Navigating the special education eligibility process is confusing for all parties involved (parents, professionals, etc.). That’s why I wanted to get some insight from someone who understands the process inside and out. In episode 57 of Are they 18 yet?® I interviewed my colleague Jil Stauter, a school psychologist who has worked with students from preschool all the way through high school. I was fortunate enough to work on a team with her for a number of these years. In this in-depth interview,...
Apr 27, 2022•46 min•Ep. 57
In this episode, I talk with Lauren Haines from Busy Bee Speech about childhood stuttering. Many people don’t realize this, but there are a TON of misconceptions in the general public about stuttering. It’s also a highly specialized area of speech-language pathology, so many clinicians are left feeling unprepared to support stutterers who come to therapy. That’s why I wanted to dispel some myths about stuttering and offer some practical tips for therapists, educators, and parents of school-age k...
Apr 20, 2022•58 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, I sit down with college admissions coach Kim Duckworth from Bridge Education Center to talk about helping kids expand their options after high school. Many of my listeners are parents and professionals of K-12 kids, and many of them often wonder if they're doing the right things to prepare kids for young adulthood. That's why I thought Kim would be the perfect guest to discuss this topic, because she's helped hundreds of kids successfully get in to their "dream schools". In this...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 55
In this episode of Are they 18 yet?™ , I talk with my friend and former colleague, Joann Briggs. Joann was a special education teacher in the public school systems for over 30 years, and I had the opportunity to work with her for a good portion of my time as a school speech pathologist. While I always harp on the fact that SLPs can make a huge impact on literacy and language, it really is a team effort. That’s why I wanted to sit down with Joann and share how we were able to work together to ser...
Apr 06, 2022•45 min•Ep. 54
Recently, the Center for Disease control updated the early developmental milestones, and there's been a lot of debate about what this means. In a lot of my SLP professional groups, there have been questions about whether this will allow kids to fall through the cracks. I've also heard the concern that developmental milestones in general focus on neurotypical development and don't take neurodivergents in to account. That's why recently, I did a training for the member's of SLP Learning Academy (m...
Mar 23, 2022•37 min•Ep. 52
We don’t want to be “helicopter parents” who coddle our kids…but we don’t want to be so militant that we traumatize them either. When it comes getting kids to do essential, but non-preferred tasks that ultimately help them thrive in the long run…the key to finding the right balance is learning how to scaffold. The term “scaffolding” is used to describe the foundation of a building, but it's also used to describe how teachers, therapists, and parents can teach kids challenging skills over time. I...
Mar 16, 2022•45 min•Ep. 51
When kids show negative behaviors, it’s often because they’re struggling to do what they’re being asked to do. This unfortunately happens a lot in school settings. You may have heard the saying “Kindergarten is the new 1st grade”. Kindergarten used to be focused on play, and its becoming increasingly more academic. When “behavior problems” come up, we have to consider the demands being placed on kids. Are they truly “behavior issues”, or are we simply asking kids to do too much too soon? In epis...
Mar 09, 2022•45 min•Ep. 50
Are "natural" remedies really better when it comes to ADHD, autism, and related conditions? What does it mean to use a "natural" treatment or intervention? In this episode, I discuss why those questions aren't easy to answer. Specifically, I discuss: ✅The " appeal to nature" fallacy , what it is and why it's potentially harmful. ✅ Common "natural" treatments for conditions like ADHD (such as diet, sleep hygiene, supplementation) ✅How to avoid distorted thinking when making decisions about medica...
Mar 02, 2022•42 min•Ep. 49
Am I choosing the right language screening tool? How do I know when a child should be screened and evaluated? I get these questions a lot. That's why in this episode, I wanted to bust some common myths about language screenings and evaluations. I'm going to share: ✅The difference between a screening and evaluation (plus common mistakes people make). ✅Why thinking of a screening as a "test" is problematic. ✅When you might not have to use a formal language screener (and what you can do instead). ✅...
Feb 23, 2022•45 min•Ep. 48
Does class size matter? Is homework effective? What's the best way to help kids learn to read? Why do some teachers (and schools) succeed while others fail? Dr. John Hattie attempted to answer these questions in his meta-analysis, published in his book, Visible Learning . This meta-analysis has been widely cited and used in teacher preparation programs all over the world, and has also been used to make decisions regarding educational policy and funding. But are the conclusions accurate? In this ...
Feb 16, 2022•40 min•Ep. 47
In this episode, I continue the discussion about language processing and how to support it. I continue the discussion of difficult sentence types, and dive in to one very challenging syntax skill that tends to cause processing problems. Working on this skill can not only improve language comprehension, but it can also help kids more effectively express themselves verbally or in writing. If you're working with kids who have difficulty with reading comprehension, have difficult following direction...
Feb 09, 2022•36 min•Ep. 46
Language skills are essential to a child's ability to succeed in school and life. But when processing language is a struggle there can be a global impact across a child's entire day. Language comprehension issues can be such as challenge for therapists, parents and teachers because they're difficult to spot. Often they look like a "behavior problem" when a child doesn't follow instructions, or when they appear to be off-task. On top of that, when kids repeated fail at a certain task and no one c...
Feb 02, 2022•38 min•Ep. 45
Vocabulary growth is one of the biggest predictors of language growth and academic success. That's why in this episode, I talk about what speech pathologists, parents, and teachers can do to help kids build strong vocabulary skills across elementary school through high school. Specifically, I share: ✅Why it's hard to pinpoint what language and vocabulary skills are "age-appropriate" between Kindergarten and 12th grade. ✅What types of words we should be emphasizing to help kids learn words more e...
Jan 26, 2022•44 min•Ep. 44
Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills for academic success. It's a skill that can help us to continue to learn new information throughout our lives. On the other hand, kids who struggle to understand what they read are at a disadvantage when it comes to getting in school and beyond. When I worked in the school systems as a speech-language pathologist, a large portion of my caseload was referred to me because of language and literacy challenges. Poor reading comprehension was ...
Jan 19, 2022•45 min•Ep. 43
When raising kids in elementary school, junior high, and high school, a lot of parents wonder if they're preparing their kids for what lies ahead in college and adulthood. We can't look in to a crystal ball and predict the future, but we can bring insights from our own failures and successes to the way we parent. That's why in this episode, Joe and I continue our conversation about his experience going through school, including: ✅How he initially failed out of college, but then later went back a...
Jan 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 42
We all have a point where the demands of life become too overwhelming and we lose our ability to self-manage and stay disciplined. For people who have a diagnosis of ADHD, that point can come sooner rather than later. In this episode, my husband (Joe) shares what happened when he hit his breaking point, including: ✅His experience growing up with an "almost ADHD" diagnosis ✅How he managed to fall through the cracks and squeak by in elementary and secondary school. ✅What happened when he went away...
Jan 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 41
When it comes to supporting kids with ADHD or other conditions that impact executive functioning, it can be challenging to understand some of the behaviors we’re seeing. Sometimes figuring out why they act the way they do can be confusing, especially when it appears that they’re engaging in certain self-sabotaging behaviors. This might include (but not be limited to) avoiding certain, inevitable situations or procrastinating…even if it means more work in the long run. Or even if it means missing...
Dec 29, 2021•34 min•Ep. 40
Ableism is the discrimination against disabled people. As we learn more and more about autistic people, those with ADHD, among other populations…this word continues to come up in conversation. Many of the interventions we’ve traditionally done to support children who need different educational and medical interventions are now under scrutiny for having ableist qualities. This has left a lot of clinicians, educators, and caregivers in a tricky situation as they support kids’ social, emotional, an...
Dec 22, 2021•46 min•Ep. 39
When I was going through school back in the late 90s and early 2000s, I was taught that “person-first” language was the most respectful way to refer to my clients. For example, they weren’t “disabled people”, they were “people with disabilities”. Fast forward to the 2020s, and now we’re hearing a different story. Now, there are many people who actually prefer “identity first” language. If you’re someone supporting someone who has some particular diagnosis or disability, it’s confusing enough to ...
Dec 15, 2021•35 min•Ep. 38
How do we hold students accountable for their actions, but acknowledge their unique neurological profiles at the same time? How do we help neurodivergents (e.g., ADHD, Autism) build genuine connections with others and succeed in academic, vocational, and social situations? In this episode, I invited special guest Miriam Campbell, founder of Skills for Connection (https://skillsforconnection.com/), to help answer these questions. Miriam is a speech-language pathologist and a social worker who wor...
Dec 08, 2021•57 min•Ep. 37
In episode 36, I talk about 3 common "problem" food categories when it comes to kids diets; plus tips for making sustainable changes across eat of these areas. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to offer rewards for eating healthy foods. Acquiring a taste for different textures and flavors is a skill that develops over time. That's why it's so important to pay attention to kids' sensory preferences when you're introducing new foods. Sometimes minor differences in flavor or texture may no...
Dec 01, 2021•39 min•Ep. 36
Most parents know that eating a balanced diet is important for brain development...but making that happen is easier said than done. Especially when they have "picky eaters" who are unsure about venturing out of their comfort zone. It's tempting to default to the popular method of using dessert as "positive reinforcement" for eating less enticing food...but often this does more harm than good in the long run. That's why in this episode, I share tips for getting kids to eat healthy food...without ...
Nov 24, 2021•43 min•Ep. 35
This is part 3 of a 3-part series on the common problems with interventions for ADHD and autism. When you have some type of neurological variation that causes you to experience the world in a different way, you automatically become an easy target for manipulation. Those who are easily overwhelmed, or who aren’t sure how to read social cues and self-regulate have to work really hard to participate in day-to-day situations that feel normal and easy for other people. This could include sitting in a...
Nov 17, 2021•32 min•Ep. 34
As kids go through the school systems and grow up in general, they're taught a lot about how to act "appropriately" in different situations. There's a certain set of rules we've deemed to be acceptable, "normal" ways to act. On the contrary, certain behaviors are seen as "inappropriate", "weird", or "undesirable" in some way. But some people are wired differently, making them experience the world differently that "neurotypicals". This may cause them to engage with the world around them in a diff...
Nov 10, 2021•41 min•Ep. 33
"Behavior management" approaches are often used with kids who have diagnoses of ADHD, autism. Usually these approaches focus on giving rewards for good behavior and punishing "bad" behavior. They're prevalent in therapy settings, schools, and home environments across the nation. I've even used some of these approaches in my practice. But in recent years, I've changed my philosophy after reflecting on my own experiences being on the receiving end of such techniques. I've also started to listen mo...
Nov 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 32
When kids with ADHD avoid difficult work, it's easy to assume they have a "behavior problem", that they don't care, or that they're just lazy. But this couldn't be further from the truth. People with ADHD are wired in a way that makes it hard for them to overcome feelings of overwhelm that lead to avoidance. It's a skill-based issue, NOT a behavior issue! That's why in episode 031, I talk about 3 common skills kids with ADHD need to overcome procrastination. Specifically, I share: ✅Why having a ...
Oct 27, 2021•42 min•Ep. 31
If you're supporting kids who need help with executive functioning, academic skills, and language, it can be hard to figure out exactly how to intervene. For parents, it can be overwhelming; and for professionals (like SLPs, teachers, and other professionals), it can be a challenge to figure out who is working on what skills. That's why in this episode, I talk about the roles of the teachers, therapists, and parents when it comes to supporting kids with executive dysfunction and language process...
Oct 20, 2021•49 min•Ep. 30
In episode 29 of the Are they 18 yet?™ podcast, I did part 3 of a 3-part series on literacy (you can find parts 1 and 2 in episodes 27 and 28.) Since the influx of technology, a lot of us are left wondering how this will impact our children's learning; especially their reading and writing skills. ✅That's why I discussed the following in this episode: ✅The difference between "explicit learning" and "implicit learning". ✅The kind of opportunities kids need in order to develop solid reading/spellin...
Oct 13, 2021•37 min•Ep. 29
Figuring out how to help kids learn to spell can be confusing. If you've ever helped one of your kids or students spell a word, only to have them forget what you taught them the next day, you know what I mean. The challenge is that if kids don't automatically catch on to reading skills, they get further and further behind as the years go on. That makes it hard for them to keep up in school, and over time they start to dread going. No one wants their child or their students to be in that situatio...
Oct 06, 2021•38 min•Ep. 28
With all the technology and texting kids are doing these days, I often find myself wondering if kids are getting enough "good" practice with spelling and reading skills. Based on social rules, texts often don't have to be written with "correct" grammar and spelling. Since a lot of the kids I've worked (who have diagnoses like dyslexia or developmental language delays, among others), I know that having opportunities to practice reading and spelling is really important; so I'm always on high-alert...
Sep 29, 2021•35 min•Ep. 27
