As we enter the summer months, the world of Speech-Language Pathology is as busy as ever! In this part of our series for Speech-Language Pathology Trends, we have created categories to make the information easier to digest (and navigate). Scroll through the last news announcements related to (1) New Applications (2) New Discoveries (3) Trends in Legislation (4) New Research (5) Industry Practices and (6) Awards.
NEW APPLICATIONS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Dogs Improve Speech Therapy Results In Children
Speech therapy is a traditionally recommended approach to improving communication skills in children with developmental dysphasia. However, findings from a randomized controlled trial suggest that introducing animals, such as dogs, into therapy sessions can strengthen the benefits of this intervention.
“The presence of the dog improves the relationship with the therapist as it distracts from the fear of therapy in children and provides them with a form of support during the practice,” Kristýna Machová, from the department of husbandry and ethology of animals at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, said in a press release.
In the study, Machová and colleagues evaluated children aged 4 to 7 years with developmental dysphasia — 38 who received animal-assisted therapy with a dog, and 38 who received traditional speech therapy.
The therapy dog, according to the researchers, was a female, middle-aged Peruvian Hairless Dog named Agáta.
When the dog was included in therapy sessions, children made several significant improvements in prompted behaviors, including filling up their cheeks with air, smiling, and narrowing and shutting their eyes, compared with those who received traditional speech therapy.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS STUDY HERE
Miscommunication: Hispanic Youth Wrongfully Diagnosed
Hispanic bilingual students are being hindered academically in Arizona and across the country, because some speech-language pathologists do not have the resources or training necessary to correctly diagnose speech disorders in children.
As students come to school for the first time, they go through various screenings to ensure they are developing at a standard rate. This is when bilingual children can be separated from their peers – from the very beginning.
LEARN HOW HISPANIC YOUTH ARE BEING MISDIAGNOSED HERE
NEW DISCOVERIES IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Speech-Language Pathology Students Present Groundbreaking Research In Rome, Italy
The groundbreaking studies by Misericordia University researchers are the first of their kind to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), autonomic nervous system software and hardware, and a survey simultaneously to determine typically fluent speaker’s reactions to stuttering. By using both systems and a survey, the student-faculty researchers were able to determine the cortical, psychophysical and survey responses of participants as they observed videos of different aspects of stuttering.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS GROUNDBREAKING STUDY HERE
Sensing Food Textures Is A Matter Of Pressure
Food’s texture affects whether it is eaten, liked or rejected, according to researchers, who say some people are better at detecting even minor differences in consistency because their tongues can perceive particle sizes.
Food’s texture affects whether it is eaten, liked or rejected, according to Penn State researchers, who say some people are better at detecting even minor differences in consistency because their tongues can perceive particle sizes.
That is the key finding of a study conducted in the Sensory Evaluation Center in the College of Agricultural Sciences by a cross-disciplinary team that included both food and speech scientists specializing in sensory perception and behavior. The research included 111 volunteer tasters who had their tongues checked for physical sensitivity and then were asked their perceptions about various textures in chocolate.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS STUDY HERE
TRENDS IN LEGISLATION FOR SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY:
‘Common-Sense Bills’ Seek to Dismantle Home Health Therapy Barriers
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is trying to make the delivery of home health therapy services more flexible by broadening Medicare rules on who can open cases.
Specifically, two identical bills that would allow occupational therapists to open home health therapy cases were introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives earlier in June.
Known as the Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act, the bills would not alter Medicare’s criteria for establishing eligibility for the home health benefit and would only apply to rehab cases.
“This bill will work to prevent these delays with a straightforward, no-cost solution that would allow occupational therapists to conduct the initial home health assessment and open therapy-only home health cases. We need to make care accessible for those who need it.” U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tx.),
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LEGISLATION HERE
NEW RESEARCH IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Speech Therapy Services Market SWOT Analysis by Key Players Smart Speech Therapy, Therapy Solutions, Glenda Browne Speech Pathology
HTF MI recently introduced Global Speech Therapy Services Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Smart Speech Therapy, Therapy Solutions, Glenda Browne Speech Pathology, Benchmark Therapies, Talk Speech, Language Therapy & Speech Plus etc.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS RESEARCH HERE
Rehab Therapy’s Biggest Challenges and Opportunities Revealed in Third Annual Industry Report
WebPT, the market-leading software platform for outpatient rehab therapists, released its 2019 State of Rehab Therapy report detailing the findings from its recent industry-wide survey of more than 6,000 physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology professionals from an array of specialties, settings and geographic locations. According to the report, the biggest challenges facing the rehab therapy industry today include provider burnout, increasingly complex payer relationships and mounting student debt.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS SUMMARY HERE
INDUSTRY PRACTICES IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Feature: New Payment Model Puts Greater Emphasis On Speech-Language Pathologists
Over the last several months, Bill Goulding has crisscrossed the country, talking to providers who are trying to figure out how the new skilled nursing payment model may benefit them and what changes they should be making now.
Speech language therapy is getting a lot of early buzz, and it’s a service component that could be a “game changer,” according to Goulding, national director of outcomes and reimbursement for Aegis Therapies.
Currently, just 33 MDS items drive reimbursement for therapy and nursing services. Under the Patient-Driven Payment Model, however, that figure will grow substantially and leave providers with more ways to identify what services each unique resident actually requires for improved health and quality of life.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY TREND HERE
Speech Therapy Poised to Take Center Stage in Skilled Nursing Under PDPM
Among the potential upsides and pitfalls under the new Medicare payment system for skilled nursing facilities, one specialty comes up consistently as an area of great opportunity: speech therapy.
When the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) takes effect next October, speech therapy will play a greater role in a resident’s overall care plan than under the current Resource Utilization Group (RUG) system, several third-party therapy providers told Skilled Nursing News. Even as operators no longer have a financial incentive to log as many therapy hours as possible, speech services — along with physical and occupational therapy — will have a direct impact on how skilled nursing providers can prove solid outcomes and maximize their total reimbursements.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TREND HERE
Nontraditional Student Uses UMSL-Gained Skills For Nontraditional Path
Nathaniel was born with an airway of 1.6 millimeters, less than half the normal width for newborns, and rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit for an emergency surgery to implant a tracheostomy tube in his neck so he could breathe. The resulting trach was unstable: It needed to be tied in place and could be pulled out easily. With only 90 seconds to replace Nathaniel’s tube before he’d suffer from lack of oxygen, Rankin and her family could never let him be more than an arm’s length away.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NATHANIEL’S CASE HERE
Dunwoody Speech-Language Pathologist Launches Program To Treat Dementia
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease every 66 seconds. The disease affects approximately 5.5 million Americans, including 10 percent of everyone over the age of 65.
The longer we live, the more cases we are likely to see. Nationwide, an increase of 54.9 percent in new cases of Alzheimer’s is forecast for 2017-2025. Of all the states, Georgie is expected to have the twelfth highest percentage increase of new cases – 35.7 percent.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia, which is an umbrella term for a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities that interfere with daily functioning. Dementia involves damage of nerve cells in the brain and though most often associated with aging is caused by a variety of conditions including heart disease, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, brain injuries, high blood pressure, diabetes, alcoholism, atherosclerosis, obesity, and heavy smoking.
Recent research shows that many of the therapies used by speech-language therapists to diagnose and treat people suffering from vocal and cognitive communication impairments, often caused by brain injuries or learning disabilities, are effective in treating people living with dementia.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM HERE
AWARDS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
National Student Speech Language Hearing Association at ETSU awarded 2019 Gold Chapter Honors
The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association has awarded the chapter at East Tennessee State University with 2019 Gold Chapter Honors.
National Chapter Honors are awarded to affiliated chapters that demonstrate an outstanding effort to support National NSSLHA’s mission to inspire, empower and support students in communication sciences and disorders programs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS AWARD HERE
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