MY PASSION AND LOVE FOR SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
Deciding on speech-language pathology
When I was in high school, my uncle experienced a motorcycle accident. He was diagnosed with Wernicke’s aphasia. I used to spend time with him when my aunt was not home, and we would do “speech homework” including going over everyday objects and working on labeling at the individual word level.
My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She passed away in 2019. We stuck by her side until the end. It was disheartening to see how her language changed as the disease progressed. I knew I wanted to work with the brain and help others in this situation.
My father wanted me to go to school and study business. I went in undecided, knowing I’d do something more in the realm of psychology. Sophomore year of college, I took a class on the neuroscience of aging. I was captivated by Steve Gleason’s augmentative and alternative communication device (AAC device) and his story as he battled with ALS. I cried in that class. I left so inspired to help individuals maintain their voice in the eyes of a battle.
What I thought I wanted.
I swore I wanted to work with adults when I was in graduate school. This was right when COVID-19 started, and we couldn’t go into medical placements for the longest time. I would email my clinical instructors begging for an opportunity to see adults or go into the dementia unit. But the restrictions were very severe.
We took a cognitive communication course, focusing on brain injuries and dementia. This was one of my strongest interests. This was MY course. I would read everything and contribute always while sitting at the edge of my seat. When we got to the dementia unit, I would turn off my camera and cry. It was so hard for me to process the emotion of losing my grandmother to Alzheimer’s it was too real. It made me question if this was really my path. I may be better suited in a different area of the field.
The summer of our last year, right before we graduated, I had my medical placement. I had one of the luckiest placements at the Veteran’s Affairs. This was something I dreamed of. I could not have been more wrong. I had so much anxiety and dread going in every day. It hurt my heart to be in intensive units. I felt like I was constantly in fight-or-flight. I thought I could handle it, but I couldn’t. I loved reading and learning about swallowing disorders and head and neck cancer, on top of aphasia, traumatic brain injuries, and cognitive decline. I truly thought that someone else deserved this spot.
Finding my footing.
My fellowship was in early intervention. It was a complete 180, and I adored it with my whole heart. I supported families and helped children say their first words. I held children’s hands, calmed toddlers from breakdowns, worked with translators, traveled the city, and got funding for an augmentative-alternative communication device. I learned so much about myself.
I would never take that placement for granted. I loved my company. I loved the families I met. I became very sick with an autoimmune disease a year later (my story on this here). Some of the symptoms I was experiencing included severe fatigue, falling asleep in between sessions, acid reflux, rashes all over my face, chronic joint pain, and was just in shambles. I couldn’t keep up with the driving. It kept me in fight-or-flight mode, and my sciatica was getting worse.
Saying goodbye to the job and those families was one of the hardest decisions I came to.
Where I am now.
am lucky to say I adore the company I am with now. They support me and I leave every work meeting feeling invigorated. I currently work from home, and I see multiple districts that are dealing with staff shortages or maternity leave. I have worked with amazing teachers, special education coordinators, staff, and students.
Now that my symptoms have been better, I am so invigorated to keep making materials for my job. I want to stay up to date with learning. One of my new passions has been talking about my experience with my autoimmune disease through my blog (saveyourspoon.com) and social media @saveyourspoon on everything! I decided I wanted to extend this to speech-language pathology and neuroscience. In my head, I believe I bridged those interests with my spiritual/mindfulness side.
My passions in the field:
My favorite things in the field of speech-language pathology include assessing and treating early intervention, preschool/elementary school age, and low-incidence populations. I also love supporting families and co-treating. Although I could not see myself working with the adult/geriatric population, I find myself excited to learn about the brain and mediating cognitive symptoms. I hope to continue to incorporate those themes into this blog.
Stay tuned for all there is to come!
