The Informed SLP

Ear tubes, grommets, ventilation tubes… whatever you call them, you’ve definitely encountered them. Parents might report them on a case history or ask you if their child would benefit from them. It feels logical: ear infections impact hearing, and hearing impacts speech and spoken language development. But does research show they always improve speech-language outcomes? Check out our review "Do ear tubes speak volumes? The uncertain impact of grommets on speech and language" at https://lnkd.in/gxrXWkSa for up-to-date evidence to share with your patients, your colleagues, and maybe even your neighbor's cousin's best friend. [Visual description: Image text reads, "Hoping ear tubes will get this kid talking? The evidence may surprise you."]

New research will have you reconsidering a longstanding Med SLP practice: recommending NPO and a feeding tube. While dysphagia has complications we're very familiar with (like aspiration and pneumonia), we're learning more and more that tube feeding has its own set of complications. So, which route is best? Our research review, "Sorry, it's time to reconsider those diet recommendations," might just tip the scales! Read the review here: https://lnkd.in/gRz9vw6Y The research: https://lnkd.in/g9Cu5Z54 [Visual description: Cartoon of a scale weighing the options of tube feeding and an oral diet. Under the tube feeding side of the scale is an image of a pump/syringe and feeding tube. Under the oral diet side of the scale is an image of a plate of food and a spoon. Throughout the cartoon, there are graphics of a packet of thickner, a pudding cup, a drinking cup with a straw, an X-ray, and medical equipment used for tube feeding. There is also a graphic of a person on each side of the scale. Image text reads, "Is NPO really the safer route? Weighing the risks of tube feeding and oral diets."]

In many classrooms (and some speech rooms, too!), sound walls are replacing word walls as a “science-of-reading-approved” way to help kids connect letters and the sounds they make. Are you curious about the evidence base for the ideas behind these impressive displays? Feeling a little anxious about teachers tiptoeing into our core area of expertise? Wondering if sound walls are right for your practice? We got you. Our research review, "Sounding off on sound walls," covers it all. Head to https://lnkd.in/gHqiZ6Uq to read the full review and earn 24 minutes of CE credit. [Visual description: Image text reads, "Word walls are out and sound walls are in. But how sound is the evidence behind these trending speech-to-print displays? Get the full breakdown in our review plus, answers to questions like: What's up with the mouth pictures? Are first graders supposed to learn IPA?! How do SLPS fit in with all of this?"]

SLPs all want different things. But one thing we have in common is wanting to know what we're getting ourselves into BEFORE we apply to a job. The Informed SLP's brand-new jobs board, @informedjobs, will get you exactly that! SLPs: Get on our email list at https://lnkd.in/gfS8xHGM Employers: Jobs will be FREE to post when we launch (!!), but for a limited time. Get on our email list at https://lnkd.in/gx_28bfA

We would go so far as to say you shouldn't a) search for jobs, or b) switch jobs without knowing this information:? ? ?? What’s the difference between 1099 and W2 for SLPs?? ?? How do I know if an SLP job has good pay?? ?? What’s the average pay for a speech–language pathologist?? ?? Why is the internet is (often) so wrong about SLP pay? ? Find it all at https://lnkd.in/eGD5ER3c

Most job databases don't work for SLPs because they aren't requiring the information from employers that SLPs need to know, in order to want to apply for a job in the first place.? ? ?? Don't tell us that you provide "top pay" without telling us how much.? ?? Don't tell us it's $50/hr, but withhold whether or not we're paid for indirect time, or if it's 1099 or W2. Without those details, hourly rate means nothing.? ?? Don't tell us you have a job opening without telling us where it is, or the setting. A middle/high school is not = a preschool. Most of us do have areas of expertise and preferences! ?? Don't make us feel like we have to make it all the way through interviews before we're "allowed" to ask about details like productivity, caseload caps, or if you have paid parental leave.? ? What's that's missing from SLP hiring is transparency.? ? We're putting that in place.? So that SLPs can find better jobs, faster! Stay in the loop for when we launch, at www.informedjobs.com

What The Informed SLP has done for research, Informed Jobs is hoping to do for employment ??? ? We want to eliminate low-transparency, low-detail job posts that tell you nothing. Instead, we'll be gathering the information that you want to know about a job, and requiring it in all our job posts, so that SLPs can be informed BEFORE clicking any "apply" button! Follow us at https://lnkd.in/gNPVg-nA, or on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.informedjobs.com to make sure you don't miss our launch this winter!? ?

What The Informed SLP has done for research, Informed Jobs is hoping to do for employment ??? ? We want to eliminate low-transparency, low-detail job posts that tell you nothing. Instead, we'll be gathering the information that you want to know about a job, and requiring it in all our job posts, so that SLPs can be informed BEFORE clicking any "apply" button! Follow us at https://lnkd.in/gNPVg-nA, or on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.informedjobs.com to make sure you don't miss our launch this winter!? ?

Did you know that the outdated clothing and stereotypical gender roles in the original Cookie Theft Picture have actually influenced the responses people with aphasia give? Many responses nowadays discuss these stereotypes, which weren’t as widely discussed when the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination was first published! So, it was due time for an overhaul! Check out our research review "Counting Cookies and Concepts" to get access to the new and improved Cookie Theft picture, with modernized gender roles, updated norms, and easy transcription options. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g334PK5N The research: https://lnkd.in/e_Qm_8D5 https://lnkd.in/eJykWATf [Visual description: Cartoon of a man eating cookies given to him by a woman standing on a stool in the kitchen. There is another woman to their right picking up tongue depressors that have spilled all over the counter and floor. Image text reads, "Dads do the dishes too! The Cookie Theft picture got an overhaul."] #Aphasia #NeuroRehab #MedSLP #SNFSLP

When does picky eating venture beyond typical development and into ARFID? While diagnosis of ARFID is beyond our scope, we do play a role in ruling out (or treating!) functional or structural issues that might impact feeding and helping set up referrals to mental health professionals when we suspect ARFID. Want more information on differentiating ARFID from picky eating, including risk factors and parent-report measures? Check out our research review, “ARFID risk when the “picky” sticks” at https://lnkd.in/gbYff7ky The research: https://lnkd.in/gZuCy5H4 #PediatricSLP #SLPeeps #FeedingTherapy #PediatricFeeding