ASHA Voices

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 crea...

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 eme...

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.

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 Stan...

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...

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-bas...

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...

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.

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 character...

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.

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 joi...

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 s...

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.

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 acc...

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 h...

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...

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.

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 hea...

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 awaren...

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 fina...

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...

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...

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+ cauc...

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....

This interview was originally published in January 2021. 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....