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De Facto Leaders

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Nov 13, 2024 • 48min

Reframing the purpose of social narratives, video modeling, and social skills lesson plans

Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan. When we “lesson plan” we can’t think of our intervention as something that starts and ends with a 20-minute therapy session. Instead, we should think of it as a “planning” or a “priming” session. That’s why one of the very first things I teach clinicians in the School of Clinical Leadership is how to utilize multiple service delivery models when supporting executive functioning because social skills should fall under this umbrella.  In this episode, I wanted to share two sneak peaks from the program. I’ll share the audio from two video clips from the School of Clinical Leadership that will set the stage for effective social skills intervention.You’ll learn:✅How to use social skill-building sessions in a way that builds resilience, situational awareness, and considers a student’s neurodevelopmental differences. ✅Why many premade social narratives don’t result in good generalization, and how to be a good consumer of commercially available products. ✅The three components of effective social skills intervention and where the “social skills group” fits. ✅The components of good social narratives, and how to create them “on the fly”. *In the video modeling tutorial, I mention that a lot of people write goals for eye contact-and I wanted to clarify that I do not recommend writing eye contact goals. Instead, I recommend focusing on helping kids with the underlying communicative function, such as showing others you're paying attention or gaining attention of others, which can be achieved through other ways besides eye contact. In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipIf you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.  We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Nov 6, 2024 • 39min

Scaffolding syntax and semantics for non-readers and redefining life skills

Syntactic use is considered an “academic” skill that’s useful for reading comprehension and writing, but the impact of sentence comprehension goes way beyond school.Our ability to comprehend messages at the word and sentence level in oral and written language has a huge impact on our ability to function.So when clinicians ask me, “Should I focus on syntax, or should I focus on life skills?”, my response is that syntax IS a life skill.The same is true about semantic knowledge because of the significant impact background knowledge has in our ability to navigate in functional situations.Yet scaffolding for students who are not yet able to read and write can be challenging; which is why I wanted to share two questions on this topic from a session done with my Language Therapy Advance Foundation’s members’ group. In this session, I share:✅Examples of complex syntax that may occur during functional tasks, like signing up for medical appointments, applying for a job, or grocery shopping.✅Why effective vocabulary instruction in content areas, such as science and social studies, is essential for positive life outcomes.✅Scaffolding syntactic study for nonreaders or emergent readers.✅Does it make sense to do semantic feature analysis with a student who has an intellectual disability?✅Following directions, topic maintenance, and self-advocacy: What language skills do we need to meet these type of goals, and should even we be writing IEP goals for these skills? In this episode, I mentioned the following episodes of De Facto Leaders:EP 102: The science of reading: A team approach (with Brett Stevens) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-102-the-science-of-reading-a-team-approach-with-brett-stevens/EP 180: The relationship of language and literacy and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-180-the-relationship-of-literacy-and-language-skills-and-involvement-with-the-justice-system-with-dr-shameka-stewart/EP 181: Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life outcomes beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-181-developmental-language-disorder-impacts-on-literacy-and-life-beyond-school-with-dr-karla-mcgregor/In this episode I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus.  We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Oct 30, 2024 • 52min

Dynamic Assessment: Evaluations are a process, not a test (with Destiny Johnson)

I regularly hear from therapists who ask me questions about how to evaluate language in a way that gives detailed, meaningful, and accurate information.Most people know standardized tests only show a small fraction of what we need to know when it comes to language and cognition, yet many clinicians still don’t consistently utilize a complete portfolio evaluation. A lot barriers get in the way, including:👉Lack of clarity on what “dynamic assessment” means.👉Misconceptions about how a robust protocol looks (hint: “robust” doesn’t always mean “standardized”).👉Pressure from leadership who want to see standard scores. 👉Confusing or outdated guidelines that don’t enable clinicians to effectively evaluate diverse populations. That’s why I invited Destiny Johnson to episode 187 of De Facto Leaders to talk about dynamic assessment for monolingual and multilingual learners. Destiny Johnson, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a bilingual speech-language pathologist (English/Spanish) with a deep passion for culturally responsive assessment and treatment practices, as well as advocating for policy change. She has presented on dynamic assessment at the CSHA Convergence 2024, focusing on the importance of dynamic assessment in bilingual children. Destiny has experience working as a school-based SLP, in private practice, and in early intervention. She is also the founder and CEO of Multimodal Communication Speech Clinic P.C.In this conversation, Destiny shares key concepts relating to dynamic assessments, including:✅Modifiability and assessing learner potential.✅Using graduated prompting and test/retest to make treatment recommendations. ✅The Mediated Learning Observation Sheet and other tools that make dynamic assessment robust, without relying solely on standard scores. ✅What is examiner effort, and how do we use this concept to put explicit supports in place?✅Do school leaders really want standard scores, or is it something else they need?You can connect with Destiny on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destinybrookjohnson/On Instagram @destinyjohnsonslpOn her private practice website here: https://www.multimodalcommunication.org/The following resources were mentioned in this episode:Dr. Elizabeth Pena’s resources and research on Dynamic Assessment: https://learningcenter.asha.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/PD102345https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHMtIz7IgAhttps://products.brookespublishing.com/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=1557&Name=Elizabeth+D.+Pe%C3%B1a%2C+Ph.D.%2C+CCC-SLPDr. Janet Patterson’s research:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32750281/Information on the Mediated Learning Observation Scale;https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/0161-1461(2001/019)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38758673/This previous episode on De Facto Leaders: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-108-how-to-do-multilingual-evaluations-as-a-monolingual-therapist-with-meg-morgan/In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipIn this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 31. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. *If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Oct 23, 2024 • 1h 2min

Supporting multilingual students and taking part in state and national advocacy work (with Puja Goel and Prabhu Eswaran)

Language evaluations are challenging enough; but when we’re evaluating multilingual and bilingual students, they become even more complex. When clinicians ask me about language evaluations, the questions are typically:What tools/protocols can I use? Who can I go to for help? How can I advocate for change if current policies don’t support best practices?That’s why I invited Prabhu Eswaran and Puja Goel to episode 186 of De Facto Leaders to help answer some of these questions as they relate to multilingual learners.  Prabhu Eswaran is an ASHA certified school-based speech-language pathologist in Los Angeles, California. His areas of interests include child language disorders, communication disorders in culturally and linguistically diverse populations and technology in special education. He is now serving in the advisory board of MCCG SAC-ASHA’s Executive Board. Puja Goel, MA, CCC-SLP, PNAP, (she/her/hers) is a multilingual school-based speech language pathologist (SLP) who has worked for the Chicago Public Schools and currently works in New Mexico as a supervising SLP. Puja recently completed her administrative licensure in the state of NM which allows her to work as an administrator in schools. Puja is a member of ASHA, CASE and appointed to NAP. She completed the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program and Minority Student Leadership Program and served on the Multicultural Issues Board. Puja is a first-generation South Asian born in the United States. Puja can be contacted via email: pujagoel2020@gmail.com.In this episode, we discuss:✅What to do when standardized assessments aren’t normed in a student’s language. ✅Making a case for non-standardized data when standard scores don’t provide quality information.✅Service planning for multilingual students and recommended resources✅Getting started with advocacy at the state and national level. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Oct 16, 2024 • 30min

Is it a behavior issue or a language and literacy issue?

In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the school-to-confinement pipeline, giving students’ the language skills to understand their rights, the link between language, literacy and “behavior problems”, and how to get started with policy work. I share my commentary on the following:✅ Why students who’ve received repeated detentions or suspensions should be screened or evaluated to rule out language and literacy issues.✅ Saying “developmental language disorder” is ALLOWED in the schools. But what does that mean in practice and why is it important? ✅ Language therapy, read-alouds, and explicit reading instruction: These things aren’t just for younger students; they’re for any student who needs them. ✅ Want to address those chronic “behavior issues” at the secondary level? Then give your related service providers the time to provide services. ✅ Policy briefs: A tool to help you get started with advocacy workI revisit my conversations with Dr. Shameka Stewart (Episode 180), Dr. Karla McGregor (Episode 181), and Dr. Molly Ness (Episode 182) in this episode and share my thoughts on these topics. This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast (https://bepodcast.network/) network did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/). You can listen to the two interviews I discussed in this episode here:EP 180: The relationship of literacy and language skills and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-180-the-relationship-of-literacy-and-language-skills-and-involvement-with-the-justice-system-with-dr-shameka-stewart/EP 181: Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-181-developmental-language-disorder-impacts-on-literacy-and-life-beyond-school-with-dr-karla-mcgregor/EP 182: Leveraging read-alouds to build language and getting started with advocacy work (with Dr. Molly Ness) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-182-leveraging-read-alouds-to-build-language-and-getting-started-with-advocacy-work-with-dr-molly-ness/Additional Resources mentioned in this episode:You can listen to all the episodes in the National Literacy Month series at defactoleaders.com.In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipIn this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 31. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. *If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network  We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Oct 9, 2024 • 37min

Defining educational technology and considering homework equity issues

In this interview, I revisit conversations surrounding the use of the term “dyslexia” in the schools, the use of technology, and equitable access to books. I share my commentary on the following:✅Saying “dyslexia” in the schools: Both the positive and negative consequences✅Educational technology definitions: What “counts” as technology? What’s the difference between instructional and assistive technology? ✅The tech tools are not the strategy: What’s happening when kids don’t use technology effectively?✅Asking the right questions: School leaders should ask a different question than parents when they’re contemplating the value of “homework”. ✅Equity issues that come with homework requirements.✅Educators can’t control everything that happens when students leave campus; but they can help increase access to books. I revisit my conversations with Tom Parton (Episode 178) and Susan Brady (Episode 179) in this episode and share my thoughts on these questions.This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast network (https://bepodcast.network/) did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/) You can listen to the two interviews I discussed in this episode here:EP 178: Are we allowed to say “dyslexia” in the schools? (with Tom Parton)Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-178-are-we-allowed-to-say-dyslexia-in-the-schools-with-tom-parton/EP 179: Increasing book equity and fostering a love of reading (with Susan Brady)Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-179-increasing-book-equity-and-fostering-a-love-of-reading-with-susan-brady/Additional Resources mentioned in this episode:Literacy and background knowledge: Essential skills for life (with Dr. Pamela Snow)Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-158-literacy-and-background-knowledge-essential-skills-for-life-with-dr-pamela-snow/School leaders and reading instruction: Time to demand LESS rather than more autonomyLink here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/school-leaders-and-science-of-reading.htmlIn this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipIn this episode I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. *If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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Oct 2, 2024 • 23min

Morphology hierarchies, etymology, and reframing the “joy” of reading.

How much do we need to know about morphology and etymology to effectively help students? Is etymology an essential component to spelling and reading instruction?Will phonics instruction bore students? Is exposure to interesting books enough to foster a love of reading for people who don’t have solid word decoding skills?I revisit my conversations with Anna Gieger (Episode 177) and Dr. Jan Wasowicz (Episode 176) in this episode and share my thoughts on these questions.This episode is a follow-up commentary on the National Literacy Month series the BE podcast network (https://bepodcast.network/) did as a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/).EP 176: Building the language skills for reading, writing, and spelling (with Dr. Jan Wasowicz)(https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-176-building-the-language-skills-for-reading-writing-and-spelling-with-dr-jan-wasowicz/)EP 177: Debunking reading myths and defining literacy buzzwords (with Anna Geiger)(https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-177-debunking-reading-myths-and-defining-literacy-buzzwords-with-anna-geiger/)In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipIn this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate.*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.rif.org/You can also learn more about the other BE Podcast Network shows at https://bepodcast.network We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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11 snips
Sep 25, 2024 • 56min

Leveraging read-alouds to build language and getting started with advocacy work (with Dr. Molly Ness)

Dr. Molly Ness, a reading researcher and former classroom teacher, discusses the transformative power of read-alouds in enhancing language skills. She debunks the myth that structured reading approaches are boring, explaining how confidence and competence foster a love for reading. Dr. Ness emphasizes the science of reading goes beyond phonics, incorporating vocabulary and comprehension. She also advocates for literacy as a social justice issue, urging educators to engage in comprehensive strategies to improve access and support for all learners.
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5 snips
Sep 20, 2024 • 1h 1min

Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor)

Dr. Karla McGregor, a Senior Scientist at Boys Town National Research Hospital and a leading expert on developmental language disorder (DLD), discusses the complexities and under-recognition of DLD in schools. She emphasizes the critical need for early identification and effective interventions to support literacy and life skills. The podcast also highlights the distinct challenges faced by students with DLD compared to other disorders. Dr. McGregor shares valuable resources for families and educators to better understand and advocate for affected students.
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Sep 18, 2024 • 1h 1min

The relationship of literacy and language skills and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart)

There is a disproportionate number of individuals with communication disorders and reading disabilities involved with the justice system for both children and adults.Past research suggests that more than 40% of incarcerated people have some type of nonpsychiatric disability (Berzofsky et al., 2015; Bixby et al., 2022; Thompson, 2022)Additionally, once youth are involved in the justice system, it becomes more difficult for them to access the education and therapeutic services they need. Both literacy and language skills will impact someone’s ability to comprehend employee or disciplinary handbooks, to read language in legal documents, fill out job applications, and or explain past events during job interviews, when interacting with school staff or with law enforcement. Many times things are written off as “behavior problems” when the real underlying issue could be tied to language, reading, or writing. That’s why I invited Dr. Shameka Stewart to episode 180 of the De Facto Leaders podcast). Dr. Shameka Stewart is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Juvenile Forensic Speech-Language Pathologist(r). Dr. Stewart is also a special education advocate trained by the Wright's Law training center. Dr. Stewart’s clinical and scholarly work specializes in Juvenile Forensics, Law Enforcement Interaction with youth with CD, child language disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her primary research focuses on the Confluence and Impact of cognitive and communication disorders on the school-to-confinement pipeline, status offenses, involvement with the criminal justice system, law enforcement interaction, and criminal recidivism in youth placed at-risk for delinquency and crime (especially Black and Brown youth from under-resourced areas). Dr. Stewart is also a clinically certified and licensed speech-language pathologist and is licensed to practice in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and multiple other states. Through her work, Dr. Stewart has created cutting edge social justice and juvenile justice specialty courses for graduate CSD students, nationally known training programs for law enforcement and legal counsel, and national and international CE workshops and training for licensed SLP clinicians, students, and families of children with special needs.This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).In this conversation, we discuss:✅The relationship between reading challenges and the school-to-confinement pipeline.✅Why “behavior problems” could be related to language processing, reading, or writing challenges.✅When youth become involved with the justice system, how do they get access to special education services (including language therapy)? ✅“They should know better”: Why we can’t assume kids comprehend language in the school discipline handbook. ✅A case for continuing direct language therapy in high school (and why therapists need support from school leaders in making this happen).You can connect with Dr. Stewart on her website here: www.juvforensicslp.comConnect with her on Instagram @drjuvenile_forensicslpJoin her Facebook group SLPs 4 Juvenile Justice here. References for this episode’s show notes:Berzofsky, M., Bronson, J., & Maruschak, L. L. (2015). Disabilities among prison and jail inmates, 2011–12. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.Bixby, L., Bevan, S., & Boen, C. (2022). The link between disability, incarceration, and social exclusion. Heath Affairs, 41,10. doi: https://.doi.org/10.1377.hlthaff.2022.00495Thompson, E. (2022). Reading through the lines; The correlation between literacy and incarceration. Retrieved from: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/03/21/reading-through-the-lines-the-correlation-between-literacy-and-incarceration/In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here. In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here. You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. *If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here.&n...

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