The SLP Book Club

This week we're covering chapter four from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, "Puberty and the Blocked Transition to Adulthood." This chapter explores how the shift to a phone-based childhood disrupts the critical developmental transitions of puberty, delaying adolescents' progression toward adulthood. Haidt argues that the over-reliance on smartphones and social media reduces real-world ex...

This week we're covering chapter three from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, "The Great Rewiring: How Childhood Changed, 2010–2015." This chapter examines the rapid shift from play-based to phone-based childhoods during the early 2010s, which Haidt calls the "Great Rewiring." He argues that the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media fundamentally altered how children socializ...

This week we're covering chapter two from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This chapter is titled "What Children Need to Do in Childhood," and in it, Haidt explores the essential developmental needs of children, emphasizing the critical role of play in fostering resilience and social skills. He argues that unstructured, independent play allows children to test limits, navigate risks, and...

We're back after a two month hiatus and ready to tackle The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This week we're covering the Introduction and Chapter One. The introduction outlines how the shift from a play-based childhood to a screen-dominated one has disrupted healthy development. Haidt argues that this "great rewiring" of childhood, starting around 2010, correlates with increased anxiety, dep...

This week we're finishing up How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. We cover the final section, "The Next Generation," which was written by Adele Faber's daughter. We learn about how this style of parenting impacts children, and how those children later parent their own children. We also discuss tips and tricks she's learned as she's c...

This week we're reading chapter seven from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Putting It All Together. We discuss how to incorporate all the strategies we've learned in this book into our interactions with the kids we work with. We also cover some of the additional information from the end of the book, including the afterword, lett...

This week we're reading chapter six from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Freeing Children from Playing Roles. This chapter emphasizes how kids often get stuck in labels like "the shy one" or "the troublemaker," which can limit their growth. The authors suggest practical ways to help children break free from these roles by notici...

This week we're reading chapter five from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Praise. This chapter emphasizes the importance of using praise effectively to build a child’s self-esteem and motivation. The authors caution against vague or excessive praise, which can feel insincere or pressure children to constantly meet high expectati...

This week we're reading chapter four from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Encouraging Autonomy. This chapter focuses on helping children develop independence and decision-making skills. It emphasizes avoiding over-controlling behavior, which can undermine a child’s confidence and growth. Instead, the chapter suggests empowering...

This week we're reading chapter three from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Alternatives to Punishment. We discuss the authors' suggestions for what to do when children misbehave or get into trouble, including letting kids face the natural consequences of their actions and problem solving with the child to find solutions that wor...

This week we're reading chapter two from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish: Engaging Cooperation. We discuss how challenging it can be at times to respond to children empathetically, and then impact it can have when we don't. We cover the authors' five techniques for engaging cooperation: describing the problem, giving information,...

We've started a new book: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. We'll be reading this book for the next two months and discussing it in our online book club community each week! In this episode, we cover chapter one: Helping Children Deal with Their Feelings. We discuss the connection between how a child feels and the way he behaves,...

This week we're finishing up The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology  by Phuong Lien Palafox. Her final chapter is called "I See You, SLP" and truly captures the heart of our work. Phuong acknowledges how hard we work and how we go above and beyond for our students/clients. We discuss this chapter and our final thoughts on the book. We're taking November off and will be back to discuss How...

This week we're covering chapter six from The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology  by Phuong Lien Palafox. This chapter focuses on cultural competency, the importance of names, and the role of kindness in speech language pathology. Phuong emphasize the need for understanding diverse backgrounds and the significance of names in identity, advocating for compassion and equity all that we do....

This week we're covering chapter five from The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology  by Phuong Lien Palafox. Chapter five is called "Family Centered Practice" and focuses on the importance of building relationships with the families of the children we support. We discuss the importance of collaboration, trust, and respect when working with families. We start out this episode with a discussi...

This week we're covering chapters three and four from The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology  by Phuong Lien Palafox. Chapter three is called, "Lessons for Your Career" and in it, Phuong describes how to handle grief at work and the five most important lessons she's learned about being an SLP. Chapter four, "Effective Strategies for All Sessions," provides Phuong's approach to building co...

We're baaaaaack! In October we're reading The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology  by Phuong Lien Palafox. This book is written BY a speech-language pathologist FOR speech-language pathologists, and we're loving it. This week we cover the prologue and chapters one and two. We start out by discussing Phuong's family history and her journey to becoming an SLP. We cover the importance of know...

Today we're bringing you a special bonus episode, our interview with occupational therapist Katie Hamlin Pacheco. Katie is a former teacher turned occupational therapist and the author of "How to Be a Brain Executive: And Get Sensory Sharp!" If you support children who would benefit from understanding more about how their brain and sensory system work, you're going to love this interview with Kati...

This week we're wrapping up Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . We start with a conversation about Adrianne starting the new school year as a teletherapist (very demure, very mindful). Then we get into the recent news about Better Speech's AI speech therapist, Jessica. Will artificial intelligence replace speech therapists? Not likely. Then we cover the conclusion of Lisa Murphy, going through h...

This week we're covering chapter nine from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . This chapter covers the seven things: making sure children have time to move, create, sing, discuss, observe, read, and play EACH and EVERY day. We go through each of the seven things, linking activities children engage in to the four developmental domains of DAP. We also discuss the 16 different types of play categor...

This week we're covering chapter eight from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . The philosophical attribute of being child-centered in this chapter is, "Adults Are Aware of the Importance of Keeping it Real." We discuss the importance of real, relevant experiences for the young children we work with. No more plastic apples, cookie cutter craftivities, and worksheets! Give them real apples to pic...

This week we're covering chapters six and seven from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . Chapter six is called "Adults are able to articulate the intention behind their words and actions." We discuss intentional teaching and the importance of asking yourself why you're doing activities and who they're for. Chapter seven is "Adults are familiar with the key contributions of historical child devel...

This week we're covering chapter five from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered : "Adults Serve as Facilitators Within the Space." We discuss letting go of your need for control, how to "take ten" when making changes to your program, and how to anticipate the outcomes of these changes. We go over how this information applies to our work as SLPs and how we can let go, control the environment, and re...

This week we're discussing chapters three and four from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . Chapter three is called "Children Are Able to Explore the Environment with Few Restrictions, or You Really Don't Need a Lot of Rules." We discuss the idea of letting go of some rules we have in place, analyzing WHY we have the rules we have, and whether all of our rules are developmentally appropriate for...

This week we're discussing chapter two from Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered . The philosophical attribute covered in this chapter is "Children Have Lots of Outdoor Time." Sounds simple, right? This seems to be a topic Lisa Murphy is incredibly passionate about, and we can see why. She dispels myths and rumors surrounding outdoor play (can cold weather really make you sick??) and encourages us...