DocMooreSLP

About a month ago I had the opportunity to travel to Indiana for the Blom-Singer Tracheal-esophageal Prothesis course! First, I just have to say WOW! This was such a fantastic course, and to have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Blom and his colleagues was nothing short of awesome! I am amazed with the creativity and inginuity in the makings of the various prothesis. When I first started in this field my knowledge base of a laryngectomy was limited. When I started working at my outpatient facility I was inspired to continue expanding my knowledge base due to our population. To understand the tracheal-esophageal prothesis (TEP) we first must ask, what is it? Why does a person need it? How is it used?  Why would someone need a TEP? After a person is diagnosed with a laryngeal cancer they are typically offered one, more or all of the following options: 1. Surgery to remove tumor 2. Radiation 3. Chemo 4. Partial laryngectomy 5. Full laryngectomy When a person...

Every Speech-Language Pathologist dreams of the day when they will have back-to-back perfect treatment sessions. Imagine finding that perfect game, having all three of your patient’s brothers and sisters sitting quietly off to the side as you and your patient work without interruption; or imagine zero behavioral outbursts, despite challenging your patient with more difficult tasks. More often than not, this “perfect” treatment session is not what my treatment session looks like!  During a treatment session or an assessment my telephone will ring or a colleague will knock on the door.   Shoes and socks are not just slipped off, but are thrown into the air for an unknown reason. The special reinforcement snack (that I bought especially for my patient) is now considered “yucky” and inevitably the bubbles, which are my back up for when all goes wrong, are spilled everywhere. The toy or game that I imagined the patient requesting, describing, or problem solving ...

In graduate school, I always enjoyed going to Dr. Linda Barboa's class. I enjoyed her classes because she provided theory/evidence within her teachings and she provided real life experiences. When I found out that Dr. Barboa and Elizabeth Obrey were writing a book about Autism, I was thrilled! Stars in Her Eyes provides an informative look into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This book gives a unique perspective from a Speech-Language Pathologist, an educator, and a mother of two children with ASD. This collaboration may have been my favorite part of this book! To have the opportunity to not only hear what an SLP would say about a topic but also see the perspective of a mother and an educator was incredibly helpful. It serves as a reminder that a multitude of perspectives can add value to treating a child with Autism. Though I am not a mother, I imagined myself as a parent who discovered her child has Autism. From this view, I felt validated that my child is not the on...