Start with the WHY

I am sharing my knowledge, experiences, and opinions on this platform because I want to build bridges between people. I want to help connect parents to professionals by sharing information in a manner that is evidence based but easily understood. I want to connect parents to information that helps them become their child’s best teacher and advocate. I want to connect professionals to information that helps them better guide and coach the families they work with. That is WHY I am beginning this new journey here!

I plan on building these bridges by sharing information (research, therapy activities, strategies, academic resources, developmental assessments and goal, etc.) in a way that encourages engagement and understanding. My aim is to demonstrate how to put this information into action that is easily replicable. I hope to answer questions such as, How do I apply this research to my practice? How do I find the research in the first place? What is “good” research? What is the evidence it is based on? What in the world am I doing? What comes next?

Other parts of my WHY: my kids. My two sons. I want to share what I have learned by being their mother, so that maybe someone out there doesn’t have to learn all of their lessons the hard way!

And all the other children I get to help raise, if only for a few hours a day. And their families. For the parents who take on the daily ups and downs of raising a child and make every moment count. For the parents who thank me, and the ones whose trust in me is just as strong. For the parents who ask thoughtful questions and seek answers. For the parents who have no words to describe their emotions. For the parents who feel lost and the ones who are finding their way. I want this to be a place where they can share and learn alongside professionals who serve them. Because family is the strongest advocate and the best teacher a child can have.

So WHY Bridges?

I chose the name Bridges because I believe strongly in the power of relationships. Making connections between people is such a rewarding experience and I felt that Bridges captured the strength of the relationships we build in the field of deaf education. Bridges can be natural or man made. They can be strong or weak. They can be wide, narrow, steady, crumbling, modern, traditional, temporary, or permanent. The same can be said for our relationships. Everyone has a style of bridge that makes them feel secure and that will get the from one point to the other, continue them on their journey. Together, we can find the bridge that will be the right fit.

WHY Auditory Verbal Practice?

As an Auditory Verbal Educator I am often asked if I do Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT). The short answer is yes, there are some clients I do true AVT with. However, because I also work in a school setting, I have children that I work with while their parents are not there. I still follow the AVT/AVEd principles, use the same auditory verbal strategies, and have the same or similar listening and spoken language goals. But, because the parents or caregivers are not participating in the session, I do not call it Auditory Verbal Therapy. At this point in a conversation many people get confused because they were told they need a therapist, and I don’t feel comfortable calling myself a therapist. Therefore, I followed Warren Estabrooks’ lead (at least he was the first person I remember using this term) and used the term ‘practice’ as a more accurate description of what I do. Hopefully I can utilize this blog to bring an awareness to the intricacies of being a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist! The WHY of a LSLS is a post for another day!

That being said, I consider myself part of The Radical Middle and do my best to provide high quality service to all families, across the spectrum of communication modes. I strive to serve without bias and refer to other professionals when a topic is outside my area of expertise. I work to expand my knowledge so that I am more than a LSLS. I recognize that my bias is implicit in that I am a LSLS, and teaching children to listen and speak is my primary skill set. However, I hope that in my coaching of parents I can follow their lead and answer their questions without my bias affecting them and their choices. Should their choice bring them to my skill set, I want that to be their own choice for their child. If their choice leads them in a different direction, I hope I can continue to coach them to be their child’s advocate and continue building bridges with them.

WHY am I saying all of this?

In summary, I hope I can be a bridge builder for those who find their way to this page. I hope to inspire others to be bridge builders in their community. Keep coming back here for more opportunities to engage!