First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights

Guests: Vicki R. Deal-Williams, MA, CCC-SLP, FASAE, CAE and Andrea M. Falzarano, CAE. For Better Speech and Hearing Month, the First Bite podcast could think of no better way to celebrate this, than by holding crucial conversations around leadership within our profession. Why? Because we have all witnessed and experienced firsthand deficits within our profession. These can include unreasonable expectations for productivity and caseloads, limited access to speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication devices, the scope of practice encroachment from non-licensed individuals, and the list could go on, but we will stop it there. Why? it is what you do with that next breath that makes the difference. It’s that next breath that drives change in our field. It’s what you do with that next breath that makes a lasting impact on future colleagues and their patients. Why not learn about ASHA’s unique leadership training opportunities from THE Leaders themselves? In this hour, we hope to inspire you with wisdom from the council of elders, from the greats in our fields, to move the needle of our profession forward, one conversation at a time.

Guests: Archie Soelaeman, MS, CCC-SLP, and Nadhiya Ito, MA, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Archie Soelaeman, MS, CCC-SLP, Co-President of the Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus, and Nadhiya Ito, MA, CCC-SLP, past Vice President and a current Advisory Board Member of the Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus (API), to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Awareness Month. Did you know that ASHA has had an API Caucus since 1985? Did you know that only 3% of ASHA members identify as a member of the Asian Pacific Islander community? Do you know how many potential languages are spoken by current members? Did you know that API was created to support current and future colleagues and to support service delivery for monolingual SLPs and audiologists in evaluating and treating members of the Asian Pacific Islander communities? Join Archie and Nadhiya as they share their passions for API, its history and future, and how it can support you and the patients that you serve.

Guest: Barbara Coven-Ellis, MA, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Barbara, a medical SLP who works in both outpatient pediatrics and adult acute care in rural Washington State and is also the author of “Tyler Takes a Taste: A Boy and His Family's Journey Through "Picky Eating" and Feeding Disorders!”. It is an absolute joy to kick off “Pediatric Feeding Disorder Awareness Month” with Barbara. Over the hour, Barbara discusses her unique journey toward working as a Pediatric Feeding Disorder SLP. She shares how her passion for life-long learning led her to pursue extensive training in interprofessional education for PFD allied medical partners and how that training set her and her patients up for success with interprofessional practice challenges unique to a rural area.

Guest: Susanne Cook, PhD - Dr. Susanne is a speech-language pathologist, and Chair of the International Cluttering Association. If you haven’t heard of cluttering before, don’t worry, numerous colleagues around the world haven’t either and Dr. Susanne is here to fix that. This conversation has it all: the differences between stuttering and cluttering, how cluttering is diagnosed and where to find the tools to do so, and how to effectively treat cluttering while also engaging in interprofessional practice!

Guest: Michelle Therrien, Ph.D. - Dr. Therrien is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University. Dr. Michelle directs the “AAC Connect Lab,” and her research focuses on building connections to support improved quality of life for individuals who use AAC, focusing on creating friendships through communication. So, if you’ve ever wondered about how to develop healthy and meaningful social interactions for your pediatric AAC users or your role in creating friendships, or scratched your head and wondered how you could even word that as an IFSP or IEP goal, then you will want to listen in as Dr. Michelle speaks from her heart and shares the groundbreaking research that she has established in conjunction with her colleagues.

Guests: Charlene Fregosi, PT, C/PAA-Instructor, and Ilene Sperling, MA, CCC-SLP, C-PAA-Instructor - If you tuned into episode #193, “Pediatric Feeding Disorder and the NICU: Best Practice for Discharge,” then you heard Cuyler Romeo, MOT, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, mention the “Institute for Perception-Action Approach,” (of which she is a founding member). Well, Folks, that’s what this episode is dedicated to, learning about the “Perception-Action Approach" from two of their certified instructors. So, suppose you are interested in learning how to engage in a whole-body assessment and treatment of a little one with a pediatric feeding disorder, how to engage in interprofessional education and practice across allied health members, or in what Isaac Newton has to do with teaching a little one to engage with their body in space. In that case, this is the hour for you! Join Ilene and Charlene as they teach you how to embrace the power of gentle touch for powerfully optimistic pediatric outcomes.

Guest: Jackie Rodriguez, MS CCC-SLP - Jackie discusses health literacy and how it impacts our assessment and treatment of feeding and swallowing disorders, especially for individuals from different cultures. Diving further, Jackie transitions to dispelling myths about cultural diets and health in minority communities. Finally, to close the hour, Jackie suggests incorporating culture into feeding and swallowing therapy for colleagues.

Guest: Melissa Davis, MS CCC-SLP - Melissa is the owner of Speech Therapy for Kids and co-owner of Kids Therapy Spot with clinics in Starkville and Columbus, MS. Melissa, who is known for her pediatric feeding disorder advocacy work, especially with Feeding Matters, joins to discuss the unique challenges of serving patients in a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC). Never heard of a PPEC? Don’t worry; Michelle hadn’t either when she first met Melissa. So please tune in to learn what a PPEC is, the unique challenges of serving patients in a PPEC, and how Melissa and her colleagues have overcome those challenges to engage in joyful interprofessional practice for optimal patient outcomes.

Guest: Erin Redle Sizemore, Ph.D. CCC-SLP. - Dr. Sizemore, who has engaged in PFD treatment and research for over 20 years, spends this hour discussing the growth in the field of pediatric feeding disorder. From our humble beginnings of psychology-based behavioral interventions to “change agent” implementation science leadership to current interprofessional practice-driven care, especially for those patients with opioid neonatal exposure, Dr. Sizemore covers it all.

Guest: Joan C. Arvedson, Ph.D., CCC/SLP, BCS-S, ASHA-Fellow - Dr. Arvedson, an expert in pediatric dysphagia and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), is known worldwide for her extensive lifelong work on behalf of the littlest patients we serve. She has published three textbooks for pediatric dysphagia, countless articles in peer-reviewed journals, served as a Clinical Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, and is currently the Program Coordinator of Feeding and Swallowing Services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In her first-ever podcast appearance, Dr. Arvedson shares from her heart and lifetime of experiences: basic skills that PFD clinicians need to know to get started, guidelines from the World Health Organization that should shape our practice, as well as functional strategies for intervention that you can put into practice tomorrow. Her cup overflows with joy and knowledge… so bring your proverbial cup and join Michelle and Erin and soak it all in!