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Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP

What Does a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist Do?

Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP         Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP        
What Does a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist Do?           What Does a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist Do?          
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    The term ā€œspeech therapist,ā€ for many of us, is a complete misnomer!

    On this episode of Learn With Less, Ayelet shares a bit about what it is she does as a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

    Below is the transcript of this episode’s ā€œDevelopmental Thought,ā€ a short excerpt from the full episode.

    For additional information, music, play ideas and the complete interactive family experience, please listen to the entire episode.

    As I mentioned earlier in our episode, today I wanted to introduce you to a new periodic ā€œseriesā€ of focused interviews with professionals who work with children in many different ways, and for many different reasons. There are a lot of reasons I think this is important. Primarily, as you all know, parent education is one of my main objectives.

    >>Don’t Miss Our Corresponding Blog Post!<<

    I’d like to provide more education for families about the types of professionals that might work with young children, to bring light to some of the lesser understood but broadly used terminology out there, and to put certain myths or assumptions to rest.

    Speech AND…

    Today, I want to tell you just a little bit about what I do in my role as a speech-language pathologist. And yes, that term is, depending on where you are in the world and who you’re talking to, totally interchangeable with the title, ā€œspeech therapist.ā€ The problem is that a lot of what my work personally entails has little to do with the actual motor activity of speech! It’s much more about language and communication!

    I mentioned before that my personal specialty and background is with pre-verbal and non-verbal children… So although I do work on modeling specific sounds or words, most of what I work on is developing a young child’s vocabulary, understanding of words, ability to communicate socially through gesture and symbolic language, and developing different kinds of play which support thinking and using language flexibly.

    Communication Therapist

    I also work with people who cannot use speech as their primary form of communication. Think of a person with an underlying motor disorder, such as cerebral palsy, autism, or Rett syndrome, which makes fine motor tasks like speaking, and sometimes coordinating movement for signing, difficult.

    Motor disorders often make many types of movement difficult, and sometimes mean that the child is not able to or delayed in their ability to walk, or even to move their arms or other parts of their body in ways that their brain wants it to. Sometimes the signal from the brain to the body is disrupted or skewed, or sometimes, completely interrupted.

    For children like these, alternative methods of communication are often necessary. I help to determine what type of system is most appropriate for the child, how they might access it, and then how to obtain and train the child, family and the child’s community on how to use that system to acquire language.

    Pathologizing

    So, the term speech therapist for me is really a misnomer. I think many speech-language pathologists, especially who work more in a medical setting, are particular about the term ā€œpathologist,ā€ because we do so often work with medical pathologies. Often, the reason why someone needs therapy in the realm of speech, language, or communication is due to an underlying medical pathology… but I suppose that’s not always the case.

    In early intervention, or the work focused on infants and toddlers up to the age of 3 years, there is not always a medical basis for a child’s delayed speech and language development. Sometimes it is about the child’s opportunities to interact meaningfully with a caregiver, sometimes it’s about a child’s access to their environment and to new experiences, and sometimes a child just needs a little extra time and focused attention.

    Who Do YOU Want to Hear From?

    I hope that shed a little bit of light on the field of speech-language pathology, and on my work in particular. Don’t hesitate to contact me if there is a type of professional out there who you would like to hear from (or if you yourself are a professional and would like to lend your voice and story to Learn With Less!).

    You are welcome to email me at ayelet@strengthinwords.com.

    Connect With Us:

    Ayelet: Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

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    Learn With Less
    Ayelet Marinovich, MA, CCC-SLP
    We can support all areas of learning & development in babies and toddlers using the 4 pillars of @learnwithless 

ā¤ļø PLAY
ā¤ļø TALK
ā¤ļø SING
ā¤ļø MOVE

… without having to buy a single toy.

And we can encourage all types of communicative acts:
šŸ’” Joint Attention
šŸ’” Social Interaction
šŸ’” Behavioral Regulation 

…. Witnessing young children communicating actually speaking a single word!

šŸŽ§ Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring speech-language pathologist @jessicaburchiel 

✨ What Gets In The Way of Recognizing ALL Communication Has Value

On the Learn With LessĀ® podcast:
(Link in my bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/what-gets-in-the-way-communication/

And learn how to use the 4 pillars of Learn With LessĀ® by downloading our FREE infant/toddler development blueprint here: https://learnwithless.com/blueprint

Got questions? Have a thought to share about our episode? Leave a comment! ā¬‡ļø

#learnwithless #speechlanguagepathology #speechlanguagepathologist #slp #slpgradstudent #slppodcast #earlycommunication #languagelearning #playbased #earlychildhoodeducator #newparents #birthtothree #nonspeaking #slpmom
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    It can be challenging to 
🐌 slow down, 
šŸ‘€ to notice what a young child is doing, 
šŸ«‚ be in a practice of attuning oneself to them.

šŸŽ§This is a big part of what #speechlanguagepathologist 
@jessicaburchiel & I spoke about in our latest podcast episode,

ā€œWhat Gets In The Way of Recognizing ALL Communication Has Value.ā€

😬The slowing down, having dedicated time being in a practice of noticing what a young child is interested in, is not easy - for parents, caregivers, & practitioners alike!

@learnwithless resources are all about giving tools to the adults in the room to make this easier.

We do this through the guise of our four pillars: 

šŸ’œ play, talk, sing, & move, 

Which can assist the adults in the room with simplifying the interactions, 

Allowing them to slow down, to attend, to acknowledge a child, to investigate, & to pay attention.

āž”ļø That is a major part of what myself & other Learn With LessĀ® facilitators do: 

We provide that dynamic opportunity for caregivers to notice, and to do that work, of purposefully engaging.

Being intentional as a caregiver or practitioner… so that a child can know that that is valued here.

From time to time, we’ve been bringing back a limited time bundle to help you, the adult, to navigate all this.

Right now, I’m bringing it back, to help you connect with young children, in all the ways that matter most.

For the next 72 hours, l’ve pulled together the Learn With LessĀ®
NOW Bundle, AND I’m going to offer at a massive discount.

In this bundle, I’m giving you 10 of my very best, most popular trainings & resources for the price of just one...

That means, you’re getting 9 resources completely FREE.

āœ… If you’re ready to find easy, engaging, uncomplicated activities that still offer a fun way to learn...

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ā¤ļø Now’s the perfect time to really see what we’ve got going on here at Learn With LessĀ®.

Grab the Learn With LessĀ® NOW Bundle while it’s here! Link in my bio ā¤ļø
    Have you listened to our latest podcast episode? 

Here’s one of the golden nuggets offered by our wonderful guest, speech-language pathologist @jessicaburchiel ā¤ļø 

She shared:

ā€œI’m often working with kids who are older, non-speaking. We’re working on mutual engagement, & validating all communication. 

I have to work pretty hard sometimes to get parents to attend to what their child’s attending to. 

To join in, rather than pull their child away to something else. 

I started describing it as… I want you to imagine that your kid has a minor’s headlamp and it’s on whatever they’re focusing on.

They’re wearing that hat. And any word coming out of your mouth, it better be about what’s in that light. 

I want you to fill their world with words that show that you are attending to what they’re attending to. 

For kids when we say they don’t pay attention, or they’re not coming over to play. I’m like, okay, that’s fine. 

Our job right now, going back to that investigator, detective is to know what they’re focusing on. To know where their attention is. 

To attend to that with the phenomenal blessing that is our language skills as mature adults.ā€

This conversation is a real gift - especially at a time when those in power would claim that neurodiversity is not valuable. 

Check out our latest episode on the @learnwithless podcast:

ā€œWhat Gets In The Way of Recognizing That All Communication Has Value?ā€

Listen or read the transcript: (link in my bio) šŸ”— https://learnwithless.com/podcast/what-gets-in-the-way-communication/

And tell us - what are your takeaways and remaining questions? 
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#speechlanguagepathologist #learnwithless #parenting #communicativeintent #earlylearning101 #pediatricslp #communication #neurodiversityacceptance #parenteducation #pediatricot #responsiveparenting #pediatricpt #allcommunicationisvalid #earlyintervention #communicationisahumanright
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