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Chew on this – Dysphagia 101

August 13, 2019June 28, 2020DysphagiaLeave a comment

If you were shocked when I wrote that SLPs help people with their swallowing, you aren’t alone! When I started graduate school, I had no idea that this fell within the realm of speech pathology. So, you’re in good company!

Dysphagia is a very official and fancy term for “swallowing disorder.” The disorder can occur as a result of something going on in the mouth (oral cavity) or in the throat (pharyngeal cavity). It can also occur as a result of something going on in the stomach, but we leave that to the GI doctors (I know nothing about stomachs). Either way, food and liquids are not making their way properly to the stomach. Sometimes it escapes out of the mouth and other times, it escapes into the lungs.

The language impairment and emergent literacy connection – Research rumination

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019Language DevelopmentLeave a comment

We know that language skills are important for kindergarten, but why are these skills so important? Research has long shown a connection between language and literacy, but what specifically do the researchers talk about? In particular, what do they have to say about language and emergent literacy in kindergarten?

Kindergarten readiness – Early warning signs

August 2, 2019July 6, 2023Language DevelopmentOne Comment

Do you remember kindergarten? I do! I went for a half of a day. My classroom had a paraprofessional and a teacher. I can vividly remember learning how to make my letters, participating in calendar activities, and playing outside. Milk came in a bag! What a world!

Kindergarten of today is NOT kindergarten of the late 80s and early 90s. Scholastic published this great article describing how kindergarten has evolved since the turn of the century.

Why yes, we all have accents! – SLPs and accent modification

July 20, 2019September 23, 2020Accent ModificationOne Comment

Even though we all have accents, some people want to modify them. Luckily, your friendly, neighborhood speech-language pathologist is here to help!

Early social skills for the win – Research Rumination

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019Social Communication

A few years ago, I was listening to the radio on my commute. I used to live in California, so my commute to anywhere was very long. As I listened, a segment I realized that they must have been speaking directly to me. The segment titled “Nice Kids Finish First: Study Finds Social Skills Can Predict Future Success” went on to summarize a recent study (then, in 2015). That story stuck with me, and when I thought about what article to study for this week’s Research Rumination, it came back to me.

Core boards in 6 easy steps

June 26, 2019October 22, 2020AACLeave a comment

Core boards are the perfect way to model language for students. They help teach pronouns, verbs, adjectives and can help with increasing mean length of utterance (MLU).

Moving Beyond Pitch – Voice and Gender Identity

June 14, 2019March 20, 2021Gender-Affirming Voice ModificationOne Comment

What role does voice play in our identity? Moreso, how does it play into our gender identities? Speech-language pathologists have the unique skill set to help trans folks work on a voice that best matches their needs. But what makes a voice traditionally “masculine” or “feminine?”

Vocal hygiene tips from your friendly, neighborhood SLP (UPDATED JANUARY 2021)

June 13, 2019January 13, 2021Gender-Affirming Voice Modification, Vocal Hygiene

These strategies are helpful for anyone who uses their voice regularly at work or is currently working on voice training (trans folks, singers, individuals recovering from phonotrauma). I’ll attach them to the next blog post as well.

Take care of your voice!

Speech-language pathologist? So…what do you do?

May 30, 2019February 23, 2021Speech-Language PathologyOne Comment

For the past few weeks, I’ve been waffling on what topic to write my first blog post. I had lots of ideas (some forthcoming, don’t worry!). However, the other night, as we were getting ready for bed, I was talking to my husband about something speech-related. Somewhere in the conversation, I asked, “Do you know what I do…?”

He replied, “Yes, of course I do. You help kids speak better.”

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