SLP News Issue 9

Research

• Outcomes management practices in tiered school-based speech–language therapy: A Canadian example
  November 25th, 2022
  Measuring, assessing and managing outcomes in school practice environments is difficult due to the complex nature of school communities as well as the recent shift in service-delivery models towards tiered approaches. In tiered approaches, multiple levels of service are offered to better match students’ needs. Each level of service may require different outcomes and management techniques. Research to date on outcomes has focused on measuring outcomes in medical settings, leaving a substantive gap in the literature regarding practice in schools.
• Effect of Voice Projection Training on Acoustic and Auditory-Perceptual Characteristics of Voice in Tamil-Speaking Imams
  November 25th, 2022
  Imams are professional voice users at risk of developing voice problems. Speech-Language Pathologists need to provide intervention programs to target risk factors associated with voice disorders and improve the voice quality of Imams. However, studies examining the effect of vocal training for Imams are limited in the literature.
• IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION AND RESPIRATION IN PRE-SCHOOL AND YOUNGER SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN OBSERVED BY TEACHERS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
  November 25th, 2022
  The paper deals with educators from different regions of the Czech Republic (cities and villages) who work in kindergartens and elementary schools and had the opportunity to observe the effects of Covid-19 on preschool and younger school children. The paper deals mainly with the effects of the pandemic on communication (and non-verbal communication), respiration, speech comprehension, the presence of communication disorders or difficulties and others.
• Exploring the contributions of expert review and cognitive interviewing to evaluating the content validity of items for a new measure of adolescent social communication, the transition pragmatics interview
  November 25th, 2022
  Interventions to facilitate improvement in adolescent social communication are more effective when they are tailored to adolescents’ individual profiles of ability. Current social communication assessments for adolescents are not designed to identify their profiles of ability for settings beyond compulsory education. To address this gap, we developed the Transition Pragmatics Interview (TPI).
• Educational Effects of a Webinar about COVID-19 Prevention by a Regional Core Hospital for Therapists Working in Local Facilities
  November 23rd, 2022
  A new role of a regional core hospital for educating medical personnel through a regional therapy association has been previously reported in the COVID-19 crisis. In the present study, physical (PT), occupational (OT), and speech language hearing therapist (ST) and physiatrists, who have been providing COVID-19 rehabilitation in a regional core hospital, were instructed how to control infection via a webinar. The purpose of this report was to investigate the effects of webinars on therapists working in local facilities.
• Acoustical and Perceptual Analysis of Voice in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
  November 23rd, 2022
  Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor efficiency which is also required for voice production. Voice is part of the identity of a person, any abnormality in voice quality hampers the quality of communication, and quality of life. This study aimed to analyse the voice of individuals with Parkinson’s disease objectively through acoustic analysis, and subjectively through perceptual analysis.
• Clinical Case Study: Pediatric Bilateral Benign Vocal Fold Lesions
  November 23rd, 2022
  This study describes a clinical case of benign bilateral vocal fold lesions in a 4-year-old boy. Acoustic, aerodynamic, auditory-perceptual, and stroboscopic evaluations are described, and the outcomes of intervention are reported.
• Stuttering, Intersectionality, and Identity: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals Who Stutter
  November 23rd, 2022
  Speech-language pathologists are influential in shaping identity development for individuals who stutter, particularly as it relates to communication. This study investigated the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals who stutter to learn more about how multiple marginalized identities affect their psychosocial experiences.
• Clinically Measuring Orofacial Somatosensation in a Cohort of Healthy Aging Adults
  November 23rd, 2022
  Humans experience the world through sensations of touch, taste, smell, vision, and audition. Alterations in sensory acuity occur across the adult life span in all types of sensation. The purpose of this study was to describe possible differences in lip and tongue somatosensation (sense of pressure) for healthy older adults using clinically available measurement tools as compared with previously published data using the same protocol.

Podcasts

• From The Great Resignation to Grateful for Private Practice with Rachel Mangan [Start and Grow Your Private Practice Member]
  November 28th, 2022
  In this episode of Private Practice Success Stories, I sat down with Rachel Mangan, a Start Your Private Practice and Grow Your Private Practice student, to talk about how she took the leap during the Great Resignation. After her son’s cancer diagnosis, she realized that life is precious, and that if you have a dream, you should go for it.
• Breakthrough Mental Health Treatments with Carlene MacMillan
  November 27th, 2022
  Our guest for this episode is Dr. Carlene MacMillan, an expert in mental health and VP of Clinical Innovation at Osmind. Carlene’s area of focus is exploring innovative mental health treatments for anxiety and depression, among other conditions. She talks with James about some of these treatments such as psychedelic assisted therapy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy.
• Becca Eisenberg: Using Video Modeling to Teach AAC Communication Skills
  November 26th, 2022
  This week on TWT, Rachel interviews SLP and AAC Specialist Becca Eisenberg about her work with older AAC users, including why she created her own YouTube Channel for video modeling called Life Skills to Learn! Becca shares ideas for motivating AAC users, including giving AAC users the freedom to direct therapy in new, more directions that are more interesting to the AAC user.
• 257 - Palliative Care and the SLP: Closing the Practice Gap - Bianca Coulson M.S., CCC-SLP
  November 25th, 2022
  What exactly is the SLP’s role in palliative care patients? And what’s the deal with waivers, AMA, non-compliance, and informed consent? Which patients are good candidates for PEG tubes? Which ones aren’t? And who decides who gets one?
• 152: 5 Tips for AAC Trials
  November 23rd, 2022
  The episode is part of the AAC Connect series. I used to provide AAC trial devices to professionals. Now that I’m on the other side as a private practitioner, I wish we could hold on to the devices longer. Every client is so unique and feature matching can take a long time. Especially if you only see a client 1-2 times a week! Here are 5 things you can do to help with the trial process.
• Cutting Out the Middle Man and Seeing Her Own Private Clients... From Argentina with Megan Ramirez [A Grow Your Private Practice Case Study]
  November 21st, 2022
  Have you ever fantasized about living internationally and seeing telepractice clients in the U.S.? It’s totally possible! With teletherapy growing in popularity, you could easily see your clients online while living anywhere in the world and working on a schedule that works for you.
• Ep 134 Autistic Burnout & Professional Ennui
  November 17th, 2022
  In this cohosted episode with Nikki (@teachspeech365) about Autistic Burnout & Professional Ennui.
• Dr. Cheri Dodge Chin: Teaching Caregivers to Model via Video Chat
  November 17th, 2022
  This week, we share Chris’s interview with Dr. Cheri Dodge Chin, an AAC researcher, blogger, and professor who recently has done research into the effectiveness of caregiver AAC training via online video chat. She shares valuable strategies for Her results showed that many caregivers were able to learn modeling strategies for shared reading during online video chat in as little as an hour!
• 151: 6 Things I Wish I Knew Starting Out with AAC
  November 16th, 2022
  This solo episode is all about the mistakes I made with AAC in the past. We review 6 things I wish I knew starting out with AAC like determining grid size, programming, moving beyond requesting, teaching literacy, adding gestalts, and giving exploration time.

Blog Posts

• Phonological Process Series: What is Vowelization?
  November 29th, 2022
  [In this series, we explore the major phonological processes that children use in speech, as well as strategies for targeting them at home]
• Activities for CVC Words to Try in Speech Therapy
  November 28th, 2022
  Are you constantly looking for activities for CVC words to try in speech therapy? Consonant-vowel-consonant structure (or CVC syllable structure) has many benefits for speech and language therapy. It’s one of those tools of the trade I feel like I use a ton with emerging communicators. It is great for targeting the phonological process of final consonant deletion and eliciting a basic word structure to build from. You might use it just in word selection to make elicitation easier. Working on /l/ in “leg” is much easier than working on /l/ in “lollipop” because of the fewer competing sound and fewer syllable movements. Kids with motor planning difficulties will really benefit from thoughtful target selection and getting CVC syllable structures can be huge for their success!
• Interprofessional Practice Minute: Speech and OT Working Together
  November 22nd, 2022
  In complex cases, two (or more!) heads are better than one. That's the driving idea behind Interprofessional Practice, a collaborative approach to multi-faceted healthcare. According to the WHO, "Collaborative practice happens when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings.
• Christmas Tree Craft for Speech Therapy
  November 19th, 2022
  In December, pulling out some festive activities with your speech therapy groups is fun. If your students celebrate Christmas and need mixed group holiday activities, you will love this Christmas tree craft for speech therapy. It’s easy to make and can be sent home as a functional decor that will remind your students to practice their speech and language skills.
• Interoception: A Dive Into the 8th Sense and Practical Treatment Ideas For Therapists
  November 18th, 2022
  Most of us are well versed in the five senses. It is easy to relate and find examples of touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. Yet as therapists, we care deeply about understanding those senses that are less commonly discussed in daily life: our vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoceptive systems. These senses play a vital role in our body’s synchronicity and contribute immensely to our ability to self-regulate.

Legislation

• ASHA Advocate: November 17, 2022
  November 17th, 2022
  The midterm elections have given some clarity into next year’s political environment. A divided Congress, with Republicans narrowly controlling the House of Representatives and Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate, presents both challenges and opportunities for ASHA and our advocacy efforts going forward. However, before the 118th Congress convenes in January, the 117th Congress has important unfinished business to complete. Fiscal year 2023 spending and other “must pass” health care measures promise to make the month of December very busy on Capitol Hill.