Conversations In Speech Pathology

Greetings podcast listener! I'm happy to welcome back Mr. Russell Cross of the Prentke Romich Company (PRC) to talk about keyword vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and of course...core vocabulary. Russell is the resident speech-language pathologist for PRC (Director of Clinical Applications). He was one of the original authors of Unity language found on all PRC devices and most recently worked with Paul Andres to bring us Realize Language (if you haven't already, please check out my previous conversation with Russell and Paul here). Enjoy the show! Links: Here is the blog post on Keywords courtesy of The Speech Dudes Davies, M. (2008-). The Corpus of Contemporary American English: 425 million words, 1990-present. Available from Brigham Young University The Corpus of Contemporary America English, from Brigham Young University http://corpus.byu.edu/coca Gardner, D., & Davies, M. (2007). Pointing Out Frequent Phrasal Verbs: A Corpus-Based Analysis. TESOL Quarterly, 41(2), 339-359. Garnier, M., & Schmitt, N. (2014). The

If you've ever been interested in working in the area of accent modification, have I got an episode for you! Tom Shull (@MrShullsClass) is back to talk about this very topic. What makes Tom so impressive is that his  accent modification business is a part-time one. Like myself, Tom's full-time gig is in the public school system (please listen to our last talk about Donor's Choose if you haven't already). In today's episode we cover: What sparked Tom's interest in accent modification. The importance of phonetic transcription skills. Having an ear for dialects. Code switching. And more! As always...links: Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation (MGH Institute of Health Professions) Speech-Language Pathology Prerequisites Online Tom's Facebook Page Tom's Professional Website Oh yes, that podcast about the guy who cleans up crime scenes was in fact featured on This American Life (not for the squeamish). Finally, the name of the famous dialect coach to the stars was Sam Chwat. If yo

Smita Joshi is a speech pathologist, colleague, and friend whom I've had the pleasure of knowing for about 15 years. She was also one of the first persons I asked to be on this show! Though I was politely declined at the time (for very valid reasons), she finally agreed to come on the show when I heard her tell me (for the first time) the full story of how she both decided to be an SLP and move the the U.S. from India. It's definitely a story worth hearing! Smita indeed picked up and left her home country for a foreign land where she had no friends, relatives, and an extremely limited working use of the English language. More than 20 years later, she is the proud owner of a multidisciplinary clinic, a wife, and mother of two. Enjoy the episode! Note: This is the first of 2 episodes featuring Smita. Look out for a follow-up where we talk about Smita's specific clinical interest- Feeding. Link: You can find Smita's professional practice website here  

Camp ALEC (AAC, Literacy, Education, Communication) is a weeklong summer camp designed for students with physical disabilities whose primary means of communication is through AAC. The camp is now in its third year under the direction of Drs. Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver. As the name implies, literacy is a big part of this camp. But there’s also plenty of time for swimming, toasted marshmallows, and even a prank or two! Tina Moreno is one of the organizers of the camp, a speech-language pathologist specializing in AAC, and a mother of an AAC user. She joins me for a short conversation to talk about Camp ALEC as well as her path to becoming an SLP. Links: Camp ALEC: http://www.campalec.com Fundraiser page for Camp ALEC: http://www.firstgiving.com/397389 Tina Moreno’s blog (Voices For All): https://voices4all.wordpress.com Thanks as always for listening!

Forbrain is an auditory processing product designed to "use your voice to boost your brain". The combination of bone conduction for sound transmission and a dynamic filter (audio processing) make for an interesting auditory feedback loop. In this short episode, I'll talk a little about how I came across this device as well as my overall impressions using it over the past few months*. Do you own the Forbrain device? If so, what has your experience been like with it so far? I'd love to hear...   *Note: The company that manufactures Forbrain provided me with a complimentary device.

Lynn Medley is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with individuals with ASD. In this episode, we discuss how difficult it is to isolate what social cognitive skills should be taught, what goes into forming playgroups, the sometimes thorny topic of motivation, and more! You can check out Lynn's practice at: mmtaspeech.com. Here are some other links and resources Lynn and her staff have compiled for your viewing and reading pleasure: The Incredible Flexible You & You Are a Social Detective (Michelle Garcia Winner) Jill Kuzma's blog Pixar Shorts- just type in on YouTube "short animated video" Lindamood Bell's Visualize and Verbalize curriculum The book Social Language Training Elementary by Linda Bowers and Carolyn LoGiudice The book Practical Theory of Mind Games by Carol Krakower Of course, check out Lynn & MMTA on Facebook for updates on resources Thanks everyone!

For all of the advancements in dysphagia research and practice that's taken place over the last decade (it's been longer than that since I last saw an adult client), some things never seem to change. Today, the most important tool a swallowing clinician has for diagnosis and management of dysphagia is still between the ears. Indeed, that was one of the most important take aways I got from today's episode, which features Drs. Ianessa Humbert and Emily Plowman (both of the University of Florida). In today's episode, we cover how Drs. Humbert & Plowman became interested in dysphagia, their newly merged research laboratories (called  Swallowing Systems Core), some current research, and the recent launch of their course titled Critical Thinking in Dysphagia Management. Enjoy the episode! General Links: Swallowing Systems Core  Critical Thinking in Dysphagia Management Course (next offering in March 2016 at the time of this episode release) YouTube video of Dr. Plowman (discussing her current research involvi

Sometimes it seems like app creation is beginning to get about as ubiquitous as the L.A. resident working on his/her screenplay! A lot of people are either making one, thinking about making one, or want to make one (but have no idea how to). Well today I talk about my own process of creating an app for the app store (iTunes only). It certainly wasn't easy and I wanted to rip my hair out more than once during the process. But I'm happy to say that I finally finished. In this episode I'll talk you through my journey. I'll go over my method for selecting freelancers, managing the workflow, and talk about the many lessons learned over the past 10 months. Thanks for listening! -Jeff The links: The Social Bunch Website Link to purchase The Social Bunch: Perspectives 99 Designs Upward (formerly Elance) Pop (for wireframing your app)  

Articulation Station is one of the best-known articulation apps on the iTunes store right now. I wanted to meet the developer behind this well designed app and she is none other than Heidi Hanks. Together with her husband Chris (a designer by trade), she created a small suite of  apps that cover articulation assessment and therapy. Originally, I wanted to make this a two-part episode that would document my own journey into creating an iPad app. Due to some setbacks, that episode will come shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy this conversation with Heidi! Credit: The track "Happyrock" was produced by Bensound.com Links: Little Bee Speech Mommyspeechtherapy.com (Heidi's blog) The Speech Dudes post about app pricing

Today I talk with Yvette McCoy, a private practice owner who is highly interested in dysphagia. Yvette tells me how she became interested in dysphagia and describes some of the resources and people who helped shape the clinician she is today. Links: ASHA's Special Interest Group (SIG) on dysphagia Northern Speech Services (for CEU's on dysphagia) Information about the MBSImP (The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile) The American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders Blog post by Mary Huston about the SLP scope of practice (in the U.S. that is) (By the way- is the scope of practice in the U.S. the same as in other parts of the globe?) As always, let me know if I forgot something! -Jeff

Rinki Varindani is an adult medical SLP working in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Many of you will know Rinki from her Facebook group Medical SLP Forum, which just passed 8,000 members worldwide! In today's episode, Rinki talks about what her undergraduate training was like in India, how she became interested in medical speech pathology, and where she hopes her career will eventually take her. Links: 1. Rinki's home page can be found here. 2. Her Facebook group Medical SLP Forum. 3. You can follow Rinki on Twitter: @Rinkislp. 4. That article First Person on the Last Page: East Meets West can be found here. 5. For more information about board certification in swallowing (for ASHA members), you can click here. Did I forget anything? Want to get in touch? Please contact me: jeff@conversationsinspeech.com If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider providing a review at iTunes here. Thanks for listening!  

Jonathan Waller is a speech pathologist in southern California who began the website Dysphagia Cafe more than 2 years ago. It's purpose is to offer a centralized resource on all things dysphagia for clinicians around the world. The site features blog posts by guest authors, a resources page, and more! Show Notes: The ASHA leader article by Dr. James L. Coyle can be found here. Information about The McNeil Dysphagia Therapy Program can be found here. Credits: The track Going Higher was provided courtesy of Bensound.com If you enjoyed this episode, please take a couple of minutes to provide a review in the iTunes store. Thanks!      

Is there more to the oral motor debate than meets the eye? Today's guest thinks so! In this episode, I'm joined by speech-language pathologist Robyn Merkel Walsh of Talk Tools. She explains what she believes are common misconceptions regarding oral placement therapy (OPT) (previously known by its more generic term "oral motor exercises"). Links to today's episode: www.oralmotorinstitute.org www.robynmerkelwalsh.com http://www.ridgefieldschools.com/Page/2902 (Robyn's school page) www.talktools.com The music track Acoustic Breeze was provided courtesy of Bensound.com    

He's a presenter, app developer, blogger, and yes- a male speech pathologist! He's Erik Raj, uber speechie! Join us as we talk about Erik's recent doctoral dissertation, some of his favorite apps, youtube, and a children's show he is developing! Show notes: Eriks's personal site: http://www.erikraj.com Jeremy Legaspi's (AKA, "The Speech Guy") website (good app recommendations, especially for teaching core vocabulary- this is where I discovered the Toca Boca apps): http://the-speechguy.com Apps we talked about on the show: Animal Face https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animal-face-ig-photo-editor/id686038386?mt=8 Super Power FX: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-power-fx-be-a-superhero!/id842266876?mt=8 Multiple Choice Articulation https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/multiple-choice-articulation/id580129419?mt=8 FxGuru: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fxguru-movie-fx-director/id553674737?mt=8 WordToob: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordtoob-language-learning/id651639627?mt=8 Toca Boca: (any of these a

Jane Farrall is an AAC consultant with a specialization in AAC & literacy. Today, she talks with me about AGOSCI 2015, where she was both a presenter and attendee. Of course, I also throw out some related and occasionally random questions on my mind these days. Enjoy! Links: www.janefarrall.com http://agosci.org.au Credits: Jazzy Frenchy music clip courtesy of bensound.com

Can PECS and core vocabulary be friends? Our guest today Megan Brazas thinks so! She recently presented on this very subject at ATIA in Orlando in January 2015. Megan is a speech pathologist in a suburban Chicago school district. I met Megan in 2013 at the Pittsburgh AAC Language Seminar Series (PALSS) and we still keep in touch, sharing resources and trading war stories. We talk about using elements of both discrete trial and aided language stimulation with what is known as the Core Vocabulary Exchange System (CVES).

Hey everyone, I’m pleased to present yet another episode featuring the thoughtful words of Marge Blanc! In this episode I get to ask her all of the follow-up questions brewing in my mind since our last meeting in April 2014. There are questions about scoring using NLA, the nuts and bolts of therapy, case examples, and more! I hope this episode deepens your appreciation for the NLA process and answers some of those questions you may have had as well. Please remember to send your comments and questions to Marge (communicationdevelopmentcenter@gmail.com) or myself (jeff@conversationsinspeech.com). More importantly, we would love to hear your stories of adventures with delayed echolalia and the path to self-generated language. Thanks as always for listening! Jeff

Today I speak with Julie Tracy, a mother of an adult son with high functioning autism. Julie talks about the foundation her family recently started: The Julie + Michael Tracy Family Foundation. It's aim is to provide residential, social, vocational, and mental health supports to young adults with Autism. I read about Julie's work last year in a local suburban paper and knew her story would be worth sharing here. It also doesn't hurt that Julie is a speech pathologist herself! Links: You can find the Tracy foundation's website here: jmtf.org I also mentioned my new Facebook page. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conversations-In-Speech-Pathology/752643058144503 You can also look for me on Twitter: @Jeff Stepen Take care everyone! -Jeff

Do you work in a school setting in the U.S.? Do you know about Donors Choose? Have you used it? Well, Tom Shull sure has! He's a speech pathologist from the Boston area who successfully funded over $15,000 in projects using the site. In today's episode, you'll learn how Tom became so successful with this crowdfunding platform. Tom also discusses his love of cued speech, his work with accent modification, and yes- Mel Gibson! You can find Tom Shull here: http://soundpractice.org/about/ You can check out Tom's Donors Choose page here: http://www.donorschoose.org/mr.shull?rf=page-siteshare-2014-11-teacher_profile-teacher_1155963&active=true Tom's previous webinar on Donors Choose can be found here: http://www.mghihp.edu/alumni/alumni-webinars/default.aspx If you would like to learn more about cued speech, here is one resource you can check out: http://www.cuedspeech.org/index.php Finally, please feel free to check out my Donors Choose page at: http://www.donorschoose.org/jeff.stepen?rf=page-siteshare-2014-1

Today I talk to Paul Andres & Russell Cross from the Prentke Romich Company (PRC) about a new method for interpreting SGD (speech generating device) language samples. It's called "Realize Language". I just started using the service and I can no longer imagine looking at language samples without it! You can check out the new Realize Language service at: https://realizelanguage.com/info/ Russell Cross can be reached at: rtc@prentrom.com Paul Andres can be reached at: p.andres@prentke-romich.de As always, thanks for listening! Jeff