Conversations In Speech Pathology

There is no denying that telepractice has established an important place for itself among the many service delivery models in existence today. In this episode, I chat with Kristin Martinez of PresenceLearning, about the use of teletherapy in speech pathology. Kristin talks about her own history as a teletherapy provider and answers a number of commonly heard questions about the nature of this medium. Kristin's bio: Kristin Martinez, M.A., CCC-SLP, received her M.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been a speech-language pathologist for 19 years. Kristin served students in her local school district and in private practice for 13 years before starting as a telepractitioner with PresenceLearning in 2013. Kristin has presented on the topic of teletherapy nationwide and currently serves as the Head of Clinical Standards and Outreach for PresenceLearning. Links: An Interview on PresenceLearning's website with Kristin A blog post on speechtherapypd.com written by Kristin on the to

Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) is THE poster boy for pseudoscience lately. I was aware of RPM for years but never paid much attention for the same reason most of you never have- lack of evidence (or as some would call it: “street cred”). Then something interesting happened. I was introduced to someone who used a letterboard to communicate. As others have indicated, it is hard to “unsee” once you have seen. I’ve been very interested in RPM ever since. Maria Welch is an SLP colleague of mine who also happens to be an RPM provider. In today’s still somewhat scattered episode (this is our 2.5th time recording this conversation), we discuss: What got Maria interested in RPM Maria’s evolution in thinking about children with ASD Motor Challenges and ASD Intelligence, ASD, & Testing Tailoring RPM lessons to student interest and ability The ASHA RPM position statement Now for some disclaimers: I am not endorsing RPM as a mainstream therapy to be used with all of our clients. As you will hea

Craig Coleman is a professor of speech-language pathology at Marshall University and an ASHA Fellow. He is currently in the running for Vice President for Planning in the upcoming 2019 ASHA Board Elections. In this episode, Dr. Coleman explains what that position entails and what his priorities would be should he win.

The shortage of doctoral students in CSD is nothing new. But why is it so? Why aren't more people interested in pursuing a doctorate? On today's episode, I welcome current doctoral students Martha Sherill and Charles Lenell who presented on this very topic at ASHA 2018. Martha Sherrill earned her M.C.D in Speech-Language Pathology from Auburn University in 2006, and her PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018.  Martha practiced as an SLP in multiple medical settings and locations (e.g., acute care, sub-acute rehabilitation, home health, SNF) and her clinical specialties include aphasia, dysphagia, and cognitive-communicative disorders.  Her current line of research is focused on the use of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) as a means of creating rich communicative environments and clinical spaces in inpatient rehabilitation facilities for adults with aphasia and other acquired cognitive-communicative disorders.  Martha will be joining the faculty of Southe

Rose Griffin the semi-rare breed of SLP who is dually certified as a BCBA (Board Certified Behavioral Analyst). In this epsisode we discuss how she became interested in the field of speech pathology, her discovery of ABA and strategies she uses for her students with ASD. Show Notes: Rose's Website: abaspeech.org Rose's Action builder cards: https://abaspeech.org/product/actionbuildercards Double Up: https://abaspeech.org/product/double-up-vocabulary-and-leisure-game ASHA approved course titled Help Me Find My Voice: https://aba-speech.teachable.com/p/help-me-find-my-voice

I don't know about you, but auditory processing disorders have always confused me. I'm sure I've worked with any number of children who likely had a co-morbid diagnosis of APD without me ever being aware of it. Then again, the diagnosis itself (like many areas in our field) is the subject of ongoing debate. Today I'm happy to welcome Dr. Donna Turetgen, an audiologist in private practice, who helped shed some light on the subject. Some of the areas this episode covers includes: What an auditory processing disorder is (and differences in nomenclature). The Buffalo Model for assessment and intervention (developed by Jack Katz). What role(s) the slp can play in diagnosis and treatment. Donna's practice is called The Auditory Connection and can be found here. You can read more about Jack Katz and the Buffalo Model here.   If you are a fan of this podcast and would like to lend your support, there are 2 ways you can do so right now. If you are a speech pathologist in need of CEU’s, consider becoming

My guest today is Lois Brady, a speech pathologist who is one of the developers behind the Innervoice App. For those of you not familiar, Innervoice allows one to upload a photo of any person (real or pretend) and have them "speak". It's a pretty easy and straightforward app to use. And the kids I have used it with so far really seem to like it! Note to listeners: By the time this is released, Innervoice will have released its 3.0 update which will include a new backup/restore function as well as sharing options. I've played around with the new version and I love the fact that you can forward or save a message via email and social media. In this episode, Lois tells us a bit about: her professional career her interest in technology the development of Innervoice Her favorite apps And...her pet pig! (check out the Innervoice website for a pic) Apps Mentioned: StoryBots First Words Little Speller Word Wizard WordToob (Note: This app has been updated for ios11. No more crashing!! I also mentioned a p

Dan Rennecker and Justin Peart are two dads who created a tool to help teach good eating habits to children. (With so many picky eaters these days, we really need all the help we can get!) Their product, Milton, The Mealtime Companion is an adorable table top character made of food grade silicone. The basic premise is simple: Milton takes a bite, your son/daughter/client takes a bite. Listen in as Dan and Justin explain in detail how they conceived of Milton, experimented with prototypes, and collaborated with speech-language pathologist/feeding specialist Catherine Callahan (who also appears on this episode). If you're interested in purchasing Milton, use the code podcast15 to receive 15% off your purchase. Note: I do not receive commissions or other forms of compensation on sales of Milton. Do you use Milton already? Let me know what you think! Forward your comments to: jeff@conversationsinspeech.com Finally, if you like this podcast, would you mind leaving a review? Links: Milton The Mealtime Compa

It's my pleasure to welcome back Rinki Varindani to the show! I first interviewed Rinki more than 2 years ago when she was working acute care in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Rinki has now relocated to upstate New York and working in...you guessed it- a SNF. What brought her to her present position, the adjustments she's had to make, and the initiatives she's since spearheaded are the subject of today's episode. We also talk a bit about cognitive-linguistic disorders, resources for treatment, as well an interesting case. Rinki's Bio: Rinki Varindani Desai is an ASHA-certified medical speech-language pathologist and BIAA-certified brain injury specialist, specializing in the rehabilitation of cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders in adults. She is a VitalStim® certified dysphagia therapist, trained in Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and is currently pursuing Board Certification as a specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. Rinki is the founder of the Medical SLP Forum, c

Julia Kuhn was born with the travel gene. Luckily, she gets to be in a profession that makes it easy to work on a temporary basis in a variety of locales. (Hawaii anyone?) Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a series of temporary assignments? What about housing, medical insurance, and potential odd problems looming out there? Julia addresses it all! In fact, you can get much more in-depth on the matter by checking out her blog at thetravelingtraveler.com. Credit: "Cute" by Bensound

I met Kelly Vess at the 2016 ASHA convention. She was presenting a poster session on using evidence based practice to help 31 preschoolers with speech sound disorders (SSD). Kelly and her colleagues ran a study using a number of elements from recent literature on SSD’s. What she achieved was impressive. In a five week period, nearly all of her students achieved significant levels of improvement. Today Kelly discusses her study as well as the key elements that we can all use to replicate her outcomes (including the use of multisensory cues). To check out the actual poster presentation, head over to my website if you don't see it in your podcast player. Here it is: ASHA2015POSTERpdf ASHA2016POSTERFINALpdf You might also want to check out this summary page from ASHA. It provides brief descriptions of current interventions including the complexity approach. As an aside, I want to point out that not everyone supports the complexity approach from which Kelly's study is in part derived. To see another perspect

Do you ever wonder how the AAC “sausage” gets made? What in particular goes into the process of creating an AAC vocabulary set? Today we’re going to explore how one sausage in particular got made. It’s the story of WordPower, the popular AAC set created by my guest, Nancy Inman of Inman Innovations. Nancy was previoulsy the program manager for the Department of Assistive Technology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. She’s worked in the area of AAC for years and here’s a spoiler alert: her initial inspiration for WordPower came from a client named John. Show notes: Check out the NPR's How I Built This The Beukelman Study The poster session on symbol design I referred to was called Evaluation of AAC Symbol Design Using Foundational Design Principles & Elements. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an image or description of the study on  at the time this episode was uploaded, but here is a link in the 2016 ASHA program directory. The company creating an app that purports to clarify un

This episode is going to be a departure for me because I'm handing over the mic to none other than Rinki Varindani Desai to guest host! You might remember Rinki from a previous CSP episode. I was very impressed with Rinki's passion for the field and her eagerness to take on so many extra-curricular projects. It was only natural I suppose, that I would eventually ask her to guest host on a topic that she has much more familiarity than I do. Rinki's guest today is Megan Sutton of Tactus Therapy, which is an app development company that develops a host of apps for the adult neurogenic population (aphasia, apraxia, dysphagia, etc.). Megan is an experienced clinical speech pathologist who has extensive experience in the area of aphasia and is a contributor to the book Healing the Broken Brain: Leading Experts Answer 100 Questions about Stroke Recovery which should be released in paperback around the time of this episode airs. Links to today's episode: Tactus Therapy Website: http://tactustherapy. com/ D

Today I'm debuting the first in what I hope will become an ongoing series. I like to call it: My Most Interesting Case. Yvette McCoy is back on this inaugural episode to talk about a gentleman who suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His road back to swallowing was certainly not easy, but this story does have a pretty good ending. Warning: This episode may not be suitable for younger or more sensitive listeners. If you have a compelling clinical story to share, please contact me: jeff@converssationsinspeech.com Cheers!

On today's show I'm talking with Jennifer Schultz, a speech pathologist and instructor at the Mitchell Technical Institute, about Speech Language Pathology Assistants (SLPA). Jennifer is well versed on the topic of assistants in our profession and we cover a number of areas including: The roles of an SLPA Reasons for becoming an assistant. Requirements for licensure. There are a lot of resources Jennifer provided me on SLPA's (and related info). Here are some of them: General Resources: ASHA Resources for Associates and Supervisors ASHA Clinical Education and Supervision Practice Portal ASHA Practice Portal: Clinical Education and Supervision ASHA Practice Portal: Speech-Language Pathology Assistants ASHA SIG 11: Administration & Supervision ASHA State Overviews (Select your state and choose “support personnel to find information about SLPA regulation) ASHA State Support Personnel Trends Chart Practical Tools and Forms for Supervising Speech-Language Pathology Assistants Salary Info

Happy New Year everyone! Today, on this first podcast of the new year, I welcome noted ASHA fellow Dr. Brian Goldstein to talk about bilingualism. Brian is well known in our field for his work on bilingualism and in particular Spanish phonological development. He is the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at La Salle University and I'm told from first hand experience that he is an awesome teacher! Here are just a few of the things we cover: When bilingualism became a focus of discussion How we define bilingualism The challenge of being a school-based SLP in a school with many spoken languages. Hope you enjoy it! Jeff    

We all strive to be better clinicians and adhere to using best practices whenever possible. This process requires us to keep up on the literature. But keeping up isn't easy. For one thing, there are too many journals and papers to sift through. What's more, consuming research can be expensive if you don't work at a university (or aren't a student at one). Meredith Harold can't allay all of our research anxieties, but she's here to help! The Informed SLP is a monthly newsletter that distills the most important/noteworthy studies likely to make an immediate impact on our practice. Clinicians can look over her summaries and then decide which papers to pursue further. What a concept! In today's episode we cover: Meredith's unconventional career path Why Meredith started The Informed SLP The divide between clinicians and researchers Language sampling, a crazy thought experiment, and more! Please check out The Informed SLP if you haven't already. Meredith also started a Facebook group and can be followe

Have you ever thought about starting your own private practice? Is now the time? If so, Scott Harmon can help. Scott is a successful occupational therapist running a brick and mortar practice in Arkansas. With over 10 years experience in private practice, he knows what works and what doesn't.  This guy is very good at keeping his eye on the bottom line and understands which metrics matter. On today's show Scott talks about his work history leading up to the opening of his own practice. We also cover: How a gradual shift might be the best method to starting a practice for a majority of us How important it is to diversify your referral sources Why it’s important to have the “heart of the servant” in order to succeed Scott’s early private practice pains Scott’s Current billing and record system The dilemma of billing as an "out of network" provider What interested Scott in starting a podcast and developing and e-book & e-course An incentive program to lower cancellation rates Market Analyses

In this episode I’m asking an important question: Is it possible for a treatment methodology to be considered pseudoscience (at least today) and yet actually work for some individuals? Yes, I’m delving into the world of RPM (Rapid Prompting Method), a controversial approach to educating and opening up the possibility of authentic communication among individuals with autism. We’re talking letter boards, torn paper, the whole works! The centerpiece of my story is Benjamin, a teenager whose life has been changed by using RPM. Benjamin’s parents, Ashling and Jeff recount a story of frustration, misunderstandings, and ultimately hope. It’s the most powerful interview I’ve recorded in my podcast journey so far and I feel compelled to share it. This episode will no doubt stoke a great deal of strong feelings (to say the least) among some listeners. Please understand that I know there is a lack of solid research on RPM (hence the pseudoscience moniker). But I’m not here to pass judgement one way or the other on th

I'm not sure what the profession looks like in the rest of the world, but here in the U.S. the field of speech pathology is getting harder to get into. There are currently more applicants than available spots in graduate school. What exactly are graduate programs looking for in candidates these days? Do grades and test scores still matter as much as other factors? Today's episode can't begin to answer these questions definitively (I'm sure there are a wide range of requirements depending on the program). But I am happy to welcome Heidi Verticchio, a speech-language pathologist and graduate program/clinic director at Illinois State University's Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. In our conversation, Heidi talks about what ISU's program looks for in a candidate, how undergraduates are prepared for the future application process, newer methods for selecting applicants, and more. This episode was made possible in part by at least 2 listener requests. I hope they (and you) get something useful out