Year: 2017

BY COLETTE ELLIS M.ED., CCC-SLP, BCS-S Dysphagia, or having difficulty swallowing, can affect upwards of 15 million adults in the United States alone. Research has demonstrated that as many as 1 in 25 individuals will experience some form of dysphagia in their lifetime, including 22% of those 50 years of age and older (ASHA 2018; Bhattacharyya, […]

5 Years How in the world is this little gal 5 years old? Seriously. It has hit me pretty hard that I don’t have any little ones at home anymore. We are on to the next stage in life. As I look back on the past 5 years, I am grateful for how Belle has progressed and grown in many […]

If your school is anything like ours, you are nearing the coveted time called conference night. You may have already had yours. I used to solely rely on these times as my time to communicate with Elizabeth’s teacher. But as we all know those 20 minutes or so, given while other parents are lining up […]

TalkTools has been re-approved by the Continuing Education Board (CEB) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to offer continuing education activities for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. The approval period is five years, January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022. In order to achieve ASHA Approved CE Provider status, TalkTools completed a rigorous application process and successfully demonstrated adherence to […]

This poster was presented at the 2017 annual American Speech-Language & Hearing Association, Saturday, November 11, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. “Functional Assessment of Feeding Challenges in Children with Ankyloglossia” Authors: Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP & Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT, CLC Click here to view the full poster Introduction: Presentation explores 1) current classification systems for ankyloglossia; 2) functional assessment of ankyloglossia; 3) […]

The TalkTools extended family has been closely following the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico over the last weeks — and months. We were saddened by the immense devastation caused by Hurricane Maria — but inspired by the courage and resilience of so many in Puerto Rico. TalkTools is pledging 50% of all proceeds from our December […]

We look forward to meeting you at ASHA! Meet us at booth #1234 this Thursday until Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Here is why you should visit: 1. MEET TALKTOOLS STARS IN PERSON Meet TalkTools Instructors in person at the booth and at their presentations: “Functional Assessment of Feeding Challenges in Children with Ankyloglossia” by Lori […]

TalkTools instructor Monica Purdy, MA, CCC-SLP & mom of three, nurse and author Michele Gianetti, RN have recently been published in Parenting Special Needs Magazine in the July/August 2017 edition. “SPD: Know The Signs, Characteristics & How To Get Help” is available for free through the online magazine. The article is valuable for parents of children with Sensory Processing Disorder, providing them with a downloadable […]

Here are pictures and updates from our therapy mission trip to Roatan! Thank you all who made it happen.               

This year for Halloween, Elizabeth is simply going to pass out the candy with me or perhaps with a friend by her side. She is not dressing up for the event, at least not at the time of this writing. This is not to say she won’t change her mind and end up dressed and passing out […]