SLP Learning Hour

What does responsive feeding therapy look like when viewed through both a clinical and personal lens?

Guest: Rachel Conrad, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of Making Sense with Madi, host Madi Metcalf, MS, CCC-SLP, welcomes Rachel Conrad, MS, CCC-SLP, to discuss responsive feeding therapy and its role in supporting individuals with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

Drawing from her experience as both an SLP and an individual living with ARFID, Rachel offers a unique perspective on the importance of autonomy, trust, and building positive relationships with food and eating. She shares how a responsive feeding approach can help clinicians better understand and respect individual needs while creating more supportive feeding experiences.

Throughout the episode, Rachel offers practical strategies for incorporating responsive feeding principles into clinical practice, emphasizing honoring autonomy and fostering a positive, individualized approach to feeding therapy.

About the Guest: Rachel Conrad M.A. CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and the founder of Bite & Bloom Therapy, LLC. She focuses on pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), swallowing disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), providing specialty feeding and communication care for individuals with complex needs. With over eight years of clinical experience and her own lived experience with ARFID, Rachel is passionate about bridging evidence-based practice with compassionate, neuroaffirming care.

Show Notes:

Contact Madi Metcalf: LinkedIn, Instagram, Function First

Contact Rachel Conrad: Instagram, Bite and Bloom Therapy

Get Permission Institute

Feeding Matters

Support children’s rights to safe feeding, adequate nutrition, and responsive care through an interprofessional approach.

Guest: Emily DeLacey, PhD, RDN, LDN

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In this episode of First Bite, host Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, interviews Emily DeLacey, PhD, RDN, LDN, Vice President of Nutrition & Health Services at Holt International, to explore the nutrition and feeding needs of children living in institution-based care worldwide. Together, they examine the scope of nutrition risk for orphaned and vulnerable children, including why infants and children in institutional settings are at increased risk for malnutrition and feeding difficulties. Through real-world case studies, Emily brings these challenges to life, offering a deeper understanding of how early experiences, caregiving environments, and systemic factors shape feeding outcomes and child development.

About the Guest: Emily is a registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist and the director of Holt International’s nutrition and health services since 2016. She completed her undergraduate at Central Washington University, her master’s at Kent State University and her PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In her role at Holt, Emily oversees nutrition, health, food assistance and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) programming in all the countries where Holt works, with a focus on maternal and child nutrition and research.

Show Notes:

• Holt International Website
• Holt International’s Feeding and Positioning Manual
• IDDSI Patient Handouts

Love Money: Holt International Food Every Day

What if speech-language therapy gave students a reason to communicate that extended beyond the therapy room?

Guest: Erin Milewsk, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of the *School of Speech* podcast, host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, welcomes Erin Milewsk, MS, CCC-SLP, to discuss how project-based learning (PBL) can turn everyday therapy goals into meaningful communication experiences built around students' interests and strengths. From creating books and films to running school newspapers, coffee carts, and interviews, Erin shares practical examples of projects that encourage students to communicate with purpose. She explains how these activities can be designed to address speech, language, literacy, social communication, AAC, and self-advocacy goals while giving students opportunities to collaborate, solve problems, make decisions, and share their ideas.

About the Guest: Erin Milewsk, MS, CCC-SLP, i is an elementary school-based speech-language pathologist with a passion for strengths-based, student-centered practice. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Marywood University and holds a Trauma-Informed Practice Certificate from Elizabethtown College.

Show Notes:

First Steps to Incorporating a Strengths-Based Approach Into School Sessions

How an SLP Supports Students With Classroom-based Intervention

Getting Younger Students Involved in the IEP Process

An SLP and Music Teacher Integrate Strategies and Skills in Elementary Schools

Put identity at the heart of communication.

Guest: Christina Royster, EdD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together podcast, host Corinne Zmoos welcomes Christina Royster, EdD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, to discuss the importance of cultural representation and customization in pediatric augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). They examine how biases and barriers within AAC apps and programs can limit representation for children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and why personalization matters when creating meaningful communication experiences.

AAC should do more than support communication. It should also reflect the identity, experiences, and culture of the person using it. Christina shares practical ideas for customizing AAC systems to better represent a child's language, family, cultural background, and everyday life, helping SLPs think beyond standard vocabulary and system features.

Corinne also connects these considerations to the communication needs of multilingual and multicultural gestalt language processors, highlighting how thoughtful AAC selection and customization can better reflect each child's unique identity and communication needs.

About the Guest: Dr. Christina Royster is the owner/founder of Play on Words Therapy (MD/DC). She has been practicing for fifteen years, specializing in working with individuals with various language differences and AAC. She is a Board Certified Specialist in both AAC and Child Language. Christina currently works in a variety of settings, including private practice, schools, adult group homes, and academia. She has also run an award-winning, language-based summer program for the past ten years. Christina advocates for increased diversity and inclusivity in the SLP field through DiverCity SLP and DiverseAAC.

Show Notes:

Contact Corinne Zmoos: Instagram, LinkedIn, Linktree

Contact Christina Royster: LinkedIn

Practical Resources for Provision of Services to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Users of AAC

Training Partners in AAC in Culturally Diverse Families

Lending Libraries

Universal Core Vocabulary

Diverse AAC

How do food access, caregiver stress, and everyday challenges affect children with PFD?

Guests: Amy Delaney, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Ivonne M. Maldonado-De la Rosa, PhD, MLS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of First Bite host Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, welcomes Amy Delaney, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Ivonne M. Maldonado-De la Rosa, PhD, MLS, CCC-SLP, to examine how social determinants of health (SDOH) influence pediatric feeding care and outcomes. From food insecurity and family resources to healthcare access and systemic barriers, the discussion highlights the real-world factors that can affect a family's ability to participate in feeding interventions. Drawing on emerging research and clinical experience, Michelle and her guests discuss why understanding each family's circumstances is essential to providing individualized, compassionate, and equitable care.

About the Guests: Amy Delaney, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in Speech Pathology and Audiology at Marquette University. She is the Director of the Neurodevelopmental Feeding and Swallowing Lab, which focuses on identifying a normative reference for feeding development to establish diagnostic criteria and assessment tools for the early and accurate diagnosis of pediatric feeding disorder (PFD).

Ivonne M. Maldonado-De la Rosa, PhD, MLS, CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at A.T. Still University and a bilingual speech-language pathologist. Drawing on her background in speech-language pathology and legal studies, her teaching, clinical practice, and research focus on pediatric feeding disorders, dysphagia, social determinants of health, culturally responsive care, and preparing future clinicians to deliver equitable, evidence-based services.

Show Notes:

• Family Guided Routines Based Intervention
• Feeding and Swallowing Milestones
• Hitos de la alimentación y la deglución
• Neurodevelopmental Feeding And Swallowing Lab
• MacSwallow
• It’s Not Picky Eating
• ASHA-PAC
• The Feeding Innovation Lab
• @unleranwithmetheslp
• IDDSI Around the World
• Smells From the Kitchen, Lessons From the Field, Part 1: Creative Dysphagia Strategies
• Hispanic Caucus
• Find Resources

Love Money: Support Feeding Matters

How can SLPs, educators, and caregivers of autistic individuals intentionally model more sensitive language related to gender and sexuality?

Guest: Dr. Kelly Coburn, PhD, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, interviews Kelly Coburn, PhD, about their research on communication patterns among autistic adults whose genders have been underrepresented in the literature. Dr. Coburn discusses how patterns of language use may contribute to camouflaging, which can play a role in missed or delayed autism diagnoses.

Corinne and Dr. Coburn also discuss the current debate surrounding gestalt language processing (GLP) and Natural Language Acquisition (NLA). As a clinician, Dr. Coburn has used some of these principles in practice and has seen clients make progress. As a researcher, however, they share concerns about the lack of peer-reviewed, data-based evidence supporting GLP as a distinct language processing profile and NLA as a framework for intervention.

Dr. Coburn also discusses what clinicians can learn from research published in the 1970s and 1980s and how future research could examine different language processing profiles to identify sound intervention strategies.

About the Guest: Dr. Kelly Coburn (they/them) is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist and an Assistant Professor in Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Clinically, they specialize in augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), autism, and developmental disabilities. Kelly’s research addresses communication by autistic people, with a focus on adults whose genders have been under-represented in prior literature. Kelly’s interest in autism is both professional and personal, motivated by their experiences as a pediatric clinician and as a member of autistic families. They take a neurodiversity-affirming approach to research, teaching, and clinical practice. Kelly particularly enjoys qualitative and mixed-methods research, mentoring student researchers, and collaborating with community partners.

Show Notes:

Contact Corinne Zmoos: Instagram, LinkedIn, Linktree

Contact Dr. Kelly Coburn: LinkedIn

Quantitative Analysis of Narrative Discourse by Autistic Adults of Underrepresented Genders

Self-Diagnosis of Autism: What Is the Speech-Language Pathologist's Role?

Thematic Analysis of Personal Narratives Spoken by Autistic Adults of Underrepresented Genders

Tiny cues. Meaningful connections. A more responsive approach to infant feeding.

Guest: Ramya Kumar, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S

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In this episode of Making Sense with Madi, Madi Metcalf, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Ramya Kumar, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, a board-certified swallowing specialist and neonatal feeding specialist, to discuss trauma-informed care in infant feeding therapy.

Ramya shares how responsive feeding approaches can support infants while honoring their cues, comfort, and individual needs. She and Madi discuss why caregiver involvement is such an important part of infant feeding therapy and how clinicians can build trust and support families throughout the process.

The episode also explores what it means to provide trauma-informed care for both infants and caregivers, including how past medical and feeding experiences can shape feeding interactions. Clinicians will learn ways to approach infant feeding with greater sensitivity to the family's experiences while supporting responsive, relationship-centered care.

About the Guest: Ramya Kumar, MS, CCC‑SLP, BCS‑S, is a board‑certified speech‑language pathologist and neonatal feeding specialist with more than 13 years of experience caring for medically complex infants and children across NICU, inpatient, and outpatient settings. She holds advanced certifications in swallowing disorders, neonatal therapy, lactation, developmental care, and trauma‑informed practice, and is recognized for her expertise in infant feeding, nutrition, and developmental care. Ms. Kumar has served as a NICU Developmental Specialist at a Level 3 NICU in Arizona, where she led multidisciplinary developmental care initiatives, supported quality improvement and benchmarking efforts, and provided neuroprotective, family‑centered care for hospitalized infants. She is also the Director of Arizona NICU Follow‑Up Specialists, where she provides specialized feeding and developmental services for NICU graduates and collaborates closely with physicians, dietitians, and allied health professionals to support infants and families across the hospital‑to‑home transition.

Show Notes:

Contact Madi Metcalf: LinkedIn, Instagram, Function First

Contact Ramya Kumar: LinkedIn, Instagram

SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach

Beyond Behaviors, Second Edition: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges

Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids

Pediatric Feeding Disorder: Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework

B.D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. Handouts

Feeding Problems in Young Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sweden

The Worry Cycle of Feeding: Part I for Adoption Month

Manual and alternative therapies as non-pharmacological interventions for pain and stress control in newborns: a systematic review

The relationship between chronic paediatric feeding disorders and caregiver stress

“I was so worried about every drop of milk” – feeding problems at home are a significant concern for parents after major heart surgery in infancy

Invitada: la Dra. Gloriana Cruz Rivera, ClinScD, CCC-SLP

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En este episodio de SLPs en Acción, la presentadora Damaris Sánchez Rivera, MS, CCC-SLP, conversa con la Dra. Gloriana Cruz Rivera, ClinScD, CCC-SLP, sobre los fundamentos de la relación entre la vibración, la voz y el nervio vago, y cómo la estimulación vibratoria puede influir en la producción vocal y la regulación del sistema nervioso.

A partir de la evidencia disponible y de la experiencia clínica de la Dra. Cruz Rivera en vocología, abordan mecanismos fisiológicos relevantes, mitos frecuentes y posibles aplicaciones de técnicas vocales y vibratorias en la evaluación, la intervención y la orientación clínica.

Este episodio ofrece a los patólogos del habla y lenguaje criterios para considerar e integrar estas estrategias de manera consciente, fundamentada y centrada en las necesidades de cada persona.

Show Notes:

Contacta a la Dra. Gloriana Cruz Rivera, ClinScD, CCC-SLP en Instagram

Referencias:

Titze, I. R., & Johnson, E. C. (Eds.). (2025). Sing and shout for health: Scientific insights and future directions for vocology. National Center for Voice and Speech.

Breit, S., Kupferberg, A., Rogler, G., & Hasler, G. (2018). Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 44. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044

Saibene, A. M., Fuccillo, E., Felisati, G., Pipolo, G. C., Chiesa, V., Canevini, M. P., Maccari, A., De Gasperis, M., Pizzorni, N., & Schindler, A. (2020). Vocal Outcomes in Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Laryngeal Pattern-Based Objective Analysis. Journal of Voice, 36(5), 719–725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.07.033

Encouragement, perspective, and practical guidance for taking that first step to becoming a clinical supervisor.

Guest: Katherine Mendez, MA, CCC-SLP, and Justine Springs, MA, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Katherine Mendez, MA, CCC-SLP, and Justine Springs, MA, CCC-SLP, from the University of Memphis to talk about the heart of clinical supervision and the important role supervisors play in shaping the next generation of speech-language pathologists. With honesty and humor, Katherine and Justine share what keeps them coming back to supervision year after year, the qualities that help make a great clinical educator, and how they navigate some of the challenging moments that come with supporting student clinicians.

About the Guests: Justine Springs is a clinical instructor and former Co-Director of Clinical Education at the University of Memphis. Having held multiple positions at the university, she has always enjoyed working as a clinical educator. She has eight years of clinical supervision experience. Her passion lies in working clinically with graduate students and seeing their growth alongside the aphasia patients they serve together.

Katherine Mendez is Co-Director of Clinical Education in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Memphis. Her clinical work focused on language, literacy, and executive function, but she is also passionate about clinician education. She began serving as a clinical educator as soon as she was eligible to after completing her CF, and she is now in her 12th year of supervising students. In her current role, she supports clinical faculty and off-site clinical educators in their efforts to provide high-quality, enriching, and inspiring clinical education experiences.

Show Notes:

• Supervision in Practice Courses
• Anderson J. L. (1988). The supervisory process in speech language pathology and audiology. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
• Clinical Supervision in Speech-Language Pathology. (2026). ASHAWeb. https://www.asha.org/policy/tr2008-00296/
• McCrea, E.S. & Brasseur, J.A. (2019). The Clinical Education and Supervisory Process in Speech-Language Pathology.
• O’Connor, L. (2008). A Look at Supervision in the 21st Century. The ASHA Leader, 13(5), 14–18. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr2.13052008.14
• Supervision. (2026). ASHAWeb. https://www.asha.org/practice/supervision/

Love Money Cause: University of Memphis NSSLHA

The episode connects emerging research with clinical practice, offering SLPs and audiologists a deeper understanding of the factors that shape development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing and how this knowledge can inform more individualized, evidence-based support.

Guests: Ryan McCreery, PhD, Beth Walker, PhD, CCC-A/SLP & Beth Heinrichs-Graham, PhD

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In this episode of School of Speech, Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Ryan McCreery, PhD, Beth Walker, PhD, CCC-A/SLP, and Beth Heinrichs-Graham, PhD, to discuss why language and cognitive development can vary so widely among children who are deaf or hard of hearing, even with access to early hearing detection and intervention. Drawing from recent research, the guests examine factors that may contribute to these individual differences, including auditory experience and variability in the neural patterns that support language and cognitive processes. They discuss what researchers are learning about the relationship between hearing, brain development, language, and cognition, and why looking beyond hearing access alone may help clinicians better understand each child's developmental trajectory.

About the Guests: Ryan McCreery, PhD, is the Vice President of Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. He also serves as a Senior Scientist and Director of the Audibility, Perception, and Cognition (APC) Lab.

Beth Walker, PhD, CCC-A/SLP, is a Professor at the University of Iowa where she directs the Pediatric Audiology Lab. She investigates how limited access to sound affects the development of children with hearing loss by examining the consistency of auditory-linguistic input for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.