Speech Talk

In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva explore how chewing, food texture, and swallowing are connected—and why diet texture matters for swallowing safety and patient care. Why do we care about diet texture? Because the texture of the food changes as we chew or don’t chew and food factors like gumminess, hardness, and moisture impact the strength we recruit for the swallow.  They break down the basics of mastication and the pharyngeal swallow, discuss IDDSI texture modifications, and take a closer look at healthy chewing patterns. They also explore why certain foods, like bread, can be surprisingly challenging and why swallowing recommendations need to be individualized for each patient. Whether you’re an SLP, SLP student, or interested in dysphagia and swallowing, this episode offers a practical look at the complex process behind something we do every day Citations Matsuo, K., & Fujishima, I. (2020). Textural Changes by Mastication and Proper Food Texture for Patients with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia. Nutrients, 12(6), 1613. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061613 Sari KI, Rafisa A. Chewing and Swallowing Patterns for Different Food Textures in Healthy Subjects. Int J Dent. 2023 Jun 17;2023:6709350. doi: 10.1155/2023/6709350. PMID: 37361412; PMCID: PMC10290560. Gandhi, P., Barrett, E., Mancopes, R., Panes, V., Peladeau-Pigeon, M., Simmons, M. M., & Steele, C. M. (2026). What about foods? The influence of food texture on the safety, timing, kinematics, and efficiency of pharyngeal phase swallowing in healthy adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69(4), 1528–1541. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00546 Free Resources on Dietary Textures with educational hand outs: https://www.iddsi.org/  Get in Touch: [email protected] Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the brain can’t hear its own speech errors? In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva explore the speech-auditory feedback loop and how it can be disrupted after brain injury. They unpack new research on error detection, automatic versus voluntary correction, and what these findings mean for aphasia therapy. Plus, practical strategies for helping patients build awareness, self-monitoring, and more successful communication. Citations Impairment of Speech Auditory Feedback Error Detection and Motor Correction in Post-Stroke Aphasia," from Bereznyak and colleagues out of the University of South Carolina, published in 2021  Get in Touch: [email protected] Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Speech Talk, we're diving into one of the most medically complex—and often intimidating—areas of speech-language pathology: tracheostomy rehabilitation. We break down the research on how speech-language pathologists are involved (or unfortunately, often not involved) in tracheostomy care and why early SLP intervention can make a significant difference in communication, swallowing, and successful decannulation. We discuss speaking valves, swallow evaluations, common barriers to rehabilitation, and what every clinician should know when working with patients with tracheostomies across acute care and rehabilitation settings. Plus, we cover this week's SLP headlines, including: New evidence linking dysphagia as a primary predictor of malnutrition in head and neck cancer. Dysphagia as a primary predictor of malnutrition in head and neck cancer. Oral Oncology Reports. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772906026000087 Research showing circumlocution may help identify very mild aphasia. Circumlocution as a diagnostic marker for very mild aphasia. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003999326007367⁠ An exciting AI model improving dysarthria detection through speech analysis. AI-based dysarthria detection using deep learning. Digital Signal Processing. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1051200425006840 Whether you're a student, medical SLP, or simply want to feel more confident around trach patients, this episode translates the latest evidence into practical clinical takeaways you can use tomorrow. Citations Ash S, Weyh A, Salman SO, Madbak F, Fraker JT. Speech Pathology Services Are Integral, but Underutilized in Tracheostomy Rehabilitation. ⁠https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8108103/ https://www.passymuir.com/education/ Get in Touch: [email protected] Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do oral and pharyngeal exercises help post-stroke dysarthria? Emily and Eva examine a recent review (Yunusova et al.), unpack why swallowing outcomes often show benefit while speech outcomes do not, discuss goal-writing pitfalls, and get into practical treatment. Talking about their own practice and how they address dysarthria treatment- because if we don't talk we can't learn from each other. Citations: Marzouqah R, Huynh A, Chen JL, Boulos MI, Yunusova Y. The role of oral and pharyngeal motor exercises in post-stroke recovery: A scoping review. Clin Rehabil. 2023 May;37(5):620-635. doi: 10.1177/02692155221141395. Epub 2022 Nov 25. PMID: 36426582; PMCID: PMC10041576.  Get in Touch: [email protected] Or Visit Us At: www.SpeechTalkPod.com Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supervision is so much more than signing off on competencies. It shapes clinician confidence, patient care, and the future of our profession. In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva welcome their very first guest, Olivia, to reflect on her completed externship and unpack what effective supervision really looks like. Together, they explore the research on clinical supervision, discuss different supervisory styles, and share honest stories about balancing mentorship with productivity demands in skilled nursing facilities. Whether you're supervising students, preparing for an externship, or reflecting on your own clinical training, this episode offers practical strategies grounded in research and real-world experience. Research discussed:Terry, D., Nguyen, H., Perkins, A. J., & Peck, B. "Supervision in Healthcare: A Critical Review of the Role, Function and Capacity for Training." Get in Touch: [email protected] Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices