Guests: Rebekah Wada, ABD, CCC-SLP and Megan Israelsen-Augenstein, PhD, CCC-SLP - In the last few years, the field of speech-language pathology has increased its attention on the understanding and use of implementation science. But what is implementation science? And how is it useful for practicing speech-language pathologists? In this hour, Michelle hosts Dr. Rebekah Wada and Dr. Megan IIsraelsen-Augenstein to discuss all of the above and how an implementation science framework can be applied to AAC assessment and intervention. P.S. Catch Rebekah and Megan at ASHA sharing more on the beautiful scientific marriage between AAC and Implementation Science.

Guest: Jerrold Jackson, MA, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Jerrold Jackson, who embodies the meaning of servant-led leadership. His compassion for colleagues and students is abundant. This heartfelt conversation, which definitely exceeds our hour-long average, gets to the core of what it means to serve one another and our field as advocates, mentors, and sponsors and how to do so with joy and hope. Jerrold shares his personal walk as a black male speech-language pathologist, how mentors shaped his life, how, through their representation in the field and now his, conversations have been held, advocacy has occurred, and desperately needed policy changes have resulted.

In this episode, Michelle and Erin are back together to discuss one of Erin’s favorite topics, “Neurodiversity Affirming Feeding Therapy.” The term “Neurodiversity Affirming” has grown in frequency of usage; as such, it should. However, many of us went through graduate school before this phrase became part of our everyday lexicon. We probably did not have explicit instruction on how to embrace and implement it in therapy sessions, especially regarding feeding therapy. Evidence-based practice evolves with the addition of new projects becoming published, listening and learning from the lived experiences of our patients, clients, and students, and our clinical extrapolation of different interprofessional education activities. So, grow your PFD EBP with this episode and learn why embracing neurodiversity-affirming care into feeding therapy is invaluable, strategies to implement this successfully, and resources to continue your growth journey.

Guest: Valerie James Abbott - If you work as a pediatric speech-language pathologist with the birth through 8-year-old population on speech sound disorders and/or language acquisition, this is the hour for you. Valerie is here to educate us all on potential risk factors for late childhood onset hearing loss, including the dangers of the cytomegalovirus. Did you know that this virus can appear as a common cold for the mother during pregnancy, can only be tested for shortly after birth, but may lay dormant for years, then result in devastating hearing loss when the little one is entering school? Hold hope, though! Valerie will share the initiatives that are occurring by various organizations across the country to advocate for change to catch this type of hearing loss and intervene earlier.

Guest: Lauren Hastings, MS, CCC-SLP - For this passionate conversation, Lauren addresses common myths and roadblocks to setting up a private practice and then empowers us all to overcome them. So, if you need help with credentialing and have never heard of a “CAQH” or a “clearing house,” then don’t worry! Lauren will cover all these questions and more in this episode.

Guests: Caroline Brindo, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S & Steven Sireci, MD - Not all of us will have the professional opportunity to conduct video fluoroscopic instrumental swallow evaluations; however, most of us will encounter pediatric patients, clients, or students who are in need of one. When that happens, it is common for the caregiver to ask, “What’s going to happen?”, “Will the barium hurt?”, “Will they be radioactive?”. These questions can feel overwhelming for those of us in home health, early intervention, and schools because we may not have the answers readily available. But never fear, Caroline and Dr. Steven are here! They will answer these questions and more, such as, “What is barium?”, “Do different recipes for barium impact the swallow study?”, “What can my patient expect?”. So, if you want to know more about the nitty-gritty of barium, then tune in for this hour.

Guest: R. Danielle Scott, PhD, CCC-SLP - Dr. Dani shares the definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in this hour and how they pertain to the CSD community as clinical practitioners and faculty. The conversation lays out specific steps that faculty members can utilize to engage in anti-racism instruction, as well as steps clinicians can take to center diversity, equity, and inclusion into their clinical speech-language pathology practice. Remember, cultural competency is never the goal. The goal is to engage in cultural humility and meaningful conversations to grow not only as an individual but also as a citizen of the world.

Guest: Karen McWaters, MOT, OTR/L - This course will integrate theories and ideas from the previous three courses to dive deep into what we are actually asking our patients to do in sessions. How do we truly analyze the task and work to find the just right challenge to help them grow within their zone of proximal development while also helping them feel successful? Karen and Erin will explore the beautiful tool of joy and play, which can uncover true learning in a child.

Guest: Karen McWater, MOT, OTR/L - As SLPs, we can often look at speech and language development in isolation, as our formal assessments encourage us to do; however, it is imperative that we learn from our occupational and physical therapy colleagues regarding motor learning principles and how they parallel those of language development. When we get out of our box, we can further understand the children we work with and their capacities. Erin and Karen will discuss their journey of collaborating within this context and how they learned from each other to help the children they worked with reach further potential.

Guest: Karen McWaters, MOT, OTR/L - With all the therapy tools we have access to, all the worksheets, toys, and bubbles, it is important to understand that you are your own best tool. Karen and Erin discuss the role of effect and attunement to truly connect with children and their caregivers in sessions. They discuss the intentional relationship model and how we clinicians can use it to truly identify and improve our relationships with our clients and their caregivers to further build our connection. They will discuss the evidence behind relationship-based therapy and the true heart and joy that comes with it.