ASHA Voices (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA))

Meet two audiologists who use their clinics on wheels to reach people who have unaddressed hearing loss. From designing their space to finding their clients, these audiologists tell us what it’s like to run a business and serve patients on the road.

Look for the transcript for this episode online at on.asha.org/podcast

Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are now available for purchase without a prescription, but the implications of this change for audiologists and the public is just beginning to play out.

Audiologist and researcher Marcia Hay-McCutcheon is asking questions about what these devices might mean for people living in rural areas with no audiology services, and she’s taking those questions on the road. She’ll be conducting her research from a 40-foot long, 33,000-pound mobile clinic, part of the Hear Here Alabama Project.

Read the transcript at on.asha.org/podcast

We all speak in different dialects. Today’s guest, John Baugh, provides history and context for those differences in the way we speak in the U.S., and explores their effects.

Baugh, president of the Linguistic Society of America, shares how dialect can be used to discriminate against people, which he refers to as linguistic profiling. Baugh explains how linguistic profiling can affect all facets of people's lives, from apartment leasing to legal proceedings. He also describes his experiences acting as an expert witness in court.

People with disabilities affecting speech, language, and voice are at higher risk for avoidable health care errors and negative health care outcomes, says SLP Megan Morris, a faculty member at the University of Colorado. Her work addresses health care disparities experienced by people with disabilities and disabilities related to communication.

She discusses the role that CSD professionals play in reducing barriers associated with health care disparities for people with disabilities—particularly disabilities affecting communication.

Look for the transcript for this episode online at on.asha.org/podcast

Get a preview of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's new podcast.

On the first episode of ASHA Voices, we take a look at the intersection of cognitive-communication disorders (CCDs) and the justice system.

Listen in for a conversation about health care trends, patient outcomes, and the evolving role of speech language pathologists in skilled nursing facilities. We’ll hear from ASHA’s director of Health Care Services and a panel of SLPs in leadership roles at rehab companies. We’ll discuss both challenges and opportunities they see in this time of change.

Acronym Guide:

PDPM - Patient Driven Payment Model; SNF - Skilled Nursing Facility; CMS - Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; RUG-IV - Resource Utilization Group; MDS - Minimum Data Set

We’ll talk to SLP Kim Murza about how, given their large caseloads, school-based SLPs can work smarter not harder to maximize their services. And, Sean Sweeney of the Speech Techie blog shares tools you can use during speech-language treatment.

This week, we're presenting a short, special-edition episode featuring voices of those negatively affected by the new Patient Driven Payment Model. PDPM is changing the way skilled nursing facilities, or SNFs, are reimbursed for services under Medicare. In this episode, we share stories of speech-language pathologists who saw cuts in job status, pay, and patient treatment when PDPM went into effect.

On this episode of ASHA Voices, we talk with Taro Alexander about the loneliness that can come with growing up with a stutter. Now, his nonprofit, the Stuttering Association for the Young, or SAY, provides a community to a new generation of young people who stutter.

Alexander will receive the 2019 Annie Glenn Award for his work with SAY at the next month's ASHA Convention in Orlando. Also presenting at convention is a researcher we'll hear from later in the episode. Joined by a former colleague, they'll tell us what MRIs of beatboxers could teach us about speech.

This episode brings you guests you can see in person when you attend the ASHA Convention, held November 21 to 23. Registration is open.

You know that hearing problem you can have when you’re trying to pick up just one voice in a crowd…

This week on the podcast, we talk to a neural engineer. His research into how we hear and communicate may lead to a fix for the cocktail party problem by allowing people to highlight a specific voice in a crowd.

Also, we hear about a new tool from the Ida Institute called My Hearing Explained. We talk about how this new tool goes beyond the audiogram to show real-world effects of hearing loss.

Dementia. The word alone can evoke anxiety, given the emotional toll it can take on families. But two speech-language pathologists share what’s possible when families and clinicians work together. Hear what can happen when we flip the model from what’s wrong to what can go better.

Also, we’re joined by fluency expert Joe Donaher to talk about voluntary stuttering, a treatment tool that he says can relieve some of the anxiety that can come with a fluency issue.

Can how you treat your clients and colleagues make you stand out in a crowd? As increasing automation affects how people work, we discuss the importance of soft skills with emotional intelligence expert Kari Knutson.

Also, technology is making it easier to connect with clients and students from afar. We talk telepractice with Tracy Sippl. Her experience as a telepractice consultant to schools guides our conversation about this tech-based technique.

And on the audiology horizon, research audiologist Liz Convery suggests the emergence of self-fitting hearing devices may be an opportunity, rather than a threat.

The new Medicare reimbursement model taking effect in home health might seem complicated and confusing. But in this week’s episode, we have experts break it down for you. Find out what you need to know about the Patient Driven Grouping Model, or PDGM, as we parse the changes and debunk the myths.

Join us for a preview of what you'll hear on ASHA Voices in the new year!

Today’s guests help us rethink what’s possible in hearing treatment.

We talk with Jeff Holt and Tina Stankovic, scientists on the forefront of hearing research. Jeff discusses an unexpected discovery that tied a specific gene to a genetic form of hearing loss. And Tina describes her investigations into ways to reverse sensorineural hearing loss—the most common type. What are the obstacles and possible solutions?

Both talked with me at the 2019 ASHA Convention, where they presented at the Research Symposium on Hearing.

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Then, we hear from Bob Hillman, recipient of the 2019 Alfred K. Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications. We talk about the twist in his path that changed everything in his work with the voice and voice disorders.

We talk to dysphagia expert Lori Burkhead Morgan. With a background in exercise science, the speech-language pathologist brings an interdisciplinary lens to dysphagia treatment. Next, Purdue University’s Georgia Malandraki describes the new tool she’s developed so SLPs don’t have to send bulky, expensive machinery home with patients. And, consultant Emily Homer offers guidance on building strong feeding and swallowing services in school districts.

“It's really important to recognize that things are called microaggressions, but it doesn't mean the impact of them is small.” - author Ijeoma Oluo

Oluo is the author of the best-selling book "So You Want to Talk About Race." In it, she addresses complex issues—from history to intersectionality to hair—to start a conversation about race and racism in America.

At the ASHA Convention, she joined ASHA Voices host J.D. Gray and 2018 ASHA President Elise Davis-McFarland for a discussion after Oluo gave the ASHA Office of Multicultural Affairs’ 50th Anniversary Address.

In our second of two episodes in honor of Black History Month, today we’re addressing African American English, or AAE.

AAE is a language variation. Maybe you've heard it called a dialect. It sounds different from Mainstream American English. It has its own rules and its own grammar, and it comes from a long language tradition. But when AAE is not recognized, it can be misdiagnosed as a language disorder.

Covering everything from misdiagnosis in the classroom to the connection between language and identity, our panel of experts discusses the language variation known as African American English.

We all experience work stress, so let's talk about it.

Maybe you’re feeling depleted or experiencing burnout in some way. Once that cycle starts, it can get harder to step back and revitalize. On this episode of ASHA Voices, we talk with Sarah Lockhart and Sarie Wu, the hosts of the podcast SLP Happy Hour, about how to get some of that headspace back. They share what they've learned from producing a show about healthy work and personal lives for SLPs for more than two years.

Plus, we’re joined again by our featured voice on tech, Sean Sweeney. He shares how to use apps that help with mindfulness in your sessions or treatment plans.

COVID-19 is turning many lives upside down.

We talk with audiologists and SLPs throughout the country about the pandemic's immediate and drastic effects on their work. From the Seattle area to New York City, they are facing significant challenges, but they are also rising to those challenges.

Featuring voices of professionals in schools, private practice, academia, and health care, this late-breaking episode delivers snapshots of their current experiences during this fast-moving, unpredictable national crisis.

This week on the podcast: What happens when health care workers are exposed to the coronavirus? We hear from two SLPs who share their experiences with potential exposure and self-quarantine.

And, we continue our look at health care with a check-up. It’s been six months since the Patient Driven Payment Model went into effect. We ask what this new payment system has meant for those in skilled nursing facilities.

This week on the podcast: We’re joined by author and SLP Barry Prizant. He’s the author of "Uniquely Human," an acclaimed book that conceptualizes autism as a difference, rather than a disability. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, Barry joins us to discuss the parent-clinician relationship, and the evolving roles families are playing in autism intervention.

In the second half of the episode, we’ll talk with Denise Underkoffler and her daughter Abby Diaz about speech-language treatment and family. Denise is an author and SLP. Her new children’s book "Everybody Needs a Turn" considers the role of siblings in speech-language treatment. Hear the personal inspiration behind her book.

In his latest book, “Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World,” author and journalist David Owen (The New Yorker) writes, “Deafness is expensive. Earplugs aren’t.” ASHA Voices speaks with Owen about his recent book, and what he’s learned about our noisy world.

Then, we’re joined by audiologist Vickie Tuten to discuss occupational hearing hazards and how fit-testing hearing protection can help ensure that hearing protection is used correctly.

Plus, we’ll hear from public health expert Rick Neitzel, principal investigator in the Apple Hearing Study. As part of this research partnership between Apple and the University of Michigan, he's collecting data on noisy environments and headphone volume. The hope is this research could influence policies that one day change how our world makes noise.

Timing is critical when it comes to serving children birth to three and their families. Now, COVID-19 is making the process even more challenging for audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

(1:45) Audiologist Karen Munoz shares three common COVID-19-related EI difficulties she’s hearing about from audiologists--and strategies you can use now to handle them.

(14:06) Then speech-language pathologist Arlene Stredler Brown joins us to talk telepractice in early intervention. We discuss the good and the bad: the technical challenges but also the opportunity to promote family-centered care and coaching.

From  telepractice to staff meetings to social commitments, we’re all interacting online in often back-to-back engagements. And  today’s guests say this can  take a toll on our  voices.(1:15) First, SLP Jennylee Diaz shares strategies for maintaining the voice health of ourselves and our clients in this new all-online world--based on her own experiences with voice strain while singing.(9:49) Then… Water aerobics for the voice? SLP Elizabeth Banaszak guides us through a series of vocal exercises to keep the voice fresh throughout the day.

In the latest episode of ASHA Voices, we talk to two audiologists making their way through unexpected experiences and circumstances--one reopening their practice during COVID-19 and the other with a new cochlear implant.

(15:48) Next we talk about what's on so many of our minds--going back to the office. Safety is the obvious concern as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Joining us is audiologist Ryan Kennard, who discusses his weighing of curbside, telepractice, and in-clinic options as he made plans to reopen the practice he directs, the San Luis Obispo Hearing Center. He shares how he adjusted his services to reopen safely.

SLP and NYU faculty member George Castle says one of his mentors, the late Kenyatta Rivers, taught him to live his life helping others advance in their careers while pulling himself up at the same time. He calls this the one-hand-up and one-hand-down philosophy.

Castle joins ASHA Voices for a conversation about what mentorships mean in his life and career, and he shares memories of Rivers, who died last month.

At a time when much of the country is reflecting on race, we discuss the role mentorships can play in creating diversity in the field of speech-language pathology.

COVID-19 is changing the way we work, but is it also changing the way SLPs bill?

With ASHA Connect 2020 just around the corner, presenter, SLP, and billing and coding expert Dee Nikjeh joins the podcast to share three of the most interesting questions she’s received since the pandemic began.

Continuing our coverage of how COVID-19 is affecting CSD professionals, we head to what was once the major U.S. hotspot. SLP Tami Altschuler shares stories of loss, recovery, sickness, and stigma as she walks us through the hallways of the NYU Langone Medical Center.

As health care SLPs around the country see COVID-19 numbers rising, Altschuler talks about her lessons learned from facing a surge.

On this episode of the podcast, higher education takes on the moment in two distinct ways.

(1:13) We hear the story of a graduate student and a faculty member brought together by the need for increased support for minority students. They tell us how they used a series of seminars to raise diversity awareness among faculty and students in a CSD program.

(14:04) Then, we head south to a course that faculty hustled to pull together to address our new COVID-19 reality. Find out why the University of Central Florida created this remote health care class with a hands-on approach.

(1:00) Driving between appointments, SLP Samantha Koncak talks about how COVID-19 has changed her job. See how new realities like stepped-up infection control measures and unruly masks affect the daily operations of an SLP in the field.

(15:25) Later in the show, SLP Lauren Sharpe shares stories of COVID-19's emotional impact on both patients and SLPs in home health, with social isolation as a major factor.

(21:51) And home-health expert Jenny Loehr returns to the podcast to discuss caseloads and how the recently implemented Patient-Driven Groupings Model fits into this puzzle

We mark last September’s podcast launch with a timely return to our first episode on law enforcement, de-escalation, and communication disorders. There’s been a growing public outcry against police-perpetrated violence against unarmed civilians, who disproportionately are people of color and/or people with mental health or developmental issues like autism.

Experts discuss how to help young adults with communication disorders stay safe during police encounters. And a Howard University professor describes her awareness-raising work to keep Black youth with autism from being misunderstood and routed to the juvenile justice system.

Spurred by this summer's turbulent news, SLP Pam Wiley facilitated a series of town hall conversations on community policing, race, and voting. The 2020 ASHA Honors recipient talks with us about what was challenging, and what she heard. Wiley, president of the LA Speech and Language Therapy Center, joins us a year after she first spoke to us about her efforts to build understanding between law enforcement and young adults with autism.

We also discuss Wiley's workforce-preparation program that helps young adults with communication disorders transition from high school into meaningful employment.

When referring to autism, some people use person-first language (a person with autism), while others prefer identity-first language (an autistic person).

On this episode, we talk to ASHA members and autistic SLPs about their differing language choices, and excerpt a spirited discussion of the issue on the Autism Speaks podcast Autism POVs.

Plus, acclaimed autism book author Barry Prizant returns to the podcast.

School is back in session. And it looks nothing like it normally does.

After a summer of uncertainty about what to expect this fall, school-based SLPs are navigating back-to-back telepractice sessions, hybrid online/in-person models, and myriad infection-control measures.

In this episode, we hear about how it's going. We asked five school-based SLPs: What has the start of the new academic year been like for you? And, how is it different from last spring?

We talk about what they're doing to keep themselves and their students safe, what they're learning about telepractice, and more.

Join us next episode for a conversation with educational audiologists.

Today we look at  ways   SLPs can work with families to cultivate a strong sense of self in children with autism.

Of course, SLPs know the importance of  helping a child with autism  become empowered and  believe in themselves, and today’s guests make that a priority.

SLPs Rachel Dorsey and Jessie Ginsburg share  strategies and examples of ways to help foster  this positive  outlook with a strengths-based approach. They discuss the importance of word-choice and language when working with parents and how they address goal creation.

We bring you the story of how discussions of race between Ingrid Desormes and her rehabilitation unit's supervisor Christie Miller led to new learning--and friendship.

Their talks began when Desormes joined the unit at Bethesda Hospital in 2019. In the time since, Miller says she’s changed the way she approaches racial issues in and outside the workplace.

The two SLPs join the podcast for a conversation about race, the workplace, and the role of their friendship in how they discuss this important subject.

After a harrowing year in which COVID-19 wreaked havoc, we're bringing you a show about your colleagues' outlook on the new year.

Many are hoping for fresh starts and meaningful change.

In the first segment, audiologists and SLPs share what they're looking forward to in 2021--including increased cultural responsiveness and improved physical and mental health.

Then audiologist Carrie Spangler recounts her experience of receiving a cochlear implant (CI) after working in the field for more than 20 years. Spangler describes her CI journey and how the device affects how she thinks about her work. You can read more about her CI experiences on her blog, Hearing Spanglish.

SLP Alicia Fleming Hamilton joins the podcast to discuss the new book "Exploring Cultural Responsiveness: Guided Scenarios for Communication Sciences and Disorders Professionals." Hamilton worked as an editor on the book from ASHA Press, which features stories and examples curated for, and from, audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

Hamilton describes the book as a tool for self-reflection and growth, and says she hopes professionals will find it accessible and relevant throughout their careers. The book covers and explores issues such as family separation at the border, gender identity, unconscious bias, African American English and more.

On the podcast, Hamilton shares two stories from the book, including one pulled from her own life.

You may have seen stuttering in the headlines over the past year—due, in part, to the election of President Joe Biden, who has spoken openly about his experience as a person who stutters.

Stuttering is having a moment, and we’re taking this occasion to talk about it.

We hear from speech-language pathologist Chris Constantino, a faculty member at Florida State University who studies the experiences of people who stutter. He talks about what he’s heard from his clients and shares what this moment means for him personally—as he, too, is a person who stutters.

Then, a panel of SLPs—Derek Daniels, Courtney Byrd, and Katie Gore—join the show for a conversation about representation and visibility for those who stutter. We discuss the importance of acceptance in assessing and treating stuttering, and we talk about how the experience of stuttering differs from person to person.

Also, Reed draws a line from a difficult event in his personal life to the research he’s producing today—research about hearing aid access and patient health outcomes. Hear the personal story that fuels Reed’s research and what Reed is learning about the connections between health care outcomes and unaddressed hearing loss.

Friends since high school, audiologist Nicholas Stanley and social worker Samuel Bradley never expected they'd be working together. But here they are, collaborating on a series of presentations on disrupting racial bias after the idea came up during causal breakfast conversation

The duo joins ASHA Voices to discuss their work to bolster culturally responsive care in audiology. Listen in as they share what audiologists can do to attract and effectively serve a more diverse clientele.

SLP Joshuaa Allison-Burbank began working for the Indian Health Service in his Navajo Nation home in February of 2020. What happened next changed how he thought about his community and his profession. When the pandemic began, Allison-Burbank found himself working in an outdoor triage center at Northern Navajo Medical Center, witnessing the devastating effects of Dikos Ntsaaígíí, or COVID-19.

Faced with many challenges, including limited access to running water and high poverty rates, the Navajo Nation faced a higher rate of mortality by COVID-19 than any state in the U.S. at one point last year. But now, Navajo Nation is sharing a success story—of plummeting COVID numbers and exemplary rates of vaccination.

On this episode, Allison-Burbank joins the podcast to shares his story, what he’s learned in this difficult year, and the specific Navajo story he uses to find inspiration during the pandemic.

The Academy Award nominations are in, and one of this year’s contenders examines the emotional toll of sudden hearing loss. On this episode of ASHA Voices, we discuss how the movie “Sound of Metal” fits into a long history of hearing loss and tinnitus portrayals on the silver screen -- and what this can tell us about societal views.

Joining our panel are audiologists Peter Ivory and Michelle Hu, and author and media scholar Mack Hagood. The trio discuss past films and performances featuring people with hearing loss, and a sudden increase in on-screen tinnitus portrayals in the early 2000s. And we dig into Oscar-nominated “Sound of Metal” from the perspectives of audiologists and people who have hearing loss, as Hu does.

When the pandemic sent much of higher education into the virtual world last spring, Siva priya Santhanam wondered whether the autism support program she runs at Metropolitan State University of Denver could continue. The peer-support program brings students studying speech, language, and hearing sciences together with university students with autism.

Now, a year later, Santhanam joins ASHA Voices to talk about the ways she’s sustained – and grown – the program. Santhanam discusses supporting students with autism during the pandemic, the benefits to the speech-language students, and the program’s non-hierarchical structure.

In just a split second, a traumatic brain injury can turn your life upside-down.SLP Alaina Davis takes us from the basketball court to the boxing ring to talk about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and rehabilitation. Through her podcast and thoughtfully crafted social media posts, Davis brings attention to TBIs and what they mean for cognition.Davis is faculty member at Howard University where she also works as a part of the concussion management team. She shares her experience treating student athletes and what she’s learned from the experience.

After a traumatic brain injury, someone may experience wide-ranging difficulties related to their emotions, cognition, and their ability to communicate. When it comes to cognitive rehabilitation, it takes a team to help patients meet their goals.

Neuropsychologist Brigid Waldron-Perrine and SLP McKay Moore Sohlberg help us take a patient-centered look at where psychology and speech-language pathology overlap and interact.

The duo highlights what is possible when psychologists and SLPs work together and, they deliver recommendations for what to do when patients ask about the potential for COVID-19-related cognitive effects.

In health care, clinicians’ productivity is measured closely via requirements intended to manage labor costs and ensure patients are receiving care. Simply put, these expectations often have tremendous influence on SLPs as they treat clients every day.

On the podcast, we’re joined by a panel of health care administrators who represent a wide range of settings to discuss this subject. We talk about what to do when you feel your productivity requirements are too high and look at the ethical obligations of administrators. Plus, our panel shares their thoughts on how to find time for interprofessional practice in a demanding work environment.

The productivity discussion will continue at the upcoming ASHA online conference, “Empowered SLPs in Health Care: Breaking Barriers and Shaping Solutions,” with our guests participating in a panel on this subject.

On this episode of ASHA Voices, Lindsay Riegler, an innovation specialist and research SLP with the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, shares her perspective on telepractice from inside the VA, where she’s seen many barriers to telepractice removed.

At the center of the conversation are questions about access. What can the VA teach us about what’s possible through telepractice? And how is their use of telepractice different than what we see from other health care providers?

Plus, hear our guest run through a list of six common misconceptions about telepractice, correcting myths and sharing experiences from her career.

SLPs share stories where, for one reason or another, they decided to make a big change in their career and ended up in places they never would have predicted.

First, Kristin King’s story takes her from a trauma center in North Carolina to her role as vice president of clinical education and research at Passy-Muir.

Then, Suzanne Coyle goes from being a clinician working in outpatient rehab to her role as executive director of the Stroke Comeback Center.

Hear the moments that changed everything.

It’s our second batch of stories featuring SLPs sharing stories about the unexpected places their careers have taken them.

First, Shulunda Gibson takes us from burnout in private practice to a trip around the world. Hear the lessons she learned while moving from “fear to freedom.”

Then, the authors of Speech-Language Pathologists as Expert Witnesses, Brenda Seal and Lissa Power-deFur, demonstrate how they used their skills in pursuit of justice.

Hear more moments that changed everything.

Call it the cochlear implant’s cousin—A new device is stimulating the inner ear and allowing some patients to regain a sense of balance.

We speak to Charley Della Santina, the director of the Johns Hopkins Vestibular NeuroEngineering Lab. Plus, we hear from a recipient of the device, A’ndrea Elyse Messer, and an audiologist who is the director of the USC Balance Center, Alaina Bassett.

SLP Alicia Fleming Hamilton joins the podcast to discuss the new book "Exploring Cultural Responsiveness: Guided Scenarios for Communication Sciences and Disorders Professionals." Hamilton worked as an editor on the book from ASHA Press, which features stories and examples curated for, and from, audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

Hamilton describes the book as a tool for self-reflection and growth, and says she hopes professionals will find it accessible and relevant throughout their careers. The book covers and explores issues such as family separation at the border, gender identity, unconscious bias, African American English and more.

On the podcast, Hamilton shares two stories from the book, including one pulled from her own life.

In June 2021, the book was recognized with an Excel Award from the Association Media and Publishing Network in the technical book category.

During Rachel Archambault’s first year as an SLP at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the school became the site of the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. The Parkland, Florida. students who were freshmen during that shooting are now graduating, and in the years since the shooting, Archambault became an advocate for trauma-informed practice, sometimes called trauma-informed care.

Archambault joins ASHA Voices to tell us about serving as an SLP at the school and shares the five principles of trauma-informed care she incorporates into her work. She also addresses how SLPs can prepare for the upcoming school year, and what a trauma-informed approach might look like as students and staff deal with fallout from COVID-19.

Clients need to feel that they are valued and respected, and for gender-diverse clients, this often begins with the language we use. The consequences of not showing this respect can be large. They can even lead to negative client outcomes, as our guest today shares.

SLP Greg Robinson is a faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the chair of L’GASP, ASHA’s LGBTQ+ caucus.

Robinson shares guidance on how to approach conversations around gender and what to do if you inadvertently slip up. They also tell a personal story of how a health care provider’s language led them to stop receiving care.

We continue our conversation with SLP Greg Robinson (L’GASP, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences). Greg runs TLC - Gender Affirming Communication Group, a clinic offering gender-affirming voice services. Robinson relates how the group highlights the deep connection between the voice and identity. And, Robinson shares how their clients are influencing the careers of the CSD students working at the clinic.

This conversation was originally published in February 2020.

African American English, or AAE, is a language variation. Maybe you've heard it called a dialect. It sounds different from Mainstream American English. It has its own rules and its own grammar, and it comes from a long language tradition. But when AAE is not recognized, it can be misdiagnosed as a language disorder.

Covering everything from misdiagnosis in the classroom to the connection between language and identity, our panel of experts discusses the language variation known as African American English.

We’re taking on a subject that is timely, but not new. Guests explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn public attention to disparities in care that have always existed. And they say everyone has a role to play in confronting these inequities.

Often associated with race and socioeconomic status, the impact of health care disparities can be devastating. The disparities affect everything from finances to health care outcomes.

Panelists explore how implicit bias can perpetuate inequities, and share what clinicians can do to help.

In July, President Biden signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to draft regulations for over-the-counter hearing aids this fall. The OTC devices will accommodate mild to moderate hearing loss.

The nature of those regulations, and what they may mean for audiologists, is up for speculation. Some may see these devices as an opportunity to increase awareness of hearing health. Others may be concerned about possible impacts of these devices on audiologists’ practices.

Today on the podcast, we’re joined by an expert panel to discuss the implications and possibilities that may arrive on the shelf alongside these hearing aids.

In this episode, two presenters from the upcoming ASHA 2021 Convention Research Symposium on Hearing discuss how hearing loss connects to dementia and depression.

Columbia University psychiatry researcher Bret Rutherford says depression is one of the main drivers of disability in older adults, linking the condition to cognitive decline, dementia, and hearing loss. He explains what role hearing health might play in preventative care.

Then, Esther Oh, co-director of Johns Hopkins’ Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center, describes how hearing loss can compound symptoms like agitation.

It's more common than autism, but is developmental language disorder being overlooked? Our guest today says so, and in her award-winning research, she explains why. Researcher and advocate Karla McGregor joins this episode to discuss identification, intervention, and advocacy.

This conversation was originally published in February 2021.

In honor of International Stuttering Awareness Day on October 22, we’re presenting an encore publication of our episode on stuttering representation and visibility.

We hear from SLP Chris Constantino, a faculty member at Florida State University. Constantino talks about what he’s heard from his clients and shares what the inauguration of President Biden, who has spoken openly about his experience as a person who stutters, means for him personally. Constantino is also a person who stutters.

Then, a panel of SLPs—Derek Daniels, Courtney Byrd, and Katie Gore—join the show. We discuss the importance of acceptance in assessing and treating stuttering, and we talk about how the experience of stuttering differs from person to person.

Discerning speech in a noisy environment requires practice, and it can take years for children to hone their ability to maximize their auditory system.

Award-winning researcher Lauren Calandruccio joins the podcast to discuss auditory perception in noisy environments, like the classroom. She tells us about the experiments she conducted into how children perceive sound, and we hear the surprising turn her research took.

Plus, Lauren shares what she’s doing at Case Western Reserve University to facilitate communication in her university classroom during the pandemic.

We take an in-depth look at accent modification and hear an array of perspectives on a service approach that's also a source of controversy. 

Central to this conversation are questions about the voice and identity: In the fight against linguistic discrimination, could accent modification be a tool to repel inequity, or could it instead perpetuate it? 

We’ll hear from an SLP who wrote a book on accent modification and another SLP who made waves with a provocative presentation in December of 2020. Plus, leaders of some of ASHA’s multicultural constituency groups share their thoughts.

Hear three highlights from the podcast in 2021. From the Navajo Nation to the boxing ring to the silver screen, we revisit stories that stayed with us.

Recorded at the 2021 ASHA Convention, the NCAA men's basketball champion and NBA vet joins the podcast to share his personal story and experiences, including his decision to self-disclose his stutter during the NCAA Tournament.

Kidd-Gilchrist also discusses his advocacy work for people who stutter through his initiative Change and Impact. The nonprofit focuses on helping those who stutter access services from SLPs and, as a part of that, Michael creates greater awareness of stuttering and the lived experiences of those who stutter.

Rachel Archambault was an SLP at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when the school became the site of the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. The Parkland, Florida, students who were freshmen during that shooting are now graduating, and in the years since the shooting, Archambault became an advocate for trauma-informed practice, sometimes called trauma-informed care.

Archambault joins ASHA Voices to tell us about serving as an SLP at the school and shares the five principles of trauma-informed care she incorporates into her work. She also addresses what a trauma-informed approach might look like as students and staff deal with fallout from COVID-19.

This conversation was originally published in July 2021.

As we look towards 2022, and 2021 ends, we hear from members sharing both gratitude and grief—from voices you may recognize.

Plus, in the spirit of reflection, retiring ASHA CEO Arlene Pietranton takes a bow. After 18 years leading the association, Pietranton shares stories and reflects on the mission that’s sustained her service.

We speak to a mother who adopted a son with prenatal opioid exposure, and we hear from her Marshall University colleague, a researcher whose conversations with school-based speech-language pathologists reveal where the opioid epidemic may be showing up on caseloads.

They say that the effects of prenatal opioid exposure can last beyond infancy and early childhood, with children presenting characteristics that can sometimes be mistaken for other diagnoses.

An expert panel of audiologists and health researchers answer questions about the overlap between populations at risk for hearing loss and opioid misuse, guidance on how to address this sensitive subject with patients, and the role pandemic-induced isolation is playing in opioid misuse.

When a child is having difficulty eating, it can take a toll on the entire family. The effect is immense, and it can create issues that affect the mind and body while spurring feelings of guilt in parents.

We’re joined by an interdisciplinary team from Children’s Wisconsin, a pediatric health center, for a discussion about the teamwork behind treating pediatric feeding disorder. Team members also share outcomes of their collaboration.

Our guests, SLPs Kyomi Gregory-Martin and Janna Oetting, join the podcast to discuss dialects, like African American English or Southern White English, in the schools. Their 2016 article “Changing How Speech-Language Pathologists Think and Talk About Dialect Variation” asks SLPs to alter this perspective on dialects to better serve children in the schools.

They share tips and advice for school-based SLPs and address the question: What do you do when the administration doesn’t understand your role?

SLP Cheryl Hersh (Mass General Brigham) discusses environmental and social factors that can hinder health care outcomes—social determinants of health.

Hersh works as a part of a team treating pediatric feeding disorder, and she shares how awareness of these aspects of patients’ lives, like food access and housing, can make a difference when it comes to health care outcomes.

She talks through what she’s learning and the specific ways she’s modified her care to be better informed by social determinants of health.

In our first of two episodes looking at gene therapy and hearing loss, we revisit two conversations with researchers at the forefront of this groundbreaking research. Hear updates on how their work has developed since these conversations first took place.

Boston Children’s Hospital’s Jeff Holt discusses an unexpected discovery that tied a specific gene to a genetic form of hearing loss. And Stanford University’s Tina Stankovic describes her investigations into diagnostics and therapeutics for sensorineural hearing loss.

Tel Aviv University’s Karen Avraham joins the podcast to discuss her genetics research. She shares what it’s like to find hearing loss genes and how her discoveries may connect to the future of hearing loss treatment.

More than two years into the pandemic, we are only beginning to learn about the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2. Those living with “long COVID” may experience multiple symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and brain fog.

Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Joel VanEaton (Broad River Rehab) and Mary Kennedy (Chapman University) to discuss what clinicians may need to know about the emerging population of patients with long COVID.

Plus we hear from Sarah Eastman, a speech-language pathology student who noticed unanticipated changes in her health after she thought she'd fully recovered from COVID. Hear how she says the experience has affected her approach with patients.

The promise of gene therapy is immense. But as today’s guest points out, so, too, are the challenges. Audiologist and molecular biologist O’neil Guthrie (Northern Arizona University) says the way gene therapy is discussed in the media and by the public may be setting unrealistic expectations for this pioneering therapy. He joins the podcast to explain why gene therapies can be so difficult to create.

This conversation was originally published in September 2021.

Often associated with race and socioeconomic status, health care disparities can have a devastating impact. The disparities affect everything from finances to health care outcomes.

Guests explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn public attention to disparities in care that have always existed. And they say everyone has a role to play in confronting these inequities.

Gayla Poling, director of diagnostic audiology research at Mayo Clinic, joins the podcast to discuss ototoxicity and the role audiologists play in preventing and managing medication-related hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular issues.

Poling describes her work co-leading subgroups on aminoglycosides and cancer treatment as a part of the International Ototoxicity Management Group. The interprofessional group is addressing ototoxicity through publications, research, and collaboration.

From University of Pittsburgh, audiologist Elaine Mormer and pharmacist Lucas Berenbrok say the forthcoming over-the-counter hearing aids could create new opportunities for both professions. They say it’s important for pharmacists to be able to spot hearing health “red flags.” Find out why, and how that help spurs more referrals to audiologists.

You’ve surely read the headlines: Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting due to the effects of aphasia. Amidst the many career retrospectives and heartfelt appreciations of him online are scores of articles offering varying definitions and explanations of his condition.

SLP Fabi Hirsch joins the podcast for a conversation about this complex disorder, and her work with public figures who have it, including U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Hirsch is CEO and director of clinical services for the nonprofit Friends of Aphasia., which she co-founded with Giffords.

It’s graduation season at many colleges and universities, and ASHA Voices is taking the occasion to look forward and explore the pipeline into the professions. What might the future of CSD look like?

Increasing diversity, representation, and inclusion in the pipeline through colleges and universities continues to be critical. On this episode of the podcast, we’ve gathered three leaders from CSD programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Guests discuss strategies for recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented backgrounds. They also share stories of the people and places that helped them find success in CSD.

In this episode, we feature two SLPs who have been interviewed on the podcast. We’ll hear from the voices behind the words on the page: an SLP whose children’s book is equal parts personal and professional and a school-based SLP collecting and sharing real-life stories of cultural responsiveness.

Two SLPs invite you to rethink your approach to swallowing disorders.

Ed Bice and Alicia Vose advocate for taking the fear out of dysphagia treatment—starting with the language we use.

In recognition of Dysphagia Awareness Month, we hear their insights on the words they choose and how they approach conversations with physicians. We also discuss what a person-centered approach looks like, and why it’s important to assess a swallow in relation to the whole person.

Plus, we look at the results of our guests' 2021 survey examining how often SLPs consult registered dietitians. They share why they think the results may point to a big opportunity.

Both guests are presenters at ASHA's online conference, “Controversies and Consensus in Dysphagia Management.” The conference begins August 3. Find details at asha.org.

On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by SLP Wendy Olsen for a conversation of interest to SLPs in health care. Olsen discusses the effects of opioids on respiration and how collaboration may be the key to meeting patients’ needs.

Olsen is a post-doctoral researcher at the Breathing Research and Therapeutic Center at the University of Florida. The interprofessional research center focuses on issues of respiration in health care and rehabilitation.

She joins the podcast from Florida to discuss the opioid epidemic and to highlight research that may be of interest to other SLPs who treat patients affected by opioid use.

This is the third episode of our 2022 series looking at how the opioid epidemic affects the work of CSD professionals.

This conversation was originally published in August 2021.

Clients need to feel that they are valued and respected, and for gender-diverse clients, this often begins with the language we use. The consequences of not showing this respect can be large. They can even lead to negative client outcomes, as our guest today shares.

SLP Greg Robinson is a faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the chair of L’GASP, ASHA’s LGBTQ+ caucus.

Robinson shares guidance on how to approach conversations around gender and what to do if you inadvertently slip up. They also tell a personal story of how a health care provider’s language led them to stop receiving care.

How do society’s expectations of people who stutter affect those speakers’ experiences?

As a person who stutters and as an SLP specializing in stuttering, Chris Constantino of Florida State University discusses how concepts like neurodiversity and the social model of disability can influence and inspire intervention. He shares what these ideas mean to him and how they might look if they’re applied in practice.

Plus, Constantino highlights some of the positive moments he’s gained in his life from being a person who stutters.

Amanda Piper is one of just a few audiologists in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Inspired by a personal connection, Piper traveled to the U.S. to study audiology, and today, she works as a clinical audiologist for the Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired.

In recounting her education at UNC Greensboro and Vanderbilt University and career path back to her home country, Piper highlights some of the differences between working inside and outside of the U.S.

First, hear from two SLPs in Chicago. This mentor-mentee duo shares lessons and stories from the more than 35 years they’ve known each other.

In the second half of the episode, we hear from two bilingual SLPs. The way they met would have been impossible just a few years ago. Hear what resulted from this international mentorship.

How can a blow to the head result in difficulties with hearing and listening?

Audiologist Gail Whitelaw discusses what clinicians may want to consider when assessing or treating a person who's had a brain injury. She tells the story of one patient's long road to hearing care after acquiring a TBI during the Boston Marathon bombing.

Plus, author and researcher Nina Kraus (“Of Sound Mind”) takes us into the brain to reveal what she’s learning about how TBIs can affect the brain’s ability to make sense of the sounds in our lives.

If you’ve ever looked at someone else and thought, “How do I get that job?”—this episode is for you. ASHA Voices is bringing you three SLPs' accounts of moving from something familiar to something new.

These SLPs took a risk or made a move, and their careers haven't been the same since. They tell how they’re applying their CSD skills and knowledge to entirely new challenges.