Neuro Speech Services

08/20/2026

When aphasia ➡️ 🥰

I had the great pleasure to hug Michelle Huhti Humphrey IN REAL LIFE today 🤗

She is one of the most inspiring stroke survivors I’ve met, brings her gifts of wit, perseverance, and encouragement to anyone newly navigating stroke life and aphasia, especially in our Parenting with Aphasia group

In a quick stop between college drop off and catching a flight home, I got a garden tour and saw her most incredible creative FREE ART dispenser in the front yard 🎨🖌️ Follow her work; a testament to the healing power of art

Gratitude as always to National Aphasia Association 🤩

08/03/2026

Neuro Speech Services is 5! 🥳

After 21 years of working on inpatient rehabilitation units, I never thought I would leave; I LOVED hospital life.
Until I didn’t.
5 years into private practice, and my job satisfaction remains sky high, and I remain ever grateful to
Honeycomb Speech Therapy Sarah Baar,
who inspired me via Medbridge webinars. I still can’t believe my luck to be your friend and collaborator, and there’s no better conference buddy than you 🤩

Jena Castro-Casbon, MS CCC-SLP Your FB ad was the beginning of great things. My PP mindset that I can handle (almost) any problem is all thanks to you 🚀

Kate Brown • MedSLP • Private Practice Katie Brown continues to be my Top Choice for how to understand/not be afraid of Medicare 🙌

Aphasia Access for introducing me to the very best SLP community

National Aphasia Association for wonderful nights spent with Parents with Aphasia 🥰

Medbridge for the opportunity to teach amazing rehab clinicians

Can Do MS and Brain Injury Services for my role as health coach and community educator

Carolyn Carter Baylor What a joy to tip toe into research with you 🤞

UW Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Get ready for me to come hang out and say hi 👋

Ange Knutson JLABTH Best boss & SLP mentor who gave me solid roots 🤗

And finally, to Jon Schwabish Ellie Schwabish and Jack Schwabish for love ❤️ and dinners

07/30/2026

🗺️ Reason #8,275 why real world tools are better than worksheets: MAPS!

In just the past two weeks, I’ve had huge wins using maps with clients with all types of aphasia: Non-fluent, fluent, and primary progressive! Especially helpful as a Communication Breakdown Repair strategy 🙌

Do you use maps in therapy?

www.neurospeechservices.com

07/28/2026

Just saying 🤷🏻‍♀️

07/27/2026

🤗

While all ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews are special, this one is a reminder of why people living with dementia can benefit from skilled person-centered therapy 🙌

Back in my inpatient rehabilitation days, I was quick to see a diagnosis of dementia and dismiss the potential for recovery ✌🏻

Private practice taught me otherwise. This client established her priorities, we collaborated on communication tools, and engage in meaningful and successful conversations that highlight her strengths and make her feel confident and understood.

Blessings all around! 🙏

07/20/2026

📦

My client is a young Mom with aphasia and apraxia and we had a special unboxing today of her permanent Touch Talk 🤗

Shout out Lingraphica for the STELLAR support we received during our device trial and tech support 🙌

Even in the short time she’s been working with the loaner, we’ve set up robust person-centered communication support✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

07/14/2026

🪨 + 🧠 = 😩

Background: Client is in his late 70s, retired, and (prior to his stroke) spent his days driving around town, running errands 🚙

Now: emotionally labile, he says he “begs” his family to take him for drives, sometimes for hours on end. His wife, already overwhelmed by caregiving demands, views these requests as an untenable burden 😢

Today, he expressed how it feels inside his head. Suddenly, his experience becomes much clearer. Driving was about more than errands—it was his method of self-regulation, and shifting that to family is challenging

What we’re doing:

🧠 Validate the need for self-regulation
🤔 Generate visual tools for expressing how he feels to family (following the “if you can name it, you can tame it” approach)
🗓️ Create a weekly calendar with dedicated blocks to drives and other self-regulation strategies
😮‍💨 Practice 3 deep breaths to co-regulate: this prevents his emotional state from side tracking attention to task (plus helps his wife)

What other self-regulation strategies would YOU try for this client? 👇

www.neurospeechservices.com

07/02/2026

When Jackie Rodríguez says that cognitive rehabilitation is more artsy and creative than methodological, it brings to mind another favorite principle of mine:

flexible structure 🤩

SLPs must be listening, observing, and adapting & refining cognitive strategies to get to the desired outcome (this is the creativity part)

My client with a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is still leading a very busy life: work, travel, hobbies, and social events. The biggest challenge? Leaving the house without his necessities 😬

✅ We pinpointed what he needs
✅ We made a kitchen-based memory zone
✅ We added a daily calendar block in Outlook so he can prepare for the day ahead
✅ We have a STOP 🛑 cue at his office door to remember to bring things home at the end of the day

BUT things were still being left behind 🤳

The creativity of cognitive rehabilitation is about understanding a client’s priorities and environments, and collaborating with a client to find the right place for the right prompt 🚙

Because the transitions from home to community are the bigger issues currently, we pivoted to a car-based reminder system, positioned to be noticed before he drives off without his things. Paired with a mindful pause strategy, he has reduced the number of times he’s unprepared for his day by targeting meaningful environmental modification ✅

www.neurospeechservices.com

05/24/2026

05/21/2026

When LPAA is a blessing 🙏

Like, an *actual* blessing! My client with aphasia has a big day coming up: her son’s wedding ❤️
As the Mother of the Groom, she wants to discuss the itinerary and, most importantly, deliver a blessing over the happy couple 👰 🤵

Even though there’s a very detailed written agenda, it’s not aphasia-friendly

This is a TOP priority, so we

☝️Identified key words: hair and make-up, rehearsal, ceremony, cocktails, venue name, etc
🔠 Enlarged the font
↔️ Added visual space between syllables for longer words, and between events on the schedule
⏺️ Recorded a Voice Memo for unison practice

Add this to the photo-name seating chart and she’s got a PERFECT home practice program until the big day 💍

www.neurospeechservices.com