Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP

First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights

First Bite is your go-to resource for all things pediatric speech therapy–covering pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, lactation, AAC, early language acquisition, advocacy, and interprofessional collaboration. Designed to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, the podcast brings functional, evidence-based insights straight to clinicians serving little ones and their caregivers. Whether you’re a student, seasoned practitioner, researcher, or interprofessional partner, First Bite invites you to listen, learn, and grow alongside a supportive community. Gain the confidence...

Author

Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP

Category

Education

Podcast website

www.speechtherapypd.com

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

Where to listen?

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Episodes

Dysphagia Awareness with Dysphagia Outreach Project 02.06.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** The Dysphagia Outreach Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide meaningful assistance to individuals affected by dysphagia. Today on the show, we invite Allie Mataras, Amanda Weissberg, Allison Boyer, Jessica Lasky, Hillary Cooper, and Michelle Coffaro from the Dysphagia Outreach Project’s Board of Directors to talk about...

Acute Care for the PFD Patient with Dana Entwistle 26.05.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Dana Entwistle, MS, CCC-SLP Today, we are really lucky to have an amazing person and fantastic clinician join us on the show! Dana Entwistle is a pediatric feeding clinical specialist at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we get to hear all about what that entails from her. She goes into her personal journey in t...

Pediatric Dysphagia and Progressive Disorders with Erin Forward 21.05.2021

Guest: Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP, CLC In this episode, Michelle is once again joined by her favorite cohost, Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP, CLC, as they tackle the tricky topic of progressive disorders and pediatric dysphagia. Palliative Care and Hospice are two words that are often avoided in the world of pediatrics; however, in honor of Pediatric Feeding Disorder Month, Michelle and Erin are going...

All Things SOFFI® with Dr. Erin Ross, PhD, CCC-SLP 12.05.2021

Guest: Dr. Erin Ross, PhD, CCC-SLP - Today we have an extra special episode that we are so excited to share with all of our listeners! Dr. Erin Ross, the brains and heart behind the SOFFI course, joins us today to talk about her amazing career in feeding therapy, her work developing the SOFFI method, thoughts moving forward, and so much more! We get into a deep and impactful discussion on the less...

Interprofessional Practice for the NICU with Casey Lewis 05.05.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Casey Lewis, MS CCC-SLP, CNT, NTMTC As SLPs, we are always part of a team, and it is crucial that we learn from those we collaborate with to ensure we provide our patients with the best care. We cannot offer the best treatment if we do not know what our other team members are doing. Not only do we have to learn from professional fields, b...

The Power of Gratitude and Parent Coaching with Marie Muratalla 28.04.2021

In this episode, the presenter who works with preschool aged patients, shares her keen insight into how to embrace parent coaching with school aged little ones, the benefits of focusing on gratitude with routines based intervention for EI and preschoolers, and how embedding acts of gratitude with these ages and their caregivers can bring joy to the entire team. Get your pencils and journals ready…...

Connecting the Dots Between PFD and Neurogenic Conditions with Erin Forward 14.04.2021

Have you ever noticed a trend on your pediatric feeding disorder caseload in which you see a couple of patients with similar GI complaints, or similar cardiopulmonary complaints, but there is an unknown etiology? Michelle and Erin spend this hour reviewing the technical details of what a pediatric feeding disorder is, various types of neurogenic conditions that you may commonly encounter, and how...

Self-Care for the SLP in a Hurry with Kayla Duncan 06.04.2021

Michelle is joined by the effervescent Kayla Duncan, MS in Applied Psychology, Francis Marion University’s Assistant Director of Counseling and Testing, adjunct professor, and advocate for student and clinician’s mental health. The presenters spend an hour getting into the details on signs and symptoms of caregiver fatigue and burnout, quick functional strategies that you can implement lying in be...

Cultural Conversations with ‘Made in India SLP' with Rabab Rangwala and Kinnari Satra 30.03.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** In this hour, Michelle is joined by Rabab Rangwala, M.S., CCC-SLP & Kinnari Satra, M.S., CCC-SLP, cohosts of the “Made in India SLP” Podcast! Rabab and Kinnari share experiences and evidence on improving cultural competency when completing assessments and treatments for individuals with both language and swallowing disorders, including detai...

The Case for Pediatric Chronic Cough with Andrea Storie 24.03.2021

Guest: Andrea Storie, M, ClSc, CCC-SLP - In this episode Michelle is joined by Andrea Storie, MCLSC CCC-SLP, a professional whose focus is on evaluation and treatment of pediatric chronic cough and voice disorders. Whenever a pediatric feeding disorder SLP hears a child cough, instantly our ears perk up and we start wondering, “What is going on in there?” But did you know that some children develo...

Functional Language Therapy Tips You Can Implement Tomorrow with Erin Forward 18.03.2021

In this course, Michelle is joined by Erin Forward, and they’re back this month with functional strategies for language. They discuss how to embrace language acquisition within the framework of routines-based-intervention, the power of play, and how to encourage culturally competent language even with AAC.

Cari Ebert, MS CCC-SLP and Early Intervention Take II 10.03.2021

Cari inspires colleagues with her P.I.E. analogy and offers functional strategies on what an appropriate parent-driven outcome really looks like with respect to goal writing. If you’ve ever worried about best practice for the dreaded data collection, breathe a sigh of relief, and brace yourself for side splitting laughter, while Cari and Michelle speak the truth on data for Early Intervention.

Grace and Grief: Strategies for SLPs in this Season of Life with Lisa Bjelland, MSW, PsyD, and Monte Torkelsen, M.Div 02.03.2021

In this episode Michelle is joined by Lisa Bjelland MSW and Psy D, who works as a trauma therapist and Monte Torkelsen, M Div, President of Abba's Child Grief Camps for an hour dedicated to finding grace in grief. The caregivers of our little ones that we work with can struggle through the various stages of grief. We, the licensed SLP on the interprofessional practice team, can also struggle w...

Polyvagal Theory and Practical Implications for Therapy with Dillen Hartley 23.02.2021

In this hour, Dillen, OTR/L sheds light on the polyvagal theory and how this theory, that most of us haven’t heard of, impacts the patients that we evaluate. If you have a patient that has a past medical history of PTSD, ADD, ADHD, ASD, (and the list goes on), and they are struggling to attend and regulate, did you know that it could be a direct result of an impairment or delay in their fear respo...

Functional Feeding Therapy Tips You Can Implement Tomorrow with Erin Forward 18.02.2021

If you are working in the world of Early Intervention, or thinking about making the switch, but unsure of how to implement routines-based intervention within the framework of treating a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), then this hour on functional feeding strategies for you. Michelle and Erin walk you through how routines-based intervention allows you to ditch that dread bag of toys and chewys fo...

Pediatric Instrumental Swallow Study: Ready or Not with Leslie Wilfong 10.02.2021

At least once in our careers, we have all struggled with the question, “But does this little one need an instrumental swallow evaluation?” Sometimes, we feel that we are over referring for instrumentals, other times, we may feel that we are not sending the patients out frequently enough. In this course, our presenters help answer this question with functional guidelines to help lead us in our evid...

The Dire Need for Diversity and Inclusion Training for SLPs: The How-To-Guide with Haley Jones 04.02.2021

Guest: Haley Jones, CAE - Michells is joined by Haley Jones, CAE, former manager of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Academy, which was the recipient of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Gold Circle Award. Haley, who has a unique talent for program development, is here today to discuss how we can be the source of permanent positive change through th...

Cultural Competency in Leadership with Sonya Floyd 27.01.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Sonya Floyd, MEd, CCC-SLP Michelle is joined by Sonya Floyd, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, immediate Past President of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association (GSHA). If you have ever considered taking on leadership roles in your state association, this episode is for you. As a profession, we are all aware of the importance of actively engaging...

Continued Conversations on Clinical Case Studies with Erin Forward 20.01.2021

Co-Host: Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP - To kick off their first episode of 2021, Michelle and Erin, tackle one of their favorite topics, clinical case studies for evaluation and treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders. In this hour the ladies address some current clinical needs for individuals that have signs and symptoms of neurogenic based PFD, congenital heart defect (CHD) induced PFD, and esoph...

The Art of Bridging Evidence into Practice with Rebekah Wada 13.01.2021

Guest: Rebekah Wada, ABD, MS CCC-SLP - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Rebekah Wada, ABD, MS CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University, who is a Doctoral Candidate in Disability Disciplines with a specialization in Speech-Language Pathology at Utah State University. Rebekah is here to share her passion of Implementation Sciences. In a nutshell, t...

SGD of the 21st Century with Control Bionics with Lane Rials 07.01.2021

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Lane Rials, MS, CCC-SLP The presenters discuss how our own implicit biases in AAC can hinder our patients’ progress, how to access AAC for individuals with complex mobility needs, and how Neural Nod uses EMG to give a voice to those in need. If you are on the hunt for the latest evolution in functional AAC SGD to give your little ones the...

Ethical Dilemmas for Clinical Audiologists and Clinical Speech Language Pathologists with Dakota Sharp 30.12.2020

Guest: Dakota Sharp, Au. D., CCC-A - In this episode Michelle is joined by Dakota Sharp, AuD, CCC-A, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of SC, as well as fellow podcaster, host behind “On the Ear”, also sponsored by Speechtherapypd.com. For this hour, Dakota, the straight shooting Audiologist, brings a series of unfortunately common Clinical Case conundrums designed for the practicing...

Establishing a Healthy Scope of Practice with Erin Forward 16.12.2020

Co-Host: Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP - In this episode Michelle is joined by her regular co-host extraordinaire Erin Forward, MSP CCC-SLP, soon to be CLC. In this episode Michelle and Erin wrap out their final 2020 episode by having one of their most crucial conversations…how to recognize what your specific Scope of Practice is within the incredibly diverse field that we belong too, as well as how...

Pediatric Dysphagia via Teletherapy - Madeline Raatz 09.12.2020

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Madeline Raatz - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Madeline Raatz, Senior Speech Language Pathologist from Children’s Health Queensland…yes, that Queensland…from the land down under! In case you missed it, Michelle and Madeline tackled Evaluation and Treatment of PFD in Episode 11 of “Talking Teletherapy: A Speech Therapy Podcast” at...

Food Freedom with the Get Permission Approach with Marsha Dunn Klein 03.12.2020

*** This episode is not available for ASHA CEUs.**** Guest: Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA In this episode, Michelle is joined by Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MED, FAOTA, the guru behind the Get Permission Approach and the author of the new PFD treatment book, “Anxious Eaters, Anxious Mealtimes: Practical and Compassionate Strategies for Mealtime Peace.” If you’ve ever struggled with how to bri...

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