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When evaluating or assessing an individual who can be a possible candidate for an augmentative and alternative communication device (AAC), there are a variety of aspects to consider and assess. It is important to make sure that each of these areas are fully assessed in order to ensure that the device chosen for this individual will be a perfect fit

What is the Stuttering Modification Technique? The stuttering modification approach was developed in the 1930’s by Van Riper. This approach is a fairly intensive 4 phase system used to manage the individuals stutter by “modifying,” or “unlearning,” maladaptive behaviors cultivated during stuttering as well as reducing the severity. This approach can be provided in both individual and group therapy. The

Otitis media is a generic term used to indicate an inflammatory process in the middle ear cavity, also known as an  “ear infection.” Specifically, the most prevalent ear infection in early childhood is Otitis Media with Effusion, which is defined as an ear infection with fluid in the middle ear cavity. With effusion, most children develop a slight to mild,

“El Deafo” written by Cece Bell is a comic novel that follows the chronicles of a young girl making it through life and school with a hearing loss. This story is a great read for any parent or child experiencing a hearing loss. Cece has a hearing aid and her ability to hear with her super “phonic” ear. Cece experiences

ASHA believes that speech language pathologists make important contributions to ensure that all students receive quality and culturally competent services. In addition, speech therapists have the training to be able to distinguish speech and language disorders from “something else”. That something else might include cultural and linguistic differences, socio-economic factors, lack of adequate prior instruction, and also the process of acquiring the dialect

Parents of children who have communication disorders often ask what they can do to help increase their child’s expressive output. One way to get your child to verbalize, vocalize or show communicative intent (i.e., pointing, reaching, grabbing) is to tempt them with things! Some examples of what is meant by this would be to pause a preferred video at an

Augmentative and Alternative Communication can sometimes mistakenly have negative connotations associated with it. There are many myths regarding AAC that should be understood by others and debunked! Myth 1: My child will talk less if they are using an AAC device. The number one myth is that using an AAC device will lessen the amount of natural speech that a

For parents of children who have language delays and disorders it is important to be the best language model possible for your child. Part of being the best language model that you can means not berating your child with questions “What are you doing? Why are you doing that” but rather modeling the language for the child “Wow! Look at

Most patients are coming in for speech and language therapy for a total of an hour or maybe even less a week. Successful implementation of carryover exercises are extremely important to overall client success! Below are some helpful ideas and tips to ensure that carryover at home is naturalistic. Overpractice so that the child is hyper-aware of therapy goals, spelling