What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

A few years ago,  I made this flyer for CSD Awareness Month - What is a Speech Language Pathologist?. Yet, I think I still missed the mark. Let me break it down – Speech…Language…Pathologist…

• Speech – the coordination of the brain and necessary muscles used to produce speech
• Language - a system of codes, symbols, and sounds that convey meaning and is rule-governed
• Pathologist – a person who deals with the theory and causation of disorders

A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to evaluate and diagnose speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders. We treat individuals of all ages, from infants to the elderly…and people wonder why a Master’s degree, Clinical Fellowship, and a series of tests are required.

Evidence Based Practice – SLP

Every semester we are assigned clients in the on-campus Speech and Hearing Clinic . *nerves* The frightening sensation that someone is paying to have me work with their child, teen, or with them as an adult is surreal. Just a year ago I was sitting in class thinking about what I was going to do for Spring Break or over Summer vacation. Now, my thoughts are about the types of therapy techniques for clients with Dysphagia or if I know what to do for a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)….For the record, I do know these things

Anywho… Evidence Based Practice: What drives Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Our Supervisors give us the task to find 3 articles to support the type of therapy intervention we choose for our clients.

Here is a general profile of what I used in serach of Evidence to base my Practice on:

• Autism
• Child
• Non-verbal
• speech

I decided to use a Play-based therapy approach termed Milieu, where the child directs therapy, given a set of activities I pre-determine.

I found the following 3 articles to support using a Mileu Therapy. They are followed by my accompanying reviews:

Phonetics and CSD Programs

In 2001, Michael Moran and James Fitch published an article titled Phonological Awareness Skills of University Students: Implications for Teaching Phonetics. I first read the article in Summer 2010 and have thought of it often. When I was a Senior in the UWG Speech-Language Pathology Undergrad program, I offered Phonetic tutoring sessions for the rising juniors. I took a liking to the different ‘language’ phonetics offers, and thought I could lend some help.

What is most striking about the article is the “Phonological Awareness Tasks” which the authors tried on 21 CSD students taking a phonetics course.

The tasks look at:

• Phoneme Switching (“had bear” = “bad hair”
• Phonetic Reversal (“sick” = “kiss)
• Phoneme Counting (soul = 3 phonemes)
• Vowel Matching (“shoe” matches “two”)

ASHA Convention 2012 – Atlanta, GA

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2012 National Convention will be in Atlanta Georgia at the Georgia World Congress Center November 15 – 17, 2012. Home.

I have never been to an ASHA Convention so this year will be my first. I’ve also submitted a Call for Papers. I’ve never been so nervous before clicking a Submit button. I want to share what my research is about and I have many hopes and prayers it will be accepted. If not, I’m getting great clinical experience on how to apply, how to research, and learning along the way.

TITLE: Executive Functioning Training in College-Age Students

 ABSTRACT:

Research shows individuals with ADD, ADHD, and LD have deficits in executive functioning. Collaboration with Disability Service Providers and the SLP Department allowed for greater student access. The presentation discusses a 6-week intervention program given through a University clinic targeting attention, memory, sequencing, problem solving, and executive functioning.