We are living in unprecedented times. As a result, all of us, SLPs included, have had to revamp our way life and our way of working. Most non-hospital or SNF based SLPs (if not all) are using teletherapy to provide services. Some of you know that Duncan Lake Speech Therapy was in the process of...
We’re lucky to have Beth Kirchenberg, Middle School and Teen Librarian at River Forest Public Library, back with us for another round. Since we’re all stuck at home, it’s an excellent time to pick up a book. For your kiddos who are YA aged, Beth has provided us with the ultimate YA literature picks. I mean,...
It’s National Reading Month! Speech-language pathologists love books and reading as literacy is tied to language development (and vice-versa). We spend a lot of time on this page talking about picture books, but ages 0-18 have a wide span of book choices. So today, let’s celebrate a rather underrepresented sub-section of literature on this page:...
Following my quick Q&A video on the DLST Facebook and Instagram pages, I had even MORE questions about gender-affirming voice modification. You know I love audience participation, so I’m so happy people are asking great questions and learning more about this service. Since my video addressed the basics of voice modification, the rest of the...
“Babies” on Netflix has taken over my entire life. People have been ragging on this completely fascinating docuseries, commenting that there aren’t enough babies and there’s way too much science. Well, yes, this is somewhat true, for nerds like me who love child development, this really hit the spot! On Episode 4, First Words, a...
I write about inclusion a lot on my Facebook page. I’ve written about inclusive advertising and inclusive employment and even inclusion at the Oscars. I love inclusion. In fact, inclusion almost made me start crying in my staff workroom on Monday (shout out to Wayland Union Middle School’s Level II resource teacher, Cassie Peereboom…we will...
I mentioned on my Facebook page earlier this week that questions about milestones and expectations have been flooding my inbox this past month. People from my professional life, personal life, and even a few strangers have asked me about this subject with such frequency recently that I thought it smart to write a post about...
Early interventions are services and supports put in place to help a child, ages birth-3, with developmental delays. These delays could be anything from cognitive to motor to speech, and can involve professionals such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, early interventionists, and other providers from various services depending on what is needed. You’ve probably heard this term once or twice, especially if you have or are close to young children. The theory is that the earlier interventions are put into place for a child with identified needs, the better the results. How do we know this works, though? And why is it so important?
Age-related hearing loss is a touchy subject for many. Many times, it forces the individual to come to terms with becoming “older,” which isn’t fun. It also plays into insecurities regarding “being different” or “standing out” because of a hearing aid. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to set these worries aside and start the process of addressing hearing loss.
“Why should I?” you may ask. “Also, aren’t you a speech-language pathologist? Why are you talking about this?” Well, a few things.
Hold on to your hats! We’re doing a crash course in communication-related problems following a stroke!
Following a stroke, a person will experience any number of difficulties and deficits, some more severe than others. Strokes can cause physical, cognitive, behavioral, and communication and swallowing issues. For the sake of time (and for the sake of my readers’ time), I’m going to stick with talking about symptoms related to communication.
Aphasia is a common language disorder that arises following a stroke. Aphasia, in the most basic sense, is an impairment in any and all areas of language - speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Depending on where the injury is in the brain, the amount of damage incurred by the stroke, and a whole host of other factors, symptoms and severity can vary.