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(Rockville, MD - June 8, 2009) Bilingual speech-language pathologist (SLP) and New Mexico University faculty member Deborah Rhein, PhD, CCC-SLP, has a lot to teach her clients. But instead of bragging about all she can offer people, Rhein would rather focus on what her clients and clients' families can teach her.
As part of being featured in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Share Your Stories project, in her videotaped project spot, Rhein describes a memorable client. A car hit a baby who was less than a year old and that child suffered severe cerebral palsy as a result. The child's young mother took three buses, her injured baby, as well as her older child to therapy many times a week. In her segment, Rhein asks herself how the young woman found the courage to get out of bed every day with the challenges she faced.
"I'm a better human being today because of the opportunity to work with her and clients like her," Rhein says.
At New Mexico State University, Rhein specializes in the areas of the assessment and intervention of language differences and disorders as they relate to literacy development and school success. She obtained her doctorate from the University of Arizona with a focus on bilingual special education and reading disabilities assessment and intervention.
Prior to obtaining her doctorate, Rhein provided consultative bilingual speech language services to public schools in Tucson, AZ in the areas of bilingual language acquisition, language disorders and literacy. She also served as a consultant for the Arizona Department of Education's 2003 revision academic and curricular standards for the English Language Learners in the areas of reading and writing.
"Giving back is a common theme among our 135,000 members," according to ASHA President Sue Hale. "Often, I hear from SLPs such as Deb, as well as audiologists about how rewarding their work is and how it is about much more than a salary and job security."
The Share Your Stories initiative highlights the difference audiologists and speech-language pathologists make in people's lives, making the professionals more approachable, familiar, and accessible to the public. ASHA plans to regularly feature segments on its home page. "We think it's a great way to introduce the public to our members—to the kind of people they are, as well as the great value they contribute to society through their work," Hale says.
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About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 135,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders.
View all ASHA press releases at http://www.asha.org/about/news.
Hear all ASHA podcasts at http://www.asha.org/podcast/.
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