Category: speech language pathology

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Guest Post: Forming and Cultivating Positive Relationships with Middle School Students

Today’s guest post on working with middle school students comes from  Zoya Tsirulnikov, MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD , an SLP from the NYC’s Department of Education. 

The middle school population is fun and exciting to work with, however  it may prove to be quite challenging for some SLPs. This is my fifth year working for the New York City Department of Education at the Middle School level. I started out working with high school and elementary school students and quickly realized that this particular age group is different from its younger and older counterparts. Whereas at the elementary grades, students are learning new skills and concepts and building the foundation for expository text, the middle school students are expected to have bridged over to more rigorous text. Therefore, the achievement gap is very noticeable since students are tackling more de-contextualized discourse. Continue reading Guest Post: Forming and Cultivating Positive Relationships with Middle School Students

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Smart Speech Therapy LLC Receives ASHA Approved Continuing Education (CE) Provider Recognition

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Smart Speech Therapy (SST) LLC Receives ASHA Approved Continuing Education (CE) Provider Recognition

ASHA Approved CE Provider Status Demonstrates Commitment to High-Quality CE Programming for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Continue reading Smart Speech Therapy LLC Receives ASHA Approved Continuing Education (CE) Provider Recognition

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In case you missed it: It’s Not the Years of Experience, It’s the Type of Experience That Matters!

A few weeks ago I guest posted on Scanlon Speech Blog regarding which areas parents should focus on when selecting the right speech language pathologist for their child. In case you missed it here’s my take of what criteria does matter when it comes to clinician selection.

I have to admit that this post was actually indirectly inspired by a casual question from my mother.  I was shopping around for a new family doctor and when I found one, the first thing my mom asked me was: “How many years of experience does he have?” That got me thinking about how often I hear this question from parents of the children that I serve.  And the answer is quite often. But let us deconstruct this question for a minute. Is it truly reflective of what the parents want to know? The parents are of course inquiring about how experienced is the practitioner in treating their child. But will the answer they receive correlate with the appropriateness of care? Continue reading In case you missed it: It’s Not the Years of Experience, It’s the Type of Experience That Matters!

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Research Tuesday January Edition – Speech Impairment in Down Syndrome: A Review

Research TuesdayOnce again I am joining the ranks of SLPs who are blogging about research related to the field of speech pathology.   Today I am reviewing a 2013 article in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, by Kent and Vorperian, which summarizes research on disorders of speech production in Down syndrome (DS)

Title: Speech Impairment in Down Syndrome: A Review

Purpose: To inform clinical services and guide future research on assessment and treatment of DS. Continue reading Research Tuesday January Edition – Speech Impairment in Down Syndrome: A Review

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Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on Menkes Syndrome

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November is Menkes Awareness month, so today Olga Z. Porterfield will be contributing a post on the Menkes Syndrome.

Menkes Syndrome (MNK), also known as Menkes disease, copper transport disease, steely hair disease, kinky hair disease, or Menkes kinky hair syndrome, is a disorder originally described by John Hans Menkes (1928–2008), which affects copper levels in the body, leading to copper deficiency. It is an x-linked recessive disorder, and is therefore considerably more common in males with females requiring two defective alleles to develop the disease. It is caused by a defective gene named ATP7A gene that regulates the metabolism of copper in the body. Continue reading Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on Menkes Syndrome

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Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on Down Syndrome

Today’s guest post on genetic syndromes comes from Rachel Nortz, who is contributing a post on the Down Syndrome.

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that is characterized by all or part of a third copy of the 21st chromosome. There are three different forms of Down syndrome: trisomy 21, translocation, and mosaicism. Trisomy 21 is the most common form of Down syndrome. This occurs when the 21st chromosome pair does not split properly and the egg or sperm receives a double-dose of the extra chromosome. Translocation  (3-4% have this type) is the result of when the extra part of the 21st chromosome becomes attached (translocated) onto another chromosome.  Mosaicism is the result of an extra 21st chromosome in only some of the cells and this is the least common type of Down syndrome. Continue reading Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on Down Syndrome

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Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on 22q Deletion Syndrome

Today’s guest post on genetic syndromes comes from Lauren Laur, who is contributing a post on the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome is a syndrome of many names. Also known as Velocardiofacial Syndrome, Shprintzen syndrome as well as DiGeorge Syndrome, 22q11.2 Deletion Syndromeis is caused by a microdeletion on the long arm of chromosome 22 (at location marker q11.2).  This syndrome follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern (a child only needs to get the abnormal gene from one parent in order to inherit the disease), however, only around 10% of cases are inherited; the majority of cases are due to a random mutation. Continue reading Spotlight on Syndromes: An SLPs Perspective on 22q Deletion Syndrome

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Spotlight on Syndromes: an SLPs Perspective on Treacher Collins

Anteroposterior view of 2-month-old boy with TreacToday’s guest post on genetic syndromes comes from Amy Locy, who is contributing an informative piece on the Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS). TSC  occurs in 1 out of every 50,000 live births with 40% of children born with TCS having a family member with the syndrome. TCS is distributed equally across genders and races. It can often occur in conjunction with the Pierre Robin Sequence.  

Developmental Anomalies

There are many developmental anomalies associated with TCS that are restricted to the head and neck and vary from person to person. Continue reading Spotlight on Syndromes: an SLPs Perspective on Treacher Collins

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Introducing a New Series for SLPs and Parents: Spotlight on Syndromes

Today I am excited to introduce to you the new series which will be featured on my blog and will be written by myself as well as numerous knowledgeable contributing authors. It is an SLP’s perspective on genetic syndromes.

Why syndromes you ask?

Because speech language pathologists in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, hospitals, private practice, etc.) often encounter children with diagnosed or suspected syndromes. Yet the knowledge regarding various syndromes and their effects on communication continues to remain very limited in our field. Continue reading Introducing a New Series for SLPs and Parents: Spotlight on Syndromes

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Apraxia RainbowBee App Review and Giveaway

Today I am reviewing a fun new app Apraxia RainbowBee  developed by Virtual Speech Center  to enhance motor planning for children with speech production difficulties.

Similar to their other apps, on the first screen (featured left) the therapist can choose the option of customizing the app’s settings or viewing the informational video. Continue reading Apraxia RainbowBee App Review and Giveaway