The Parle Podcast

This episode is all about literacy and the Science of reading in schools with April Hackett and Julie McDermid, Canadian speech-language pathologists. April and Julie talk to us about the Science of reading and a wonderful resource that they have created as well as useful tips, resources and much much more. Be sure to check out the episode show notes at theparlepodcast.com for links to all of the fantastic resources discussed during the episode. If you are a teacher or a speech-language pathologist working with children, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Dr. Nafeesa Jalal is the Founder of N. Jalal Global Consulting, a boutique firm which

specializes in supporting organizations on matters of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-

racism. She brings 14 years of experience and a deep passion for DEI. She joins us today in her capacity as a DEI professional.

As healthcare providers who often work with vulnerable populations, it is important for us to recognize that we have the responsibility to offer our services in an inclusive and equitable way.

Throughout this episode, we talk about unconscious bias, what it is and why it’s important for healthcare workers to understand. Everyone has bias. It is therefore imperative that we understand and recognize our biases. How do we make sure that our bias doesn’t interfere with the services that we as healthcare professionals provide?

The human body transmits 11 million bits of information at any given time. However, our conscious mind is only able to process 50 bits of information/sec. Therefore, our brain must take shortcuts… how does information we have stored in our brains affect how we perceive the world around us? Listen to find out more. @the_parle_podcast

This episode is very fitting given that June is Effective Communications Month. Join me as I interview Henry Emeka and CJ, creators and lead facilitators of the Noisy Classroom - Oracy. Both Henry and CJ work with children in Nigeria, Africa to help them improve their communication skills. Traditionally, Nigerian children are taught to modify their native accent in order to sound more American or British. However, the philosophy behind the Noisy Classroom - oracy initiative is to move away from accent modification and to focus more on communication skills and styles in order to improve intelligibility and self-expression. They also talk about how they help children transform their thoughts into expressions. This is done using the following three components:

1) Vocabulary Development

2) Speech-Language Development

3) Social Communication Development

"As much as we respect and love our culture, there are some aspects that we have to do away with."

"Children need to start advocating for their own ideas."

Most people have heard about lasting symptoms of COVID-19 months after the initial symptoms have subsided. Very few of us have heard about the impact of COVID-19 on swallowing. In this episode, I interview Avital Winer, speech and language pathologist and acting profession leader of speech-language pathology and audiology at the Ottawa Hospital, who explains to us how COVID-19 can impact one's swallowing ability and the many challenges that speech-language pathologists must face when caring for their patients. During the episode, we talk about a recent news article that was published, featuring the role of speech-language pathologists in the hospital setting as it pertains to COVID-19: "The speech pathologists helping COVID-19 patients learn how to swallow and speak again". Although speech-language pathologists have always been involved in the care of patients with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), their role has not always been well understood by other healthcare professionals and the public.

In this short episode, I comment on the situation at Laurentian University in the context of the restructuring process under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The French Studies Department has been abolished. This has a direct impact on the communication of francophone speakers in the region. The impact on our minority language community is significant.

Lors de ce bref épisode, je me prononce sur la situation à l'Université Laurentienne dans le cadre de la procédure de restructuration en vertu de la Loi sur les arrangements avec les créanciers des compagnies (LACC). Le département d'études françaises a été aboli. Ceci a un impact direct sur la communication des locuteurs francophones de la région. Les répercussions sur notre communauté linguistique minoritaire sont nombreuses. La vitalité des langues repose sur des institutions postsecondaires, entre autres.

Laura Wolford, PhD is a speech and language pathologist, an education researcher, a professor and the founder of The Language for Sex. I love, love, love this episode. We talk about how uncomfortable so many of us are when it comes to talking about sex and intimacy. Society has molded us into believing that sex is a topic that should be avoided, yet we expect teenagers and young adults to know how to give consent and how to obtain it. Children typically learn to say no or that sex is bad. However, they don't always learn how to communicate about sex, consent and intimacy. What about adults who have suffered a brain injury or a stroke that has left them with a communication disorder? How has this impacted their sex life. Sexual rights are human rights, yet we don't often talk about them. Join Laura and I in a very interesting conversation about intimacy and communication across the lifespan.

Et oui! Nous voilà déjà à la saison 3. Le temps file! Je suis ravie de lancer cette troisième saison avec Janie Moyen et Ahdithya Visweswaran, l'animatrice et l'animateur du balado Les Francos oublié.e.s. Lors de cet épisode, nous abordons les questions de l'insécurité linguistique, de la sécurité linguistique, de l'intimidation linguistique, de l'accent, entre autres. Janie et Ahdithya répondent à des questions posées par des élèves du secondaire et de l'élémentaire qui ont écoutés à leur balado. Joignez-vous à nous afin d'entendre la perspective de jeunes adultes sur le français en contexte linguistique minoritaire. Janie et Ahdithya nous font part de leurs expériences au secondaire et comment ils se sont approprié.e.s la langue français à leur façon! Comme l'a si bien dit Ahdithya : "Make French your own!"

I'm thrilled to release this episode on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, "a free book gifting program devoted to inspiring a love of reading in the hearts of children everywhere. Each month, enrolled children receive a high quality, age appropriate book in the mail, free of charge. Children receive books from birth to age five."

Join me as I interview three guests on the topic: Jeanne Smitiuch, Regional Director for the Dollywood Foundation of Canada; Chaya Kulkarni, BAA, M.Ed. Ed D, Director of Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMHP) at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and Angela M. Neglia, Speech-Language pathologist for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and in private practice.

​Pascal Lefebvre est orthophoniste, chercheur et professeur agrégé à l’École d’orthophonie à l’Université Laurentienne. En ce 25 septembre, journée des Franco-Ontariens, je suis heureuse de diffuser un épisode en français qui porte justement sur la recherche en français auprès des francophones. Pascal nous parle de la réponse à l’intervention (RàI) en lien avec la prévention des difficultés en lecture et en écriture dans les écoles de la langue française. Il nous parle de l'importance de la communication orale et la communication écrite et leur importance dans la vie de tout les jours et toute la vie durant. La RàI est un modèle souvent utilisé dans les écoles. Si vous êtes un parent ou un membre du personnel scolaire, cet épisode vous intéressera sûrement! De plus, la RàI est aussi très utile au niveau préscolaire dans les milieux de garde. Pascal nous parle également de l'importance de la collaboration entre parents, personnel enseignant, éducatrice/éducateur de la petite enfance, etc. Écoutez pour en apprendre davantage. Je vous souhaite une excellente journée des Franco-Ontariens!