When it comes to working on executive functioning and “social skills”, one of the biggest complaints I hear from therapists is that their clients don’t generalize. That’s often because when it comes to working on these types of skills, direct therapy alone isn’t enough to help kids apply skills. I often encourage SLPs to think…
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EP 58: How to build social problem-solving skills (without being ableist)
How do you know if an intervention is neurodiversity affirming and evidence-based? Are child-led interventions actually in a child’s best interest? What’s the right way to build social skills, “pragmatic language” and social communication skills? I’ve done a lot of soul-searching surrounding this topic. The typical pragmatic language interventions that focused on preaching the “right”…
EP 57: Demystifying the “specific learning disability” (with Jil Stauter)
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…
EP 56: What to do when your child is stuttering (with Lauren Haines)
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…
EP 055: Life after high school: Are your kids ready? (with Kim Duckworth)
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…
EP 054: Collaboration, literacy, and surviving due process (with Joann Briggs)
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…
EP 052: Making sense of developmental milestones
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…
EP 051: Scaffolding: What it is and how to use it to help kids be more resilient (with Brittany Bohach)
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…
EP 050: Interpreting “challenging behaviors” and meltdowns (with Brittany Bohach)
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…
EP 049: Natural treatments and ADHD: Spotting the fallacy
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”…