If you work with people who have communication disorders—whether as a practicing speech-language pathologist (SLP), a family member of someone with speech-language issues, or a grad student in a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program—you need resources for teaching new language skills and growing your knowledge base. In this post, we list several types of resources for speech therapists: websites and blogs where you can download materials and keep up with research, memoirs by people with communication disorders, and associations where you can make professional connections.
Websites
Home Speech Home
Home Speech Home features a blog, word lists, tips, activities, flashcards, speech-therapy apps, and other free resources and fee-based therapy materials created by the authors, a married couple who are both CCC-SLPs. Resources for children and adults are available.
Speechy Musings
Speechy Musings was launched by a young, passionate SLP whose focus is creating practical, easy-to-use materials for pediatric SLPs. The site includes resources for purchase, freebies, a goal bank, and a blog.
Mommy Speech Therapy
Created by an SLP who is also a mom, Mommy Speech Therapy is aimed at parents and SLPs. The site features free worksheets and a blog with practical advice on how to teach children specific language skills and social skills.
Teachers Pay Teachers
On Teachers Pay Teachers, speech therapists can purchase SLP teaching and therapy materials directly from the teachers who created them—or find free resources. Search for specialized lessons from this vast platform.
The Informed SLP
The Informed SLP is a subscription-based site that distills research from top speech-language pathology journals into plain-language reviews of articles that are relevant to clinical practice. These reviews are available in web, print, and audio formats, so speech therapists can spend less time reading and more time treating.
Blogs
Pinterest SLP board
Pinterest’s Speech-Language Therapy Blog Posts: SLP bloggers pin links to their posts on this collaborative Pinterest board. Follow this board to stay current with your favorite speech and language therapy blogs in one place.
ASHA’s blog and other publications
ASHA publishes the blog Leader Live about current events in the speech-language-hearing world. Also check out ASHAwire, home to The ASHA Leader, four academic journals published by ASHA, and publications by ASHA’s 19 special-interest groups.
NSSLHA blog
Students who are members of NSSLHA write guest posts for National NSSLHA Blog to share their perspectives. Check it out and consider writing a post yourself!
Books
Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin
Reporting from the “country of autism,” Temple Grandin tells us how that country is experienced by its inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries to develop the social skills to function in the outside world. A must-read for anyone who works with people on the autism spectrum.
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.
Taylor is a Harvard-trained brain scientist who, at age 37, experienced a massive stroke that severely damaged the left hemisphere of her brain, rendering her unable to walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. She chronicles her 8-year recovery process and explores her scientific and philosophical insights into the phenomenon of stroke and other brain injuries.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Bauby, the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, had a stroke at age 44 that left him with locked-in syndrome, a condition in which the patient is awake but completely paralyzed except for the eye muscles. Bauby dictated this memoir through blinking.
Associations
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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, scientists, graduate students, and more. ASHA produces publications, events, and continuing education programs, and it offers job postings, networking, and advocacy opportunities. Although membership is open only to practicing professionals, non-members can explore the site’s extensive resources.
National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association
The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is a national student organization for pre-professionals studying communication sciences and disorders (CSDs). It has over 12,000 members and 320 chapters. Its mission is to “inspire, empower, and support students in the field of CSD.” The NSSLHA offers leadership opportunities, scholarships, awards, advocacy resources, and access to ASHA’s annual convention. The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) has an NSSLHA chapter.
National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing
The National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH) is the premier professional and scientific association addressing the communication interests and concerns of Black communication science and disorders professionals, students, and consumers. The association provides scholarships and mentoring to students, and it grants awards to leaders in the community.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) offers a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP). Designed for working students, the MS-SLP is an online program with four required on-campus residencies on either the USAHS Austin or Dallas campus. The program offers two intakes per year, in January and September. Prepare to make a difference in the lives of clients across the lifespan with a meaningful career in speech therapy!
For students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than communications sciences and disorders (CSD) or SLP, we offer SLP leveling courses for completing the necessary pre-requisites to enter the graduate program.
