First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights

Guest: Stephanie Michelle Sweigart, MS CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by none other than the “Golden State SLP,” aka Stephanie Michelle Sweigart, MS CCC-SLP, to cover all things of Therapeutic Presence. If you’ve met Stephanie, then you know that a conversation with her feels like a warm hug. Why? Because she has spent years cultivating her emotional intelligence, regulation, and th...

Guest: Jennifer Ruckner, MS CCC-SLP, & Beth Cooper, MOT, OTR/L - Michelle, Jennifer, and Beth encourage you to don your detective cap, procure your magnifying glass, and let the sensory detective training begin. Jennifer and Beth offer foundational guidance on why an SLP needs to understand the unique sensory needs of the little ones we are called to serve. They offer strategies on how to crea...

Guest: Jenn Rubenstein, MS CCC-SLP - Have you ever stood in AWE watching an eye-gaze user navigate their communication device to express joy but were left scratching your head and wondering, “But how does it work?” In this episode, the ladies of “First Bite” are joined by Jenn Rubenstein, MS CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist and Clinical Account Executive for Eyegaze, to unlock the mysteries be...

Guest: Lindsay Stevens, MA CCC-SLP - Join Michelle and guest Lindsay Stevens, MA CCC-SLP, who brings her years of experience as a clinician and caregiver to help grow your evidenced-based practice regarding infant dysphagia. Are you unsure of what potential positional strategies you can employ to see little ones have joyful and successful feeds? If you have observed behaviors, signs, and symptoms...

Guest: Taylor Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Erin is joined by friend and colleague Taylor Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, to discuss mentor and mentee relationships when it comes to pediatric feeding disorders. In this niche of the speech pathology world, young and seasoned clinicians are constantly looking for support and mentorship to grow their skills for treating this specific population. Er...

Guest: April Helper, LPC - Michelle is joined for this truly powerful episode by April Helper, LPC, Founder and Executive Director of Adagio House. The Adagio House “exists to provide high-quality, trauma-informed, attachment-based services to all types of caregivers and their loved ones, regardless of their ability to pay.” They engage in comprehensive care through psychotherapy, holistic wellnes...

Michelle and her favorite co-host Erin Forward, MSP CCC-SLP, CLC, relive the best parts of the 2023 ASHA Convention: Igniting Innovation as it relates to all things neurodiversity-affirming care and pediatric feeding disorder. Michelle and Erin, who both volunteer in convention planning, as well as at the convention, attended several courses and are bringing their favorite new facts directly to yo...

Guest: Lillian Thompson Brown, MS CCC-SLP - Lillian's current research undertakings have been driven by passion from her personal experiences as a younger sibling to an autistic brother. If you, too, have been despairing over the extensive wait times that little ones and their caregivers have to endure in the process of obtaining an ASD diagnosis, then despair no more. If you have been frustra...

Guests: Juliet Ochura, MS CCC-SLP, CLC, Kerry Pearl, MS CCC-SLP, CLC, & Jennifer Perez, MS CCC-SLP, CLC - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Juliet, Kerry, and Jennifer, a fabulous trio of colleagues from Boston Medical Center, to discuss all things “Breaking Down Barriers to PFD Care." These brilliant leaders have witnessed first-hand the health equity barriers that numerous patients...

Guests: Rebekah Wada, ABD, CCC-SLP and Megan Israelsen-Augenstein, PhD, CCC-SLP - In the last few years, the field of speech-language pathology has increased its attention on the understanding and use of implementation science. But what is implementation science? And how is it useful for practicing speech-language pathologists? In this hour, Michelle hosts Dr. Rebekah Wada and Dr. Megan IIsraelsen...

Guest: Jerrold Jackson, MA, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Jerrold Jackson, who embodies the meaning of servant-led leadership. His compassion for colleagues and students is abundant. This heartfelt conversation, which definitely exceeds our hour-long average, gets to the core of what it means to serve one another and our field as advocates, mentors, and sponsors and how to do so...

In this episode, Michelle and Erin are back together to discuss one of Erin’s favorite topics, “Neurodiversity Affirming Feeding Therapy.” The term “Neurodiversity Affirming” has grown in frequency of usage; as such, it should. However, many of us went through graduate school before this phrase became part of our everyday lexicon. We probably did not have explicit instruction on how to embrace and...

Guest: Valerie James Abbott - If you work as a pediatric speech-language pathologist with the birth through 8-year-old population on speech sound disorders and/or language acquisition, this is the hour for you. Valerie is here to educate us all on potential risk factors for late childhood onset hearing loss, including the dangers of the cytomegalovirus. Did you know that this virus can appear as a...

Guest: Lauren Hastings, MS, CCC-SLP - For this passionate conversation, Lauren addresses common myths and roadblocks to setting up a private practice and then empowers us all to overcome them. So, if you need help with credentialing and have never heard of a “CAQH” or a “clearing house,” then don’t worry! Lauren will cover all these questions and more in this episode.

Guests: Caroline Brindo, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S & Steven Sireci, MD - Not all of us will have the professional opportunity to conduct video fluoroscopic instrumental swallow evaluations; however, most of us will encounter pediatric patients, clients, or students who are in need of one. When that happens, it is common for the caregiver to ask, “What’s going to happen?”, “Will the barium hurt?”, “Wi...

Guest: R. Danielle Scott, PhD, CCC-SLP - Dr. Dani shares the definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in this hour and how they pertain to the CSD community as clinical practitioners and faculty. The conversation lays out specific steps that faculty members can utilize to engage in anti-racism instruction, as well as steps clinicians can take to center diversity, equity, and inclusion into...

Guest: Karen McWaters, MOT, OTR/L - This course will integrate theories and ideas from the previous three courses to dive deep into what we are actually asking our patients to do in sessions. How do we truly analyze the task and work to find the just right challenge to help them grow within their zone of proximal development while also helping them feel successful? Karen and Erin will explore the...

Guest: Karen McWater, MOT, OTR/L - As SLPs, we can often look at speech and language development in isolation, as our formal assessments encourage us to do; however, it is imperative that we learn from our occupational and physical therapy colleagues regarding motor learning principles and how they parallel those of language development. When we get out of our box, we can further understand the ch...

Guest: Karen McWaters, MOT, OTR/L - With all the therapy tools we have access to, all the worksheets, toys, and bubbles, it is important to understand that you are your own best tool. Karen and Erin discuss the role of effect and attunement to truly connect with children and their caregivers in sessions. They discuss the intentional relationship model and how we clinicians can use it to truly iden...

Guest: Karen McWaters, MOT, OTR/L - As SLPs, we have, in the past, passed all of our questions regarding sensory systems and regulation off to our OT counterparts due to their expansive education on the subject. However, it is time that we sit at the same table and have a conversation about sensory and its role in communication. A child needs to be regulated to grow their communication skills, and...

Guest: Meg Simione, Ph. D., CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Meg Simione, Ph. D., CCC-SLP, a clinician-scientist focusing on infant and child feeding and growth and implementing innovations to improve care delivery. One of the hardest aspects of the “Pediatric Feeding Disorder” diagnosis to grasp can be the “psychosocial" domain. Why? As clinicians, we were trained to focus on...

Guest: Hallie Sherman, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Hallie Sherman discusses all things about working with older elementary-age students. If you’re a “First Bite” listener but work with older elementary-age students or are considering leaving the world of early intervention and jumping to the school setting, this is the motivational hour for you. Hallie shares her tips on the trade in how to est...

Guest: Amy Miller Sonntag, SLPD, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Amy Miller Sonntag, SLPD, CCC-SLP, a faculty member in the OSU Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology Certificate Program and the current secretary of the USSAAC (United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Board. The ability to say “No!”, the ability to say “Yes!”, the ability to name repr...

In this episode, Michelle and Erin tackle the joy of episodic care for the treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorder. For those who are used to productivity requirements, understand that those percentages are probably substandard during the summer months. But what if those weekly sessions for a year-long plan of care that adhere to tight productivity regimens may not be optimal for your patient or c...

Guest: Amanda Pericles, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Amanda Pericles, MS, CCC-SLP (She/Her/Ella), a bilingual speech-language pathologist working in Charlotte, NC. Amanda, a Black Dominican-American daughter of immigrant parents and a simultaneous Spanish-English language learner engages in a crucial conversation today regarding her personal experiences as a member of the B...