I love any chance I get to highlight our wonderful staff. As this month is Better Hearing and Speech Month, I wanted to again share the thoughts of our Speech Language Pathologists, with a few updates.

~ Maureen

5/20/14

Since May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, I thought it would be fun to pose some questions to our Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) and share their responses with you.

Our talented SLP team includes Amy Moczulski, Danielle Herbe, Danielle Kirsch, Emily Landkrohn, Pam Goetz, Jill Brugger (not pictured) and Stephanie Rose Briggs.

Amy Moczulski

What is the most rewarding about being a SLP?

• Seeing a child make gains because of the services you are providing
• Seeing the excitement on a student’s face when they are successful in communicating something that they weren’t able to before
• The moment when I see the light in the child’s eyes because they just realized they can communicate
• Interacting with the families of my students and hearing parents talk about the gains and successes that their child has achieved.

Emily Landkrohn

What are some of the challenges?

• Juggling time with therapy sessions, paperwork, meetings, makeup sessions and billing.
• Discovering what the best access method is for each individual to allow him or her to be the most successful in accessing and using various augmentative and alternative communication devices.
• Staying current with everything new and promising in the field without losing sight of solid, tried and true therapy techniques and materials.
  

  Danielle Kirsch

• There is never enough time in the work day to devote to my students and their many needs.
• Each student is unique and the way that they communicate reflects that. It’s awesome to have a wide range of augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) systems, everything from the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to high-tech dynamic display devices!

What would you say to encourage others to work in this field?

• Communication is one of the most powerful tools that we have to use in life to convey our thoughts, opinions and beliefs and to relate to the world and people around us.
  

  Danielle Herbe

  Having a career that helps people of all ages improve their communication makes a positive difference in the world and the lives of others.

• One of the best aspects of being a SLP is how rewarding it can be in making a positive difference in the lives of both children and adults. There are many different settings and needs so it’s exciting to have many options.
• This is a profession in which you can truly feel that you have made a difference in many children’s lives.
  

  Stephanie Rose Briggs

• There are many reasons. SLPs have many options in choosing a population and a setting. Regardless of which career path you choose the end result is the same. You are providing therapy to individuals to improve their communication skills and to reach their fullest potential.
• Therapy requires expertise and knowledge across a broad range of needs: cognitive, physical functionality, emotional, behavioral and medical. Just as important, however, a therapist should embody a genuine enjoyment of every student and the belief that each has the potential to be successful.

Our students demonstrate a variety of significant communication and swallowing disorders, so Speech-Language Pathologists are critical members of our team. We are so fortunate to have these ladies working with our BNI family. It takes a special person who both thrives on challenges of working with a diverse population and who also enjoys working closely with families.

Thank you for your dedication and hard work!