Speech Talk

Welcome to Speech Talk, a podcast for SLPs who are hungry to stay on top of the latest research but don’t have the time to read it. Every other week, join hosts Emily and Eva, two working SLPs who have taken it upon themselves to dive into the data so you don’t have to. Together, they’re turning clinical studies into real-life solutions. From cognitive screening to medication management, adult neuro rehab to discharge planning, they break it all down with evidence, empathy, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. It’s smart, practical, and very real. It’s also, ahem, your new favorite podcast! — New Episodes Every Other Week —

  1. 1 day ago

    Why Do We Care About Diet Texture? The Rationale Behind Diet Texture Recommendations

    In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva explore how chewing, food texture, and swallowing are connected—and why diet texture matters for swallowing safety and patient care. Why do we care about diet texture? Because the texture of the food changes as we chew or don’t chew and food factors like gumminess, hardness, and moisture impact the strength we recruit for the swallow.  They break down the basics of mastication and the pharyngeal swallow, discuss IDDSI texture modifications, and take a closer look at healthy chewing patterns. They also explore why certain foods, like bread, can be surprisingly challenging and why swallowing recommendations need to be individualized for each patient. Whether you’re an SLP, SLP student, or interested in dysphagia and swallowing, this episode offers a practical look at the complex process behind something we do every day Citations Matsuo, K., & Fujishima, I. (2020). Textural Changes by Mastication and Proper Food Texture for Patients with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia. Nutrients, 12(6), 1613. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061613 Sari KI, Rafisa A. Chewing and Swallowing Patterns for Different Food Textures in Healthy Subjects. Int J Dent. 2023 Jun 17;2023:6709350. doi: 10.1155/2023/6709350. PMID: 37361412; PMCID: PMC10290560. Gandhi, P., Barrett, E., Mancopes, R., Panes, V., Peladeau-Pigeon, M., Simmons, M. M., & Steele, C. M. (2026). What about foods? The influence of food texture on the safety, timing, kinematics, and efficiency of pharyngeal phase swallowing in healthy adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69(4), 1528–1541. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00546 Free Resources on Dietary Textures with educational hand outs: https://www.iddsi.org/  Get in Touch: hello@speechtalkpod.com Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. 11 Aug

    Don't Fear the Tracheostomy

    This week on Speech Talk, we're diving into one of the most medically complex—and often intimidating—areas of speech-language pathology: tracheostomy rehabilitation. We break down the research on how speech-language pathologists are involved (or unfortunately, often not involved) in tracheostomy care and why early SLP intervention can make a significant difference in communication, swallowing, and successful decannulation. We discuss speaking valves, swallow evaluations, common barriers to rehabilitation, and what every clinician should know when working with patients with tracheostomies across acute care and rehabilitation settings. Plus, we cover this week's SLP headlines, including: New evidence linking dysphagia as a primary predictor of malnutrition in head and neck cancer. Dysphagia as a primary predictor of malnutrition in head and neck cancer. Oral Oncology Reports. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772906026000087 Research showing circumlocution may help identify very mild aphasia. Circumlocution as a diagnostic marker for very mild aphasia. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003999326007367⁠ An exciting AI model improving dysarthria detection through speech analysis. AI-based dysarthria detection using deep learning. Digital Signal Processing. ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1051200425006840 Whether you're a student, medical SLP, or simply want to feel more confident around trach patients, this episode translates the latest evidence into practical clinical takeaways you can use tomorrow. Citations Ash S, Weyh A, Salman SO, Madbak F, Fraker JT. Speech Pathology Services Are Integral, but Underutilized in Tracheostomy Rehabilitation. ⁠https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8108103/ https://www.passymuir.com/education/ Get in Touch: hello@speechtalkpod.com Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. 30 Jun

    Finding the Right Dose for Dysphagia Treatment

    How many repetitions does it take to improve swallowing? How hard should dysphagia exercises be? And are we prescribing enough therapy to make a meaningful difference? In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva tackle a question many clinicians have asked but few were formally taught to answer: how do we dose dysphagia therapy? Using the article Exercise Prescription for Dysphagia: Intensity and Duration Manipulation by Sapienza and colleagues, they explore how principles of exercise science can help guide swallowing rehabilitation. The discussion breaks down the concepts of treatment intensity and duration, why different energy systems matter for swallowing function, and how direct and indirect dysphagia exercises may target different physiologic goals. The conversation also moves beyond the research and into real-world practice. Emily and Eva discuss the challenges of delivering adequate treatment intensity in skilled nursing facilities, strategies for increasing patient participation outside of therapy sessions, and practical ways to improve carryover without overwhelming patients or clinicians. Whether you're prescribing effortful swallows, EMST, Shaker exercises, lingual strengthening, or sensory-based swallowing tasks, this episode will leave you thinking differently about the question: not just what exercise should I use, but how much exercise is enough? Citations Exercise prescription for dysphagia: Intensity and duration. Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia), 17(2), 50–55.https://doi.org/10.1044/sasd17.2.50 Get in Touch: hello@speechtalkpod.com Or Visit Us At: ⁠www.SpeechTalkPod.com⁠  Instagram: @speechtalkpod Support: buymeacoffee.com/speechtalkpod Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About

Welcome to Speech Talk, a podcast for SLPs who are hungry to stay on top of the latest research but don’t have the time to read it. Every other week, join hosts Emily and Eva, two working SLPs who have taken it upon themselves to dive into the data so you don’t have to. Together, they’re turning clinical studies into real-life solutions. From cognitive screening to medication management, adult neuro rehab to discharge planning, they break it all down with evidence, empathy, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. It’s smart, practical, and very real. It’s also, ahem, your new favorite podcast! — New Episodes Every Other Week —

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