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 topic of teletherapy (this is the 1st of a four-part series) Special Interest Division 18 (SIG 18) If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to lend your support, please consider leaving a review on whatever platform you use to listen to podcasts. You can also check out my website www.conversationsinspeech.com for more information about the show.

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 hear, I think there is more to this approach than meets the eye and that it has the potential to help some number of clients. Without a solid research base, I cannot begin to speculate on what that number is. I am not trained in RPM and have no ties whatsoever with HALO (The nonprofit RPM organization) or with Soma Mukhopadhyay, the founder of RPM. I do not speak on behalf of anyone but myself. The same can be said for Maria whose experiences with RPM are hers alone. To sum things up: use your best judgment, stay educated, and keep a level head! Lastly, for those of you prone to instant outrage, please hold your Twitter fire until you actually listen to this episode. I can accept criticism. So can Maria. We’re all adults here, so please play nice. Now for some links: Ido Kedar on YouTube (the video I speak about in this episode) Good article on intelligence, eye gaze, EEG Apraxia and ASD Are we underestimating intelligence? A credible provider of RPM

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 Southeastern Louisiana University in the Spring of 2019.   Charles Lenell, MS CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and doctoral candidate in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders Department at NYU. He works in the NYU Swallowing Lab with Dr. Molfenter and the NYUMC Voice Lab with Dr. Johnson. His line of research focuses on understanding the underlying laryngeal neuromuscular mechanisms of voice and swallow functions and his dissertation research evaluates how hormones affect the laryngeal mechanism and functions. The Poster from ASHA 2018 in Boston can be viewed on a desktop browser or by clicking the link.

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 a member of Medbridge. They currently have 380 quality online courses featuring some very impressive names from our field. A regular membership costs $145 per year. However, you can bump that cost down to $95 if you use this promo code: STEPEN  (Note: I do receive an affiliate commission should you sign up). * Please consider leaving a review of my show on the iTunes store (if you haven’t already). Thanks for listening! -Jeff

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 personal cloud system I purchased about 6 months ago. It's called Lima. You can find more about Innervoice and Lois here. Disclosure: I was given a code for a free download of the Innervoice app prior to my interview with Lois. I do not receive any royalties, commissions, or compensation of any kind for sales of the Innervoice app (or for any of the apps we mentioned in today's episode). Finally...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 a member of Medbridge. They currently have 380 quality online courses featuring some very impressive names from our field. A regular membership costs $145 per year. However, you can bump that cost down to $95 if you use this promo code: STEPEN  (Note: I do receive an affiliate commission should you sign up). * Please consider leaving a review of my show on the iTunes store (if you haven't already). Thanks for listening! -Jeff              

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 Companion *  Catherine Callahan's Website * Catherine's Instagram page

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, co-author of the mobile app Dysphagia Therapy, and co-founder of Dysphagia Grand Rounds. She currently serves on ASHA's SIG 13 Editorial Committee as Associate Editor of Perspectives, on the Dysphagia Research Society's Website, Communications, and Public Relations Committee and has been selected for ASHA's 2017 Leadership Development Program. She has presented at national and international conferences on topics related to adult dysphagia and written numerous articles for leading SLP websites and magazines. Originally from Mumbai, India; Rinki currently practices in Rochester, New York. Follow her SLP updates on Facebook and Twitter or reach out to her at rinkislp@gmail.com. Links & References: Rinki's Medical SLP Page Medical SLP Forum Dysphagia Grand Rounds Dysphagia Therapy Mobile App ASHA Resources for SLPs in Long-Term Care ASHA Practice Portal for Dementia ASHA Practice Portal for Adult Dysphagia ASHA End of Life Resources Day in the Life of a SNF SLP Caregiver's Guide to Dysphagia in Dementia  

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 perspective, you might want to check out this blog post. I hope to explore these differences of opinions in future episodes. Can we agree there is still so much to learn and sort out? Thanks to Kelly for taking part in this episode! And thank you for listening! -Jeff 11/24/2017 Update: Here is a .pdf of Kelly's most recent ASHA poster session! Vess Poster Targeting R Session ID 9284  

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 unintelligible speech is called Voiceitt * An image of the Big Green Board If you enjoy listening to these podcasts, please leave an honest review in the iTunes store. Thanks!

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/ * Dysphagia Therapy App: http://tactustherapy.com/ app/dysphagia/ * Tactus Therapy How-To Guides for Clinicians: http://tactusthera py.com/category/how-to/ * Scientific Evidence Supporting use of iPad Apps in Aphasia Therapy: http://www. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10. 1080/09602011.2016.1146150 * Aphasia Recovery Connection: http://www.aphasia rc.org/ * Megan's Upcoming Book: https://www.amazon.com/H ealing-Broken-Brain-Questions- Recovery/dp/1401952658 * Nancy Helm-Estabrooks' Aphasia Therapy Manual: https://www.amazon. com/Manual-Aphasia-Therapy- DVD-ROM/dp/1416405496/

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 Information and Job Statistics *  O*Net Online Bureau of Labor Statistics * Payscale.com SLPA Hourly Rate Social Media Twitter: @asha_associates Facebook: Look up Speech-Language Pathology Assistants. Jennifer's Contact Info: Jennifer Schultz, M.A., CCC-SLP Mitchell Technical Institute 1800 E Spruce St. Mitchell, SD 57301 Jennifer.schultz@mitchelltech.edu Jenniferschultz.wikispaces.com Twitter: @HawkeyeSLP For you international listeners, I'd love to hear comments on whether your country uses assistants. Please let me know if that's the case! Thanks as always for listening! Jeff