I interviewed with a social worker last Wednesday who told me she has to educate her SLP colleagues on the nuances of African-American English. This shocked me because we should be the language experts! However, I understand a lot of graduate programs do not take the time to truly teach this concept.

If you relate to this, I encourage you to take 5 minutes today to research the dialectal features of AAE! You can start here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227605544_Phonological_and_phonetic_characteristics_of_AAVE

Closing academic achievement gaps as speech pathologists should be a collaborative effort. As language experts, we're required to advocate for cultural linguistic diversity. I wrote an article with Dr. Valencia Perry about specific steps we can take to support the communicative behaviors of Black and Latinx children. You can check out our articles on ASHA Leader here: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/2021-0223-cultural-responsiveness/full/

I am a new SLP about to work at a high school for the first time. Can someone offer different kinds of language activities for this population? Anything helps! Thank you

A fascinating new study, involving around 7,000 participants, has found that excessive screen time is associated with both communication and problem-solving delays.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/children-screen-time-developmental-delays

Environmental Influence on AAC Device Use and Research Insights

AAC devices aren't just about tech; the environment and personal interactions matter a lot, too.

Vocabulary Limits: Many AAC devices focus on nouns, missing out on other essential words. This restricts conversations to basic functions such as requests and leaves out vital functions such as refusing or asking questions. Also, in standard English, creating a grammatically correct and clear sentence using only nouns in the positions of subject, verb, and object is challenging, if not impossible, without resorting to creative or non-standard interpretations. Crafting full sentences with a heavy noun emphasis, therefore, becomes tricky -- if not impossible.

Latency Time: Sometimes, users need a bit more time to find the right words on their device. However, this can sometimes disrupt the flow of a conversation, leading to potential awkward pauses -- which can sometimes cause a partner to interpret, non verbally, what a user might be trying to say.

Helpful, but...: Occasionally, people might step in to assist AAC users finish their thoughts. While the intent is kind, it can unintentionally overshadow what the AAC user is trying to express.

Ways to Improve:

Tweak the Device: Make it user-friendly. With faster word-finding, conversations become more fluid.

Broaden Word Choices: AAC devices should include a variety of core and fringe vocabulary — not just nouns but also verbs, adjectives, and more. Remember: you can rarely create sentences with only nouns, which are often fringe vocabulary words (e.g. YouTube). A diverse word selection paves the way for richer conversations.

Training for Friends & Family: Educating familiar conversation partners to be patient and allow the AAC user to lead can foster a more inclusive communication environment. When a new AAC user starts school, both their family and the school staff should receive training on how to use, model, and respond to the device in relevant situations.

Research Validates This...

There's strong research supporting these points. Works by Beukelman and Mirenda shed light on AAC's nuances, emphasizing the importance of a vast vocabulary and nurturing conversations. Many clinicians concur: understanding and addressing these aspects are pivotal for AAC users to engage in successful conversations.

How can we support Spanish ELL students in their language development? Specifically birth-8 years old?

Happy belated Juneteenth! For those who aren't familiar with the holiday, Juneteenth is otherwise known as the "Black Independence Day," when slaves in Texas learned about their freedom TWO YEARS after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

For those who are interested in discussing this topic in pediatric speech therapy, I included a mini book with Wh- questions to get you started! You can download it for FREE here: tinyurl.com/juneteenthminibook. Be sure to share with your SLP friends!

Happy National Speech and Language Day!

To all the Speech Language Therapists in our community, today we gather not just as colleagues and peers, but as a dedicated, passionate community with a shared mission. Today, we honor the transformative work that we do and the profound impact we have on the lives we touch. Happy National Speech and Language Day!

On this day, we celebrate the skill, dedication, and compassion that each and every one of you brings to your work as speech therapists. Our role is not merely a job; it's a calling to uplift lives, unlock potential, and transform futures. We witness daily how our efforts can help a child tell their parents they love them, allow an adult to regain their voice after a stroke, or give a person struggling with a stutter the confidence to speak in front of a crowd. The power of our work is immeasurable, and its impact is far-reaching.

Here at Liricare, we believe in empowering people through communication. We celebrate the beauty of diversity in the ways that we communicate, and we strive to bridge the gaps that speech and language barriers can sometimes create. We know that every voice matters and every voice deserves to be heard.

As speech therapists, we are truly the architects of communication. We design the tools and build the bridges that help our patients connect with the world around them. Today, let's pause to acknowledge the extraordinary work that we do, but also the responsibility we carry.

As we mark National Speech and Language Day, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to each member of our Liricare community. Your unwavering commitment, your compassionate care, and your constant pursuit of professional excellence inspire not just your patients, but everyone around you.

Let's continue to uplift one another, share our experiences and wisdom, and celebrate our successes. After all, we are stronger together. We are a beacon of hope for those we serve, and together, we are making a difference, one word at a time.

Happy National Speech and Language Day! Here's to us, to the lives we change, and to the future we're shaping.