I know that before I said that I was interested in phonological disorders. I am still interested in phonological disorders but I am also interested in dysphagia. I have so many interests that it is hard to pick just one. That is one reason why I enjoy this field because I feel like there is so much flexibility.

Dysphagia really caught my attention in our neurogenic disorders class. An essential question that I have about dysphagia would be: What are some exact causes of dysphagia and how can I help make people with dysphagia more comfortable?

I’m not really an expert on dysphagia but I aware of a few things. I know that dysphagia can be caused by muscle weakness and poor muscle control possibly due to a neurogenic disorder. Someone with dysphagia risks aspiration and that is one major danger that they face. There are techniques and different types of diet used to help someone swallow easier.

I would like to know more about the causes of dysphagia. I would like to know more on what exactly happens to the muscles of the mouth and larynx when someone has dysphagia. I would like to be aware on how I can help make a client feel more comfortable swallowing. Also, I think that it would be hard to adjust to a different diet and I would like to be able to aid a client with this.

Kara

I have a few areas of professional practice that capture my attention but a couple that come to mind currently are phonological and articulation disorders in children. I would love to work with children. An essential question that comes to my mind about phonological disorders is,"What type of therapy is used and how can I make it more effective?" In CD 422, we briefly discussed different ways to go about therapy for children who have articulation and phonological disorders as the semester was beginning to come to an end. I am interested to know more. I believe that a child with a phonological disorder can say a sound correct they just use it incorrectly in a word. They don't have the meaning of the sounds. For example, they may say /tu/ for shoe but think they are saying shoe. (I can't do the phonetic symbol for sh on the computer.) So far in class, we have discussed therapy for articulation disorders. I know I have much more to learn but I feel like I don't know anything on theraputic procedures for phonological disorders. Is it anything like therapy for articulation disorders? I know that as I finish more classes I will begin to have a better understanding.

I can continue to forge my professional and academic development by finishing the undergraduate program and then going on to graduate school. By doing this, I will learn more and get to know other people. I will have the opportunity to collaberate with other future and current SLPs and allied professions. After school, I will gain further knowledge by going to continueing education classes and conventions. I know that I will have to do research while I am in school and in practice. I may be faced with a task or a client with a certain disorder that I may need to learn more about. The best way to go about that is to use different resources such as books, journals, magazines, and the internet. The Communication Disorders field is constantly growing and changing. I will constantly need to research and learn about those changes in order to effectively treat clients. I believe that I respond openly to research. I know that if I don't find information and gain a better understanding then I won't learn. If I don't learn then, naturally, I won't know. That won't get me far in my career.