20Q With Ann Kummer CEU Courses for SLPs

Most SLPs have had little or no education or training in counseling skills and rely mostly on their intuition and suggestions from colleagues. The importance of learning counseling skills, counseling approaches and techniques (including "microskills" used in client interactions), and how to use them with various patient/family member populations and work settings are discussed in this course.

Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), its differences from other practice models, and its relationship to interprofessional education (IPE) are discussed in this course. The benefits and barriers to IPCP and key elements for integrating it into assessment and treatment in school settings are described.

SLPs hold comprehensive, valuable expertise in language unique among professionals working with school-aged children. This course encourages SLPs to embrace and share this expertise and apply it to therapy guided by five evidence-supported principles. Activities, templates and lesson plans for effective, efficient, educationally relevant small group and classroom-based intervention are described.

The importance of using IDSSI to provide standardized language when speaking about texture modification is discussed in this course. Comparisons of IDDSI and the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD), as well as IDDSI standards for pediatric vs. adult patients are presented. Additionally, potential barriers, solutions, and frequently asked questions related to implementation of IDDSI are described.

The nature of induced laryngeal obstruction, including comorbidities and causes, and the speech-language pathologist’s role in evaluation and treatment of this disorder are described in this course. Current diagnostic and treatment practices and research updates pertaining to the condition are discussed.

Communication strategies to support inpatients in the medical setting who are unable to speak are described in this course. Using principles of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), steps for evaluating patient capabilities, selecting and implementing strategies, equipment and materials, creating communication tools, and supporting partners and team members are discussed.

The rationale and methodology for assessing six core areas in school-aged stuttering children are described in this course. These areas include stuttering-related background information; speech, language, and temperament; speech fluency and stuttering behavior; reactions of the speaker and of people in the environment to stuttering; and adverse impact of stuttering.

Aspects of head and neck cancer (HNC) management relevant to the speech-language pathologist considering working with this population are described in this course. Specifically, HNC diagnosis and treatment, surgical and reconstructive options, communication and swallowing issues, treatment-related toxicities, and the impact on quality of life are addressed.

An overview of motor learning principles relevant to speech sound disorders, including principles related to structuring practice conditions and feedback, is provided in this course. Evidence from the literature is presented, and specific ways to incorporate these principles into both acquisition and retention phases of intervention are described.

Increasingly, SLPs are serving individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI, cognitive reserve, and modifiable risk factors that can reduce the risk of dementia are defined and described in this course. An overview of cognitive/communicative deficits associated with MCI, as well as assessment and management considerations, is also provided.