The official blog of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association
As students studying communication sciences and disorders (CSD), we have so many options to consider and explore—from differing patient populations to work settings. Some students may be excited by the abundance of options, whereas other students may be anxious and intimidated by it. But you’re not bound by your externships or clinical fellowship experience: You’re allowed to change your mind! Take it from me—it’s okay….
In my second year of graduate school studying speech-language pathology, I was feeling tired, anxious, and spread thin by my academic, clinical, and extracurricular commitments. I was not spending enough time on myself to support my mental health, and my daily life was impacted by negative and anxious thoughts. I realized that I needed to make a change. So, I started by setting better boundaries…
For most people, the ability to express themselves through speech comes naturally and with little effort. For others, a disorder such as autism, or an illness such as a stroke or neurogenic disease, has left them isolated and unable to communicate with others. Fortunately, those people can use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to communicate and interact with others. AAC consists of a range of…
The Students Preparing for Academic-Research Careers (SPARC) Award aims to cultivate student interest in pursuing a research doctorate (PhD) in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and a career as a faculty-researcher in CSD. ASHA grants 12 awards of $1,000 each, including up to two awards dedicated to students attending master’s and baccalaureate universities. In this Q&A, recent SPARC award recipients Haley Hayashi, a speech-language pathology graduate student…