1260 Hours

Musings and resources from a pediatric speech language pathologist.

[1260hours]

[rar22]

[fakescience]

5 Classic Children’s Books, Improved By Science

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[languageramblings]

A Small Compilation of Online Bilingual Dictionaries

WordReference - 15 languages in total, an invaluable resource

Collins - has French, German, Spanish, and Italian

Oxford Dictionaries - French, German, Spanish, Italian, Arabic

Larousse - dictionaries for French to English, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, and Arabic

Dict.cn - Chinese website, Chinese to English, Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian

[1260hours]

Job #2, Week #1

Last week was orientation for my new job with a clinical therapy practice.  The first day consisted of cramming as much information as possible into our brains, followed by four days of shadowing therapists in the clinic and early intervention settings.  Even though I have yet to really get my hands wet, I’m feeling really positive about this new position.  Here are some takeaways from my first week:

- My colleagues are all therapists!  I did enjoy working with dedicated teachers and administrators in the school district, but it will be nice to be surrounded by other SLPs (and OTs) who actually know what I do and can support me on a daily basis.  Plus my boss seems fantastic. 

- More often than not, I will be seeing kids one-on-one, for 60 minutes.  What kind of nonsense is this?!  One solid hour of therapy time to dedicate to one child?  And I don’t have to rush him back for specials or recess?  Craziness.

- The therapists check in with the parent/family at the start of the session and fill them in at the end.  As in, they see and interact with families every week.  Even more so when you are working in early intervention.  Another huge difference from working in the schools, and one I’m very much looking forward to.  

- This practice serves kids birth to 18... it will be fun to explore a greater range of ages and needs, even though I will definitely need to brush up on certain skills.  

- Many sessions are conducted with an occupational therapist!  It was great to observe this co-treatment, and I can already tell I’ll be learning a great deal about sensory needs that will be helpful in my own sessions. 

- Of course, there’s that tiny part about losing the school schedule and having virtually no paid time off for awhile... but I’m hoping the positive parts of the job will outweigh that for now! 

[newyorker]

Is There a “Gay Voice”?

Michael Schulman reviews a documentary that considers how specific linguistic traits can both liberate and stereotype.

Image courtesy Sundance Selects / Everett

[1260hours]

“The subject sounds slight, but Thorpe digs surprisingly deep, asking questions about stereotypes and self-loathing that are seldom asked. (Try saying that last sentence out loud with a lisp.) Putting himself on camera, Thorpe visits a speech therapist who points out his “upspeak,” his “nasality,” and his “singsong pattern.” He talks to a linguistics professor, a film historian, and a Hollywood voice coach who trains actors to sound straighter. He interviews gay public figures, including David Sedaris, Tim Gunn, Don Lemon, and George Takei, who have had to listen to themselves for a living. He even asks people on the street if they think he sounds gay. “I woulda just maybe lumped you in with the artsy-fartsy,” one woman tells him.

The subject turns out to be a minefield, because what’s more connected to personality than the way we speak?”

I really want to see this! 

[thelegalizeddeafies]

Parents may feel that their deaf child is missing a lot in life, like being unable to hear dragonflies buzzing, the wind whistling through the trees or the roaring of a waterfall. Such regrets are unnecessary: the deaf child perceives things in a different fashion: the zig-zagging dragonfly’s iridescent wings vibrating in the sunlight, the breeze, the leaves trembling high above , the cool, white spray rising from the waterfall.

Roger J. Carver (via thelegalizeddeafies)

[1260hours]

Mom Creates Clothing Line for Children With Autism

"First of all, they deserve better than t-shirts and baggy sweatpants," Lauren Thierry said.

[1260hours]

Migraine Aphasia

Monday night I had the worst migraine I have had to date.  It started off with my typical visual aura, followed by throbbing pressure on one side of my head and accompanied by some aggressive nausea.  However, about four hours in, the aura returned, and with it came some unsettling neurological symptoms such as a numb right hand and right side of my tongue.  Needless to say I was pretty miserable. 

Then came the aphasia.  As an SLP, the sensation of losing my words and even speaking some jibberish was almost more fascinating than it was scary.  I knew exactly what I wanted to convey, but could not find the right words to say it.  Sometimes I would come up with an incorrect, but real, word (e.g. calling my phone a ‘purse’), and other times, a jumble of sounds came out to form a nonsense word or phrase.  I understood that what I was saying did not match what I was thinking.  It was very surreal.  Not to mention I was completely out of it from dehydration and pain, so the whole episode was nuts.  Luckily, I was aware of what I was experiencing and also knew that my dad used to get apasiac episodes with migraines.  Without this knowledge, I’m sure I would have been more scared than I was. 

The nurses in the ER gave me plenty of liquids and (finally) some good meds for the pain and nausea.  Two days later I’m starting to come out of the post-migraine fog, ready with a new prescription to try the next time a migraine catches me out of the blue (which I hope is not for a long time). 

I know I’ve barely brushed awareness of how a patient with aphasia may feels in that bizarre moment where thoughts and speech just don’t match up.  But if nothing else, I may have a tiny glimpse into a potential client’s experiences in the future. 

[1260hours]

Summer Postcards for Social and Language Skills

As the school year winds down, parents often ask me for easy summer activities to support goals we’ve been addressing all year. Some of my favorite tips involve postcards. Dear Me Writing a daily p...

[1260hours]

I'm starting my CF in a school, and I've heard that it may be hard to move to a new setting. As in, hard to find work/get hired elsewhere once you've been at a school. Did you find that to be true? Do you see your peers making easy transitions from schools to other settings?

Hi there, thanks for the message!  I have actually seen my SLP friends move around quite a bit in terms of employment.  Several grad school friends and I all began in the same district, and I was one of the only ones left after 4 years.  Following their year or two in the schools, they were able to find jobs with clinics, private practices, learning centers, etc.  As for myself, I only interviewed with two employers before accepting this new position.  I felt confident in the interview coming into another pediatric population, as being in a school provided me experience with a range of ages and disorders, with assessment and intervention alike.

I do see how it might be difficult to move from a generalistic school setting to a very specialized practice.  For example, I have zero experience with feeding/swallowing other than what I learned in grad school.  It would also be hard for me to transition to an adult-focused position, as all of my internship and employment experiences have been with children.

That said... you won’t be stuck anywhere!  There is a high demand for SLPs in many settings, and the school is a great place to start.  Best of luck with your CF! 

[1260hours]

I’ve missed you!

Fellow SLPs and tumblr followers, are you still there?!

I’ve neglected this blog for months now, and I’ve decided to regroup and start fresh.  Not only because I miss documenting my experiences, but also because I’m about to start a new chapter of SLP-hood!  After four years in the schools, I am preparing for a new (pediatric) job that involves clinic work as well as in-home early intervention.  It will be a big change, but I’m ready to try something new!  So interested to see how it compares to life as a school SLP.  And yes, unfortunately this also means I’m giving up the AMAZING school schedule.  In just over a week I say goodbye to three-month summers and 1-2 week holiday vacations.  Hoping it’s worth it.

[1260hours]

Comprehensive list of assessments from ASHA.