What is Phonological Awareness & Why You should Learn Now!

What is Phonological Awareness & Why You should Learn Now!

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Apps Language Building Games Reading

March is National Reading Month, so to celebrate raising awareness of this crucial life skill we’ll discuss the links between speech and language development and early literacy skills. A number of skills that would fall under the speech and language umbrella are enormously important to the development of early literacy. What can parents can do to promote early literacy in their children, from 12 months (or even earlier!) through pre-adolescence? We’ll discuss that too. You may already actively do some or all of these things with your child(ren), but let’s explore some evidence-based lessons as you continue to stimulate your child’s reading development. Learning to read and to ♥ love reading ♥ is a childhood-long project for both children and parents and the work you do as a parent and this post aims to be another support for this noble endeavor.

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Early Intervention Services – The Who, What, Where, Why and How

Early Intervention Services – The Who, What, Where, Why and How

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Speech delay State Resources

Some of the most rewarding and fun cases I have had the pleasure of being a part of have been with the youngest of children that speech pathologists serve—infants and toddlers, from birth to age 3. From one session to the next, I have witnessed profound changes in a child’s speech and language functioning, as well as in that child’s family’s sense of empowerment as they address the often formidable challenge of educating a child with developmental delays. Luckily, there is a government-sponsored program set up to help and it is called the Early Intervention (EI) program. Often, gathering information, directed, valuable information, is the first step to get your child the support he or she needs. This blog post is dedicated to providing some background to this vital program and to empower parents to access the services their child would deserve.

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5 Key Steps to Start a Speech Therapy Private Practice

5 Key Steps to Start a Speech Therapy Private Practice

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Speech Therapist

I don’t pretend to know everything about the field of speech-language pathology, or every minute element of running a private speech and language therapy practice and always believe I am learning and can learn important lessons from anyone I come into contact with. That said, I have learned some important lessons in my years as a private clinician and I wanted to impart 5 of these core lessons to you. Whether you’re striking out on your own, have recently opened your doors, or have been in practice for many, these tips can be enormously useful to you and should help improve the quality of your speech therapy private practice, your marketing and the overall experience of your clients.

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Great Speech Therapy Resources from Teachers Pay Teachers

Great Speech Therapy Resources from Teachers Pay Teachers

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Games and Activities Speech Therapy Ideas

Whenever I come across a website that I think could have a meaningful positive impact on the work we, as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educators do, I feel I immediately have to share such a resource on the Speech Buddies blog. Today, that site is Teachers Pay Teachers, an ingenious market, for educational resources developed by teachers, that anyone—teachers, SLPs, homeschoolers, grandparents—may access a la carte for a nominal fee.

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Speech Therapist Volunteer Opportunities Abroad

Speech Therapist Volunteer Opportunities Abroad

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP News

Back in the summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to take part in one of the most enriching experiences of my career, the Bosnia Speech and Hearing Project. Founded in 1997 by California-based SLP Judi Jewett, the project at its outset primarily supported children with hearing loss, both congenital and those who had experienced traumatic hearing loss – after all, this was only a couple years after the historic Dayton Accords of 1995 that ended the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. Judi assembled whatever resources she could, mostly via her church community, but over time, the project grew to include hundreds of mostly US-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) looking for speech therapist volunteer opportunities — they donated their services to thousands of Bosnian children in need. Recognizing that a lasting contribution is about empowering local communities to help themselves, the program was instrumental in founding an SLP training program at the University of Tuzla.

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