At Liricare, we’re constantly inspired by the professionals in our community who aren’t just doing the work, but finding new ways to support each other, share their expertise, and reach more students.

That’s exactly what happened when we sat down with Michelle Posner, M.S., CCC-SLP for a live conversation.

Michelle is a bilingual speech-language pathologist with nearly two decades of experience supporting multilingual learners. She’s also the founder of Bilingual SLP LLC, where she creates culturally and linguistically responsive therapy materials for SLPs who want to feel more confident when working with diverse students.

In our live session, Michelle shared:

- How she began creating therapy materials
- The power of culturally responsive tools in real-world sessions
- What made her choose Liricare’s Digital Marketplace as a place to share her work
- Her honest advice for therapists who are ready to share but don’t know where to start

“Don't be afraid of working with multi-linguals. The number of kids who need support and the number of bilingual service providers don't match up. I would love to support anyone becoming more comfortable working with children from different backgrounds”

It was a thoughtful, grounded conversation about what it means to make an impact, without burning out.

You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/xPvOT0y0dPI

"bilingual children talk later"

I hear this ALL the time and it is NOT true! Early language milestones are similar for bilingual and monolingual children. If a child is not meeting these milestones, you should talk to a speech-language pathologist!

What questions do you have about bilinguals?

There is no wrong way to raise a bilingual child.

Bilingualism is a gift you can give your child that will open doors of opportunities. AND IT WILL NOT CAUSE CONFUSION OR DELAYS.

Here are the 5 most common methods:
1️⃣ One Parent, One Language:
In this approach, each parent consistently speaks a different language with their child. This clear separation helps the child associate each language with a specific parent, making it easier for them to distinguish and learn.

2️⃣ Minority Language at Home
Parents create a language-rich environment at home where the minority language is dominant. Reading, playing, and communicating in the minority language ensures your child is immersed in it, reinforcing their language skills.

3️⃣ Time and Place
Parents designate specific times or places for each language. For example, weekdays could be for one language, and weekends for another or home is minority language and everywhere else the majority language.

4️⃣ Mixed Language Families
Family members to use their native language when interacting with the child. (just try to avoid using Spanglish).

5️⃣ Outside Resources
Parents leverage resources beyond the family structure. Monolingual parents may enroll their child in bilingual programs, find language apps, or visit cultural events and communities where the target language is spoken.

I was raised as a Minority Language at Home and raised my daughter as an Outside Resource family.

Let me know in the comments what method you use.

I had the honor of being featured on Venita Litvack's Speechie Side Up Podcast.

We talk about disability, accessibility, and diversity in the CSD field.

Please take a listen and feel free to share!

https://anchor.fm/speechiesideup

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the complex relationship between politics, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the delivery of speech-language pathology services.

We're going LIVE on Youtube and LinkedIn at 6:45 PM CT TODAY! Subscribe and get notified HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/3NVpJB9Y6RM?si=8fblX2ftSUQNqXWj

In this podcast episode, hosted by Melanie Y. Evans, MS CCC-SLP, we'll delve into:

Personal experiences and anecdotes shared by our guests: Rachel Archambault, MA CCC-SLP, Jordyn Carroll, MS, CCC-SLP, and AC Goldberg, PhD CCC-SLP.

*The impact of political policies on clinical practice, access to care, and treatment approaches.
* Strategies for addressing bias and providing culturally sensitive care.
*The role of speech-language pathologists in advocacy and promoting social justice.
* Emerging trends and best practices for navigating these complex issues.

Don't miss this important conversation as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing speech-language pathologists in today's political and social landscape.

Ethnographic interviewing is an essential aspect of culturally responsive assessment. Here are some interview questions that can support you in your care for multicultural clients and families!

Sharing what was shared to me as a member of SIG 14, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: https://bit.ly/TNEthnographic

Did you know that caregiver education is essential to a child’s carryover/generalization of skills within the home, school, and community?

Creating understanding, responsive, respectful, and collaborative rapport with caregivers can yield to an environment where caregivers feel safe and encouraged to learn.

Clink the link below to gain insights on how a speech-language pathologist can integrate such an approach when providing caregiver training for augmentative and alternative communication and/or multimodal communication use (which involves all forms of communication use). 💞🤩✨💖

https://www.theinformedslp.com/reviews

Happy Aphasia Awareness Month!

Have you heard about the amazing program at San Francisco State University?

Their Gray Matter Lab is doing incredible work to support Black communities with aphasia!

Here's the deal: Black folks are more likely to experience aphasia (language difficulties after a stroke) but often feel isolated in traditional support groups.

The Gray Matter Lab stepped up! They created a virtual conversation group specifically for Black adults with aphasia, led by Black student clinicians. This culturally-sensitive space is a game-changer!

Why it matters: Participants finally have a safe space to share experiences, ask for advice, and connect with others who understand. This is HUGE for their well-being and recovery! ️

The challenge? We need more programs like this! There's a big need to address racial disparities in speech therapy. Let's talk about how to create a more inclusive healthcare system for everyone.

Read more on the ASHA Leader: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/2022-0614-black-aphasia-group/full/

I feel that this is the best kept secret in our field. Did you know there is a phonemic inventory list that helps us learn the dialectal differences in several different cultures??? You can view them HERE: https://www.asha.org/practice/multicultural/phono/

In 2020 after the George Floyd murder, I created an IG post titled "5 Ways to Support Black and Brown Children in Clinical and Education Settings." I repurposed the post into a poster to help service providers and educators better service multicultural children. You can get it here: https://tinyurl.com/supportBIPOCkids