I'll be sharing my story and the story of many others at ASHA 2023 this year with the topic, "Child Sexual Assault in Black and Latinx Communities: Implications for Speech-Language Pathologists." Here are some things to expect from this presentation:
* SLPs ethical responsibility in sexual assault intervention
* Unique challenges of Black and Latinx children regarding sexual assault
* Prevalence of sexual assault in these communities
* Strategies for interdisciplinary practice
* Ways we can create safe spaces in the clinical setting

This is a heavy topic. I know! But I know this is important to unveil..

Balancing our careers with our social lives can be challenging. For example, my birthday is on Monday but the only thing I can think of is the fact that next week is part 1 of COMPs week. This means I have a comprehensive online exam one day, and an oral panel the next consisting of 2 case studies we have to analyze in front of our professors. This is arguably the most stressful part of my graduate school journey because these 2 days determine whether I officially get my Master's degree. Because of this, I have ignored planning my birthday so that I can focus on studying and student teaching. However, I realize I can have a fun birthday and a successful COMPs experience. So today, I looked at possible venues for my birthday and found one I liked. Now, I just have to decide when the festivities will be.

What I want you to take away from my story: Being a graduate student or SLP is just one part of your life. You can enjoy your life outside of the therapy room. It may be hard to schedule the time, but it is important to take care of your mental health. Explore your hobbies and interests and find joy outside of your career.

Hey #slp2be 💕 Are you in your first semester of graduate school and feel like you’re a huge imposter? Read the 3 things you need to know👇🏽

1. You are here to LEARN 🧠. You are not expected to know it all yet. Make notes of what you need to improve on and set aside time in your schedule to review/relearn these concepts. Do your research, go to office hours, listen to SLP podcasts, and/or form a study group!

2. Be your own clinician 🌟. You can’t always rely on other people to give you “the answer.” You are going to have to make decisions using your clinical instincts and figure out ways to make your therapy sessions engaging and intentional. Don’t try to be like everyone else. Understand your strengths and utilize them throughout your entire grad school journey.

3. Focus on the POSITIVES 🫶🏽 It can be easy to get caught up in everything that went “wrong” during a session, without acknowledging any of the parts that went right. Give yourself credit for all of your wins (e.g. you have established good rapport with your client, you improvised when your client didn’t like the activity you brought, you remembered to collect data, etc.). This is the time to make mistakes because they’re all opportunities to learn and grow as a clinician.

💬 Comment down below what you’re struggling with as a first semester (or year) graduate student?

Hi fam! If you're curious about how to be culturally responsive during deaf and hard of hearing intervention, check out my Youtube LIVE replay episode with Germaine Graham, MS CCC-SLP here: https://www.youtube.com/live/_-MkfjHP394?si=NjHHLyBhfvMQnkXv

Do you know what "Audism" means? According to Tom Humphries (1975), Audism is "the notion that one is superior based on one's ability to hear or to behave in the manner of one who hears."

If you interested in learning more Audism against deaf and hard of hearing communities, check out this article: https://www.britannica.com/topic/audism

Do you know what "Audism" means? According to Tom Humphries (1975), Audism is "the notion that one is superior based on one's ability to hear or to behave in the manner of one who hears."

If you interested in learning more Audism against deaf and hard of hearing communities, check out this article: https://www.britannica.com/topic/audism

How can we stop perpetuating the school-to-prison pipeline from a neurodiversity perspective?

I am excited to collaborate with more SLPs on this topic! Details coming soon. In the meantime, check out this article on how we can collectively stop the school to prison pipeline:

https://www.aclu-wa.org/blog/stinks-don-t-perpetuate-school-prison-pipeline

One thing I am trying to work on during this Student Teaching semester, is my documentation skills.

With such a large caseload, it can get overwhelming trying to complete all the SOAP notes. So, to help make my documentation quicker and more effective, I must ensure I am taking sufficient data with notes on how my student is responding to different cues and prompts as well as any important behaviors or concerns that may be present (e.g. if my DHH student does not have a charged RM system; a student not having their proper devices or supports like glasses; etc.).

Each week, I take on more groups, so I am excited to see how my documentation improves by the time this Fall semester ends!

I'm a graduate student and had a situation where I picked up the wrong child (thinking they were a girl), and their paperwork says they are a boy. What would be the culturally appropriate way to address this situation?

Have you heard of the term, INTERSECTIONALITY? We hear about intersectionality a lot when we talk about culture and society. But what exactly is intersectionality? Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and expert in critical race theory, says intersectionality is "how systems of oppression overlap to create distinct experiences for people with multiple identity categories.” According to Crenshaw, we can think of our unique cultures as “roads,” and intersectionality is where these roads intersect.