Expert Tips for Educators & Therapists

Closing Down Your Therapy Space the Right Way

Your August self deserves better than mystery sticky notes, broken games, and dried-out markers. These five end-of-year therapy room reset strategies can help SLPs organize materials, paperwork, and systems now for a calmer start to the next school year.

How Rachel Madel changed our thoughts on AAC progress

Waiting for the perfect AAC system can mean a student spends months or even years without meaningful access to communication. Rachel Madel shares why SLPs don’t need to be AAC experts to get started and why imperfect AAC is better than no AAC at all.

Practical AAC conversations with Cara Falade

This Bright Conversations Office Hours brought clinicians together with Cara Falade for an open AAC Q&A focused on the questions that show up in real practice, from implementation and carryover to team collaboration and supporting communication across settings.

How to Run a 20 Minute AAC Training for Teachers and Paras

You don’t need a full PD day to help teachers and paras become better AAC communication partners. This 20-minute training gives school-based SLPs a practical way to teach modeling, wait time, and responsive communication without overwhelming the team.

What’s Hardest About AAC Right Now

We asked more than 100 school-based SLPs what’s hardest about AAC right now. Their answers reveal recurring challenges with team carryover, limited training, family support, advocacy, funding, and finding the time and tools to put good AAC practices into action.

What to Say When a Teacher Says “AAC Just Isn’t Working for This Kid”

When AAC carryover isn’t happening, classroom staff may be telling you exactly what’s getting in the way. These practical scripts can help SLPs respond to common AAC concerns with empathy, collaboration, and one manageable next step.

How AAC Devices End Up in Backpacks

AAC devices don’t end up in backpacks because communication partners don’t care. Often, the adults supporting AAC users simply haven’t been shown how to model. One small shift can help turn uncertainty into consistent communication support.

Why AAC Carryover Feels Impossible (And Why It’s Not Your Fault)

You can choose the right AAC system, write strong goals, and advocate for a device, only to find it sitting unused weeks later. AAC carryover isn’t just about the device or the SLP. It depends on the systems, training, communication partners, and practical supports surrounding the student.

The Burnout Talk: How to Spot It in Yourself and Your Students Before Summer Hits

End-of-year burnout doesn’t disappear when the final bell rings. Explore what burnout can look like in SLPs and students, how depletion affects the work we do together, and what a meaningful summer reset can actually look like.

After the SLP Summit: Understanding AAC and Supporting Nonspeaking Communicators

What does it really mean to support nonspeaking communicators? In this episode of Bright Conversations, AAC advocate Rachel Madel joins Shontaye Glover Jones to unpack the role of augmentative and alternative communication in therapy. From visual supports to communication devices, this conversation encourages clinicians to expand their understanding of communication and meet students where they are.

We Went Live: Inside Our First Office Hours with Dr. Tay

Our very first Bright Conversations Office Hours brought subscribers together with Dr. Tay for something intentionally different: no polished lecture, no rigid script, just a practical, interactive conversation shaped by the questions clinicians wanted to explore.

SLP CEO Chat: From Clinician to Entrepreneur

What happens when speech-language pathologists step beyond traditional clinical roles and embrace entrepreneurship? In this episode of Bright Conversations, Ebony Greene and Sarah Breshears share how they built thriving businesses using their clinical expertise. Their journeys reveal how mentorship, community, and a willingness to learn the business side of healthcare can open entirely new opportunities for SLPs.

Supporting the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Inclusion, Access, and Empowerment

True inclusion goes beyond awareness—it requires action, understanding, and intention. In this episode of Bright Conversations, Germaine Graham joins Shontaye Glover Jones to unpack what it really means to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals through access, representation, and empowerment. A must-listen for anyone working to create more inclusive, affirming spaces.

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