Today is World Down Syndrome’s Day. Why March 21st? Because individuals with Down Syndrome have an extra copy of the 21st chromosome. According to DownSyndrome.com “the most common form of Down Syndrome is known as Trisomy 21.”

Did you know?

• Down Syndrome is NOT hereditary in most cases.
• For every 800 babies, 1 is born with Down Syndrome.
• Down Syndrome can occur in all races.
• Many pregnant woman can undergo testing to discover if their child will have Down Syndrome in their first trimester.

Although most people with Down Syndrome will have some form of intellectual disability, speech therapists and other health professionals (OT, PT) can assist in helping a child reach developmental milestones.

On this day, let’s celebrate all of the wonderful people who have, support and embrace Down Syndrome! Spread the knowledge!

*Information from http://downsyndrome.com/. Please visit for more information about Down Syndrome!

As in many social situations, I am often asked what I do for a living. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I hear “oh so you fix lisps?” as a response. I often times laugh this off and try to explain as best I can that there are an array of communication disorders that I treat throughout the day. People are often shocked by the extent of a Speech Pathologist’s work. “You do FEEDING?” or “You work with STROKE victims?” Once in awhile, I will come across individuals who empathize with my line of work and will add how a family member or friend is seeing a speech pathologist for one reason or another. I started to think, “how can I get the word out there about what we as SLP’s really do?” I guess that this blog and the help of fellow SLP’s can be a good way to start! Let’s begin with a list of just some of the things that SLP’s do on a daily basis:

• Work environments include: hospitals, schools, clinics, private practices, home based therapy, organizations, agencies, colleges and universities, nursing-care facilities, state and federal government agencies, rehabilitation centers, research laboratories.
• Bedside Assessment of Swallowing
• Establishing safe diets for clients with oral-motor weakness
• Feeding Therapy
• Articulation Therapy
• Voice therapy
• Fluency treatment (stuttering)
• A variety of formal and informal evaluations/assessments to determine language impairment.
• Hearing screenings
• Treating individuals with cleft-lips and palates
• Accent Modification
• Decreasing speech impediments (lisps).
• Work as a part of an interdisciplinary team with other health professionals to diagnose and treat (occupational therapists, physical therapists, doctors, nurses, psychologists)
• Treatment in a variety of communication disorders and medical conditions including but not limited to: auditory processing disorder, comprehension deficits, hearing impairments, oral-motor disorders, myofunctional disorders, phonological processing disorders, Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Apraxia, Aphasia, ALS (Lou Gherigs Disease), Dysarthria, Dysphagia, Traumatic Brain Injury, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), Huntington’s Disease, Laryngeal or Oral Cancer, Dementia, Stroke, Tracheotomy patients, ADHD, Selective Mutism.

I am hoping that by sharing this information, people can better understand the work of a speech pathologist as well as the settings that they work in. The next time you are asked at a party, “what do you do for a living?” I hope you take that opportunity to spread the importance of speech pathology and how this treatment can change many peoples’ lives.

Many parent’s don’t realize how simple it is to increase their child’s vocabulary. Sure, reading books and going over flashcards are some ways of doing this, but there are things you can do on a daily basis that are much simpler. The great part about these activities is that your child won’t even realize that he/she is learning!

1. The Grocery Store: Many may not realize it, but the grocery store is a wonderful place for a child to learn an abundance of fruits, vegetables and other items. Have your child assist you in picking out these items. For example, “Johnny, can you please get me two mangoes.” By doing this, your child not only has to correctly identify the mangoes, but also has to follow directions to bring you back the appropriate number. One thing to remember during this process is that mistakes are OK! This is an opportunity for your child to learn new items. “Johnny, those are pineapples. I asked for the mangoes.”  You can also use this activity to reinforce what a child already knows.  “Wow Johnny, great job, you found the broccoli just like I asked!” The grocery store, with an array of fruits and vegetables is also a great place to work on colors. “Johnny, which ones are the RED peppers?” or “Can you find the purple eggplant?”

2. A trip to the Zoo or Farm: If you are lucky enough to have a zoo or farm nearby, these places can be a wonderful way to increase your child’s vocabulary of animals.
Not only can the child hear about all of the different animals, but they visualize the kinds of environments they live in. They can also hear the corresponding sounds that animals make. These places are great learning experiences for children who are “visual learners.” On your way home, make sure to ask lots of questions such as, “Johnny, which animal did you feed today?” or “Johnny, which animal was your favorite?” This will help reinforce everything learned that day.

3. A trip to the beach:The beach is a great place to take
children to increase their vocabulary.With a variety of textures (sand, water), objects (birds, seaweed, seashells), species (crabs, oysters, muscles) it is a great place to introduce children to new items. The fact that children can safely touch some of these objects also makes the beach a great place to learn.

There are tons of other places that children can increase their vocabulary (ex. movies, library, convenience store). The most important part of all these trips are how you involve your child. Make sure to ask lots of questions throughout the trip and have your child assist you. The “wrap up” afterward is just as important to solidify information learned!

When you hear “Speech Pathologist”, you don’t necessarily think of a counselor, but in fact, we do more counseling than one would think. I remember the day in graduate school when my professor made the announcement that we would be discussing “counseling” for the day. My first thought was “I didn’t sign up to be a school psychologist?” By the end of the lecture, I understood just how important this role is in our industry. Not having any children of my own, my professor stressed the importance of language development in a child. How expectations for a child could be taken away so quickly. A mother or father’s dreams for their child, their hopes and thoughts of their future could potentially be changed with a diagnosis of a language impairment or other language disorder. This leads back to our role in counseling. It is our job to not only be empathetic, but also to help parents better understand what their child needs. When a child receives a diagnosis, I often give parents or caregivers a lot of resources so that they can get accurate information. I often encourage them to stay away from the internet as there is a lot of false and negative information that could be harmful. I like to dedicate a session, or at least part of a session, allowing the parents or caregivers to ask questions and to voice their concerns. I also like to plot my course of action for therapy. This hopefully allows them to feel more in control and fully understand the steps ahead. I often have to remind parents that progress may be slow and speech therapy is not always a “quick fix.” I stress the importance of generalization and give them things they can do at home to help speed progress in therapy. If you are a Speech Pathologist, make sure you are doing everything you can to counsel the parents during this process and to be their guide when needed. If you are a parent, make sure to refer to your Speech Pathologist with all of your concerns and questions. The more you know, the better you can help your child progress while making sure they are receiving all of the assistance they need and deserve.