SLP Learning Hour

Join the Beyond Words NewsletterGet ASHA CEUs: SpeechTherapyPD Watch on YouTube Description:What shapes the way humans speak? In this episode of Beyond Words, Garrett Oyama sits down with Dr. Ted Gibson, professor of cognitive science at MIT and director of the MIT Language Lab, to explore how language emerges from cognitive and communicative pressures.From Amazonian hunter-gatherer languages with no number words, to cross-linguistic patterns explained by dependency length minimization, Ted shares insights from decades of research across dozens of languages. We also discuss why syntax matters for communication, how brain imaging separates language from thought, and what this means for speech-language pathologists, educators, and anyone fascinated by human cognition.Find Dr. Gibson here: XLex Fridman Interview

Expert Panel: Amy Hobek, PhD, CCC-SLP, Fé González Murray, EdD, CCC-SLP, Vishnu KK Nair, Archie Soelaeman, Betty Yu and Reem KhamisTake ACTION HERE: Changes to 2020 certification standards feedback. Survey. (n.d.). https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020_Cert_ChangesThis episode will be available for 0.1 ASHA CEU on July 4, enroll here: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/ashas-proposed-changesCorrection Note from Dr. Betty: “During the recording I referred to the executive order targeting associations with assets of $500 million or more. I thought ASHA met that criteria but actually ASHA’s net assets are around $174 million.”In this episode, Michelle and Erin host an all start line up of colleagues from across the globe to discuss ASHA’s Proposed Changes to the “2020 Certification Standards” and the long-term ramifications that these changes could have for our profession. This conversation is timely in that there are only a matter of days, roughly 3 weeks or less, for audiologists and speech-language pathologists (including students) to write in and advocate to ASHA on whether the proposed changes to the 2020 Certification Standards should be accepted… changes that remove key words and language that were hard fought to obtain. Be informed that this conversation does address political rationale behind the changes and offer a plethora of resources for individuals to grow their knowledge regarding the long-term ramifications of these proposed changes… but it ends with resources on how to make your voice heard! So, come join the ladies of “First Bite” and ADVOCATE!About the Panel: Amy Hobek, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati. Her teaching and scholarship focus on equity and inclusion, with an emphasis on valuing and legitimizing cultural and linguistic variations in these areas within individuals, families, and communities. She is also a licensed speech language pathologist providing clinic supervision of graduate students in a culturally and linguistically diverse preschool setting on UC’s campus. She is a co-chair of the Cultural Humility Task Force of the National Black Association of Speech Language and Hearing. She is a topic co-chair of Equity, Inclusion, and Cultural-Linguistic Diversity for the ASHA 2025 Convention. Professor Reem Khamis (also known as Reem Khamis-Dakwar) is Professor Emerita at Adelphi University and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn. Her expertise centers on language development, processing, and clinical services within the sociolinguistic context of diglossia and diverse populations. Dr. Khamis is co-founder of the Journal of the Critical Study of Communication and Disability (JCSCD) and a co-founding member of the Speech, Language, and Hearing Scientists Equity Action Collective. She currently serves as Language Section Editor for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR). She received the Excellence in Diversity Award in 2020 from the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD). Fé González Murray, EdD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northern Arizona University. Prior to joining the NAU faculty, she worked for 25 years as an English/Spanish bilingual speech-language pathologist in various settings, most notably in public schools serving Indigenous American, migrant, and immigrant populations. In addition to teaching and supervising clinical rotations, she facilitates workshops nationally and internationally on topics related to responsive practice with culturally and linguistically diverse individuals and their families, including multilingualism and collaboration with interpreters. Vishnu KK Nair is a lecturer in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at University of Reading, UK. He currently co-leads the health theme of the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism, University of Reading. His current research utilizes critical, decolonial and more than human approaches to understanding communication and disability. He is committed towards building a body of interdisciplinary and anti-colonial scholarship that de-pathologizes communication disability and focuses on understanding and affirming communication variability. His teaching and research have won multiple teaching excellence, research supervision and best student dissertation awards. Archie Soelaeman (she/her) is the Manager of School Speech Language Services and a speech-language pathologist at Helping Hand School in Countryside, Illinois, a therapeutic day school. She provides services to students with a primary diagnosis of autism and collaborates with a multidisciplinary team on a daily basis. She has over 16 years of experience in this setting. Her clinical interests include autism spectrum, augmentative and alternative communication, and apraxia. Archie is also a co-president of the Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose primary mission is to make connections among API groups, share common concerns in education, and advocate for quality speech and hearing service delivery for individuals across diverse API communities. Archie is a native speaker of Bahasa Indonesia who also has conversational proficiency in Spanish. Betty Yu is a Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and a Co-Managing Editor of the Journal of Critical Study of Communication and Disability. Her research and clinical interests are in how communication access among racially-minoritized, disabled children in multilingual communities are shaped by institutional practices/policies, family socialization, and dominant ideologies about race/language/disability. She also focuses on issues of equity in the field of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), particularly as related to the systemic influences of raciolinguistic discrimination, ableism and pathologization.Show Notes:Asian Pacific Islander speech-language-hearing caucus. Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus. (2022, December 14). https://apislhc.org/Beaver, D. (2024). The politics of language. Princeton University Press.El Akkad, O. (2025). One day, everyone will have always been against this. Alfred A. Knopf. Karen Yourish, A. D. (2025, March 8). These words are disappearing in the new Trump administration. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/07/us/trump-federal-agencies-websites-words-dei.htmlOstrager, A.-E., Jordan, J., & High, T. R. (2025, February 10). President Trump acts to roll back dei initiatives. The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance. https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/02/10/president-trump-acts-to-roll-back-dei-initiatives/

-Originally Aired September 2019-Earn a total of 0.5 ASHA CEUs for the 5-part episodes with Speech Therapy PD: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/course?name=The-Perfect-Oral-Motor-Storm-What-Happened-Why-and-SupportivIn this five-hour course, Char chronicles a comprehensive account of the events of the past two decades that have infused and inspired one of the most controversial—and misunderstood—storms in the history of speech-language pathology.Perhaps you’re unsure why “oral motor” has been criticized, or how to respond when someone mentions it. You’ll learn what to say and how to back it up. Char covers the “Five Waves” as to what happened, who did what, and where we go from here.Most importantly, you’ll learn Supportive Evidence for the Use of Oral Sensory-Motor Methods to Remediate Speech Sound Productions.

-Originally Aired September 19, 2019-Earn a total of 0.5 ASHA CEUs for the 5-part episodes with Speech Therapy PD: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/course?name=The-Perfect-Oral-Motor-Storm-What-Happened-Why-and-SupportivIn this five-hour course, Char chronicles a comprehensive account of the events of the past two decades that have infused and inspired one of the most controversial—and misunderstood—storms in the history of speech-language pathology.Perhaps you’re unsure why “oral motor” has been criticized, or how to respond when someone mentions it. You’ll learn what to say and how to back it up. Char covers the “Five Waves” as to what happened, who did what, and where we go from here.Most importantly, you’ll learn Supportive Evidence for the Use of Oral Sensory-Motor Methods to Remediate Speech Sound Productions.

Guests: Leanne Togher, PhD, FSPA, FASSBI, Rachael Rietdijk, PhD, SLP, & Kate Smith, MSPA, CPSP Earn 0.1 ASHA CEU for this episode with Speech Therapy PD: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/course?name=The-Social-Brain-Toolkit-Practical-Resources-for-CaregiverJoin Renee Garrett as she kicks off Season 2 of Brainstorms Functional Neurorehab with esteemed guests Dr. Leanne Togher, Dr. Rachael Rietdijk, and Kate Smith. In this episode, the team explores the Social Brain Toolkit, a suite of resources designed to improve communication for individuals with acquired brain injuries (ABI). The discussion covers the inception, development, and components of programs like TBI Express, TBI ConneCT, and Interactability. They delve into the crucial role of communication partner training, methodological research, and evidence-based practices in supporting TBI patients and their caregivers. Additionally, the episode touches upon the groundbreaking work at the University of Sydney and introduces speechBITE, a curated repository of treatment research in speech pathology. Tune in to learn about their innovative approach to making effective communication strategies accessible and practical for clinicians, students, and families worldwide.Episode Timeline:00:00 Introduction and Disclosures01:40 Meet the Experts04:50 The Social Brain Toolkit: Origins and Development09:03 TBI Express, and TBI ConneCT: Evolution of Training Programs11:36 Telehealth and Digital Health Innovations13:18 Expanding Communication Partner Training15:22 Interactability and Social Ability: New Tools for Broader Impact17:39 Practical Applications and Future Directions32:48 Understanding Communication After Brain Injury33:26 Training for Caregivers and Students35:14 Introducing TBI Express and interact-ABI-lity36:03 Free Resources and Accessibility36:46 speechBITE: A Resource for Speech Pathologists37:32 The Evolution and Impact of speechBITE44:19 Kate Smith's PhD Research on Clinical Information Needs53:01 Addressing Methodological Quality in Research56:07 The Social Brain Toolkit and Caregiver Support59:08 Final Thoughts and ResourcesAbout the Guests: Professor Leanne Togher is a full Professor at the University of Sydney, Australia, and NHMRC Professorial Research Fellow (Investigator Grant Leadership Level 3). Professor Togher holds a PhD in speech pathology and is internationally recognised with more than 250 journal articles. Professor Togher has led the development of communication treatments for people with brain injury and their families, carers, and community agencies, including TBI Express, TBI ConneCT, and the Social Brain Toolkit. She is the director of the evidence-based practice website speechBITE. Professor Togher is the incoming Chair for the International Brain Injury Association and Chair of Brain Injury Australia.Dr Rachael Rietdijk is a certified practising speech pathologist and Lecturer at the University of Sydney, with research interests in acquired brain injury, communication partner training, and digital health. Her PhD research produced a new evidence-based intervention for people with traumatic brain injury called TBIconneCT. Dr Rietdijk was the project lead for the Social Brain Toolkit project, including interact-ABI-lity, the first free evidence-based online program about communicating successfully with people with a brain injury. This program has reached over 1500 people from over 25 countries. Dr Rietdijk continues collaborating as part of research teams on the Communication Connect NHMRC Ideas Grant and the Communication for Safe Care NDIS Information, Linkages and Capacity Building grant.Kate Smith is a speech-language pathologist who has worked in evidence-based practice for two decades. She is a member of the speechBITE advisory committee at the University of Sydney and worked on developing speechBITE with Professor Leanne Togher for over a decade. Kate is currently undertaking her PhD, applying a user-centered approach to co-designing a new digital resource that provides research evidence for SLPs.Mentioned in this episode:Register for the Aphasia Discourse Conference on June 7

Episode 6 of the miniseries: "Culturally SPEECHING: Clinical Competence Through Cultural Humility" hosted by Dr. Treasyri Williams Wood SLPD, CCC-SLP, CDPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode: Complete the accompanying course with Speech Therapy PD In this episode, Treasyri Williams Wood and Vicki Deal Williams, CEO of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), delve into the role of advocacy in promoting cultural humility within speech-language pathology. They discuss the importance of advocating for diverse populations, reducing healthcare disparities, and the responsibility of professionals to integrate cultural humility into their advocacy efforts. Specifics include policy-making, public health initiatives, and strategies for equitable treatment.About the Guest: Vicki Deal Williams, MS, CCC-SLP, CAE is the Chief Executive Officer at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), where she has been on staff for more than 30 years. A Certified Association Executive and Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Vicki is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist and ASHA Fellow. Vicki’s expertise and thought leadership include strategically advancing and leveraging diversity, leadership development, and resource stewardship to meet long-term objectives. She has a proven track record of success guiding staff and members through change. She continually strives to foster an inclusive culture while conveying a clear organizational vision and effecting optimal results through collaboration and partnerships with individuals at all levels of the organization, including volunteer leaders, members, students, clients/patients/students, vendors, staff, and other stakeholders.

Episode 4 of the miniseries: "Culturally SPEECHING: Clinical Competence Through Cultural Humility" hosted by Dr. Treasyri Williams Wood SLPD, CCC-SLP, CDPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode: Complete the accompanying course with Speech Therapy PD In this episode, Treasyri Williams Wood and Lillian Thompson Brown discuss the intersection of cultural humility and inclusivity in clinical practice. She emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive environments that respect and value diverse cultural backgrounds and offers practical strategies for clinicians to foster inclusivity through cultural humility. Specifics include exploring barriers to inclusivity in clinical settings and strategies for overcoming these barriers.Guest: Lillian Thompson Brown, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and PhD student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Northwestern University. She is a member of the Early Intervention Research Group lab led by Dr. Megan Roberts, where her research focuses on improving autism diagnostic experiences for Black caregivers, increasing timely and accurate diagnoses for Black autistic toddlers, and implementing culturally responsive strategies in autism assessment and intervention.

Guest: Pamela Rowe, MA, CCC-SLP - This episode explores the crucial role of cultural humility in public health, specifically within communicative sciences and disorders. The host and guest discuss how cultural humility promotes health equity and enhances respect for diverse communities. Listeners will learn practical strategies for speech-language pathologists to incorporate cultural humility into their public health efforts.

Join host Michelle Dawson and expert guests as they dive into all things Dysphagia in this special 9-episode series made in conjunction with the Dysphagia Outreach Project titled "Understanding Dysphagia."We are only as good as the village and outreach that we create for our patients and their caregivers, and this episode is designed to answer the functional “But how do I do that?” question we all have. Tune in as Jessica and Hilary share ways in which advocacy appears in our profession, offers functional advice for how to encourage our patients and their caregivers to advocate for their dysphagia, as well as inspires us with strategies to advocate locally for our individual patients and for dysphagia nationwide.Earn .1 ASHA CEU from this episode when you complete the accompanying course on Speech Therapy PD. - Originally Aired June 2021 -

Join host Michelle Dawson and expert guests as they dive into all things Dysphagia in this special 9-episode series made in conjunction with the Dysphagia Outreach Project titled "Understanding Dysphagia."For some of our patients, their prognosis is such that palliative care and hospice will be necessary so that they can have joy in their season of winter. But have you ever wondered what your role as the SLP on the team was during that time? Wonder no longer. Join Michelle and Caitlin as they spend a heartfelt hour discussing the differences between palliative care and hospice, the power of an advanced directive, and the unique role of the SLP on the team for both pediatric and geriatric cases.Earn .1 ASHA CEU from this episode when you complete the accompanying course on Speech Therapy PD. - Originally Aired June 2021 -

Join host Michelle Dawson and expert guests as they dive into all things Dysphagia in this special 9-episode series made in conjunction with the Dysphagia Outreach Project titled "Understanding Dysphagia."This hour is dedicated to educating our colleagues and members of the community to the comprehensive definition of a pediatric feeding disorder and its current prevalence, how a diagnosis of this disorder can impact ability to learn in other developmental areas and wraps with a call for action to engage in interprofessional practice for optimal patient outcomes.Earn .1 ASHA CEU from this episode when you complete the accompanying course on Speech Therapy PD. - Originally Aired June 2021 -

Join host Michelle Dawson and expert guests as they dive into all things Dysphagia in this special 9-episode series made in conjunction with the Dysphagia Outreach Project titled "Understanding Dysphagia."This hour is dedicated to dysphagia from trauma, the dysphagia cases that graduate school really didn’t prepare us for. Gunshot wounds, hanging, seizure post-ETOH withdrawals, this hour covers it all and then some. Plus, Jessica shares what interprofessional practice team members we should seek guidance from, how to collaborate with them, and answers all the “what ifs?” in between. Enjoy the hour dedicated to evidence-based practice for trauma-induced dysphagia.Earn .1 ASHA CEU from this episode when you complete the accompanying course on Speech Therapy PD. - Originally Aired June 2021 -