When it comes to reading intervention, few programs are as widely known, or as hotly debated, as the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach. Marketed as a lifeline for children with dyslexia and word-level reading disabilities (WLRD), OG is often touted as the gold standard. But is it? A closer look at the evidence tells a far more […]
Speech-language pathologists claim to be a science-driven profession that follows the evidence. We cite evidence-based practice in our values, policies, and professional rhetoric. But in day-to-day reality, clinical decisions are often shaped less by research and more by revenue. The uncomfortable truth? Profit, not evidence, increasingly dictates what gets promoted, adopted, and normalized in our
In schools and private practices across the country, families of struggling students are told, “Get an evaluation,” as if identifying a diagnosis is the solution. But what happens when the evaluation is conducted by the wrong person, who either lacks deep expertise in language development or doesn’t treat the conditions they’re assessing? The answer is
Despite its clinical ring, “Auditory Processing Disorder” (APD) remains one of the most poorly defined, inconsistently diagnosed, and least useful labels used in school-aged populations. Not only is the diagnosis itself mired in scientific controversy, but its downstream effects in schools often do more harm than good. Recently, I conducted a professional poll on social
The APD Diagnosis Trap: How a Controversial Label Harms Kids in Schools Read More »
Determining a student’s “grade level” can be especially challenging when that student has Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) (Ziegenfusz et al, 2022). DLD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how children understand and use language, including vocabulary, grammar, following directions, processing questions, and expressing ideas clearly. Because language underpins all areas of academic learning, these challenges
When Skills Don’t Line Up: Making Sense of DLD and Grade Expectations Read More »
In the world of educational assessments, there’s a long-standing reverence for the IQ score (Ritchie, 2015). Intelligence has often been seen as the gold standard for predicting academic success (Ren et al., 2015). However, in the case of twice-exceptional (2e) children—those with high IQs but significant learning disabilities—this traditional view can be misleading, especially when
Gifted but Overlooked: Rethinking Evaluation for 2e Students Read More »
It’s a situation that sadly happens far too often. A parent or caregiver refuses to acknowledge a particular diagnosis, such as Autism, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia, or another neurodevelopmental condition. Sometimes it’s about fear. Other times, stigma (Turnock et al, 2022; Huang et al., 2023). In many cases, it’s rooted in the belief that
Acknowledging the Diagnosis: Why Denial Hurts More Than the Label Ever Could Read More »
As summer approaches, many families begin to wind down from the academic year, looking forward to a break from routines, early mornings, and school responsibilities. While rest and unstructured time are important for children, pausing language and literacy therapy over the summer can have serious consequences, especially for students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Autism,
In my years of clinical practice, I’ve witnessed firsthand the powerful transformations that can take place in students receiving high-quality, evidence-based therapy for social pragmatic deficits. I’ve also seen something else: the frustration, sometimes shared by parents, educators, and even therapists, when those gains aren’t as obvious or easy to measure as progress in other
Why Social Pragmatic Progress Is Real—But Hard to See Read More »
When children struggle with handwriting or typing, many well-meaning educators turn to speech-to-text (STT) tools in hopes of providing quick support. However, for students with Autism, ADHD, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, etc., STT is not a solution—it’s a band-aid that often highlights, rather than addresses, underlying problems. These students typically have difficulty organizing
The Truth About Speech-to-Text: It’s Not a Shortcut for Struggling Writers Read More »