We’ll explore some common frustrations, desires, and fears families experience around speech therapy and provide some encouragement for the journey.
Continue readingHow to Navigate Progress in Speech Therapy: A Parent’s Guide
The Importance Of Private Speech Therapy: Important To Consider
Many children receive speech therapy services at school, but onsidered augmenting these services with private speech therapy. In addition to school-based services, private speech therapy can make a significant difference in your child’s progress.
Continue readingWhat It Takes
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is “the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 204,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.”
What does this mean? What does it take to get ASHA certified? How do speech-language therapist maintain this certification? How do I know if my therapist is ASHA certified? These questions are not only a great way to start the search for a speech-language pathologist, but realize the work and expertise your very own speech-language pathologist has to maintain to serve you and your loved one.
Being ASHA “certified” means the speech-language pathologist holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), a nationally recognized professional credential that represents a level of excellence in the field of Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). Therapists who hold an ASHA certified Certificate of Clinical Competence have met rigorous academic and professional standards, going beyond the minimum requirements for state licensure. A Certificate of Clinical Competence is only issued to those professionals who have completed a master’s degree (or doctorate degree) from a graduate level Speech-Language Pathology program at an ASHA accredited institution of higher learning, passed the national exam adopted by ASHA and completed a 9 month ASHA clinical fellowship under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist that has their CCC. This is in addition to any requirements set forth by the state board of licensure. Needless to say, the work does not end once a speech-language pathologist has fulfilled all of the requirements indicated above. To maintain this certification, in 3 year intervals, a speech-language pathologist must completed 30 hours of ASHA approved professional development. This is separate from the necessary requirements to maintain the state board licensure. For a more in depth explanation of ASHA and the process to acquire the certificate of clinical competence, please visit the ASHA website.
You can be confident that a speech-language pathologist who holds their CCCs is a professional who is dedicated to being informed and studying the most recent developments in the field, provides the highest level of care, and is being held to a higher standard of professional growth. We at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC are proud to share that all of our speech-language therapists are ASHA certified.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
Better Speech and Hearing Month
May starts Better Speech and Hearing Month. It’s that time of year to raise awareness about communication disorders and the role of Speech-Language Pathologists. The Speech-Language Pathologists at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. are in incredible group of dedicated professionals. Collectively we share over 200 years experience treating individuals with speech-language deficits. We, at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, share a passion for our profession, compassion for our clients and families, and dedication to do what it takes to make a difference in the lives of those we treat.
This week’s blog is short and sweet with a very big message. As we begin the month of May, the month of Better Speech and Hearing, we thank YOU for entrusting your care and the care of your loved one to us.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
Better Speech and Hearing Month!!!
Better Speech and Hearing Month reminds us all to celebrate the importance of good speech and hearing, but celebrating the dedicated professionals that change lives by improving speech and hearing is equally as important. This week we give a nod to the creativity and fortitude of the SLPs at Lakeshore Speech in paying for their college degrees.
While delivering phone books (remember those?) ranks on Ellen’s resume of jobs , her main form of employment was playing volleyball! Her athletic abilities really paid off as she also was a waitress at the Flat Iron Cafe. Hard work pays off on the court and off!
VernaAnn’s college work resume includes working at her family’s music stores, serving as a security guard for her college’s hockey team (all 5’2” of her), and resident adviser. Oh, yea, there was that stint at the Hallmark Store where she dressed as the Easter Bunny…..’What’s up, Doc?’
Elizabeth’s jobs have always involved working with children. As a babysitter, camp counselor, lifeguard, and swim instructor Elizabeth is dedicated to creating a better world for the wee-ones.
While not the ideal job for someone that promotes talking, Mary shelved books at the library to pay the bills. She also served food at the University’s cafeteria and was a waitress. Then there was that job when she worked at the concession stands at dragways….ask her more about that job!
Ellery’s lovely smile could be found working in a golf pro shop at a country club when she knew little to nothing about golf. She also transcribed parent interviews for a professor completing a on a study about childhood obesity.
Gina’s resume includes caring for individuals with Autism as a day camp counselor. She also worked as a waitress and a college dining hall employee!
To pay the college bills, Wendi worked as a convenience store clerk. She also worked as a waitress in a Mexican restaurant.
When one steps back and looks at the common thread of all these jobs, one word comes to mind – SERVICE. These incredible women worked to serve others to help pay the bills that eventually led to their true passion of serving those with speech-language and hearing needs.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy
The Month of Better Speech and Hearing – May!
In our continued tribute to Better Speech and Hearing Month, it seems only fitting to recognize that Speech-Language Therapists are masters at being flexible in designing individual services for their clients as well as the location for which these services are delivered.
Ellen’s flexibility was outstanding when she delivered speech services in her client’s home…….which was residence to more than 25 cats…. all of which were “Range Free”. Being ‘range free’ means no rules or expectations. Let that sink in for a moment, you know it did….straight through the carpeting! It’s safe to say, Ellen’s been the cat’s meow for quite some time!
Early in VernaAnn’s career, she would travel to 8 different Amish farms in Lancaster, PA. Be it that she was ‘English’ these Amish families would not allow her in their homes to deliver speech-language services to their children. This did not deter VernaAnn from traveling to these farms every week, where she delivered services on the front porches from August to November!!! Eventually, VernaAnn gained the trust of these families and was welcomed her into their community…. and homes for therapy!
Elizabeth hasn’t had the experience of delivering speech services in a strange place where I worked, however her first job was in a very diverse school in Chicago. She had a group of 3 boys that focused on social skills. While this seems like a pretty normal occurence for a school speech therapist, the fact that the boys’ native languages were Urdu, Bengali, and Polish made service delivery a little different. Something is to be said for the universal language of charades!
One would not think that the great outdoors and Speech Therapy are a mix. Gina, however is an expert in this combination. One summer she would provide therapy services a girl while she was at a day camp in the MetroParks. There was nowhere to sit, so we walked a little way to a picnic table in the middle of a very woodsy area. Suffice it to say mosquitoes, bees, 90 degree weather, and speech therapy do not mix!
In Mary’s experience-rich career, she has delivered services in a myriad of locations. None of which are the ideal location you read about in the college textbooks. Mary has delivered speech services under a stairway – no distraction there; in the basement of a century old building next to the boiler – so quiet and acoustically perfect (NOT!); in a parking lot – not that’s what you call fast service; on-line – because, technology and of course the proverbial “speech closet – which is the smallest place in a school where everyone who enters describes it as ‘cozy’. Rest assured in a shoe box or the Taj Mah Hall Mary’s speech services were delivered with the utmost quality!
Have wheels, will travel! Speech-therapy knows no vacation. Ellery has delivered speech services on the open road. Actually, in the backseat of a 12 hour ride to North Carolina. You might consider bringing your speech-therapist on vacation, we are pretty sure that being the Aunt of this adorable client might have had a little something to do with Ellery’s dedication.
Wendi has experienced the ups and downs of delivering speech services…..on a trampoline of course! Co-treating with a Physical Therapist resulted Wendi’s need for some creative therapy techniques. Wendi gave new meaning to bouncing right along!
No weather or location or animal or language can keep these dedicated women from doing their jobs… delivering amazing speech-language therapy services!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy
May is Better Speech and Hearing Month!
May is Better Speech and Hearing Month. It’s the time of the year when we in the field like to increase awareness of communication disorders and the role your friendly Speech Therapist or Audiologist plays in providing life changing therapies. While May is a great time to better understand the field of speech-language pathology and audiology, it also provides us opportunity for us at Lakeshore Speech Therapy to share a little bit more about ourselves.
The team at Lakeshore represents a total of over 100 years of experience in the delivery of speech-language therapeutic intervention. 100 years!!!! Individually this outstanding team is dedicated to improving communication for young and old. But where did they get their start? Where did they begin as college freshman and end as professionals with a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology? Let’s find out:
Ellen Spear holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Marquette University! Goooooo Golden Eagles!
VernaAnn Kotansky received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the State of University of New York at Geneseo. Gooooooo Knights!
Elizabeth Lazowski received her Master’s degree from Northwestern University and is a proud Wildcat!
Ellery Martinko is a proud Viking, graduating from Cleveland State University with her Master’s degree.
Mary Yutzy proudly received her Master’s degree from the University of Akron. Way to go Zips!
Gina Perciavelli graduated with her Master’s from Ohio University. Bobcat’s in the house!
Wendi Willmer graduated with her Master’s from Kent State University. Golden Flashes all the way!
From Eagles to Knights, Wildcats to Vikings, Zips to Bobcats and Flashes, Lakeshore therapists represent their colleges well!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech