Hello Prospects! (Can I call you that? 😊) This week I decided to treat myself to a fancy Fall-themed coffee, of which I normally don’t allow since I can make coffee at home for a fraction of the price, after all… Anyway, I found myself in a situation where I could help someone in need and realized that I take some of the more basic communication skills we learn in school for granted.

I went through the drive-thru, took the coffee that I believed to be my order, and drove away. One block and two sips down the road, I realized I had been given the wrong drink. Upon turning around and parking to walk inside, I had to wait to get to the counter as someone was placing their order. The man ordering at the counter was elderly, which I thought nothing of, until the barista asked him to repeat himself twice and the man was becoming frustrated. I noticed his bilateral hearing aids and reluctantly asked the man and the barista if I could help. I hate stepping on anyone’s toes, and I didn’t want this man to feel he lacked independence, so I approached very calmly, touching the man on the shoulder.

I looked at the man and asked if I could help figure out what he wanted to change about his order. He begrudgingly said “yes,” probably wondering what I was going to do. I didn’t have a pen and paper, so I pulled up a note taking app on my phone and asked him to tell me what he wanted. I typed what I thought I heard, he nodded his head “no” to tell me I was wrong, and then gestured to see if he could use my phone. I gave it to him and he corrected what I typed to finish his order. I handed my phone to the barista, not wanting to speak for the man, and the barista suddenly had a look of understanding flash across her face and went “Ohh!”

She was close to the right order, but just couldn’t understand all the details the man was trying to convey. In a moment of frustration, the man hadn’t thought of how to approach solving this breakdown in communication. They both smiled and said “thank you” to me, but I walked away from that realizing two things. First, I was reminded how frustrating it must be to be in a “hearing world” when you are Deaf or hard of hearing. Second, I realized that not all people have the background knowledge that SLPs gain just as a result of working with various populations. As a clinician, you often cannot understand someone’s message, so you have to find another way to elicit it for that person to be successful.

Resource of the Week 🧰

In continuation of providing Praxis study guides, this weeks resource is a study guide for chapter three in the "Advanced Review” book used for exam preparation. This study guide reviews language development in children, including a review of developmental milestones and theories of language development.

Weekly Spotlight 💡

Our weekly spotlight will introduce readers to an SLP or an SLP graduate student, with the intention of giving you motivation to keep going, to try new experiences, and to broaden your knowledge about where and how we work. This week, we are highlighting Taylor, an SLP that enjoys her private practice position and her niche. Thanks, Taylor!

Name: Taylor Wach

Number of years in the field: 2 ½ (including CF)

Favorite job so far and why: My second private practice clinic☺️My boss has been so helpful finding clients that fit my niche (articulation, myo) and I have a hybrid schedule which makes the week go by so much faster. I have half-day Fridays also!

What other fields did you consider before becoming an SLP?: Honestly, I was unsure of what I wanted to be and was so indecisive! I enjoy environmentalism so much and I also would have loved to work in a library. One field I also considered would have been an early childhood educator.

Would you choose this field over again? Why or why not?: I think it depends☺️There is a lot in this field that could be fixed/changed and it hinders my decision to choose the field again. There are aspects I enjoy (ability to find jobs easily) but there are still things that need to be worked on. I have a whole YouTube channel about my opinions you can check out (Your Local Speechie) 🥰

Taylor is located in the state of Maryland and graduated from Towson University in Towson, Maryland. You can find her on her YouTube channel.

***If you would like to recommend an SLP to be featured in our Weekly Spotlight, feel free to reply to this newsletter edition or send them the link here***

Today’s Posting 💵

Our posting for this week is for the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut. The American School for the Deaf was founded in 1817 by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. and is the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States. The program utilizes a bilingual approach in which ASL and English are used in the classroom but modeled separately in order to use correct grammar and vocabulary unique to each language. Students are encouraged to become proficient in both ASL and in English.

The position includes providing direct speech and language services as well as aural habilitation services to students, giving evaluations, participating in meetings, and being knowledgeable in the specific needs for this population. Proficiency in ASL is required. The salary range for this position is estimated to be $71,600-$90,600 annually.

Fun Fact 📌📔

About 95% of children who are born deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) are born into hearing homes where their parents native language is in the spoken modality. 40% of children who are DHH have disabilities that require specialized supports and services, including use of AAC systems.

If you would like to read more about the DHH population, click here.

That’s a wrap for today!

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If you would like to be highlighted in the Weekly Spotlight as a graduate student, click this link to complete the form😄 We would love to hear from you! Talk soon,

— Meryl