Practical strategies for supporting autistic communicators.

Guest: Farwa Husain, MS, CCC-SLP

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on YouTube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Farwa Husain, MA, CCC-SLP, bilingual speech-language pathologist, for a thoughtful conversation about supporting autistic individuals through relationship-based, neurodiversity-affirming care. Together, they discuss how echolalia can be understood as meaningful communication rather than a behavior to eliminate. Farwa shares practical strategies for supporting autistic communicators who use echolalia, emphasizing how caregiver coaching and everyday interactions can create rich opportunities for connection, language, and participation.

About the Guest: Farwa Husain, bilingual SLP, is the Founder of First Phrases and Owner of One-on-One Speech Therapy. She specializes in relationship-based, neurodiversity-affirming care, with a clinical and educational focus on supporting echolalia. Farwa is an international presenter who provides professional development training for schools and organizations worldwide.

Show Notes:

Contact Farwa:

• IG: @firstphrasesofficial
• LinkedIn
• www.firstphrases.com

Related Course: Autism Conference: Embracing Joy Through Practical Intervention

Family Guided Routines Based Interventions

Morris County Speech and Hearing Association

Understanding the research, benefits, and limitations of Baby-Led Weaning.

Guest: Kelsey Thompson, PhD, CCC-SLP

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on Youtube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, and Kelsey Thompson, PhD, CCC-SLP, dig into baby-led weaning (BLW). Whether you're new to BLW or looking to refine your clinical perspective, Michelle and Kelsey break down what BLW is, what it isn't, and how to support families and their little ones with confidence.

About the Guest: Kelsey Thompson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist, research scientist, and mom of two. Her clinical and research work centers on supporting families during the introduction of solid foods, with the goal of preventing long-term pediatric feeding disorders and empowering caregivers to feel confident in their feeding journey.

Related Courses:

• Early Feeding Transitions and Down Syndrome: How to Support Caregivers
• Infant Reflexes for Feeding and Development

Show Notes:

• Contact Kelsey on LinkedIn
• Feeding Flock
• Find Resources: FindHelp.org
• Love Money: Support Feeding Matters

Resources:

• Complementary Feeding Methods-A Review of the Benefits and Risks
• The Baby-Led Weaning Method (BLW) in the Context of Complementary Feeding: A Review
• Baby-led weaning: A thematic analysis of comments made by parents using online parenting forums
• Early feeding practices and eating behaviour in preschool children: The CORALS cohort
• Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Infant Food and Nutrient Intakes: The BLISS Randomized Controlled Trial
• How different are baby-led weaning and conventional complementary feeding? A cross-sectional study of infants aged 6-8 months
• Current Evidence on Nutrient Intakes and Infant Growth: A Narrative Review of Baby-Led Weaning vs. Conventional Weaning

Learn how to support NICU graduates as they transition from the hospital to home.

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on Youtube

What happens when Michelle sits down with Tiffany Elliott, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, IBCLC, NTMTC; Sara Circelli, MA, IMH-E, PMH-C; and Dr. Leslie Butterfield, PhD, PMH-C, from Hospital-to-Home Systems Change? You get a powerful hour dedicated to perinatal mental health, systems change, and supporting NICU graduates as they transition from the hospital to home. Together, they discuss how perinatal mental health, including postpartum anxiety, depression, and trauma, impacts caregiver engagement, readiness to learn, and the ability to support their newborns. They also highlight why supporting caregivers is essential to improving outcomes for infants and families.

About the Guests: Tiffany Elliott, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, IBCLC, NTMTC, is a Speech Language Pathologist and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. She brings her deep clinical experience in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, preterm and medically complex infants, and healthcare systems in the work she does as a clinician, educator and systems change advocate.

Sara Circelli, MA, IMH-E, PMH-C, is the Hospital-to-Home Systems Change Manager at Northwest Center, where she also served as an Early Intervention Family Resources Coordinator for nearly a decade. She helped develop Northwest Center’s Hospital-to-Home team to address the “service cliff” families face after NICU discharge, ensuring a supported transition home.

Leslie Butterfield, PhD, PMH-C, is a perinatal psychologist specializing in the transition to parenthood, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), perinatal loss, recovery from traumatic birth, NICU parenting, and parenting medically fragile infants. She is past Chairwoman of Perinatal Support Washington and the past President of PATTCh (Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth).

Show Notes:

hospitaltohomesystemschange.org

pediatricfeedingconnections.com

Love Money: Support National Perinatal Association

Learn how the ASHFoundation is stepping up amidst research funding cuts.

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on YouTube

In this special live episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Sharon E. Moss, PhD, CCC-SLP, CAE, Executive Director of the ASHFoundation, along with past funding recipients Katherine M. Trice, BA, and Ryan McCreery, PhD, to celebrate the ASHFoundation's 80th anniversary.

If you've been watching the news and wondering how research funding cuts might impact our field, take a breath. The ASHFoundation is stepping up. Together, they discuss how innovative funding initiatives, including the Need-Based Emergency Funding Program, are supporting students, early-career investigators, and the future of communication sciences and disorders. Katherine and Ryan also share their personal experiences, highlighting the impact of Foundation support on their research and professional journeys.

About the Guests:

Dr. Ryan McCreery, PhD, is the Vice President of Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. He also serves as a Senior Scientist and Director of the Audibility, Perception, and Cognition (APC) Lab.

Sharon E. Moss, PhD, CCC-SLP, CAE, became the executive director of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation in October 2022. Moss is responsible for the ASHFoundation’s leadership and management, fundraising, and mission-related program activities which include scholarship, research grant and special project initiatives.

Katherine M. Trice earned her BA in Linguistics from the University of Rochester and completed her PhD in Psychology from Northeastern University this July. She currently works as a postdoctoral associate in the Gabrieli Lab at MIT.

Show Notes:

• www.ashfoundation.org
• ASHFoundation on Instagram: @ashfoundationcsd
• ASHFoundation on LinkedIn
• Sign up for the ASHFoundation 7th Annual Virtual Walk/Run
• Join the First Bite Team: "First Bite Fun Runners"

What role do SLPs play with literacy development?

Guest: Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD, CCC-SLP, CALT, QIT

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on Youtube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD, CCC-SLP, CALT, QIT, for a passionate, research-backed discussion that positions speech-language pathologists as central to literacy development. Heather reframes dyslexia and reading challenges as reflections of underlying language and developmental profiles, explains how early oral language skills lay the foundation for reading, and discusses key early indicators of risk and the diverse developmental pathways that contribute to reading difficulties.

About the Guest: Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD CCC-SLP, CALT, QI in Training, University of Memphis, 2009, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Idaho State University, owner/clinician at Once Upon a Time LLC, and mother of two children with dyslexia. Her teaching, research, and clinical areas of expertise/interest include infant vocal development, phonetics, phonology, multisensory structured language intervention, spelling, structured word inquiry, literacy, and dyslexia.

Show Notes:

• Read with Ramsdell: www.readwithramsdell.com
• Contact Heather: www.isu.edu/slp/about/faculty
• Publications: https://pubs.asha.org/authored-by/Ramsdell/Heather+L
• Sign up for the ASHFoundation 7th Annual Virtual Walk/Run
• Join the First Bite Team: "First Bite Fun Runners"
• Love Money: Support Children's Dyslexia Centers

What does it take to prepare pediatric SLPs in serving diverse communities?

Guest: Paula V. Pineda, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on YouTube

In this episode of the First Bite podcast, host Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, is joined by Paula V. Pineda, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, bilingual speech-language pathologist, Chief Clinical Supervisor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and President of the ASHA Hispanic Caucus, for a thoughtful conversation about preparing pediatric SLPs to serve culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

About the Guest: Paula V. Pineda, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Speech-Language Pathologist with over 14 years of experience. Originally from Colombia, Paula has lived in New York City since 2001. She earned her Master’s degree from Adelphi University in 2011 and completed her clinical doctorate at Northwestern University in 2023.

Show Notes:

• Contact Paula: www.tc.columbia.edu
• Family Guided Routines Based Intervention: fgrbi.com
• Sign up for ASHFoundation's 7th Annual Virtual Walk/Run
• Join the team "First Bite Fun Runners"

Love Money:

• Support the Hispanic Caucus: www.hispaniccaucusasha.org
• Support your local immigration association: www.findhelp.org

Gain actionable strategies to support more inclusive, culturally responsive, and family-centered practice.

Guest: Samantha Dudding, MS, CCC-SLP

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on YouTube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, is joined by Samantha Dudding, MS, CCC-SLP, for a thoughtful conversation about how culturally responsive communication can promote more equitable outcomes in special education. Drawing on her clinical expertise and leadership experience, Samantha shares practical strategies for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse students and families while strengthening collaboration across educational teams.

About the Guest: Samantha Dudding, M.S., CCC‑SLP, is a speech‑language pathologist and special education leader whose work centers on culturally responsive communication within school‑based special education processes. She is currently a Student Support Coordinator in a school district just outside of Washington, DC where she facilitates special education processes, supports multidisciplinary teams, and leads professional development focused on inclusive practices.

Show Notes:

• Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory
• Sign up for the ASHFoundation's 7th Annual Virtual Walk/Run
• Join the team "First Bite Fun Runners"

How do mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression influence language and communication?

Guest: Kary Mirasola, MS, CCC-SLP

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on Youtube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Kary Mirasola, MS, CCC-SLP, for a thoughtful discussion about the connection between adolescent language development and mental health. As mental health concerns continue to affect students across school and clinical settings, this conversation considers the role speech-language pathologists can play as part of an interprofessional team. Michelle and Kary also discuss how emotional well-being may affect assessment findings, goal development, and intervention planning, and offer strategies to help SLPs better understand and support the whole student.

About the Guest: Kary Mirasola, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with more than 20 years of experience working in a pediatric hospital setting. Throughout her career, she has specialized in working with adolescents and has had the opportunity to work closely on interdisciplinary teams alongside psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, pediatricians, and advanced practice nurses, supporting school-age children and adolescents with complex communication, learning, and mental health needs.

Show Notes:

Contact Kary on her website: Woven Language + Learning

Love Money: National Alliance on Mental Illness