GROSS ANATOMY OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM LUNGS: anatomy & function 1. NASAL CAVITY: anatomy & function 2. PHARYNX: anatomy & function LARYNX: anatomy & function TRACHEA: anatomy & fu…
I just sent my annual paperwork in to work towards forgiveness for my student loans. I would never go back and choose another path, but this path definitely wasn't cheap! If you are a speech pathologist in the same boat as me, there are a few different options out there to help get rid of some of that debt. I have spent a LOT of time figuring out how to get the most money forgiven that I can, so here are some of the things I have discovered along the way: Teacher Loan Forgiveness - Special education teachers can have up to $17,500 forgiven if you work in a low income school full-time for 5 consecutive years. After you complete your 5 years, you send in the paperwork and voila! You get this amount subtracted from what you owe and it is not considered taxable income. This forgiveness program seems to be pretty hit or miss for us SLPs. I have known some SLPs who have submitted their paperwork and the loans were forgiven with no questions asked. Other SLPs have tried again and again and are denied each time. It seems to be more difficult to get forgiveness if you do not have to have a teacher's license in your state (like me). I personally chose not to go with this program because of the inconsistency of acceptance of SLPs and I would have more forgiven with a different program. Perkins Loan Forgiveness - All of your Perkins Loans can be forgiven as an SLP (Yay!). For every year you work for up to 5 years, a portion of your loans are forgiven. At the end of every year you work, submit the paperwork to your loan holder and portion of your debt disappears. I have personally used this loan forgiveness program and it is pretty easy! I recommend applying for deferment at the beginning of each school year in anticipation of cancellation of your loans. This way you do not have to pay a dime. I wish all forgiveness programs worked like this one! Indian Health Services Program - If you are willing to relocate to work for a Native American or Alaskan native community, you can have up to $40,000 forgiven for agreeing to 2 years of employment. Public Service Loan Forgiveness - While this program is a bit tricky to maneuver, it can be worth it if you are planning to work for a public place of employment (such as a school) and you have a lot of student loans. This is the program I have chosen to use. Here is how it works - if you work for 10 years/make 120 monthly payments on your loans, the remaining balance is forgiven tax-free. If you are thinking about pursuing this program, it is really important to have your loans consolidated into Federal Direct loans through the Department of Education. These are the only type of loans that will qualify. Any past payments made on the loans while they were not direct loans do not count towards forgiveness. The best way to maximize your forgiveness is to use income-based repayment (IBR). It is probably safe to say that if you are working for a public employer like a school, you are probably not raking in the cash. By switching to IBR, your payments are capped to 15% of your income (and only 10% if you are a new borrower after 2014). This way, you are not paying more than you have to and more will be forgiven at the end your 120 payments. Since most you us SLPs are females, it is important to note that the 120 payments do not need to be consecutive - so if you start a family and want to take some time off, you still can. Your monthly payments towards 120 will start counting again when you go back to work. In case you were wondering (because I did), if you apply for the teacher loan forgiveness program but also want to use this program, it will reset the 120 payment clock - so it does not make much sense to do that. I chose this program for a few reasons - 1) Schools are the place for me. I have worked in other settings and I just cannot see myself going anywhere else. 2) I have a fair amount of student loans and this is the best way for me to get the most amount of money forgiven. 3) With the IBR program, I am not stuck with payments I cannot afford. These are some options for you if you work in a school or other public place of employment. Remember that these options are for federal loans only. Private loans do not currently qualify for any forgiveness programs. If you work for a private company - check to see if they have any options for loan repayment! I work per diem for a private rehab facility that offers full time therapists help paying your loans in exchange for working there for a certain amount of time. If that doesn't help - keep buying those lotto tickets ;) I also play this trivia game app called Givling on my phone. You play to earn points towards winning your loans being forgiven! A girl can dream right? If you are interested in trying it out, here is my invite code: ED45646 Click here to read more about the Givling app! Are you a speech pathologist who has had any of your loans forgiven? What has your experience been like? ~Erin
Are you studying for the SLP praxis exam? Check out some of my best tips for acing this important test! Keep up the hard work!
Since I heard from several of you who are quite interested in PECS, I decided to devote a little more time to it today. First thing I wou...
Sawdust firing comes from one of the oldest firing techniques. Modern scholars have theorized that the first clay vessels were ... Read more
GROSS ANATOMY OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM LUNGS: anatomy & function 1. NASAL CAVITY: anatomy & function 2. PHARYNX: anatomy & function LARYNX: anatomy & function TRACHEA: anatomy & fu…
VOWELS
VOWELS
Use these 3 simple language games to improve your toddler's speech and help develop their articulation, language, and pre-reading skills. The following post 'Improve Your Toddler's Speech' was written in collaboration with my own mom, Jamie Bott, M.A., C.C.C. Licensed & Certified Speech & Language Pathologist / Reading Endorsed by the State of Florida. Every parent wants their child to grow up to become a
In this post, I'm going to explain why knowing the International Phonetic Alphabet is like seeing the matrix. A common misconception that linguists often have to deal with, be it from students in Intro to Linguistics or from family members at holiday gatherings, is that Language (capital L) is basi
I recently asked for advice for new SLPs on my Facebook page and the response I got was AMAZING. The feelings I have after starting this new job have been crazy. I love it, but it can definitely feel overwhelming at times! I still sometimes feel bad for the clients who get assigned to me […]
Chimps and humans both have lungs, throats, voice boxes, tongues and lips. But unlike chimps, humans have a vocal tract that allows us to do everything from talk on the phone to sing opera.
Imagine moving into a village in a foreign country with out knowing the language. You can't just buy a book or tape before you go on how to learn that language because this language has never been written down. In fact, you will probably be writing that book because you will be the one putting an alphabet together for this language. Since the sounds of this language is so different from English you won't be able to use our English alphabet. You wouldn't want to use our English alphabet anyway since there are so many letters that make more than one sound. This video i found on youtube will show you what I mean! In phonetics a letter equals one sound. In our phonetics class we've been learning how to say, read and write those sounds. Our teacher will say a word and we have to transcribe what we hear him saying. According to Wikipedia Phonetic transcription is a universal system for transcribing sounds that occur in spoken language. The most widely known system of phonetic transcription, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), uses a one-to-one mapping between phones and written symbols. The standardized nature of the IPA enables its users to transcribe accurately and consistently the phones of different languages, dialects, and idiolects. The IPA is a useful tool not only for the study of phonetics, but also for language teaching, professional acting, and speech pathology. Our class was divided into two smaller classes for phonetics. Here's my group. We have a lot of fun laughing with each other as we sound and sometimes look silly making these sounds. It's important to learn this because most of the places that our mission works are places that don't have a written language so the missionaries have to use phonetics in order to write down what they are hearing and then make an alphabet. They will then teach the people to read and write in their own language for the first time! Pretty cool stuff! These charts have become familiar over the last couple months...
If your child struggles with articulation, fluency, voice regulation, understanding and expressing himself through language, or nonverbal autism, these speech therapy activities are a great place to start!
SLP’s working in the school setting can easily be spread thin. If an SLP isn’t monitoring what he/she is committing to or looking at their current work load situation, things can go from manageable to chaotic in a blink of an eye. We must say no at work when we can’t do something! I compiled […]
**Updated November 2019, A list of free CEUs for speech-language pathologists.
Improving Communication Skills for Non-Verbal Children Through the Use of Aided Language Boards
Children's songs are great for working on language development through building vocabulary, repetition, memory, and creativity. Free song choice cards
One of the things I had been dreading ever since I picked my major in undergrad was this big test known as the Praxis. Everyone had always told me not to worry about it. "Do well in your classes, and you will be fine" is what they always told me. But this is a big test, and you have to pass it. If that doesn't freak you out, I'm not sure what will. I took the test this past Saturday and wanted to share my experience on everything! Basics about the Test: -120 minutes -120 questions -All questions are multiple choice. -You can mark your answers and go back and check them. -On the computer version, you receive your score right away. -A score of 600 is passing. How I Prepped: Like most, I purchased the Advanced Review of Speech-Language Pathology. This is a great overview of most of the areas in our field. Some of the girls in my program set up Praxis review sessions over the course of the summer and fall semesters. I attended some of those sessions, which were extremely helpful. One girl would summarize a chapter, make a PowerPoint, and led a discussion about the practice questions at the end of the each chapter. This was extremely helpful, and I would highly recommend this to every single one of you who are about to take the test (or will in the next couple years). I went through a chapter per day (roughly) towards the end. I couldn't bring myself to make flash cards or write out notes for absolutely everything, so I underlined key words and phrases in the book. For the theories, I wrote color-coded notes in a notebook to review the important elements of each. I purchased a practice test from ETS. This is by far one of the best decisions I made. Not only did it get me in the mindset of test taking, it prepared me for the types of questions on the test and how to manage my time appropriately. Either take the ones on the flashdrive with the book, or purchase the ETS one. I actually took the practice test before I had studied much. I passed it, so that gave me a sense of peace about the test. I knew I wanted some more wiggle room, but it gave me a starting point for studying and some reassurance. I received a bunch of notes of encouragement from some of my closest friends! These really helped encourage me throughout my studying! The Night Before: I thought I would be freaking out the night before the test. Instead, I was at peace. I knew a lot of prayers had been said on my behalf, and boy could I feel them! I finished the chapter I was studying earlier that day, paged through the last couple of chapters, and decided that if I didn't know it then, I wasn't going to know it. I put the book down, watched some TV, and went to bed. I had also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my dad as a way of saying, "Good luck." I called to thank him, and he reassured me that I would do fine and that it was a minimal competency exam (meaning 600 is as good as 800). Day of the Test: I woke up after about 7 hours of sleep. Considering this is what I generally had been getting and was planning on way less, I was extremely happy. I ate a small breakfast and attempted to study. I was starting to freak out. My test was at 12:30pm, so I had to wait all morning. Those hours were BRUTAL. If you go to take the test, I highly recommend taking one in the morning. I didn't have a choice of times when I went to sign up... Anyway, the testing center was about 20 minutes from my apartment, so I decided to leave an hour or so early and stop and get some lunch somewhere. Luckily, one of my friends had taken a test at that center back in August, so she told me what was around. I knew my stomach didn't want much, since it was full of butterflies. I also knew I needed something, or I wouldn't make it through the test. I settled on an Uptown Salad from Potbelly because it has chicken and fruit on it. I figured some protein and natural sugar would be a good tide-me-over until I could eat later. I arrived at the test center about 35 minutes early (you're supposed to be there 30 minutes early). One of my friends from my program walked out of the testing room and was smiling. She had passed!! It was so good to see a familiar face that morning and to have the assurance that our preparation was enough for us to pass! It was a quick boost of confidence. I went in to the testing room, took the test, and came out barely able to speak. I had passed!! I was fighting back tears as I walked out. The woman asked if I wanted my score written down, and I said, "No. I know it. All that really matters is that I passed." She congratulated me and sent me on my way. As soon as I got in the car, the tears started coming down. I had just passed one of the most important tests of my life. Everything I had been working for the last 2, 6, or 19 years had been worth it. Once I got myself together, I called my family and friends to let them know the good news! I spent the rest of the day celebrating with friends! On Sunday, I finally felt tired. My whole month of holidays, studying, etc. had come to an end. All of the stress was gone. In case you were wondering, my score was about 70 points higher on the real test than the practice. Again, I hadn't studied for the practice. That shows you how much studying can help!! Helpful Hints: -The usual: Arrive early. Dress comfortably. This doesn't necessarily mean yoga pants, but that's what I did! Whatever you're comfortable in--everyone is different! Eat something before the test. Go to the bathroom before the test. The clock keeps counting down when you get up and leave the room. -Study the book and your notes from both undergrad and grad school. -Take a practice test. Some of the questions were the exact same or very similar. -BREATHE. -Answer everything, but mark the ones you're not sure about. You can go back and review them. -Trust your instincts. If you're anything like me, your gut is usually right. Areas to Study: -Normal speech and language development -Articulation and phonological disorders -Different types of aphasia -Theories of stuttering and stuttering treatment -Types of standardized testing -Different legislation and what each one mandates -Motor speech disorders -Hearing screenings/testing -Bilingualism and how being multicultural influences decisions regarding speech and language Well that was my experience. I have to say I'm glad it's over, but also that my two universities prepared me fairly well for the test. Good luck to all of you taking it soon (or in the future)!!! As my friends kept telling me, you're going to rock it.
We are delighted to have a guest post by Megan Moyer of The Speech Summit. She is going to share with us her top tips on getting her speech room organized for back to school – it really does make things that bit easier if you are organized! Over to you Megan… Welcome to my […]
Seeing your baby grow healthily is wonderful. MomJunction walks you through each stage of the baby's development and ways to prevent and treat any red flags.
Pleurae is plural for pleura.
Reduce Toddler Frustration. First Words in Sign Language.. These handouts have 25 pages of half sheets (50 first words). They include a picture of the word in sign language and ideas for how to use it at home. There is also an introduction page, a checklist of first words, a blank page to write firs
Want to review parts of speech in an engaging way? Click through to read about and download a FREE parts of speech review for 4th-5th grade using Jenga blocks.
SLPs need to address sensory needs in speech therapy! Check out some of my best supports and sensory toys to help little movers stay focused!
