"Revolutionize your speech therapy approach with insights from Deb Roy's 'Human Speechome Project'!"

This landmark study on language acquisition offers invaluable insights for speech pathologists. One of the key findings is the significance of consistent, repetitive word exposure in familiar settings for effective language learning. By sharing these insights with parents, therapists can encourage them to incorporate these strategies at home, maximizing the impact of therapy.

Roy's research also highlights the "vocabulary explosion," a phenomenon where children experience rapid language growth once foundational skills are established. By understanding this concept, speech pathologists can better tailor their approach to each child's developmental stage.

Incorporating these evidence-based insights into your practice can lead to more effective, targeted care, fostering successful language development in young patients.

Remember: Trauma is not about the event itself but how someone reacts to the event.

An example of a trauma-informed mindset: If a child is having a temper tantrum after not getting his way, think, "how can I help this child self-regulate?" rather than, "what is wrong with this child? (in a judgement tone)" Reframing our mindsets go a long way! I'll be putting out more information on the Pediatric Speech Sister Show! You can check out the latest episodes in the meantime here: tinyurl.com/pssmedia

Another way we can cultivate a trauma-informed mindset when working with diverse populations is to recognize that trauma looks different for different people. For example, what's traumatic for a child may be different than what's traumatic for an adult. Regardless, we should approach this child with care and take their traumatic reactions seriously and valid.

Although SLPs should consider the impact of trauma when working with multicultural populations, we should always know when to REFER. Do not stay out of our scope of practice. You can refer to the scope of practice here: https://www.asha.org/policy/sp2016-00343/

One way we can cultivate a trauma-informed mindset is to educate ourselves on how regulate our nervous systems!

Specialists should make it a PRIORITY to keep a trauma-informed approach in our daily practices!

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.

Here's an alternative way to introduce new words when working on parent coaching: rather than look into what word a child should say, determine what problem can be solved by using a word. For example, teaching the word "more," solves the problem of getting access to something that has gone away -- some juice, an activity, a song, etc. Core words, such as "more", allow children to use them for multiple purposes. "Robot", on the other hand, has limited utility and doesn't necessarily solve many problems in numerous environments. When a word solves a problem, the child is more likely to use that word throughout the day, thereby integrating it into their functional vocabulary.