ASHA Voices

How can a blow to the head result in difficulties with hearing and listening?

Audiologist Gail Whitelaw discusses what clinicians may want to consider when assessing or treating a person who's had a brain injury. She tells the story of one patient's long road to hearing care after acquiring a TBI during the Boston Marathon bombing.

Plus, author and researcher Nina Kraus (“Of Sound Mind”) takes us into the brain to reveal what she’s learning about how TBIs can affect the brain’s ability to make sense of the sounds in our lives.

First, hear from two SLPs in Chicago. This mentor-mentee duo shares lessons and stories from the more than 35 years they’ve known each other.

In the second half of the episode, we hear from two bilingual SLPs. The way they met would have been impossible just a few years ago. Hear what resulted from this international mentorship.

Amanda Piper is one of just a few audiologists in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Inspired by a personal connection, Piper traveled to the U.S. to study audiology, and today, she works as a clinical audiologist for the Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired.

In recounting her education at UNC Greensboro and Vanderbilt University and career path back to her home country, Piper highlights some of the differences between working inside and outside of the U.S.

How do society’s expectations of people who stutter affect those speakers’ experiences?

As a person who stutters and as an SLP specializing in stuttering, Chris Constantino of Florida State University discusses how concepts like neurodiversity and the social model of disability can influence and inspire intervention. He shares what these ideas mean to him and how they might look if they’re applied in practice.

Plus, Constantino highlights some of the positive moments he’s gained in his life from being a person who stutters.

This conversation was originally published in August 2021.

Clients need to feel that they are valued and respected, and for gender-diverse clients, this often begins with the language we use. The consequences of not showing this respect can be large. They can even lead to negative client outcomes, as our guest today shares.

SLP Greg Robinson is a faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the chair of L’GASP, ASHA’s LGBTQ+ caucus.

Robinson shares guidance on how to approach conversations around gender and what to do if you inadvertently slip up. They also tell a personal story of how a health care provider’s language led them to stop receiving care.

On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by SLP Wendy Olsen for a conversation of interest to SLPs in health care. Olsen discusses the effects of opioids on respiration and how collaboration may be the key to meeting patients’ needs.

Olsen is a post-doctoral researcher at the Breathing Research and Therapeutic Center at the University of Florida. The interprofessional research center focuses on issues of respiration in health care and rehabilitation.

She joins the podcast from Florida to discuss the opioid epidemic and to highlight research that may be of interest to other SLPs who treat patients affected by opioid use.

This is the third episode of our 2022 series looking at how the opioid epidemic affects the work of CSD professionals.

Two SLPs invite you to rethink your approach to swallowing disorders.

Ed Bice and Alicia Vose advocate for taking the fear out of dysphagia treatment—starting with the language we use.

In recognition of Dysphagia Awareness Month, we hear their insights on the words they choose and how they approach conversations with physicians. We also discuss what a person-centered approach looks like, and why it’s important to assess a swallow in relation to the whole person.

Plus, we look at the results of our guests' 2021 survey examining how often SLPs consult registered dietitians. They share why they think the results may point to a big opportunity.

Both guests are presenters at ASHA's online conference, “Controversies and Consensus in Dysphagia Management.” The conference begins August 3. Find details at asha.org.

In this episode, we feature two SLPs who have been interviewed on the podcast. We’ll hear from the voices behind the words on the page: an SLP whose children’s book is equal parts personal and professional and a school-based SLP collecting and sharing real-life stories of cultural responsiveness.

It’s graduation season at many colleges and universities, and ASHA Voices is taking the occasion to look forward and explore the pipeline into the professions. What might the future of CSD look like?

Increasing diversity, representation, and inclusion in the pipeline through colleges and universities continues to be critical. On this episode of the podcast, we’ve gathered three leaders from CSD programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Guests discuss strategies for recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented backgrounds. They also share stories of the people and places that helped them find success in CSD.

You’ve surely read the headlines: Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting due to the effects of aphasia. Amidst the many career retrospectives and heartfelt appreciations of him online are scores of articles offering varying definitions and explanations of his condition.

SLP Fabi Hirsch joins the podcast for a conversation about this complex disorder, and her work with public figures who have it, including U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Hirsch is CEO and director of clinical services for the nonprofit Friends of Aphasia., which she co-founded with Giffords.