ASHA Voices

In our second of two episodes in honor of Black History Month, today we’re addressing African American English, or AAE.

AAE is a language variation. Maybe you've heard it called a dialect. It sounds different from Mainstream American English. It has its own rules and its own grammar, and it comes from a long language tradition. But when AAE is not recognized, it can be misdiagnosed as a language disorder.

Covering everything from misdiagnosis in the classroom to the connection between language and identity, our panel of experts discusses the language variation known as African American English.

“It's really important to recognize that things are called microaggressions, but it doesn't mean the impact of them is small.” - author Ijeoma Oluo

Oluo is the author of the best-selling book "So You Want to Talk About Race." In it, she addresses complex issues—from history to intersectionality to hair—to start a conversation about race and racism in America.

At the ASHA Convention, she joined ASHA Voices host J.D. Gray and 2018 ASHA President Elise Davis-McFarland for a discussion after Oluo gave the ASHA Office of Multicultural Affairs’ 50th Anniversary Address.

We talk to dysphagia expert Lori Burkhead Morgan. With a background in exercise science, the speech-language pathologist brings an interdisciplinary lens to dysphagia treatment. Next, Purdue University’s Georgia Malandraki describes the new tool she’s developed so SLPs don’t have to send bulky, expensive machinery home with patients. And, consultant Emily Homer offers guidance on building strong feeding and swallowing services in school districts.

Today’s guests help us rethink what’s possible in hearing treatment.

We talk with Jeff Holt and Tina Stankovic, scientists on the forefront of hearing research. Jeff discusses an unexpected discovery that tied a specific gene to a genetic form of hearing loss. And Tina describes her investigations into ways to reverse sensorineural hearing loss—the most common type. What are the obstacles and possible solutions?

Both talked with me at the 2019 ASHA Convention, where they presented at the Research Symposium on Hearing.

Then, we hear from Bob Hillman, recipient of the 2019 Alfred K. Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications. We talk about the twist in his path that changed everything in his work with the voice and voice disorders.

Join us for a preview of what you'll hear on ASHA Voices in the new year!

The new Medicare reimbursement model taking effect in home health might seem complicated and confusing. But in this week’s episode, we have experts break it down for you. Find out what you need to know about the Patient Driven Grouping Model, or PDGM, as we parse the changes and debunk the myths.

Can how you treat your clients and colleagues make you stand out in a crowd? As increasing automation affects how people work, we discuss the importance of soft skills with emotional intelligence expert Kari Knutson.

Also, technology is making it easier to connect with clients and students from afar. We talk telepractice with Tracy Sippl. Her experience as a telepractice consultant to schools guides our conversation about this tech-based technique.

And on the audiology horizon, research audiologist Liz Convery suggests the emergence of self-fitting hearing devices may be an opportunity, rather than a threat.

Dementia. The word alone can evoke anxiety, given the emotional toll it can take on families. But two speech-language pathologists share what’s possible when families and clinicians work together. Hear what can happen when we flip the model from what’s wrong to what can go better.

Also, we’re joined by fluency expert Joe Donaher to talk about voluntary stuttering, a treatment tool that he says can relieve some of the anxiety that can come with a fluency issue.

You know that hearing problem you can have when you’re trying to pick up just one voice in a crowd…

This week on the podcast, we talk to a neural engineer. His research into how we hear and communicate may lead to a fix for the cocktail party problem by allowing people to highlight a specific voice in a crowd.

Also, we hear about a new tool from the Ida Institute called My Hearing Explained. We talk about how this new tool goes beyond the audiogram to show real-world effects of hearing loss.

On this episode of ASHA Voices, we talk with Taro Alexander about the loneliness that can come with growing up with a stutter. Now, his nonprofit, the Stuttering Association for the Young, or SAY, provides a community to a new generation of young people who stutter.

Alexander will receive the 2019 Annie Glenn Award for his work with SAY at the next month's ASHA Convention in Orlando. Also presenting at convention is a researcher we'll hear from later in the episode. Joined by a former colleague, they'll tell us what MRIs of beatboxers could teach us about speech.

This episode brings you guests you can see in person when you attend the ASHA Convention, held November 21 to 23. Registration is open.