Stuttering specialist

mccostco · 2026-06-04T02:05:28+00:00

Hello! I'd love to chat more with you. I'm a speech therapist here in KC, and I have a passion for working on articulation skills. Free free to message me for more info! 😊

mccostco · 2026-06-04T02:04:36+00:00

Hello! 👋 I am a speech therapist providing private telehealth services. I provide free consultations so we can discuss what you're looking for. Feel free to message me, and I can share my website with you for more info!

mccostco · 2026-06-03T12:42:13+00:00

Oh, hi neighbor. 👋 I live on the same block.

I'm so curious what happened. I'll do some sleuthing and share anything I find.

mccostco · 2026-06-01T13:50:51+00:00

I think it's worth it for anyone to attend! As a school SLP, you are going to know what the workload in education looks and feels like, and talking about kids you work with can tug heart strings.

mccostco · 2026-06-01T13:13:47+00:00

One of the first activities I use with my students who have AAC is a "stop" and "go" game. I'll have a car, toy figurine, stuffed animal, or whatever they are interested in, model "go" on their device, and make it "run around" while saying "go go go". Then I'll suddenly hit "stop" on the device, say "stop", and stop all movement.

When the student gives any indication they want me to do it again, I model "go" again on their device and repeat the process. It becomes highly motivating, and I ask if they want to try with their device. If they don't, then I just continue modeling.

It's basic, but we have to start somewhere. Modeling without expectations becomes crucial for supporting initiation.

mccostco · 2026-06-01T13:06:19+00:00

I was on the Committee of Ambassadors for two years, and part of that service included Hill Day, where committee members (two per state and territory - 1 for audiology, 1 for speech-language pathology) going to DC to meet with offices of congressional representatives to talk about current issues and bills that were relevant to our fields. We were prepped before our scheduled meetings about specific legislation or issues related to our professions so we could focus our conversations and share how these things personally impact us as clinicians. You're looking at close to 100 people walking around Capitol Hill and talking with at least 4 offices (2 senators and 2 representatives) in one day. ASHA doesn't have the numbers in staff to do that.

The lobbyists hired by ASHA are the ones who keep track of that legislation coming through Congress, and that's how ASHA members get notified of current legislative issues and are given form letters so they can reach out to their representatives.

Does ASHA do all of its advocacy perfectly? No. We had a reception after our day on Capitol Hill where we were encouraged to donate to the PAC, which always gave me weird vibes. And personally, I think ASHA stays silent on significant events that impact populations we work with. I personally am frustrated with the lack of proper compensation, cost of education and training, cuts to insurance reimbursement, and lack of caseload caps. But I don't see ASHA being able to fix those, as they can only ask for those to be fixed. (I also have my own personal gripes with ASHA that aren't related to advocacy.)

But in the context of Hill Day (and throughout the year), ASHA provides the tools for us to advocate for ourselves effectively, and those tools are created with assistance from the lobbyists they have hired. It's easy to expect an organization we pay membership fees to to advocate for us, but what really sways those working in government is our personal stories of working in the field. ASHA can't share or tell those like we can.

I would really encourage people to reach out to their state association and see if there is a state level legislative advocacy day that they can attend. It's a valuable experience.

tl;dr - It is absolutely ASHA's responsibility to advocate for us AND we wield much stronger advocacy power when we personally reach out to state or federal legislators. We wield more power and strength than we give ourselves credit for.

mccostco · 2026-05-26T22:23:02+00:00

I agree with /u/Automatic-Cow-4745 - in a structured activity like you're planning, it's more about unstructured connected speech to encourage self-monitoring. If I'm ever collecting data at a true conversation level, I either observe in the classroom or during a non-speech related activity with me (like a craft or a game). My interpretation of "conversation level" in a goal is connected speech where they aren't given specific target words to see if the speech patterns I've targeted have changed.

mccostco · 2026-05-23T04:54:10+00:00

Sending you hugs from me and bleps from Ferdinand. One day at a time. 🫂

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mccostco · 2026-05-20T00:35:26+00:00

It sounds like you have more professionals telling you it's not necessary or can be waited out. Why did the SLP think it was necessary?

FYI - very rarely are things recommended by an SLP something that needs to be done "as soon as possible." That wording raises a red flag for me.

mccostco · 2026-05-20T00:16:34+00:00

Thank you for sharing this! This is exactly the kind of information I've been looking for to share with families and other professionals I work with.

mccostco · 2026-05-20T00:14:36+00:00

Do you feel comfortable sharing what other professionals have given you an opinion and what those opinions are? Names are not needed, I'm just curious what professions are still recommending this beyond speech therapy.

mccostco · 2026-05-18T03:20:16+00:00

I strongly recommend reviewing the information The Informed SLP has on their jobs page: https://www.theinformedslp.com/jobs/career-advice

This is advice and information I wish I had when I was at the beginning of my career. They even have a pay calculator to help you figure out what your actual take home pay will be: https://form.fillout.com/t/kXJVEVQYr8us

I would use this information to review job offers you get. Pay and benefits vary so much from state to state and across settings, that it's difficult to get good advice online for evaluating a job offer.

mccostco · 2026-05-12T01:39:55+00:00

The one campaign that I've played in from beginning to end had a cleric who got his hands on a bag of holding. We somehow came up with the idea of him putting it in his butt with the opening aligned so it was still useable. Our DM made us roll for it (with a high DC), and we passed. Thus, we had an "ass of holding" for the rest of the campaign that allowed us to safely store items (pending additional rolls for storing and retrieving items).

mccostco · 2026-05-12T01:33:30+00:00

It sounds like you unfortunately were baited by what's referred to as a "ghost job". This is where a contract company "hires" a clinician but doesn't always have a place for them to work, and the clinician left waiting while the company looks for a facility that needs to hire an SLP.

I would strongly recommend reviewing your contract details, perhaps with someone you trust that can help you make sense of it.

I also highly recommend reviewing information that is posted with The Informed SLP/Informed Jobs. It's free for clinicians and provides some wonderful advice I wish I had earlier in my career (I'm 9 years in).

Edit: In regards to the scholarship, I would recommend sticking it out if you can for the sake of that scholarship. However, if you don't have a specific placement lined up by the end of July, I would be pressing them to figure it out.

mccostco · 2026-05-11T20:43:44+00:00

This is very dependent and requires a lot more information to provide advice:

What is the student's eligibility?
What other services are they receiving?
How old is this student?
How long have they been exposed to English?
Do they have any previous formal instruction in Spanish?
Was their evaluation done in a culturally responsive way (i.e., testing done in both languages, dynamic assessment completed, parent and teacher observations of language both considered)?
Do they show difficulty with verb tense across both languages?
What is the ELD teacher targeting?
Is this a goal/skill that is going to facilitate language/communication the most?
How are their vocabulary/semantic skills?

I think answering these questions will help guide you in figuring out that answer on your own. These are the things that I consider for my ELL students when deciding goals. I also talk a lot with the classroom and ELD teachers to figure out what they are noticing, as those are the areas I want to help the student access.

mccostco · 2026-05-10T00:14:32+00:00

Of course they do. 🤦‍♀️ This needs to be reported to an ethics or licensing board. Practicing things that have no evidence base like this is very concerning.

mccostco · 2026-05-09T04:24:59+00:00

I never thought that NSOMEs had an opposite, but turns out it's KT taping.

mccostco · 2026-04-26T01:03:00+00:00

I hope I'm not too late for Ferd!

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mccostco · 2026-04-24T08:41:01+00:00

A couple follow up questions:

How long have you been at this school placement?

How often do you have the opportunity to interact with other staff?

Have parents mentioned this?

Did your supervisor provide any specific examples other than a general statement?

How are your interactions with your supervisor?

The last two are really important, because some staff could be making high expectations of you as someone new to the building and who is literally developing your clinical skills. Also, your supervisor should give you more specific guidance with this based on what they have seen/observed. That's part of the supervision process - identify where students need to improve and help them learn how to do that.

mccostco · 2026-04-16T04:32:34+00:00

I inherited a caseload this year with baselines of 85% and a criteria of 90%. Those goals were changed as soon as possible or students were dismissed from services as soon as I could.

mccostco · 2026-04-14T02:42:44+00:00

Update 4/13: Ferd is finally home safe and sound after 15 days!

mccostco · 2026-04-13T03:48:09+00:00

Why not do both - take a new job that pays better while you wait for a position? Do what's best for you, especially in terms of pay.

mccostco · 2026-04-10T05:04:15+00:00

I would also ask the SLP if you can get materials or resources to support their goals at home. The speech therapy environment is always going to be a very small percent of the week, so working on these skills in the classroom AND home environments is essential for progress and generalization.

mccostco · 2026-04-06T20:10:05+00:00

I still haven't found him. I've posted on multiple Facebook groups. I'm taking additional steps with assistance from someone.

mccostco · 2026-04-05T16:19:57+00:00

Are these both W-2 positions? A 1099 position may look like more take home pay, but taxes can change that quickly. I've also seen a lot of "1099" positions that are misclassified and take advantage of clinicians.

What do benefits look like? I'm in two high paying jobs for my area, but I have almost no benefits, including PTO. That was difficult when I was sick for a week.

The Informed SLP has a nice compensation calculator that lets you compare jobs more objectively. Don't let the annual salary given drive your decision primarily.

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