Debunking the Misconceptions of Speech Pathology With Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel

Jennifer Branchini is a speech-language pathologist and the Founder of District Speech & Language Therapy.

District Speech is a team of certified and licensed speech-language pathologists servicing all ages in diagnosing and treating communication disorders and physical impairments.

Jennifer honed her expertise in craniofacial anomalies and cleft lip and palate while interning with the Shands Hospital craniofacial team while studying at the University of Florida.

She also participated in a speech therapy camp in Ukraine, where she evaluated and treated children with speech impairments.

Ama Teasdel is an educational consultant and curriculum designer.

She’s a former middle school inclusion specialist at Two Rivers Public Charter School, which is part of a network of high-performing schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

As an educator and analytical leader, Ama has coached teams of teachers, designed and facilitated professional development sessions, and served as a mentor teacher.

She is also a thought leader in special education who has presented at national conferences.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Jennifer Branchini reflects on what influenced her career in speech pathology
Jennifer discusses her experience working in the education system
District Speech & Language Therapy: Jennifer’s inspiration for founding her institution
Ama Teasdel explains her involvement with District Speech
How speech therapy can impact children’s confidence
What is Speechfully and what services do they provide?
Jennifer reveals information about her upcoming book, Imperfectly Perfect
Ama and Jennifer explain their motivation for starting a podcast

In this episode…

Several misperceptions have been associated with speech pathology, including the erroneous belief that speech pathologists only work with individuals who have a lisp or stutter.

In reality, speech therapists treat a broad spectrum of communication disorders.

Jennifer Branchini, a certified speech pathologist, says that speech therapy is about more than just speaking.

Speech therapists treat people with oral problems including speech, language, and social and cognitive communication.

Common conditions within these disorders include aphasia, dysphagia, voice disorders, and craniofacial disorders, such as cleft palate.

Aphasia affects the way people communicate and is usually the result of a stroke.

Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing.

A cleft palate is a developmental defect that affects children’s palates, causing them to be unable to articulate correctly.

When treating cleft palate, therapists use articulation therapy techniques to help them speak clearly and effectively.

On today’s episode of EspecIallY “SpeciAl” SpeeCh?!, Chad Franzen of Rise25 interviews our hosts Jennifer Branchini, certified speech pathologist and Founder of District Speech & Language Therapy and Ama Teasdel, educational consultant and curriculum designer, about the misconceptions of speech pathology.

Together, they discuss their experience in the education system, how speech therapy impacts children’s confidence, and their motivation for starting a podcast.

Plus, Jennifer reveals her upcoming book, Imperfectly Perfect.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by District Speech & Language Therapy.

At District Speech & Language Therapy, we help you learn to love your voice.

Our team of licensed speech-language pathologists provides expert service to children, adolescents, and adults in diagnosing and treating communication disorders.

We help with a wide range of disorders including autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, phonological, language delays, and cognitive deficits.

Book a consultation today to learn how you can benefit from our solutions whether you’d like to be treated in a private, community, or home-based setting.

You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

T. C.

Cannot say enough good things about Kate, who was my daughter’s speech therapist for 9 months. She started her therapy with Kate at the age of 2 with only a few words (expressive speech delay), and... was a pandemic tot with little social interaction. Within only a few months, she was speaking in 2-3 word sentences and was a completely different child because she was no longer frustrated about her inability to communicate effectively. Kate truly loves her job and goes above and beyond for the families she works with. We looked forward to our sessions with her and it was bittersweet when it was time for her to "graduate" from speech therapy.read more

Eva H.

I would really recommend Sophie Edwards at district speech for anyone trying to feminize their voice. She was a massive help to me and after a few sessions I had results that I was very happy with.... She gave me exercises that really helped with my goals for my voice and gave me feedback that made it much easier to learn. I had tried other resources but having someone giving me feedback on what I was doing right and wrong made a huge difference.read more

Luke B.

My daughter has been working with Miss Rachel for the past 6 weeks and we have found the process to be very empowering. The initial evaluation session determined that our daughter's clarity of... articulation and voicing was delayed. This calmed our concerns but beyond that, the one-on-one sessions with Rachel have encouraged our 3.5 year old to be more focused on her clarity. I feel like much of the work, quite rightly has been on educating myself on how to properly model, but also the attention my daughter receives in these sessions have positively enforced the importance of clear speech to her without any shamming. While her speech development likely would have righted itself over time, we are set to move overseas where she would not be amongst English native speakers, so we felt time was of the essence to establish clear speech before any confusion might set it. I should also say that the Admin at District Speech is top notch and with our insurance, the 25 dollars a week we pay for a weekly session is a solid investment. Much obliged.read more

Yong K.

We waited almost 12 months on the waitlist at District Speech for our little one who showed early challenges with both receptive and expressive skills. Our expectations were undoubtedly heightened by... the fact that we felt our little one fell further behind due to the pandemic. From the onset when we met Tim Flynn, we quickly noticed his passion + dedication + thoughtfulness. Our little one instantly connected with Tim and, although we did not expect miracles, we have seen notable & meaningful improvements in not just expressive & receptive skills, but also overall confidence & sociability.In today’s world, the ability to articulate and communicate effectively is more important than ever. We believe that Tim and District Speech have been critical partners for our family in carving out a better future; one that he may not be able to control fully, but one in which, he can freely & clearly express his intentions and make a change for the better. Kudos to Tim for his endless patience and unbounded enthusiasm for helping kids like ours - we are forever grateful.read more

Mannal H.

I love District Speech! The staff is friendly, helpful and very easy to coordinate with. I've been working with Lee and HIGHLY recommend him to people of all ages and abilities. I've already made... significant progress in just a couple of months and look forward to the sessions each week.read more