First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights

Guest: Susanne Cook, PhD - Dr. Susanne is a speech-language pathologist, and Chair of the International Cluttering Association. If you haven’t heard of cluttering before, don’t worry, numerous colleagues around the world haven’t either and Dr. Susanne is here to fix that. This conversation has it all: the differences between stuttering and cluttering, how cluttering is diagnosed and where to find...

Guest: Michelle Therrien, Ph. D. - Dr. Therrien is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University. Dr. Michelle directs the “AAC Connect Lab,” and her research focuses on building connections to support improved quality of life for individuals who use AAC, focusing on creating friendships through communication. So, if you’ve ever wondered ab...

Guests: Charlene Fregosi, PT, C/PAA-Instructor, and Ilene Sperling, MA, CCC-SLP, C-PAA-Instructor - If you tuned into episode #193, “Pediatric Feeding Disorder and the NICU: Best Practice for Discharge,” then you heard Cuyler Romeo, MOT, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, mention the “Institute for Perception-Action Approach,” (of which she is a founding member). Well, Folks, that’s what this episode is dedicat...

Guest: Jackie Rodriguez, MS CCC-SLP - Jackie discusses health literacy and how it impacts our assessment and treatment of feeding and swallowing disorders, especially for individuals from different cultures. Diving further, Jackie transitions to dispelling myths about cultural diets and health in minority communities. Finally, to close the hour, Jackie suggests incorporating culture into feeding a...

Guest: Melissa Davis, MS CCC-SLP - Melissa is the owner of Speech Therapy for Kids and co-owner of Kids Therapy Spot with clinics in Starkville and Columbus, MS. Melissa, who is known for her pediatric feeding disorder advocacy work, especially with Feeding Matters, joins to discuss the unique challenges of serving patients in a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC). Never heard of a PPEC? Don...

Guest: Erin Redle Sizemore, Ph. D. CCC-SLP. - Dr. Sizemore, who has engaged in PFD treatment and research for over 20 years, spends this hour discussing the growth in the field of pediatric feeding disorder. From our humble beginnings of psychology-based behavioral interventions to “change agent” implementation science leadership to current interprofessional practice-driven care, especially for th...

Guest: Joan C. Arvedson, Ph. D., CCC/SLP, BCS-S, ASHA-Fellow - Dr. Arvedson, an expert in pediatric dysphagia and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), is known worldwide for her extensive lifelong work on behalf of the littlest patients we serve. She has published three textbooks for pediatric dysphagia, countless articles in peer-reviewed journals, served as a Clinical Professor in the Division of G...

In this episode, Michelle and Erin are bringing the highlights of the ASHA Convention 2022 to you. So, if you couldn’t make your way to the “Big Easy” this past November, the ladies of “First Bite” have you covered with some of their favorite eye-opening, evidenced-based practice expanding, and joyful tips for growing as a pediatric clinician. So, if you want to learn more about aspects of motor l...

Guest: Erin Gravino Jeffords, OTR/L, MS, PAMCO, CBIS - Erin Jeffords, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy with Lenoir-Rhyne University, discusses the impact of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and how it impacts patient’s access to care. Geographical location, access to reliable transportation, access to reliable forms of communication, and even access to affordable internet can all im...

In this episode, Michelle and Erin deep dive into one of Erin’s favorite topics, “The Intentional Relationship Model.” This model, which is well understood within the occupational therapy world, is just starting to carry over into the speech therapy realm. So, join Michelle and Erin for an hour dedicated to interprofessional education for improved interprofessional practice. By the end, you’ll bet...

Guest: Kia Noelle Johnson, Ph. D., CCC-SLP - Michelle is joined once again by Dr. Johnson, the Associate Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, member of the ASHA Board of Ethics, and Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing. The last time Dr. Johnson was a guest on “First Bite” was in February 2020. A...

Guests: Donna Edwards, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S & Elizabeth Daly, MS, CCC-SLP - If you have heard about the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders (NFOSD) but were unsure about what this phenomenal non-profit organization does, then this is the hour for you!! Founded by individuals with dysphagia and lead speech-language pathologists in the field of dysphagia, NFOSD has grown tremendously since...

Guest: Morgan Oates, MA CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Morgan, a Ph. D. student in the Speech and Hearing Science Department at The Ohio State University with a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Disability Studies. Morgan’s research interests include the implications of double empathy theory in terms of the effects of neurotype on language and communication, neurodiver...

Guest: Sarah Grier Brumfield, MS, CCC-SLP - Sarah shares tips for successfully navigating a clinical fellowship year. Graduate school may lay the foundation for clinical knowledge and skills for one's CF. Still, advocacy, resiliency, mentorship, and establishing healthy boundaries are crucial to ensuring a positive clinical fellowship experience. But where does a CF turn to for advice and guid...

Guest: Allison Bean, Ph. D., CCC-SLP - The episode is dedicated to understanding and growing our knowledge of the neurodiversity affirming practice. Allison, Associate Professor with The Ohio State University, and Topic Co-Chair for the Autism Committee for ASHA 2023 in Boston, who focuses her research on language development in nonspeaking autistic individuals and outcomes in individuals who use...

Guests: Donna Edwards, MA CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA, Memorie Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, & Georgia Malandraki, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA - The guests hold a crucial conversation regarding the ethical utilization of social media as it correlates to pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. We have all had those moments when we are scrolling on our phones and seen a post that either made us leap...

Guest: Clay Hadden, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Clay Hadden joins Michelle to discuss evidence-based approaches for AAC. Clay is a proponent of functional access and implementation of AAC and spends the hour discussing common barriers and pitfalls new AAC clinicians fall into, such as difficulty in authentic vocabulary selection, communication breakdowns in caregiver coaching, and the most comm...

Guests: Fe Murray, EdD, CCC-SLP, Raquel Garcia, SLPD, CCC-SLP, CNT, BCS-S & Sofia Carias, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle and Erin are joined by industry leaders from across the nation to hold intimate conversations on how our faith and cultures influence our practice as pediatric speech-language pathologists. These two hours is an outgrowth of a lifetime of experiences shared by all t...

Guest: Inez Esparza, a Spanish Certified Medical Interpreter, and ASHA Certified SLPA - As a profession, speech-language pathology has an abundance of English-speaking clinicians evaluating and treating individuals who may not or do not speak English. So, where does that leave the monolingual licensed SLP? How can they best engage in that patient’s care to provide optimal outcomes? The Answer is t...

Guests: Tamala Close, MS, CCC-SLP & Britney Desir, MS, CCC-SLP - In this episode, Tamala and Britney bring their years of expertise to inspire us to take that leap of faith and start our own private practices. Unsure of where to begin, never heard of an “NPI Number”, afraid of writing a business plan, overwhelmed by potential overhead costs? Breathe deep, grab your favorite pen and notebook, a...

Guest: Jeanne Marshall, Ph. D, B Sp. Path - Are you ready to understand the differences between being an SLP in Australia? Then join Michelle and Dr. Marshall as they deep dive into research on operant vs. systematic desensitization treatment for Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) and better understand the invaluable role of simulation for PFD treatment.

Guest: Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP - Corinne spends the hour educating listeners about the early stages of Gestalt language processing, celebrating the beauty of this learning style, effectively incorporating it into augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and then how to put it all to music! So get your instruments and speech-generating devices ready because, by the end, you’ll want to e...

Guest: Betsy Pilon - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Betsy, the Executive Director of “Hope for Acquired Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).” This hour is a deeply profound conversation as one mom shares her journey of advocacy and empowerment, inspiring and educating us along the way. Join in as the topics of causes and current treatment for HIE. are presented. Potential long-term impac...

Guest: Maggie Sudimack, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC - If you’re new to the world of infant feeding, Maggie shares insights to help guide your first steps for the patient’s first sips. Highlights include the role of the SLP in a lactation evaluation, how to transition from breastfeeding to bottle feeding, and how to coach a caregiver through all these processes.

In this episode, Michelle and Erin are holding crucial conversations regarding current evidence-based practice for pediatric feeding disorders. We all hear the myths and see the pseudoscience that is bantered around social media platforms as “evidence.” How much of this information is accurate? How much of it was designed to grow followers instead of disseminating current EBP information that will...