survivors, a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) can be essential to opening up the doors of language and communication.But it turns out there's even more to it - and joining us on Episode 16 of our show is Adam Terrel (MS).  He's a SLP at Hennepin Healthcare and he'll walk us though what the job is really like in a hospital setting and the variety of patients helped by the work of SLPs.  We'll cover everything, from diagnosing swallowing issues to therapies and outcomes for those looking to regain their voice.  Communication is an essential part of our lives and whether you're a parent, a patient or just curious about the world of Speech-Language Pathology, you've come to the right place.  Let's get talking!American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  I  ASHA.orgWe're open to your comments or ideas for future shows!Email - healthymatters@hcmed.orgCall - 612-873-TALK (8255)Get a preview of upcoming shows on social media and find out more about our show at www.healthymatters.org.

In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Garrett, a special education teacher from the UK and the creator behind Sensory Classroom. We talk about what it really takes to support autistic students with high support needs—especially during group time. Jordan shares how success isn't about getting everyone to sit and comply, but about building trust, meeting sensory needs, and creating a safe, engaging space where students can come and go as they're ready. From empowering teaching assistants to embracing the messy, beautiful moments of connection, this conversation is full of encouragement for anyone supporting young autistic learners. Bio Jordan is a Specialist Education Teacher in the UK. She works with minimally speaking autistic and PMLD pupils aged 3-11. She has been teaching SEND for over 15 years and has a passion for teaching through sensory-based practices. Links Website: https://www.sensoryclassroom.org/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/sensoryclass FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/12GJEC6CtKK/?mibextid=wwXIfr YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sensoryclassroom?si=8m3kfc5KrsElJB3n TIkTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sensoryclass?_t=ZN-8ufHEg4949W&_r=1 Podcast: https://sensoryclassroom.org/pages/podcast Takeaways Micro-trainings are effective for paraprofessionals and teaching assistants Sensory regulation is crucial for effective communication and learning. Success in special education is not about compliance but about connection and engagement. Lessons should be flexible and responsive to students' needs. Modeling behaviors and strategies is essential for teaching assistants. Creating a safe and engaging environment fosters better learning outcomes. Intuitive teaching can lead to more meaningful connections with students. Patience is key and results may take time. Building relationships with students is fundamental to their success.  Creating a safe space fosters trust and engagement. Engagement can be measured through moments of connection. Songs and music can enhance predictability and comfort in learning. Predictability helps reduce anxiety in new environments. Group sessions should be short and engaging to maintain interest. Every child is unique, requiring tailored approaches to learning. You may also be interested in these supports: Visual Support Starter Set  Visual Supports Facebook Group Autism Little Learners on Instagram Autism Little Learners on Facebook

In this episode of the We Talk Health Podcast, we sit down with Adrienne Wagster, M.S. CCC-SLP, a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) with West Tennessee Healthcare, to shine a light on the vital work done by SLPs.May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a perfect time to learn how speech therapy can be just as life-changing as physical or occupational therapy. Adrienne explains what speech-language pathology really involves — from helping children with developmental delays to working with adults recovering from strokes, brain injuries, or other neurological conditions.Whether you're curious about how speech therapy works, wondering if it could benefit a loved one, or just want to understand more about this fascinating and essential healthcare profession, this episode has something for you.Guest:Adrienne Wagster, M.S. CCC-SLPSpeech Language PathologistHost:Kara MobleySocial Media CoordinatorResources:West Tennessee Healthcare Speech Therapy ServicesPediatric Speech Therapy - Dyersburg

Ready to finally understand what you're really getting paid—and what's being kept from you in SLP job listings? In this jaw-dropping episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP sit down with Dr. Meredith Harold, SLP, founder of Informed SLP and Informed Jobs, to expose the hidden red flags in speech-language pathology job postings, the illusion of hourly pay, and the myth of wage transparency in our field. You'll learn why your “$60/hour” offer might mean you're actually earning less than $30/hour, how to decode the difference between W-2 vs. 1099 pay, and what employers aren't telling you about QA paperwork, mileage, and productivity demands.

Send us an email @ info@parentcoachesunleashed.com In this special one-year anniversary episode of Parent Coaches Unleashed, Carrie & Jessica dive deep into the journeys of moms who have reinvented themselves after years of parenting. With Mother's Day around the corner, the episode shines a light on moms who made bold pivots—leaving careers, embracing new passions, and figuring out how to balance their own evolution while raising teens and young adults.You'll meet three inspiring guests:Ilise Litwin, a University of Florida graduate and Therapeutic Recreational Specialist known as the Fiery Redhead, has a diverse background in mental health, podcasting, writing, and motivational speaking. Her extensive experience across various populations equipped clients with coping skills. She hosts the "Wide Open Spaces with Ilise" podcast, authored "Wanderlust Within," and delivers impactful motivational talks.South Florida artist, mother, and entrepreneur Kelly Merkur, who holds a BFA in Fiber Art/Textile Design, returned to her creative passions through painting after raising her daughters and working as a textile designer. Her vibrant, layered pieces, driven by color, texture, and experimentation, bring her joy and aim to emotionally resonate with viewers.Michele Baron, an Integrated Health Coach with a Master's in Speech-Language Pathology, helps clients make lifestyle shifts, improve nutrition, and transform unhealthy habits for optimal health through support and understanding of the mind-body-food connection. As a mother who personally helped her daughter with digestive issues, Michele deeply understands the far-reaching impact of chronic illnesses on individuals and families.TakeawaysPassions change—and that's okayVulnerability is powerfulFamily conversations matterTimestamps00:00 Reinventing Life After Motherhood05:42 Career Transition to Coaching & Podcasting15:24 Pursue Meaningful Work Passionately17:11 Holistic Health and Skincare Coach22:39 Daily Social Media Routine30:28 Organic Creativity Rediscovery36:52 Balancing Motherhood and Career Dreams39:15 Flexible Parenting and Modern Work Dynamics46:45 Single Mom: Rec Therapist Journey50:25 "Evolving Mental Health Podcast Journey"57:54 "Embracing Self-Validation for Influence"01:02:39 Listening to a Frustrated Child01:08:17 Overcoming Fear for Family Pride01:09:42 Midlife Passion and Renewal

Change doesn't come by asking nicely—it comes by saying NO when it matters most. In this episode, we're taking a hard look at boundaries, advocacy, and why protecting yourself is non-negotiable. Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, listen to real-world stories from clinicians who stood their ground against unsafe workplaces, unethical demands, and toxic cultures. From walking away from dangerous jobs to refusing to alter documentation under pressure, you'll hear raw, unfiltered experiences that show why knowing when—and how—to say "no" is a critical skill in today's speech-language pathology landscape. This is your blueprint for reclaiming your power, setting unapologetic boundaries, and building a career you're proud of.Because fixing SLP means fixing how we are treated, and it starts with you.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code FixSLP for 10% off every course—every time.Use code FIXSLP10 for a $10 discount coupon off the Professional level subscription at Speech Therapy PD (and set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker while you are there).Learn from Jeanette on Medbridge and use code BENIGAS to get over $100 off. Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Pediatrician Dr. Paul Bunch consults Dr. Brenda Thompson and Sarah Bantel from the Cincinnati Children's Division of Speech-Language Pathology on picky eating in children.  Episode recorded on March 12, 2025. CME & MOC Part 2 We are proud to offer CME and MOC Part 2 from Cincinnati Children's.  Credit is free and registration is required.  Please click here to claim CME credit via the post-test under "Launch Activity." Resources in this episode: - Cincinnati Children's Speech Pathology   Accreditation In support of improving patient care, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Specific accreditation information will be provided for each activity. Physicians: Cincinnati Children's designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Nurses: This activity is approved for a maximum 1.0 continuing nursing education (CNE) contact hours. MOCpt2: Completion of this CME activity, which includes learner assessment and feedback, enables the learner to earn up to1.0 points in the American Board of Pediatrics' (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Cincinnati Children's submits MOC/CC credit for board diplomates. Credits AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), ABP MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours), CME - Non-Physician (Attendance) (1.00 hours), Nursing CE (1.00 hours)   Financial Disclosure:  The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed: None All relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated. Remaining persons in control of content have no relevant financial relationships.      

  Lyssa Rome is a speech-language pathologist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is on staff at the Aphasia Center of California, where she facilitates groups for people with aphasia and their care partners. She owns an LPAA-focused private practice and specializes in working with people with aphasia, dysarthria, and other neurogenic conditions. She has worked in acute hospital, skilled nursing, and continuum of care settings. Prior to becoming an SLP, Lyssa was a public radio journalist, editor, and podcast producer. In this episode, Lyssa Rome interviews Dr. Suma Devanga about collaborative referencing, gesture, and building rich communicative environments for people with aphasia.   Guest info Dr. Suma Devanga is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, where she also serves as the director of the Aphasia Research Lab. She completed her PhD in Speech and Hearing science from the University of Illinois. Urbana Champaign in 2017. Dr. Devanga is interested in studying aphasia interventions and their impacts on people's everyday communication. Her recent work includes investigating a novel treatment called the Collaborative Referencing Intervention for Individuals with aphasia, using discourse analysis methods and patient reported outcome measures, studying group-based treatments for aphasia, and studying the use of gestures in aphasia. Additionally, she is involved in teaching courses on aphasia and cognitive communication disorders to graduate SLP students at Rush. She also provides direct patient care and graduate clinical supervision at Rush outpatient clinics.   Listener Take-aways In today's episode you will: Understand the role of collaborative referencing in everyday communication. Learn about Collaborative Referencing Intervention. Describe how speech-language pathologists can create rich communicative environments.   Edited transcript   Lyssa Rome Welcome to the Aphasia Access Aphasia Conversations Podcast. I'm Lyssa Rome. I'm a speech language pathologist on staff at the Aphasia Center of California, and I see clients with aphasia and other neurogenic communication disorders in my LPAA-focused private practice. I'm also a member of the Aphasia Access podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their aphasia care through a variety of educational materials and resources.   I'm today's host for an episode that will feature Dr. Suma Devanga, who is selected as a 2024 Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Distinguished Scholar, USA and Canada. In this episode, we'll be discussing Dr. Devanga's research on collaborative referencing, gesture, and building rich communicative environments for people with aphasia.   Suma Devanga is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, where she also serves as the director of the Aphasia Research Lab. She completed her PhD in Speech and Hearing science from the University of Illinois. Urbana Champaign in 2017. Dr. Devanga is interested in studying aphasia interventions and their impacts on people's everyday communication. Her recent work includes investigating a novel treatment called the Collaborative Referencing Intervention for Individuals with aphasia, using discourse analysis methods and patient reported outcome measures, studying group-based treatments for aphasia, and studying the use of gestures in aphasia. Additionally, she is involved in teaching courses on aphasia and cognitive communication disorders to graduate SLP students at Rush. She also provides direct patient care and graduate clinical supervision at Rush outpatient clinics. Suma Devanga, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm really happy to be talking with you.   Suma Devanga Thank you, Lyssa, thank you for having me. And I would also like to thank Aphasia Access for this wonderful opportunity, and the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia and the Duchess of Bedford for recognizing my research through the Distinguished Scholar Award.   Lyssa Rome So I wanted to start by asking you how you became interested in aphasia treatment.   Suma Devanga I became interested in aphasia during my undergraduate and graduate programs, which was in speech language pathology in Mysore in India. I was really drawn to this population because of how severe the consequences were for these individuals and their families after the onset of aphasia. So I met hundreds of patients and families with aphasia who were really devastated by this sudden condition, and they were typically left with no job and little means to communicate with family and friends. So as a student clinician, I was very, very motivated to help these individuals in therapy, but when I started implementing the treatment methods that I had learned, what I discovered was that my patients were showing improvements on the tasks that we worked on in therapy. Their scores on clinical tasks also were improving, but none of that really mattered to them. What they really wanted was to be able to easily communicate with family, but they continued to struggle on that, and none of the cutting-edge treatment methods that I learned from this highly reputable program in India were impacting my patients' lives.   So I really felt lost, and that is when I knew that I wanted to do a PhD and study this topic more closely, and I was drawn to Dr. Julie Hengst's work, which looked at the bigger picture in aphasia. She used novel theoretical frameworks and used discourse analysis methods for tracking patient performance, as opposed to clinical tests. So I applied to the University of Illinois PhD program, and I'm so glad that she took me on as her doctoral student. And so that is how I ended up moving from India to the US and started my work in aphasia.   Lyssa Rome I think that a lot of us can probably relate to what you're describing—that just that feeling of frustration when a patient might improve on some sort of clinical tasks, but still says this is not helping me in my life, and I know that for me, and I think for others, that is what has drawn us to the LPAA.   I wanted to sort of dive into your research by asking you a little bit more about rich communicative environments, and what you mean by that, and what you mean when you talk about or write about distributed communication frameworks.   Suma Devanga So since I started my PhD, I have been interested in understanding how we can positively impact everyday communication for our patients with aphasia. As a doctoral student, I delved more deeply into the aphasia literature and realized that what I observed clinically with my patients in India was consistent with what was documented in the literature, and that was called the clinical-functional gap. And this really refers to the fact that we have many evidence-based aphasia treatments that do show improvements on clinical tasks or standardized tests, but there is very limited evidence on these treatments improving the functional use of language or the everyday communication, and this remains to be true even today.   So I think it becomes pretty important to understand what we are dealing with, like what is everyday communication? And I think many aphasia treatments have been studying everyday communication or conversational interactions by decontextualizing them or reducing them into component parts, like single words or phrases, and then we work our way up to sentence structures. Right? So this approach has been criticized by some researchers like Clark, who is an experimental psychologist, and he called such tasks as in vacuo, meaning that they are not really capturing the complexity of conversational interactions. So basically, even though we are clinicians, our ultimate goal is improving everyday communication, which is rich and emergent and complex, we somehow seem to be using tasks that are simplified and that removes all of these complexities and focuses more on simple or specific linguistic structures. So to understand the complexities of everyday communication, we have shifted to the distributed communication framework, which really originates from the cultural historical activity theories and theories from linguistic anthropology.   Dr. Julie Hengst actually proposed the distributed communication theory in her article in the Journal of Communication Disorders in 2015, which highlights that communication is not just an individual skill or a discrete concept, but it is rather distributed. And it is distributed in three ways: One is that it is distributed across various resources. We communicate using multiple resources, not just language. We sign, we use gestures, or facial expressions. We also interpret messages using such resources like dialects and eye gaze and posture, the social context, cultural backgrounds, the emotional states that we are in, and all of that matters. And we all know this, right? This is not new, and yet, we often give credit to language alone for communication, when in reality, we constantly use multiple resources. And the other key concept of distributed communication theory is that communication is embedded in socio- cultural activities. So depending on the activity, which can be a routine family dinnertime conversation or managing relationships with your co workers, the communicative resources that you use, their motives, and the way you would organize it, all of that would vary. And finally, communication is distributed across time. And by that we mean that people interpret and understand present interactions through the histories that they have experienced over time. For example, if you're at work and your manager says you might want to double check your reports before submitting them based on prior interactions with the manager and the histories you've shared with them, you could interpret that message either as a simple suggestion or that there is a lack of trust in your work. So all in all, communication, I think, is a joint activity, and I think we should view it as a joint activity, and it depends on people's ability to build common ground with one another and draw from that common ground to interpret each other's messages.   Lyssa Rome I feel like that framework is really helpful, and it makes a lot of sense, especially as a way of thinking about the complexity of language and the complexity of what we're trying to do when we are taking a more top-down approach. So that's the distributed communication theory. And it sounds like the other framework that has really guided your research is rich communicative environments. And I'm wondering if you could say a little bit more about that.   Suma Devanga Absolutely. So this work originates from about 80 years of research in neuroscience, where rodents and other animals with acquired brain injuries showed greater neuroplastic changes and improved functions when they were housed in complex environments. In fact, complex environments are considered to be the most well replicated approach to improve function in animal models of acquired brain injury.   So Dr. Julie Hengst, Dr. Melissa Duff, and Dr. Theresa Jones translated these findings to support communication for humans with acquired brain injuries. And they called it the rich communicative environments. The main goal of this is to enrich the clinical environments. And how we achieve that is by ensuring that there is meaningful complexity in our clinical environments, and that you do that by ensuring that our patients, families, and clinicians use multimodal resources, and also to aim for having multiple communication partners within your sessions who can fluidly shift between various communicative roles, and to not just stay in that clinician role, for example.   Another way to think about enriching clinical environments is to think about ensuring that there is voluntary engagement from our patients, and you do that by essentially designing personally meaningful activities, rather than focusing on rehearsing fixed linguistic form or having some predetermined goals.   And the other piece of the enrichment is, how do we ensure there is a positive experiential quality for our patients within our sessions. And for this rather than using clinician-controlled activities with rigid interactional roles, providing opportunities for the patients to share stories and humor would really, you know, ensure that they are also engaging with the tasks with you and having some fun. So all of this put together would lead to a rich communicative environment.   Lyssa Rome It sounds like what you're describing is the kind of speech therapy environment and relationship that is very much person-centered and focused on natural communication, or natural communicative contexts and the kinds of conversations that people have in their everyday lives, rather than more sort of strict speech therapy protocol that might have been more traditional. I also want to ask you to describe collaborative referencing and collaborative referencing intervention.   Suma Devanga Yes, absolutely. So traditionally, our discipline has viewed word-finding or naming as a neurolinguistic process where you access semantic meanings from a lexicon, which you use to generate verbal references. And that theoretical account conceptualizes referencing as an isolated process, where one individual has the skill of retrieving target references from their stores of linguistic forms and meanings, right? So in contrast to that, the distributed communication perspective views referencing as a process where speakers' meanings are constructed within each interaction, and that is based on the shared histories of experiences with specific communication partners and also depending on the social and physical contexts of the interaction as well.   Now this process of collaborative referencing is something that we all do every single day. It is not just a part of our everyday communication, but without collaborative referencing, you cannot really have a conversation with anyone. You need to have some alignment, some common ground for communicating with others. This is a fundamental feature of human communication, and this is not new. You know, there is lots of work being done on this, even in childhood language literature as well.   Collaborative referencing was formally studied by Clark, who is the experimental psychologist. And he studied this in healthy college students, and he used a barrier task experiment for it. So a pair of students sat across from each other with a full barrier that separated them so they could not see each other at all, and each student had a board that was numbered one through 12, and they were given matching sets of 12 pictures of abstract shapes called tangrams. One participant was assigned as the director, who arranged the cards on their playing board and described their locations to the other, who served as the matcher and matched the pictures to their locations on their own board. So the pair completed six trials with alternating turns, and they use the same cards with new locations for each trial. And what they found was that the pairs had to really collaborate with each other to get those descriptions correct so that they are placed correctly on the boards.   So in the initial trials, the pairs had multiple turns of back and forth trying to describe these abstract shapes. For example, one of the pictures was initially described as “This picture that looks like an angel or something with its arms wide open.” And there had to be several clarifying questions from the partner, and then eventually, after playing with this picture several times, the player just had to say “It's the angel,” and the partner would be able to know which picture that was so as the pairs built their common ground, the collaborative effort, or the time taken to complete each trial, and the number of words they used and the number of turns they took to communicate about those pictures declined over time, and the labels itself, or the descriptions of pictures, also became more streamlined as the as time went by.   So Hengst and colleagues wanted to study this experiment in aphasia, TBI, amnesia, and Alzheimer's disease as well. So they adapted this task to better serve this population and also to align with the distributed communication framework. And surprisingly, they found consistent results that despite aphasia or other neurological conditions, people were still able to successfully reference, decrease collaborative effort over time and even streamline their references. But more surprisingly, people were engaged with one another. They were having really rich conversations about these pictures. They were sharing jokes, and really seemed to be enjoying the task itself.   So Hengst and colleagues realized that this has a lot of potential, and they redesigned the barrier task experiment as a clinical treatment using the principles of the distributed communication framework and the rich communicative environment. So that redesign included replacing the full barrier with a partial barrier to allow multimodal communication, and using personal photos of the patients instead of the abstract shapes to make it more engaging for the patients, and also asking participants to treat this as a friendly game and to have fun. So that is the referencing itself and the research on collaborative referencing, and that is how it was adapted as a treatment as well.   And in order to help clinicians easily implement this treatment, I have used the RTSS framework, which is the rehabilitation treatment specification system, to explain how CRI works and how it can be implemented. And this is actually published, and it just came out in the most recent issue in the American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, which I'm happy to share.   Lyssa Rome And we'll put that link into the show notes.   Suma Devanga Perfect. So CRI is designed around meaningful activities like the game that authentically provides repeated opportunities for the client and the clinician to engage in the collaborative referencing process around targets that they really want to be talking about, things that are relevant to patients, everyday communication goals, it could be things, objects of interest, and not really specific words or referencing forms.   So the implementation of the CRI involves three key ingredients. One is jointly developing the referencing targets and compiling the images so clinicians would sit down with the patients and the families to identify at least 30 targets that are meaningful and important to be included in the treatment. And we need two perspectives, or two views, or two pictures related to the same target that needs to be included in the treatment. So we will have 60 pictures overall. An example is two pictures from their wedding might be an important target for patients to be able to talk about. Two pictures from a Christmas party, you know, things like that. So this process of compilation of photos is also a part of the treatment itself, because it gives the patients an opportunity to engage with the targets.   The second ingredient is engaging in the friendly gameplay itself. And the key really here is the gameplay and to treat it as a gameplay. And this includes 15 sessions with six trials in each session, where you, as the clinician and the client will both have matching sets of 12 pictures, and there is a low barrier in between, so you cannot see each other's boards, but you can still see the other person. So you will both take turns being the director and the matcher six times, and describe and match the pictures to their locations, and that is just the game. The only rule of the game is that you cannot look over the barrier. You are encouraged to talk as much as you like about the pictures. In fact, you are encouraged to talk a lot about the pictures and communicate in any way.   The third ingredient is discussing and reflecting on referencing. And this happens at the end of each session where patients are asked to think back and reflect and say what the agreed upon label was for each card. And this, again, gives one more opportunity for the patients to engage with the target.   The therapeutic mechanism, or the mechanism of action, as RTSS likes to call it, is the rich communicative environment itself, you know, and how complex the task is, and how meaningful and engaging the task has to be, as well as the repeated engagement in the gameplay, because we are doing this six times in each session, and we are repeatedly engaging with those targets when describing them and placing them.   So what we are really targeting with CRI is collaborative referencing and again, this does not refer to the patient's abilities to access or retrieve those words from their stores. Instead, we are targeting people's joint efforts in communicating about these targets, their efforts in building situated common ground. That's what we are targeting. We are targeting their alignment with one another, and so that is how we define referencing. And again, we are targeting this, because that is how you communicate every day.   Lyssa Rome That sounds like a really fascinating and very rich intervention. And I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about the research that you've done on it so far.   Suma Devanga Absolutely. So in terms of research on CRI thus far, we have completed phase one with small case studies that were all successful, and my PhD dissertation was the first phase two study, where we introduced an experimental control by using a multiple-probe, single-case experimental design on four people with aphasia, and we found significant results on naming. And since then, I have completed two replication studies in a total of nine participants with aphasia. And we have found consistent results on naming. In terms of impact on everyday interactions, we have found decreased trouble sources, or communicative breakdowns, you can call it, and also decreased repairs, both of which indicated improved communicative success within conversational interactions. So we are positive, and we plan to continue this research to study its efficacy within a clinical trial.   Lyssa Rome That's very encouraging. So how can clinicians target collaborative referencing by creating a rich communicative environment?   Suma Devanga Yeah, well, CRI is one approach that clinicians can use, and I'm happy to share the evidence we have this far, and there is more to come, hopefully soon, including some clinical implementation studies that clinicians can use. But there are many other ways of creating rich communicative environments and targeting referencing within clinical sessions. I think many skilled clinicians are already doing it in the form of relationship building, by listening closely to their patients, engaging with them in authentic conversations, and also during education and counseling sessions as well.   In addition to that, I think group treatment for aphasia is another great opportunity for targeting collaborative referencing within a rich communicative environment. When I was a faculty at Western Michigan University, I was involved in their outpatient aphasia program, where they have aphasia groups, and patients got to select which groups they want to participate in. They had a cooking group, a music group, a technology group, and so on. And I'm guessing you do this too at the Aphasia Center of California. So these groups definitely create rich communicative environments, and people collaborate with each other and do a lot of referencing as well. So I think there is a lot that can be done if you understand the rich communicative environment piece.   Lyssa Rome Absolutely. That really rings true to me. So often in these podcast interviews, we ask people about aha moments, and I'm wondering if you have one that you wanted to share with us.   Suma Devanga Sure. So you know how I said that getting the pictures for the CRI is a joint activity? Patients typically select things that they really want to talk about, like their kids' graduation pictures, or things that they are really passionate about, like pictures of their sports cars, or vegetable gardens, and so on. And they also come up with really unique names for them as well, while they are playing with those pictures during the treatment. And when we start playing the game, clinicians usually have little knowledge about these images, because they're all really personal to the patients, and they're taken from their personal lives, so they end up being the novices, while the patients become the experts. And my patients have taught me so much about constructing a house and all about engines of cars and things like that that I had no knowledge about. But in one incident, when I was the clinician paired with an individual with anomic aphasia, there was a picture of a building that she could not recognize, and hence she could not tell me much at all. And we went back and forth several times, and we finally ended up calling it the “unknown building.” Later, I checked my notes and realized that it was where she worked, and it was probably a different angle, perhaps, which is why she could not recognize it. But even with that new information, we continue to call it the “unknown building,” because it became sort of an internal joke for us. And later I kept thinking if I had made a mistake and if we should have accurately labeled it. That is when it clicked for me that CRI is not about producing accurate labels, it is about building a common ground with each other, which would help you successfully communicate with that person. So you're targeting the process of referencing and not the reference itself, because you want your patients to get better at the process of referencing in their everyday communication. And so that was my aha moment.   Lyssa Rome Yeah, that's an amazing story, because I think that that gets to that question sort of of the why behind what we're doing, right? Is it to say the specific name? I mean, obviously for some people, yes, sometimes it is. But what is underlying that? It's to be able to communicate about the things that are important to people. I also wanted to ask you about another area that you've studied, which is the use of gesture within aphasia interventions. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?   Suma Devanga Yes. So this work started with my collaboration with my friend and colleague, Dr. Mili Mathew, who is at Molloy University in New York, and our first work was on examining the role of hand gestures in collaborative referencing in a participant who had severe Wernicke's aphasia, and he frequently used extensive gestures to communicate. So when he started with CRI his descriptions of the images were truly multimodal. For example, when he had to describe a picture of a family vacation in Cancun, he was, you know, he was verbose, and there was very little meaningful content that was relevant in his spoken language utterances. But he used a variety of iconic hand gestures that were very meaningful and helpful to identify what he was referring to. As the sessions went on with him, his gestural references also became streamlined, just like the verbal references do, and that we saw in other studies. And that was fascinating because it indicated that gestures do play a big role in the meaning-making process of referencing.   And in another study on the same participant, we explored the use of hand gestures as treatment outcome measures. This time, we specifically analyzed gestures used within conversations at baseline treatment, probe, and maintenance phases of the study. And we found that the frequency of referential gestures, which are gestures that add meaning, that have some kind of iconics associated with them, those frequencies of gestures decreased with the onset of treatment, whereas the correct information units, or CIUS, which indicate the informativeness in the spoken language itself, increased. So this pattern of decrease in hand gestures and increase in CIUS was also a great finding. Even though this was just an exploratory study, it indicates that gestures may be included as outcome measures, in addition to verbal measures, which we usually tend to rely more on. And we have a few more studies coming up that are looking at the synchrony of gestures with spoken language in aphasia, but I think we still have a lot more to learn about gestures in aphasia.   Lyssa Rome It seems like there that studying gestures really ties in to CRI and the rich communicative environments that you were describing earlier, where the goal is not just to verbally name one thing, but rather to get your point across, where, obviously, gesture is also quite useful. So I look forward to reading more of your research on that as it comes out. Tell us about what you're currently working on, what's coming next.   Suma Devanga Currently, I am wrapping up my clinical research grant from the ASH Foundation, which was a replication study of the phase two CRI so we collected data from six participants with chronic aphasia using a multiple-probe, single-case design, and that showed positive results on naming, and there was improved scores on patient reports of communication confidence, communicative participation, and quality of life as well. We are currently analyzing the conversation samples to study the treatment effects.   I also just submitted a grant proposal to extend the study on participants with different severities of aphasia as well. So we are getting all the preliminary data at this point that we need to be able to start a clinical trial, which will be my next step.   So apart from that, I was also able to redesign the CRI and adapt it as a group-based treatment with three participants with aphasia and one clinician in a group. I actually completed a feasibility study of it, which was successful, and I presented that at ASHA in 2023. And I'm currently writing it up for publication, and I also just secured an internal grant to launch a pilot study of the group CRI to investigate the effects of group CRI on communication and quality of life.   Lyssa Rome Well, that's really exciting. And again, I'm really looking forward to reading additional work as it comes out. As we wrap up. What do you want clinicians to take away from your work and to take away from this conversation we've had today?   Suma Devanga Well, I would want clinicians to reflect on how their sessions are going and think about how to incorporate the principles of rich communicative environments so that they can add more meaningful complexity to their treatment activities and also ensure that their patients are truly engaging with the tasks and also having some fun. And I would also tell the clinicians that we have strong findings so far on CRI with both fluent and non-fluent aphasia types. So please stay tuned and reach out to me if you have questions or want to share your experiences about implementing this with your own patients, because I would love to hear that.   Lyssa Rome Dr. Suma Devanga, it has been great talking to you and hearing about your work. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.   Suma Devanga It was fantastic talking about my work. Thank you for giving me this platform to share my work with you all. And thank you, Lyssa for being a great listener.   Lyssa Rome Thanks also to our listeners for the references and resources mentioned in today's show. Please see our show notes. They're available on our website, www.aphasiaaccess.org. There, you can also become a member of our organization, browse our growing library of materials, and find out about the Aphasia Access Academy. If you have an idea for a future podcast episode, email us at info@aphasiaaccess.org. Thanks again for your ongoing support of aphasia. Access. For Aphasia Access Conversations. I'm Lyssa Rome.       References   Devanga, S. R. (2025). Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI) in Aphasia: A replication and extension of the Phase II efficacy study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-24-00226   Devanga, S. R., Sherrill, M., & Hengst, J. A. (2021). The efficacy of collaborative referencing intervention in chronic aphasia: A mixed methods study. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 30(1S), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00108    Hengst, J. A., Duff, M. C., & Jones, T. A. (2019). Enriching communicative environments: Leveraging advances in neuroplasticity for improving outcomes in neurogenic communication disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28(1S), 216–229. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-17-0157   Hengst, J. A. (2015). Distributed communication: Implications of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) for communication disorders. Journal of Communication Disorders, 57, 16–28. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.09.001   Devanga, S. R., & Mathew, M. (2024). Exploring the use of co-speech hand gestures as treatment outcome measures for aphasia. Aphasiology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2024.2356287   Devanga, S. R., Wilgenhof, R., & Mathew, M. (2022). Collaborative referencing using hand gestures in Wernicke's aphasia: Discourse analysis of a case study. Aphasiology, 36(9), 1072-1095. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2021.1937919    

SLPAs are everywhere, but are states ready for them? From total chaos to silent overreach, this episode examines the regulatory mess that's leaving clinicians confused and patients at risk. Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Elizabeth Nielsen, MA/SLP, question the shocking inconsistencies in SLPA and SLP aide requirements across the U.S.—from untrained aides treating medically fragile patients to CCC-tethered supervision rules that sneak ASHA back into the mix.We're talking state policy, gatekeeping, and what happens when no one's steering the ship. Whether you're supervising, working alongside, or are an SLPA, this episode pulls back the curtain on what's broken—and what Fix SLP suggests doing about it. You'll also hear about our 50-state SLPA regulation spreadsheet and how you can help shape what's next. This is the episode your licensing board hopes you never hear.Visit fixslp.com to access the SLPA regulation spreadsheet, or record your own Minivan Meltdown.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code FixSLP for 10% off every course—every time.Use code FIXSLP10 for a $10 discount coupon off the Professional level subscription at Speech Therapy PD (and set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker while you are there).Learn from Jeanette on Medbridge and use code BENIGAS to get over $100 off. Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

I remember the first time I “Marie Kondoed” my therapy room and got rid of materials that were published before I was born. There were shelves of things I never used, and having so many options created unnecessary decision fatigue every time I sat down to plan my week ahead. Over time, I started investing in knowledge instead of flashcards and games. I found my students did better when I kept it simple. I thought my students would be bored, but they actually became more engaged and independent. That's why I was so excited to talk with Marisha Mets from SLP Now, who shares my passion for systems and frameworks that don't require complicated materials. Marisha Mets earned her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Washington. She has worked as a school-based SLP and shares therapy ideas and resources on her blog (SLP Now). Marisha also developed a membership for SLPs that includes digital tools and resources to streamline evidence-based therapy, including a one-stop caseload management solution that currently supports thousands of SLPs. In this conversation, we discuss:✅How to manage both physical clutter and mental clutter.✅Identifying the point of diminishing returns when it comes to organizing.✅Deciding when to use a batching process vs. habit stacking. ✅Defining the “containers” you use to manage your workflow and your workspace.✅How to identify your “staples”.✅Investing in materials vs. knowledge/skills. You can connect with Marisha on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisha-mets-9aa396133/Follow her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/slpnowFollow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/slpnow/ Listen to my episode on the SLP Now Podcast here: https://slpnow.com/blog/how-to-write-iep-goals-an-expert-guide-for-slps/Learn more about SLP Now and read Marisha's free blog posts here: https://slpnow.com/The following resources were mentioned in this episode:“Outer Order, Inner Calm” by Gretchen Rubin: https://gretchenrubin.com/books/outer-order-inner-calm/“Atomic Habits” by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habitsIn this episode, I mentioned Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

Join me for this conversation about friendship, creativity, and love. Barbara Urbonas and Jane Asher have put together an amazing project called Deep Dive 365 Words- Gaining Clarity and Expanding Consciousness by Sharing Words. This project was designed after a cancer diagnosis to expand their consciousness and make it a journey of healing. It's a combination of creative writing prompts, automatic writing, and soul searching. Best friends for years, Barbara Urbonas is retired from a former career in Speech/Language Pathology and Jane Asher is an author and host of The Next Room podcast. Find on Amazon- Deep Dive 365- Gaining Clarity and Expanding Consciousness by Sharing Words Facebook Deep Dive 365 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Autism Little Learners Podcast, I'm bringing back a powerful and important conversation with Emily Byers Chaney, SLP — and it felt like the perfect time to revisit it during Autism Acceptance Month.

What would you build if ASHA disappeared tomorrow? This week, we're rewriting the rules of our profession—from the dues to leadership to culture—with bold, unapologetic ideas for what a better SLP organization could look like.We're talking transparent budgets, free CEUs, mental health access, and an end to credential gatekeeping. Dr. Jeanette Benigas. SLP and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, pinpoint the flaws in the current system and lay out a vision for one that actually serves clinicians. From hilarious rants in nursing home closets to raw truths about burnout and bureaucracy, this episode is the rallying cry for every SLP who's ever thought, "There has to be a better way."If you're ready to burn it down and build it better, this is the episode you share.

Who Is That Girl in The Mirror?  It is challenging for women to see changes to their bodies during and after treatment. Some have to cope with hair loss, others with changes to skin tone and texture, many others with scars from lumpectomy or mastectomy, with or without reconstruction which adds another layer of complexity to an already difficult cancer diagnosis. Hear from Heather and Lauren Spiezia who have experienced this firsthand, Yonni and Jana Siegel as caregivers and friends, and Dr. Lucy de la Cruz as a breast surgeon about handling side-effects, cold-capping, managing surgical expectations and more. Episode 3 Guest Bios: Lauren Spiezia: Lauren Spiezia is a passionate advocate and breast cancer warrior, diagnosed in 2024 at the age of 31. Despite still undergoing treatment, she is dedicated to sharing her journey with others, offering strength and insight to those in similar battles. Professionally, Lauren brings a wealth of experience in wealth management, coupled with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Following her diagnosis, she was inspired to launch a venture in clean, non-toxic cosmetics, reflecting her commitment to health and wellness both personally and professionally. Outside of her cancer journey and business endeavors, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and 2-year-old son in New Jersey. A former collegiate athlete at Babson College, she continues to prioritize an active lifestyle, valuing health in all aspects of her life. Jana Shopkorn Siegel: Jana Shopkorn Siegel is a New York State licensed speech-language pathologist who earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Child Development from Tufts University before going on to receive her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from NYU. She has worked in a wide range of settings, including schools, daycares, homes, and virtual platforms with diverse populations, and in private practice as well. Jana is passionate about helping individuals of all ages find their voice and build confidence through communication. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is a proud member of the organization. Jana was born and raised in NYC and lives there with her husband and three teenagers. She is involved with the Ronald McDonald House, and supports other charities that have touched her life and community.  Dr. Lucy de la Cruz: Dr. Lucy De La Cruz is an internationally recognized breast surgical oncologist and the Chief of Breast Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She serves as the Director of the Lombardi Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center and is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. De La Cruz is deeply committed to advancing women's health through personalized, compassionate care, innovative treatment, and education. Her pivotal manuscript on nipple-sparing and oncoplastic surgical outcomes has been widely cited and continues to shape the global landscape of breast surgery for both patients and physicians. Known for blending surgical precision with empathy and advocacy, she brings a powerful voice to conversations around leadership, equity, and the evolving role of women in medicine and beyond. Dr. De La Cruz's unique perspective is shaped by her experience as a surgeon, mother, and mentor—blending clinical excellence with heart, humor, and humanity. Find Yonni & Heather here https://www.herhealthcompass.com/

Martin Brodsky, PhD, ScM previews two exciting upcoming events: the ASHA Health Care Summit 2025 on ICU collaboration in May, and a September CME on multidisciplinary airway, voice, and swallowing care. Dr. Brodsky also shares the latest research and clinical insights in the field of speech-language pathology.

Want to share your feedback? Send us a message!Dr. Kathleen Scaler Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, for an in-depth discussion on the assessment and treatment of cluttering. In this episode, Dr. Scaler Scott breaks down the differential diagnosis process using the LCD definition, provides a comprehensive overview of assessment and treatment, and shares clinical examples and key considerations along the way. Packed with practical insights, this episode will leave listeners feeling more confident and ready to apply what they've learned immediately.Tip: For additional background, check out a Season 6 episode "All Things Cluttering with Dr. Kathleen Scaler Scott" Resources:'All Things Cluttering with Dr. Kathleen Scaler Scott,' Stuttering Foundation Podcast Episode [referenced in episode]'The Cluttering Experience' Rutger Wilhelm Stuttering Foundation Podcast Episode'Cluttering: Expanding Evaluation & Treatment' Virtual Learning Session'Cluttering: Shared Experiences' Virtual Learning SessionCluttering Conversations PodcastASHA Leader Article: Debunking Myths About ClutteringKathleen Scaler Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, is a practicing speech-language pathologist, Board Certified Specialist in Stuttering, Cluttering and Fluency, and Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Misericordia University. She has been a practicing clinician for 30 years in hospital, school, and private practice settings. Dr. Scaler Scott's research interests are largely in cluttering, atypical disfluency, and child language and literacy disorders. She has spoken nationally and internationally and authored peer reviewed articles, book chapters and books on the topic of fluency, literacy and pragmatic challenges. She was the first Coordinator of the International Cluttering Association, and is the recipient of the 2018 Deso Weiss Award for Excellence in the Field of Cluttering, and the 2018 Professional of the Year award from the National Stuttering Association. In 2020, Dr. Scaler Scott received the Judge Max and Tillie Rosenn Excellence in Teaching Award from Misericordia University. In 2022, she became a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.She is co-editor of Cluttering: A Handbook of Research, Intervention, and Education, co-author of Managing Cluttering: A Comprehensive Guidebook of Activities, author of Fluency Plus: Managing Fluency Disorders in Individuals with Multiple Diagnoses and co-author of the recently released Second Edition of the Source for Stuttering and Cluttering. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast Cluttering Conversations, a free podcast available on SoundCloud. 

Your boss says taking sick leave is patient abandonment? Let's talk about what's actually legal — and what's pure manipulation. This episode might just be the most important one you hear all year.In this fiery and deeply personal episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, expose the truth about patient abandonment—what it is, what it isn't, and why so many SLPs are guilted into staying in toxic jobs. Jeanette shares her own story of walking away from a draining home health position and explains, step-by-step, how she protected her patients and her peace.This episode is packed with actionable takeaways:The legal definition of patient abandonment and how it applies to cliniciansHow to plan your exit without guiltWhy protecting your mental health and income isn't selfish — it's survivalHow to handle retaliation, empty threats, and shady administration tacticsIf you've ever been told, “You can't leave — that's abandonment,” you must hear this.✅ Subscribe ⭐️ Leave a 5-star rating 

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, welcomes Candice Harrell, a North Carolina-based SLP and grassroots advocate, to chat about one of the most confusing—and potentially transformative—developments in the field: the  Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). Together, they unravel what the Compact is, what it isn't, and why it matters for your license, your wallet, and your autonomy. From the risks of tying the CCC to the Compact, to the surprising transparency of the Commission, to the complex web of fees, background checks, and state-specific regulations, this episode gives you the full picture. Whether you're wondering how the Compact will impact telepractice or school licensure or you just want to know if it's worth it, this conversation cuts through the noise with facts, examples, and a healthy dose of skepticism. Fixers, this is the deep dive you've been waiting for.ASLP Compact MapASLP FAQWant to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code FixSLP for 10% off every course—every time.Use code FIXSLP10 for a $10 discount coupon off the Professional level subscription at Speech Therapy PD (and set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker while you are there).Learn from Jeanette on Medbridge and use code BENIGAS to get over $100 off. Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

If you've wanted to start a private practice while navigating another job or learn more about serving bilingual clients, don't miss out on this episode! Joining me today is Esmeralda Sánchez, a bilingual and bicultural native Spanish-speaking Speech-Language Pathologist located in Chicago. She is the founder of Bilingual and Brilliant Speech Therapy LLC.Esmeralda joined the Start Your Private Practice program in 2023 and began building her own caseload, starting with four private-pay clients. As her business grew, she transitioned into the Grow Your Private Practice Program to scale her practice further.In this episode, Esmeralda shares why she decided to start her own private practice and talks about her experiences in becoming a mother and struggling to find bilingual services for her own son.Esmeralda Sanchez has twelve years of experience in early intervention, public schools, and private practice. She earned dual Bachelor's degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Spanish from Saint Xavier University in Chicago followed by a Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Indiana University's where she focused on bilingual therapy. Her practice, Bilingual and Brilliant Speech Therapy LLC, combines growth mindset principles, social-emotional wellness, and family-centered practices. Esmeralda specializes in treating receptive and expressive language disorders, late talking, stuttering, articulation disorders, speech clarity, and post-stroke rehabilitation.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:Esmeralda's personal experiences with speech therapy and how she got into the fieldGetting started with private clients while maintaining her job in the schools How private practice has increased her control of income, clients, and scheduleEsmeralda's natural and easy marketing strategies that anyone can doEsmeralda turned her own struggles and experiences into a driving force for her to serve her community through private practice. I hope she inspires you to take the next step toward the life you deserve as a hard-working clinician!If you want our help to start or grow your private practice (just like we helped Esmeralda!), please visit www.independentclinician.com/resources.Whether you want to start a private practice or grow your existing private practice, I can help you get the freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, and financial abundance that you deserve. Visit www.independentclinician.com to learn more.Resources Mentioned: Learn more about starting or growing your private practice: www.independentclinician.com/resourcesEsmeralda's website: www.bilingualandbrilliantspeechtherapy.comFollow Esmeralda on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bilingualandbrilliantspeechCheck out Esmeralda's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/@bilingualandbrilliantspeechWhere We Can Connect: Follow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-practice-success-stories/id1374716199Follow Me on Instagram:

Have you ever wondered how to talk to children about autism? In today's episode, I had the honor of talking to Andi Putt about the importance of early conversations about autism, and how to empower autistic children through understanding their identity. We also talk about the significance of normalizing these conversations among peers and Andi offers some effective ways to explain autism to children. This episode is one that you are going to want to share with everyone you know!  Takeaways  Advocacy for autism should start early and be ongoing Understanding autism can empower children and improve mental health Conversations about autism should be age-appropriate and continuous Normalizing discussions about autism helps reduce stigma Children are often more accepting of differences than adults expect It's important to recognize individual needs in educational settings Open communication about autism can foster understanding among peers Language around autism should be positive and supportive General discussions about autism can help reduce bullying Empathy is crucial in understanding children's reactions Celebrating differences fosters a more inclusive environment Resources can help parents and educators communicate about autism Open conversations can lead to greater understanding among peers Bio: Andi Putt, also known as Mrs. Speechie P, is an Autistic Speech Language Pathologist specializing in team-based Autism evaluations and neuro-affirming support. She is dedicated to empowering families and helping Autistic children understand and embrace their authentic selves while also advocating for each individual's unique needs. When she's not advocating for others, you can find her indulging in a good book, planning her next travel adventure, procrastinating literally anything, or enjoying time with her family.  Links:  Andi's website: https://www.mrsspeechiep.com/ Andi's resources for talking to children about autism: https://www.mrsspeechiep.com/shop-all Andi's IG account (@mrsspeechiep): https://www.instagram.com/mrsspeechiep/?hl=en You may also be interested in these supports: Visual Support Starter Set  Visual Supports Facebook Group Autism Little Learners on Instagram Autism Little Learners on Facebook  

How do outdated myths continue to hold SLPs back? From false claims about state licensing boards to misleading job postings and the ASHA NOMs fiasco, it's time to set the record straight. In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, take on the repeated misinformation that keeps circulating in the field—and why they refuse to let it shape the future of speech-language pathology. They're exposing the reality behind deceptive job listings, calling out the legal issues surrounding ASHA NOMs, and questioning why some SLPs still push unnecessary treatments. What happens when we stop challenging the status quo? And who benefits when we don't? No fluff, no sugarcoating—just the truth you need to take back control of your career. Listen and subscribe now because fixing SLP starts with facts.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code FixSLP for 10% off every course—every time.'Use code FIXSLP10 for a $10 discount coupon off the Professional level subscription at Speech Therapy PD (and set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker while you are there).Learn from Jeanette on Medbridge and use code BENIGAS to get over $100 off. Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Want to share your feedback? Send us a message!Researchers from the Delaware Stuttering Project at the University of Delaware—Dr. Ho Ming Chow, Associate Professor and principal investigator, Sayan Nanda, Ph.D. student, and Dr. Nicole Guarino, research scientist—join host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss their recent article, "Atypical gut microbiota composition in a mouse model of developmental stuttering," published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio). Building upon previous genetic and mouse model research by Dr. Dennis Drayna and colleagues at the NIH [previous podcast episode with Dr. Drayna linked below for background], their study explores the potential link between developmental stuttering and the gut-brain connection by examining gut microbiota differences in GNPTAB mouse models.In this episode, Dr. Chow, Sayan Nanda, and Dr. Guarino provide essential background context before walking through the study's development, methodology, and key findings. They discuss the potential role of the microbiome in other neurodevelopmental conditions, the challenges of translating mouse model research to human studies, and the exciting directions for future research this study has prompted.Article discussed:Nanda, S., Lamot, B., Guarino, N. et al. Atypical gut microbiota composition in a mouse model of developmental stuttering. Sci Rep 14, 23457 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74766-xPrevious Stuttering Foundation Podcast episode referenced, 'Genetics and Stuttering with Dr. Dennis Drayna.'Delaware Stuttering Project WebpageDr. Ho Ming Chow, Associate Professor at the University of Delaware and a principal investigator for the Delaware Stuttering Project, received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. After working as an engineer for a few years, he became interested in studying human cognition and went to Germany for his doctoral study. He obtained his Ph.D. in Cognitive Sciences with an emphasis on Cognitive Psychology at the University of Osnabrück. He completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. Before joining the University of Delaware in 2019, he was a research faculty at the University of Michigan and Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware.Sayan Nanda received his Master of Science in Data Informatics from the University of Southern California and his Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology. Sayan is currently a Ph.D. student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at the University of Delaware. Sayan is primarily interested in stuttering research and the application of statistics and machine learning techniques in the same. His focus is on neuroimaging.Dr. Nicole Guarino is an adjunct faculty at the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, the University of Delaware. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Thomas Jefferson University and her B.A. in Neuroscience from Franklin and Marshall College. She has been working in Dr. Chow's lab since 2022 and is interested in the neurobiological bases of stuttering.

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, discusses the challenges and myths of the hustle culture in the field of speech-language pathology. She reflects on her own burnout and the need for SLPs to reassess their priorities and workloads. Dr. Benigas criticizes ASHA's role in perpetuating overwork and emphasizes that SLPs' value is not solely determined by credentials or CEUs. She calls for SLPs to set boundaries, advocate for themselves, and consider the impact of unpaid work.She also shares her realization that it's time to take her own advice—setting boundaries, working smarter, and making strategic decisions about where to focus her time and energy. As Fix SLP continues to grow, she's exploring ways to streamline podcast production and ensure sustainability without compromising the movement's momentum. If you're feeling stretched too thin or questioning the never-ending grind, this episode is for you.Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code fixslp for 10% off every course—every time.Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, and Dr. Tim Stockdale, SLPD, review ASHA's Call for Peer Review of Proposed Changes to ASHA's Speech-Language Pathology Certification Standards and explain what these revisions could mean for the field's future. They critically examine proposed changes such as removing undergraduate coursework, adding competencies at the graduate level, and adjusting clinical practicum guidelines. They raise concerns about reducing in-person experience, the risks of allowing fully remote mentorship and fully remote first-time jobs, and the potential consequences for new graduates entering the field.Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the importance of maintaining rigorous training standards to ensure that SLPs are well-prepared for real-world practice. With real-world experience and strong opinions, they challenge assumptions and highlight what's at stake for the next-generation clinicians.Get affordable, expert-led continuing education with Med SLP Gap! Use code FixSLP for 10% off every course—every time.Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

In this week's episode SPA's Jessica Kaplonyi speaks with Tracy Lazenby-Paterson from the National Health Service and Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists in the UK, and Dr Arlene McCurtin from the University of Limerick in Ireland, about research into thickened fluids and people living with dysphagia. They discuss misconceptions about thickened liquids as an intervention, unintended consequences, re-examining client outcomes, and alternative approaches to achieve them. Resources: McCurtin, A., Collins, L., King, L., Lazenby-Paterson, T., Lisiecka, D., Leslie, P., McInerney, M., Moran, A., O'Keefe, S., Smith, A. (2024). Beyond thickened liquids: for your consideration. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. 26: 2. 128-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/22000259.2024.2359368 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Position paper on the use of thickened fluids in the management of people with swallowing difficulties. RCSLT Position Paper 2024. London: RCSLT, 2024. Available at: http://www.rcslt.org/members/clinical-guidance/dysphagia/thickened-fluids SPA Resources: SPA Position statement (public): The role of speech pathology in informed choice and shared decision-making in dysphagia. (Public) https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/resource?resource=107 SPA Practice guidelines (members only): Dysphagia https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/resource?resource=125 Informed choice and shared decision making with people who eat and drink with acknowledged risk: https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/resource?resource=521 Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Free access to transcripts and for a full list of resources / references for this podcast is available via the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/), you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association's prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.

In this episode, host Dr. Jeanette Benigas is joined by Australian speech pathologist Niall Taylor for a powerful discussion that draws striking parallels between the musical production Wicked and the current state of the speech-language pathology profession. Together, they unpack the themes of control, self-liberation, and the fight against restrictive systems—whether it's ASHA in the U.S. or Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) down under.From the illusion of authority to the struggles of those challenging the status quo, this episode dives deep into what it means to defy gravity in a profession that resists change. Whether you're an Elphaba fighting for reform or a Glinda navigating within the system, this conversation will make you reflect on your role in shaping the future of SLP.Listen in, and don't forget to leave a five-star rating and review to help others find the show!Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Achieving Success with Olivia Atkin Episode 120 "Achieving Understanding: The Science, Stigma, And Future Of Epilepsy Care with Dr. Tracey Milligan"Olivia talks personal and professional achievements with Dr. Tracey Milligan. Dr. Tracey A. Milligan, Chair of Neurology at New York Medical College and Director of Neurology at Westchester Medical Center Health Network. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Milligan is a leading expert in epilepsy and a champion for medical education. Her impressive journey includes degrees in Communication Disorders and Speech-Language Pathology, a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and residency and fellowship training at Harvard. Dr. Milligan has been recognized for her leadership in diversity, her innovative Spanish Neurology Clinic, and her dedication to teaching, earning numerous awards for her contributions to healthcare and education. Today, we'll dive into her journey and insights on advancing neurology and fostering impactful change.Join Olivia every Tuesday as she brings on top notch guests to talk about how they are Achieving Success! Career Development Book and More at Achieving-success.comStay Connected With Us:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/achieving-success-llcInstagram: @_achievingsuccessTwitter: @_achievesuccessFacebook: @Achieving SuccessBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/achieving-success-with-olivia-atkin--5743662/support.

Host Kelly Driscoll chats with Sharron Huang, a recent graduate from Stony Brook University, discussing her impressive academic journey and achievements.Sharron shares insights into her transition from a Biology major to Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology. She earned multiple degrees at Stony Brook, including a B.A., M.A., and M.S. She talks about the influence of her community and family, particularly her mother, an ENL teacher, on shaping her career path.Sharron reflects on her impactful work as a substitute teacher, her numerous leadership roles, and her prestigious awards, such as the CUNY Success Story Award and the Gerald L. Stein Organizational Leadership Award.This episode delves into her strategies for professional success, including creating a detailed portfolio with Digication to stand out in the competitive job market.About Sharron Huang: https://stonybrook.digication.com/sharron-huang/homeFor more information about this podcast, please visit our podcast website using the link below: https://bit.ly/3MfBqboListen on Apple Podcasts using the link below: https://apple.co/3OkFVEnFollow us on Social Media!Twitter: https://bit.ly/3M9J7QtFacebook: https://bit.ly/3OgnIYwInstagram: https://bit.ly/3Mjm4D8Please visit our website at https://bit.ly/3IgGVFPENL stands for English as a New LanguageTESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other LanguagesMTA - Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityCUNY - City University of New York

Want to share your feedback? Send us a message!Gemma Clarke, MSc, BA (Hons), joins host, Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, for an insightful introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and its potential role in stuttering (stammering) therapy. In this episode, Gemma explores key NLP principles, shares practical clinical applications and real-world examples, and discusses opportunities for further learning. Resources:Michael Palin Centre NLP Training Course (February 2025)Other training courses through MPCGemma Clarke, MSc, BA (Hons), works with young people who stammer, their parents, as well as with adults who stammer at The Michael Palin Centre in London, UK and in private practice . She is passionate about working holistically with clients, ensuring therapy is tailored to the specific needs of the child or young person and their family. Gemma is part of the MPC teaching team and teaches a range of MPC courses. She is responsible for delivering the Palin PCI Accreditation Programme and supports other SLTs through supervision.

Are you working extra hours off the clock? Feeling the squeeze from unrealistic productivity quotas? You're not alone—and it's time to fight back.In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, uncover the legal battle that shook the rehab industry. Loy v. Rehab Synergies was a landmark case where clinicians fought back against wage theft—and won. Find out what this case means for you, how to protect yourself from unethical workplace demands, and why keeping good records and a time audit might be your strongest defenses. If you're tired of being overworked and undervalued, this episode is a must-listen.If you've ever felt trapped by industry norms or scared to speak up, this episode is your rallying cry. You deserve better. Find out how to stand up, document everything, and reclaim your worth. It's time to fix this broken system—together.Check out last week's episode: Patients or Profits?Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner to support our work.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, I am joined by Erin Vance, a seasoned speech-language pathologist with 26 years of experience, as she shares invaluable advice for professionals in the field. Erin emphasizes the importance of advocating for clients and oneself, even if it means simply showing up. She discusses the growing challenges within the field, particularly post-COVID, and the impact of social media on communication skills. Erin also shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with ADHD and how it has reshaped her approach to her work. She highlights the need for sensitivity and adaptability when working with diverse populations and stresses the power speech-language pathologists hold in making significant impacts. Visit Speechie Side Up to learn more about this episode.

In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis talk with "Polly" (not her real name), a seasoned speech-language pathologist working in a skilled nursing facility who bravely shares her experiences with unethical workplace practices. Polly sheds light on the troubling realities many clinicians face daily, from excessive productivity demands to profit-driven care models that compromise patient outcomes.The conversation highlights the pressures of maintaining 85% productivity, the challenges of being denied resources like instrumental swallow assessments, and the ethical dilemmas of working within a system prioritizing profit over patient care. Polly discusses her efforts to advocate for herself and her patients while navigating a workplace culture of intimidation and fear of reprisal.Listeners will learn practical strategies to protect themselves, such as conducting time audits, ensuring proper documentation, and securing private liability insurance. This episode is a powerful call to action for SLPs and healthcare professionals committed to challenging the status quo and fighting for meaningful change.Listen to Tiffany Moniz's episode Therapists for ChangeWant to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

For many students, the idea of living on campus far away from home can be a hard transition. In this week's episode, we are joined by Ashley Mentor, Resident Assistant (RA) and Graduating Senior at the University of Arizona. Ashley is currently majoring in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, while also serving as an RA for many anxious students learning to adapt to their new environment on campus. Find out why this first-generation student decided to become an RA and learn how to conquer homesickness and build strong relationship skills through group workshops that may be available right inside your dormitory. ⁠ Ashley is currently completing her major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and her minor in Health and Human Values in the W.A. Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona. She plans to attend graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology and serve populations that haven been underserved and/or historically marginalized to improve their speech services. In addition to being a Resident Assistant on campus, she is the Vice President and New Member Educator of the Prestigious Pi Xi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. To learn more about Ashley, connect with her on IG @ashleymentor_ or visit her on LinkedIn. ⁠

In this episode, special guest Ruchi Kapila, MS/SLP, joins Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, to share their powerful mental health journey, openly discussing life with ADHD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. They emphasize the transformative importance of self-care, finding joy in one's work, and leaning on community support.Beyond personal reflections, this episode explores the need for sustainable practices in the SLP field, the value of mentorship, and the community's power in fostering professional development. Whether you're a seasoned clinician, a new graduate, or someone invested in the future of speech-language pathology, this episode offers insights, inspiration, and a call to action for a better, more supportive future.Listen to AC Goldberg's episode, I'm Not Dropping the CCC, and Here's WhyWant to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

From Broadway to Grad School – Special Series Becoming a Therapist: An interview with Derek Isetti In this new series, Curt and Katie interview graduate students and will follow them on their journey to becoming a therapist. Our first interview is with Derek Isetti, a 50-year-old graduate student in a two-year Master of Social Work program at California State University, Stanislaus. Derek shares his journey from careers in musical theater and speech-language pathology to pursuing a career in therapy. He reflects on the challenges, surprises, and personal factors influencing his decision to return to school, offering insights into navigating graduate education and the mental health profession. Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com! An Interview with Derek Isetti Derek Isetti, PhD, CCC-SLP earned his bachelor of arts in drama with an emphasis in musical theater from University of California, Irvine in 1996. After traveling the country in four national tours and performing in the musical Cabaret on Broadway, Derek returned to school and in 2008 he earned his master of science in Speech-Language Pathology from University of the Pacific. He later earned his doctor of philosophy in Speech and Hearing Sciences from University of Washington, studying voice disorders under the mentorship of Dr. Tanya Eadie. He joined the Pacific faculty in 2014 and is currently serving as Department Chair. In the Fall of 2023, he returned to school to pursue an MSW degree in hopes of becoming a psychotherapist. Derek is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In this podcast episode, we meet Derek Isetti, an aspiring therapist We are starting a new series to follow graduate students on their journey to become a therapist. We start with Derek Isetti, a third career therapist who is working full-time while attending a MSW program in Northern CA. (summary provided in collaboration with Otter.ai and ChatGPT) The experience of transitioning careers to become a therapist Derek explains his shift from a performer and speech-language pathologist to therapy, motivated by a desire to create supportive, transformative spaces for others. What graduate school can be like for aspiring therapists He details his MSW program structure, designed for working professionals, which includes online courses, in-person classes once a month, and 1,000 hours of fieldwork by graduation. How therapy students can balance academic and personal life Derek shares how his personal circumstances, being single, working in academia, and attending a state university for affordability—helped shape his path. Some challenges and surprises on the path to becoming a therapist He discusses the variability in program lengths (some social work programs are only 1 year, for example), California's unique licensure process for social workers, and the tension between broad social work education and specialized psychotherapy training. How current events and technology are addressed in therapy grad school Derek highlights the integration of national events and teletherapy technology into his program and the importance of addressing these topics with clients and students. Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement: Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Modern Therapist's Survival Guide Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/ Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/

Want to share your feedback? Send us a message!David Luterman, Ed.D., CCC-SLP joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss empowering clients throughout the therapeutic journey. Dr. Luterman highlights the importance of establishing a collaborative relationship early in the process, avoiding the pitfalls of 'miracle working,' fostering client confidence, and making the client as self-sufficient as possible. Dr. Luterman walks listeners through practical examples within stuttering therapy with the aim of supporting client-driven discovery, confidence, and independence.Related Resources:60 Years of Clinical Teaching in Counseling: Reflections with Dr. David Luterman (Season 6: Episode 5, Stuttering Foundation Podcast)Sharpening Counseling Skills Course through Stuttering FoundationParent Counseling: Conversations with David Luterman Parts 1 & 2 through Stuttering FoundationCounseling Persons with Communication Disorders as part of the Virtual Learning by Stuttering Foundation SeriesCounseling Persons with Communication Disorders TextbookWorking on the Family Level as part of the Virtual Learning by Stuttering Foundation SeriesDavid Luterman, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, is a professor emeritus at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts where he taught full-time for 40 years and he has continued to teach the counseling course for 20 more years beyond that (not something many people can say!). He is the author of many articles and several books, including his seminal book called Counseling Persons with Communication Disorders and Their Families, now in its 5th edition. He has done several podcasts and videos through the Stuttering Foundation called Counseling People who Stutter and Their Families and Conversations with Parents. In addition to authoring many books, he is a well-known teacher, researcher, consultant, and lecturer. Dr. Luterman is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and recipient of the Frank Kleffner Clinical Achievement Award (2011).

In this episode of the Fix SLP podcast, Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Elizabeth Nielsen, MA/SLP, are joined by Jessica, a parent and advocate, to discuss Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) and its impact on autistic individuals. The conversation highlights the transformative nature of GLP, the challenges families face in accessing meaningful support, and the systemic barriers posed by outdated practices in speech-language pathology. Jessica shares her concerns about a controversial ASHA convention presentation that disparaged GLP. Jessica reached out to ASHA to share her perspective as a parent, emphasizing the life-changing outcomes of GLP for her child and raising concerns about ASHA's dismissive response to advocacy efforts from families and clinicians alike. The conversation emphasizes the need for ASHA to address these issues and better support SLPs and their clients.The three examine ASHA's role in perpetuating these challenges by failing to prioritize evidence-based practices and the lived experiences of clinicians, families, and autistic individuals. They critique the exclusion of GLP from ASHA's Practice Portal and explore the broader implications for professional transparency, autonomy, and accountability.This episode underscores the need for modernization in the field and calls for grassroots advocacy to ensure clinicians and families have access to diverse, evidence-informed approaches. It's a candid discussion that reflects Fix SLP's mission to challenge the status quo and push for meaningful change in speech-language pathology.Listeners are encouraged to engage with the movement by sharing the episode, submitting feedback to ASHA's board, and supporting sustained advocacy for a more inclusive and equitable future in the field.Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Jeanette Benigas and cohost Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, are joined by Mikayla Treynor, MA/SLP, to discuss the vital work being done by Fix SLP's state teams, from addressing Medicaid CCC requirements to educating legislators on the impact of outdated policies. The team emphasizes the importance of persistence, collaboration, and education in driving meaningful change at both state and national levels.Looking ahead to 2025, Fix SLP has set ambitious goals to expand its efforts, target key states, and continue advocating for systemic reforms that empower clinicians. With updates on current projects and a call for volunteers to join the movement, this episode provides valuable insights and practical steps for those looking to make a difference in the field.Whether you're an experienced advocate or just starting to explore these issues, this episode offers a compelling look at how Fix SLP is reshaping the future of SLP, one state at a time.Want to lead or join your state team? Email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Catherine Parkin serves as Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, She co-authored the book, Medical aspects of disability for the rehabilitation professionals in 2017 by the Springer Publishing Company. Mary Regina Reilly has served as the Clinical Director of Speech Language Pathology at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langue Health for the last ten years.  Her Master's Degree is from Columbia University and she did her fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.  Clinical concentration has focused on pediatric dysphagia with medically complex infants with additional efforts in developing specialty programs for adults with acquired neurogenic disorders. She was instrumental in assisting in the development of the Masters of Science Program in Communication Sciences at Yeshiva University and has served as an adjunct professor at both Mercy College and NYU Steinhardt. Dr. Angela Stolfi is the Director of Physical Therapy, Director of Therapy Services at Rusk Ambulatory Satellite Locations, Site Coordinator of PT Clinical Education, and Director of PT Residency and Fellowship Programs at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langone Health.  Dr. Stolfi holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation at NYU School of Medicine and regularly lectures in the physical therapy programs at both NYU and the University of Scranton. The focus of much of her current and recent research relates to mentoring and education of student physical therapists.  She is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy (JCEPT). Maria Cristina Tafurt is the Site Director at the Rusk Institute NYU Langone Medical Center, Hospital for Joint Diseases.  She has been a licensed occupational therapist for over 30 years receiving her Bachelor's degree from the University of Rosario in Bogata Colombia, and her Advance Master's degree from NYU University.  Her clinical experience has varied with an emphasis on brain injury rehabilitation, pain management, hand therapy, and orthopedics. She holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as a Clinical Instructor and has authored or co-authored sixteen articles, abstracts and international presentations in her field.  The discussion covered the following topics: influence of artificial intelligence, and research endeavors pertaining to occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology.

As 2024 comes to a close, join Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MA/SLP, as they celebrate Fix SLP's remarkable achievements and share their vision for an empowering 2025. From significant Medicaid credentialing changes to progress in eliminating barriers like the CCC requirement, they reflect on the year's milestones and discuss their excitement for the road ahead.This episode features heartfelt wishes from listeners for the future of the field, actionable advice for clinicians at all career stages, and an inspiring call to elevate SLP voices, advocate for autonomy, and foster community. Jeanette and Preston discuss plans for a revamped website, a growing team, and expanded volunteer engagement, emphasizing the importance of resilience, collaboration, and meaningful change.Whether you're a seasoned SLP or just starting your journey, this episode will leave you energized and ready to help shape the future of the profession. Let's fix SLP—together.Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, and Elizabeth Nielsen, MA/SLP, examine the financial landscape of speech-language pathology, highlighting ASHA's $65 million in cash reserves and $71 million in investments. They critique ASHA's spending priorities, including minimal investment in lobbying, and question how these funds could better support clinicians and the profession. Jeanette provides updates on the Fix SLP team's CCC and ASHA membership status, illustrating the team's commitment to autonomy and professional choice. This episode emphasizes the importance of systemic change, transparency, and grassroots advocacy to build a stronger future for SLPs.Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Share your New Year's wish for the profession or Fix SLP for our next episode! ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Colleen Ashford, MS/SLP, joins Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, to share her first-time experience at the ASHA convention. She takes us inside the ASHA leadership Q&A at this year's convention—where only a small handful of attendees showed up out of 13,000.From overhearing conversations about extravagant dinners to realizing how disconnected leadership is from the membership, Colleen takes us inside a space most clinicians never see. Her journey led her to a powerful decision: dropping the CCC.If you're rethinking your ASHA membership, the CCC, or your role in shaping this field, this episode offers hard truths and a fresh perspective. Tune in as we challenge the systems holding clinicians back and prove that change doesn't happen by waiting. It happens by fixing it.Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave us a message on our Meltdown in the Minivan line. ★ Support this podcast ★

  Dr. Janet Patterson: Welcome to this Aphasia Access Aphasia Conversations Podcast, a series of conversations about the LPAA model and aphasia programs that follow this model. My name is Janet Patterson, and I am a research speech-language pathologist at the VA Northern California Healthcare System in Martinez, California. Today, I am delighted to be speaking with Dr. Elizabeth Madden, an Assistant Professor at Florida State University in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and an affiliate of the Institute for Successful Longevity. Liz also leads the FSU Aphasia Research Laboratory. Liz's research, teaching and clinical interests focus on rehabilitation of aphasia, and specifically on understanding the relationship between spoken and written language abilities in individuals with aphasia and developing behavioral treatments to address reading and writing disorders post stroke. Her work also addresses the impact of aphasia on the friendships and social well-being of people with aphasia and their care partners. These Show Notes accompany the conversation with Liz but are not a verbatim transcript.   In today's episode you will hear about: the power of friendship and what people with aphasia and care partners think about how aphasia can affect the ability to create and sustain friendships, the definition of literacy and its behavioral components, and behavioral treatments for reading comprehension deficit in aphasia.   In 2024, Liz was named a Distinguished Scholar USA by the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia UK. The Tavistock Trust aims to help improve the quality of life for those with aphasia, their families and care partners by addressing research capacity related to quality-of-life issues in aphasia. Congratulations on receiving this honor, Liz. Aphasia Access collaborates with the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia in selecting the awardees and is pleased to have the opportunity to discuss their work and the career influence of the Tavistock Award.   Welcome Liz, to Aphasia Access Conversations.   Dr. Liz Madden: Thank you, Janet. I'm really happy to be here today. I also say thank you to Aphasia Access and to the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia. I'm very grateful for this award and excited to have this conversation.   Janet: I'm excited to be talking to you, my friend and research partner in several endeavors that we've been working on over the last few years.   Liz, as we've said, you were named a Tavistock Trust Distinguished Scholar USA for this year, and you join a talented and dedicated group of individuals. How has receiving the Tavistock Award influenced your clinical and research efforts in aphasia,   Liz: I first wanted to extend that thank you to the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia, and specifically Henrietta, the Duchess of Bedford and the honorable Nicole Campbell, and just a very gracious, sincere thank you for all the time and effort and support they give to aphasia researchers. I would say, I'm just delighted and very humbled to be recognized this year. I would say further that this award motivates my work that is focused on trying to really make an impact on the lives and quality of life and successful living for people who have aphasia and continuing my work. My beginning work was really more impairment focused, which some of that we will talk about, and I really value that. But having this award, and the more I stay in the field, it is extending that and making sure that everything I'm doing always is directly related to helping the lives of people with aphasia.   Janet: That leads right into the question I'd like to begin with Liz, which is about your recent work investigating the role of friendship for persons with aphasia. I believe in the power of friendship and community during joyful times and also during the sad times in one's life. In Aphasia. Access podcast episode number 119, Finding the person in front of aphasia, I talked with your friend and colleague, Dr Lauren Bislick, with whom I believe you collaborate to investigate friendship and aphasia. How did you become interested in this aspect of aphasia, and what can you tell us about your work in this area and your collaboration with Lauren?   Liz: Lauren and I did our Ph.D.'s together. We both were mentored by Diane Kendall at the University of Washington, so Lauren and I are Ph.D. sisters. Also, we were both at Project Bridge, led by Dr. Jackie Hinkley in 2018. That's really where my interest in friendship began. That conference brought together researchers, speech-language pathologists, people with aphasia, and their friends and family. I was the researcher at a table, and we ended up being Team Friendship. Lauren was also at this meeting, but she was at Team Yoga; Lauren does a lot of work with friendship, but also with yoga. My other colleague who does a lot of friendship work with me is Dr. Michelle Therrien here at FSU. She primarily works with children who use AAC, but her main research is friendship. She and I had already had some conversations about the importance of friendship, particularly for people who have communication disorders. The idea was we leave the conference and to take action and carry out some of the goals that were generated from that discussion. So that's when I reached back out to Lauren, because she was at that conference. Then I also reached out to my friend, Michelle Therrien, and other individuals who became part of our Team Friendship, Dr. Sarah Wallace, who's also one of our good friends and collaborators, and Rachel Gough Albritton who is one of Jackie Hinkley's former doc students and here at FSU as well. and the office of research. That is the background of some conversations before Project Bridge, but really for me, coming back and actually starting studies addressing different aspects of friendship, which I know we'll talk more about, was really brought about by the Project Bridge conference.   Janet: That is quite a story, and I can see you sitting around the table and developing Team Friendship - good for you.   We all know, Liz, that one of the unfortunate consequences of aphasia can be the loss of or the diminishing of friendships, or the disruption of the communication skills important to developing and sustaining friendship and community. What have you learned from people with aphasia about their successes and challenges in sustaining and creating new friendships.   Liz: Yes, good question. Well, at that conference that I mentioned, there were five or six people with aphasia, and initially our table was labeled something like, What happens in the long run? and we started having conversations. It was very clear after our initial conversation that the group centered on relationships and friendship, so we shifted to being friendship only. I will say, just at that table, it became very clear to me, that's what rose to the top when the group was thinking about the bigger picture of living life.   In a research project we've done there was a small sample of 15 people with aphasia, and we talked to them over time. I think the timing of a conversation is really something important to keep in mind when we're talking to people with aphasia about any topic, of course, but particularly friendship. From other studies we've noticed that responses are really different. If we're talking during the early days, maybe the acute days, versus the chronic days, we'd get really different responses. Just a quick summary, again, this was 15 people and a unique set. Most people in our study were a part of aphasia groups, and, of course, really motivated to do research. But I will say, when we looked at their responses, when asked to think back to the early days, all different aspects of friendship, how supported they felt, or how they were able to communicate, and we compared it to their responses in the now. Overall, the pattern was less satisfaction, feeling less supported or less able to engage in those earlier days, but more of a recovery pattern over time, but again, not for everybody. There were still a few people in our group that were reporting not having many friends. Our paper had a different light, a positive light about friendships. Some of the other papers out there have a more negative tone. It's a very important area we need to address. I was happy to see this group reporting, now that they had been living with aphasia for several years, their pattern of more negative responses early, and a recovering pattern now. They reported making friends with other people who have aphasia, and finding at this point, who are those good friends.   There's other great work being done by other colleagues, Brent Archer, Jamie Azios and Katie Strong, who are studying the same topic. They had a great paper that describes who stuck around, they were examining the next steps of what it takes to support the positive recovery that we know does happen for some people.   Janet: I like the positive perspective you are taking. Given that one has had a stroke, and given that the this is the situation in life, what is the positive? What can you do? Who are your friends? Look at positive ideas rather than publishing research on all the negative aspects. Kudos to you for doing that.   Liz: Thanks, all of it's important, right? We have to know that. I think we had a special group. I think we had a particularly positive outcome, and it was good to know that friendships don't disappear for everyone. But I think there's something that those people had done and that their friends had done, that we're still trying to learn more about.   Janet: Thank you for that work. Liz. It makes me think about the aphasia journey in that it involves not just the person with aphasia, but also their care partners and all the people around them. In your investigations of friendship, what do the care partners of persons with aphasia tell you about their successes and challenges in sustaining and developing friendships? These friendships could be individual friendships or partner friendships or group friendships through social, religious or professional activities or even community groups.   Liz: Thank you for this question. I think it's sometimes a forgotten group that we overlook, the care partners, and the critical role they play in the recovery of people with aphasia. I always try to have us remember we want the care partners to do well on their own as people, and so we've done a couple projects. We've just finished data collection on a much larger study of 80 aphasia care partners, and I'm just getting into those data. We did a Qualtrics survey and also did experience sampling, where we used a phone app, and four times a day for two weeks, participants got these little pings, and they had to tell us, Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? How are you feeling? When was the last time you interacted with a friend? Was it a text? I don't have the amazing outcomes for you yet. This project was a much bigger follow-up to a project a few years ago with 35 care partners. We, of course, wanted to interview them but then COVID was happening, so we settled for a really nice Qualtrics survey.   I will say that these individuals were surprised when we were reaching out to them. They kept trying to schedule their loved one with aphasia, and we said, “No, we want to talk to you about your friendships.” And they were surprised, asking, “You want to talk about me.' I will say they were very excited that we wanted to know about them. Back to the timeline I shared earlier in that very small study, the profile was opposite. We asked them about their friendships before they were caregivers, the early stages of caregiving, and then now, and their comments kind of make sense. Across the group they reported in the early stages, they felt like they had really great friends, support and satisfaction. People were rallying around them, coming to the hospital to support them. Many of them had been caregiving for a very long time when we did a comparison, and their reported friendship satisfaction and support was actually lower now. The questions were not the same and the groups were different, but as I told you a few minutes ago, the people with aphasia were more negative in the acute stage, and our small group were more positive now with how they're feeling about their friendships, and the care partners were the opposite. They were feeling more supported in the beginning, and now as time has gone on, some of them report the friends aren't there as much. Some of them felt like they were a burden, or they didn't know how to engage, being very selfless. They have dropped their own social interests to take care of their loved one. We did see in that project, that the longer, the more months a person had been caregiving, was correlated with poor self-perceived friendships and also how they perceived their loved one's health. That was just their perception. If they perceived their loved one to have more health concerns, not just a feature but overall health, they also tended to rate themselves as not as satisfied with their friendship. Bringing in that piece of information and the caregiving burden into our new projects, we did actually get scales on resilience and caregiving burden depression. In this new project we replicated some of our same questions, and we're now trying to look more at overall well-being, seeing how resilience and purpose in life and caregiving burden might play a role.   Janet: That reminds me of the commercials, when you are taking off in an airplane or when you are thinking about being a care partner, you do have to take care of yourself as the care partner before you can give the best care to the person with aphasia. Anything that we can do to focus on the person the with aphasia, and also focus on the care partner, I think, is good in terms of developing and sustaining friendships,   Liz: Yes. Care partners definitely have a lot more to say, and we haven't actually been able to do face to face interviews yet, but we did have a lot of really rich, open ended responses and surveys that we're still looking through. A piece I'm really interested in, is we have that one-time perception when they did our one-time survey, now we have their responses, we can track how people respond over a two-week period, were they always at home with their loved ones and not responding to friends? I think there's just a lot and again, trying to understand from this group what are the positives. Who are the people that have these positive responses? Then, of course, the next big steps are trying to provide more research resources and interventions for both care partners and people with aphasia. Our group has not yet reached out to friends, so that's a big part to come. I think other researchers have examined friends and a key part intervening with these friends too.   Janet: People with aphasia and care partners have different friendship styles and needs, and when aphasia disrupts communication, it can also affect the way a person approaches friendship. As speech-language pathologists, I believe that we can play a role in guiding a person with aphasia and a care partner to develop communication skills that can support friendship efforts. Liz, what are some ideas or actions that you might think of for speech-language pathologists in a busy clinical practice? What kind of actions can they take to support friendship activities, for a person with aphasia, recognizing, of course, that we are all different in our friendship activities. Also recognizing that you're at the very beginning of some of this work, I'm hoping that you have some ideas you might be able to share with us.   Liz: Yes, actually our very first friendship project addressed this topic. It was led by Michelle Therrien, and we surveyed about 40 speech-language pathologists trying to find out their view of the role that they think they should play. They find friendship to be very important. They find it to be in their scope of practice. But not surprising, were not aware of resources. They felt overwhelmed with how much speech-language pathologists have to cover, right? But it was really good to know that the group we reached out to found it to be a very important part of their practice that they want to address. I think you hit on something really important, that we teach and adopt having a person-centered care model, and we know that it's part of what we ask about. The simplest thing is asking. We don't need tools. We just need to make sure it's part of what we ask, making sure we're talking about relationships, talking about friendships.   There are some really great tools that do exist. There's the Stroke Social Network Scale by Sarah Northcott and Katerina Hillary from the UK. Katie Strong, Brent Archer, Jamie Azios and Natalie Douglas are a wonderful group who have been studying friendship. They've used the Social Convoy Model in some of their papers. It has a great visual that they have used, and therapists can also use. Basically, it is mapping out the social network of who's most important, which could be used one time, or as a pre-post measure. There are different ways, formal or informal, of trying to monitor someone's social network or how they feel supported. I don't think there's a target number of friendships and I don't think more means better, but it could be just making sure we're checking in and that we know that's an important part of therapy. We want them to be able to communicate and interact with friends. Speech-language pathologists are creative in to how to make that happen.   Janet: I agree with that view Liz, and I hope that speech-language pathologists will feel comfortable being creative and asking people about their friendships or what they might need to help maintain or sustain their friendships.   I would like to turn now to the topics of reading and literacy, which I know you have been investigating. While these terms are related, they are not synonymous. Would you please explain the difference between them and how you are investigating both in your research?   Liz: Yes. Thanks. That is a good question. To be honest, the first answer is not very scientific. When I was writing papers it was getting cumbersome to always write reading and spelling/ writing. The term came to be when I wanted to make sure that I was making it clear that I wasn't just focused on reading, but also concerned with the spelling and writing components. With my colleagues, Jessica Obermeier and Aaron Bush, we started using the term literacy for some of our work. People will have different ideas of what literacy might entail. I have been describing treatment as “literacy focused”, working on reading and spelling and writing.   My initial work was very much focused on reading, and over the past several years I became more interested in trying to also add on the spelling component. If we're working on spelling and writing it gives us a chance to inherently work on the reading. If we're only focused on reading, it doesn't bring in the writing. There's a time for them to be separate, I fully agree. There are also times where they can be targeted at the same time.   Janet: That makes perfect sense. When I think about how we discussed in the past, reading for pleasure, or reading to gain knowledge, or reading for information, or reading for safety, so many different aspects of reading, literacy also factors into how you use reading in those situations.   Liz: Yes, and so in a lot of day-to-day communication, you need both, right? It's for text messaging, right? We need to read it and respond in a written way, also emails. There are lots of instances where for the for the interaction to go well, we need to be able to read and respond in writing, such as filling out forms, email, texting, social media. For a lot of interactions we need both for there to be a successful written language exchange.   Janet: Liz, as part of our work with the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences, Aphasia Writing Group, you and I were part of the team who critically reviewed treatment approaches for reading comprehension deficits in persons with aphasia. You've also investigated, as you mentioned earlier, specific aspects of reading deficits in persons with aphasia. What are some of the insights that you have gained from this work? And by the way, it was such a pleasure doing that critical review of treatment for reading deficits, and there was a lot of interesting information that came to light in that paper.   Liz: Yes, thank you. I was going to comment that I remember we thought we were going to have all these papers to go through and really and that review, we were very much focused on papers where the main outcome was reading comprehension. When we stuck to what our aim was, there really weren't that many papers that that met the aim of that project. So that really brought to light that it really is an area of our field that doesn't have enough attention.   Some of my recent projects, as I mentioned with Aaron Bush and Jessica Obermeier, we've talked to people with aphasia and gotten their perspective of before and early days. I really like doing this research over time. Things change, but we learned just how important reading and writing are to people with aphasia, and that they really want to work on it. I think we've seen when we looked in the literature, there wasn't much there. When we've talked to people with aphasia and speech-language pathologists, they want to work on reading, and they're not sure how. That further motivates me that this is an area to work on.   In some of my beginning work, I was Diane Kendall's research speech language pathologist for a few years before I did my Ph.D., and I exclusively delivered her phono motor treatment. In that research trial, the main outcome was word retrieval, but the therapy that she designed inherently worked a lot on reading and writing. We retrained every phoneme - how to say it, what your mouth is doing, and also the graphemes that go with the phonemes. As her research speech pathologist, that's really when I got very interested in reading. I'd be in these sessions, and we'd finally bring out the graphemes that go with the phonemes. I recall telling people that this is going to get better – and it did not. That connection between the phonemes and the graphemes, for a lot of people, wasn't there. In that clinical experience as her research speech pathologist is when I realized that the treatment improved reading for some people, but not for everyone. So that's my background of really getting focused on reading.   In the last few years, I've been working on adapting that original version of treatment that was for word retrieval. I've added some components to make it more focused on reading. I've been working with Olga Burkina, who's at the Kessler Stroke Foundation, and has an NIH grant where she is pairing exercise with this reading focused phono motor treatment. It's fun to be a part of that group exploring the idea of doing aerobic exercise to improve the brain blood flow, and to see if that's going to help improve reading treatment. Again, the idea being going forward is what the treatment might change.   There are some other projects also. I'm working with Will Graves at Rutgers. He is using computational modeling to have us stop guessing which treatment. We're trying to get a really good baseline assessment, trying to find out about semantic impairment, phonological impairment, and then we're using this reading focused phono motor treatment. We also have a reading focus semantic feature analysis. I really enjoy getting to work with different researchers who have these wonderful, big questions, and that I'm getting to support it as the speech-language pathologist on these projects focused on reading and writing and phono motor treatment. So those are some exciting projects I'm involved in right now.   Janet: That's exciting, because you started out by saying there were only a few papers that we found that really address reading treatment, and you're right.  It's daunting, then how do you select the reading treatment? How do you help this person with aphasia who wants to improve their reading comprehension? I think it's exciting that you've got all these different avenues and are working with a variety of people to investigate treatment.   Liz: Yeah. And the one thing I'll add to that is part of that, that review we did, for some people those treatments are helping reading comprehension. But for some people, I've been trying to work on the next step. I have a very small dataset where I've added a semantic comprehension stage to my adapted photo motor treatment. I'm in the very early stages of this and I'm sure it's fine to say, but I've been having these really exciting conversations with Kelly Knollman-Porter and Sarah Wallace. They're also Tavistock Trust recipients, and they study reading from a different perspective, using text to speech, compensatory and very focused book reading. They're very comprehension focused, so we're at the very early, fun stages of where we are in our thinking. I think there might be a middle step we are missing, but we are talking about taking these impairment focused treatments, which I think have a role, and have a participation, functional part of it. That's another emerging, new collaboration, where we are coming to reading from different perspectives, and we're trying to see where we can get with that goal, back to this comprehension question, improving functional reading, maybe from impairment and compensatory approaches.   Janet: I think that's the right approach to take, and I think it's exciting, because we have to remember that everybody reads differently. Some people like reading, some people don't enjoy reading. They read what they have to, but they don't particularly enjoy it. So, if we all come to it from different perspectives, we all have different strengths that we bring, and different deficits as well, and different needs or designs, just as is so many things with aphasia. Start with the person with aphasia, asking What do you want to read? What problems are you having? Then use that as a guide to selecting an impairment-based treatment or text to speech treatment, or whatever. I think that's exactly the right approach.   Liz: The one thing the treatment we were talking about, phono motor treatment, in general, is a phonology treatment. The good thing is that my focus is asking, is it improving reading? I'm also extending it to writing. We do know at its core, it's a language treatment, so it is nice that it can be tweaked to serve the person's main interests. I think that's important, that we are trying to work on what people want to work on, but we want to make sure we're improving, if we can, not just one language modality, and we know that these abilities are supported by similar brain structures and underling cognitive processes. That's something else we've been trying to work on, being person centered and at the same time trying to maximize generalization - lots of pieces. I am finding now what's most motivating and exciting is trying to make sure that we're doing things that people with aphasia find important, and how also to keep the whole science moving forward in this way that's going to have functional, important outcomes. That people with aphasia are going to be able to do what they want to do to the best that they can.   Janet: Absolutely! But then there's the scientific challenge of how do you collect the data? How to best observe specific outcome data on performance measures, but also collect the person-centered data. How do you collect data that really can speak to whether you're having a success and whether this might be generalizable or transferable to another person?   Liz: I think it's important that we need both. I always say, and some of my collaborators may not like it, but if in the person reported outcome, a person with aphasia is telling us that they feel better and that they are communicating better in life, and those measures should not be optional, those measures to me, a critically important part of seeing this treatment successful. There are different ways to do that and different ways to capture their perspective. For example, if trained reading words moved this much and if the patient reported outcome change is greater, then I find that to be a success. If the reverse happens, I find treatment not successful. If my probes showed gain but the person with aphasia does not see it or feel it, then I don't find treatment to be a success. So, I think it's really important that persons with aphasia tell us different things, and we need to have many assessments in both of those categories. I think, when possible.   Janet: You're absolutely right. When you think about many of the treatments that we're doing, they are not necessarily easy, and they take time, and you have to stay the course. I think you know, I've been interested for a number of years in motivation and engagement, and what keeps people motivated and doing what they're doing. If you've got a treatment that you can see over time, small changes in your specific reading outcomes, but not so much of a change in the person centered outcomes, or person reported outcomes, how do you know the person is still really engaged and motivated and willing to slog through your treatment in order to get to the place that you hope they will? I think you're correct when you're assessing the importance of the person reported outcome.   Liz: Yeah, that's good. And then that's a whole other like measure in itself, right? The key of motivation we've talked about in some of the trials. The one person who didn't do very well, and just in our conversation, sometimes it for different reasons. That wasn't motivating for that person. There's that's a whole very important piece that a lot of us have a lot of room to improve in how we capture that and support that.   Janet: Which is a challenge when we're trying to devise treatments for, say, reading or anything that can be applicable to a wide range of persons with aphasia. Kudos to you for meeting that challenge as best you can.   Liz: We're working on it. But I do really think that it's changing. Sometimes I feel like there are impairment-based people and life participation people, and I don't think it needs to be that way. It's fine if we only study one area. We can't all study everything, but I think as a whole they complement each other very well. And so I'm just excited to see that it seems like things are moving in a really exciting way, where people who study aphasia in various different ways now seem to have the main outcome, asking is this going to help people with aphasia feel better, communicate better, and look forward to something different in life? I think we're all seeing that that's what we're supposed to be doing, and how we do it is going to look really different, and that's great. I think we're moving in the right direction.   Janet: Very well said. I think, and you obviously do as well, that literacy and reading skills are crucially important to individuals with aphasia in so many ways, such as life skills reading or pleasure reading. Acknowledging that we all have different skill levels and preferences, what are some ideas that you might have identified that speech-language pathologists can use to support the literacy and reading desires and activities for a person with aphasia?   Liz: Great question. I think my answer is very similar to the question about what can SLPs do to help support friendship? I think being person centered. You said earlier, right, we all have different interests. Somebody might say it's not one of my goals and I really don't want to spend a lot of time on this. But just having those conversations and person-centered measures and using supported conversation we can easily gather important information. There are some really good patient-reported outcome measures that ask about reading, so maybe use some of those existing tools. The Comprehensive Aphasia Disability Questionnaire has a nice scale that talks about different aspects of reading as well as other aspects of language. But at the minimum, I think finding a way, even just to draw your own scale and then trying to find out in their life, what are different activities where they want to or need to engage, right? Texting, email, restaurant. I mean, we think about it, we're reading all the time throughout life. So, I think finding the reading need is a general interest and then getting really specific is one way to do it. Another thing could be, as I mentioned before, our brain relies on similar structures and language networks when we are engaging in spoken language and written language. So oftentimes improving our reading and writing improves our spoken abilities and vice versa. So even if it's not the main goal in treatment, for example if the main outcome might be word retrieval, I really believe multimodal learning is important. If, after you've gone through what you want to do say writing it, having them repeat it, maybe copy it, even though that's not the main goal, and it's not slowing the therapy, if it's working for you and your client, then I really think, at the minimum, using written language to support spoken language has a good role. I also think the opposite can be true using spoken language to support written language. So I do think that it's important that we know we are addressing all of language, and that that language skills really do usually move up and down together in aphasia.   Janet: Well said, again. Liz, thank you so very much for joining me today in this fascinating look into friendship, literacy, reading and aphasia. And again, hearty congratulations to you on being named Tavistock, Distinguished Scholar. On behalf of Aphasia Access, I wish you well in your research and clinical efforts, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. At this point, I'd also like to thank our listeners for supporting Aphasia Access Conversations by listening to our podcast, including this fascinating discussion with Liz Madden.   Liz: Thanks so much, Janet, I feel like you could just chat with you all day. Thank you again for giving me a chance to highlight some of my work. Also I want to thank everyone with aphasia who has participated in my projects, all my students and collaborators, Aphasia Access and the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia. Thanks again.   Janet: For references and resources mentioned in today's podcast, please see our Show Notes. They are available on our website, www.aphasiaaccess.org. There you can also become a member of our organization, browse our growing library of materials, and find out about the Aphasia Access Academy. If you have an idea for a future podcast episode, email us at info@aphasiaaccess.org. For Aphasia Access Conversations, I'm Janet Patterson, thanking you again for your ongoing support of Aphasia Access. References Antonucci, T. C., & Akiyama, H. (1987). Social networks in adult life and a preliminary examination of the convoy model. Journal of Gerontology, 42(5), 519–527. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/42.5.519 Archer, B.A., Azios, J.H., Douglas, N.F., Strong, K.A., Worrall, L.D. & Simmons-Mackie, N.F. (2024). “I Could Not Talk . . . She Did Everything . . . She's Now My Sister”: People with Aphasia's Perspectives on Friends Who Stuck Around. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 33, 349–368. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00205 Azios, J.H., Strong, K.A., Archer, B, Douglas, N.F., Simmons-Mackie, N. & Worrall, L. (2021). Friendship matters: A research agenda for aphasia. Aphasiology, 36(3),317-336. https://10.1080/02687038.2021.1873908   Madden, E.B., Bislick, L., Wallace, S.E., Therrien, M.C.S. & Goff-Albritton, R. (2023). Aphasia and friendship: Stroke survivors' self-reported changes over time. Journal of Communication Disorders, 103, 106330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106330 Madden, E., Conway, T., Henry, M., Spencer, K., Yorkston, K., & Kendall, D. (2018). The relationship between non-orthographic language abilities and reading performance in chronic aphasia: An exploration of the primary systems hypothesis. Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research, 61, 3038-3054. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-L-18-0058 Madden, E. B., Torrence, J., & Kendall, D. (2020). Cross-modal generalization of anomia treatment to reading in aphasia. Aphasiology, 35, 875-899. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2020.1734529   Purdy, M., Coppens, P., Madden, E. B., Freed, D., Mozeiko, J., Patterson, J., & Wallace, S. (2018). Reading comprehension treatment in aphasia: A systematic review. Aphasiology, 33(6), 629–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2018.1482405 Strong, K.A., Douglas, N.F., Johnson, R., Silverman, M., Azios, J.H. & Archer, B. (2023). Stakeholder-engaged research: What our friendship in aphasia team learned about processes and pitfalls. Topics in Language Disorders, 43(1), 43-56. https://10.1097/TLD.0000000000000302   Therrien, M., Madden, E. B., Bislick, L., & Wallace, S. (2021). Aphasia and Friendship: The Role and Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2228-2240.   Resources   Stroke Social Network Scale reference and materials: https://cityaccess.org/tests/ssns/      Aphasia Access Conversations Episode #119 - Finding the person in front of aphasia: A conversation with Lauren Bislick

Catherine Parkin serves as Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, She co-authored the book, Medical aspects of disability for the rehabilitation professionals in 2017 by the Springer Publishing Company. Mary Regina Reilly has served as the Clinical Director of Speech Language Pathology at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langue Health for the last ten years.  Her Master's Degree is from Columbia University and she did her fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.  Clinical concentration has focused on pediatric dysphagia with medically complex infants with additional efforts in developing specialty programs for adults with acquired neurogenic disorders. She was instrumental in assisting in the development of the Masters of Science Program in Communication Sciences at Yeshiva University and has served as an adjunct professor at both Mercy College and NYU Steinhardt. Dr. Angela Stolfi is the Director of Physical Therapy, Director of Therapy Services at Rusk Ambulatory Satellite Locations, Site Coordinator of PT Clinical Education, and Director of PT Residency and Fellowship Programs at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langone Health.  Dr. Stolfi holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation at NYU School of Medicine and regularly lectures in the physical therapy programs at both NYU and the University of Scranton. The focus of much of her current and recent research relates to mentoring and education of student physical therapists.  She is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy (JCEPT). Maria Cristina Tafurt is the Site Director at the Rusk Institute NYU Langone Medical Center, Hospital for Joint Diseases.  She has been a licensed occupational therapist for over 30 years receiving her Bachelor's degree from the University of Rosario in Bogata Colombia, and her Advance Master's degree from NYU University.  Her clinical experience has varied with an emphasis on brain injury rehabilitation, pain management, hand therapy, and orthopedics. She holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as a Clinical Instructor and has authored or co-authored sixteen articles, abstracts and international presentations in her field. The discussion covered the following topics: involvement of informal caregivers in treatment, staying on top of new developments, use of assistive technology, provision of care via telehealth, and impact of Long Covid on patient care.

Attending ASHA 2024, the largest conference for speech-language pathologists (SLPs), was an incredible experience for networking and professional growth. As the national association for speech therapy, ASHA's annual event is a hub for innovation, collaboration, and learning.I kicked off the conference by attending an insightful talk by the Speech Production Lab on speech motor chaining, setting a high bar for the days ahead. Later, the reception for CEU providers offered a fun and engaging opportunity to connect with peers and discuss the field's nuances.Day two was packed with impactful sessions, covering topics like MTSS, group therapy for complex learners, and a critical appraisal of gestalt language processing—a particularly hot topic. I also relished conversations with other SLPs, dually certified SLP/BCBAs, former podcast guests, and ABA Speech members.While some discussions highlighted tensions around controversial issues, this only strengthened my commitment to fostering kind and cohesive collaboration. The work we do as therapists and providers is vital, and this event reinforced how meaningful and inspiring our shared mission is.What's Inside:What is ASHA?Highlights of ASHA 2024.Nuances, hot topics, and the need for collaboration in the field of SLP.  Mentioned In This Episode:Join the ABA SPEECH Connection - Professionals Join the ABA SPEECH Connection - Parents Rose Griffin (@abaspeechbyrose) on Instagram 

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, and Elizabeth Nielsen, MA/SLP, dig into ASHA's revenue streams, breaking down key categories such as member dues, convention profits, and special interest groups while highlighting the ongoing lack of financial transparency. A powerful minivan meltdown story illustrates the importance of knowing your worth and standing firm against unfair opportunities. The team also celebrates a significant win for the Fix SLP community: ASHA restoring membership benefits for those opting out for 2025, thanks to collective advocacy. They round out the discussion with actionable strategies for redirecting CEU spending toward state conventions and small businesses, empowering clinicians to make meaningful changes in the field.If you love our work, please rate, review, and share this essential podcast with your colleagues!Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave us a message on our Meltdown in the Minivan line. ★ Support this podcast ★

Want to share your feedback? Send us a message!Kathleen Scaler Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss all things cluttering. In this episode, Dr. Scaler Scott provides an updated overview of cluttering, including how we define and diagnose it with our current understanding. She shares insights into how the field is evolving, debunks myths, and explores the cluttering experience. Dr. Scaler Scott also highlights valuable resources for further learning and offers practical takeaways. Think of this episode as your updated foundation for understanding cluttering.Resources:'The Cluttering Experience' Rutger Wilhelm Stuttering Foundation Podcast Episode'Cluttering: Expanding Evaluation & Treatment' Virtual Learning Session'Cluttering: Shared Experiences' Virtual Learning SessionCluttering Conversations PodcastASHA Leader Article: Debunking Myths About ClutteringCluttering Curriculum Resources (as mentioned in episode)Kathleen Scaler Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, is a practicing speech-language pathologist, Board Certified Specialist in Stuttering, Cluttering and Fluency, and Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Misericordia University. She has been a practicing clinician for 30 years in hospital, school, and private practice settings. Dr. Scaler Scott's research interests are largely in cluttering, atypical disfluency, and child language and literacy disorders. She has spoken nationally and internationally and authored peer reviewed articles, book chapters and books on the topic of fluency, literacy and pragmatic challenges. She was the first Coordinator of the International Cluttering Association, and is the recipient of the 2018 Deso Weiss Award for Excellence in the Field of Cluttering, and the 2018 Professional of the Year award from the National Stuttering Association. In 2020, Dr. Scaler Scott received the Judge Max and Tillie Rosenn Excellence in Teaching Award from Misericordia University. In 2022, she became a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.She is co-editor of Cluttering: A Handbook of Research, Intervention, and Education, co-author of Managing Cluttering: A Comprehensive Guidebook of Activities, author of Fluency Plus: Managing Fluency Disorders in Individuals with Multiple Diagnoses and co-author of the recently released Second Edition of the Source for Stuttering and Cluttering. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast Cluttering Conversations, a free podcast available on SoundCloud. 

In this episode of Fix SLP, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, discusses the hot topic of ASHA's finances, joined by Elizabeth Nielsen, MA/SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP. The trio unpacks key insights from ASHA's 2023 Form 990, discussing eyebrow-raising numbers like the $1.3 million catering bill and the hefty salaries of executives. They also explore the transparency (or lack thereof) surrounding member dues, the CCC, and how ASHA allocates its revenue.Listen in as they address frustrations from SLPs nationwide, share actionable steps to advocate for change, and reveal how grassroots efforts are reshaping the field. Don't miss the Minivan Meltdown segment, where real stories from SLPs highlight the need for systemic reform.Rate, review, and share this essential podcast with your colleagues—let's fix SLP together!Set up a FREE account to begin using the CU tracker.Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs? Use code FIXSLP58 to get a $20 discount coupon off any subscription!Become a sustaining partner.Follow us on Instagram.Find all of our information at fixslp.com and sign up for our email list to be alerted of new episodes and content.Email us at team@fixslp.com.Leave us a message on our Meltdown in the Minivan line.

Catherine Parkin serves as Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, She co-authored the book, Medical aspects of disability for the rehabilitation professionals in 2017 by the Springer Publishing Company. Mary Regina Reilly has served as the Clinical Director of Speech Language Pathology at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langue Health for the last ten years.  Her Master's Degree is from Columbia University and she did her fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.  Clinical concentration has focused on pediatric dysphagia with medically complex infants with additional efforts in developing specialty programs for adults with acquired neurogenic disorders. She was instrumental in assisting in the development of the Masters of Science Program in Communication Sciences at Yeshiva University and has served as an adjunct professor at both Mercy College and NYU Steinhardt. Dr. Angela Stolfi is the Director of Physical Therapy, Director of Therapy Services at Rusk Ambulatory Satellite Locations, Site Coordinator of PT Clinical Education, and Director of PT Residency and Fellowship Programs at Rusk Rehabilitation, NYU Langone Health.  Dr. Stolfi holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation at NYU School of Medicine and regularly lectures in the physical therapy programs at both NYU and the University of Scranton. The focus of much of her current and recent research relates to mentoring and education of student physical therapists.  She is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy (JCEPT). Maria Cristina Tafurt is the Site Director at the Rusk Institute NYU Langone Medical Center, Hospital for Joint Diseases.  She has been a licensed occupational therapist for over 30 years receiving her Bachelor's degree from the University of Rosario in Bogata Colombia, and her Advance Master's degree from NYU University.  Her clinical experience has varied with an emphasis on brain injury rehabilitation, pain management, hand therapy, and orthopedics. She holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as a Clinical Instructor and has authored or co-authored sixteen articles, abstracts and international presentations in her field. The discussion in Part Two covered the following topics: types of patients treated, impact of health care disparities, and patient cooperation in health care interventions by providers.