Connect the dots between AAC caregiver coaching and adult learning.

Guest: Daj Mitchell, MS, CCC-SLP

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Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Daj Mitchell for a joyful discussion on powerful AAC caregiver coaching. Together, they explore Malcolm Knowles’ Principles of Adult Learning and how these concepts can help SLPs better support caregivers throughout the AAC journey. Daj breaks down the four levels of caregiver readiness for AAC implementation and shares practical strategies for meeting families where they are. Gain ideas for tailoring AAC coaching conversations, strengthening caregiver engagement, and creating more meaningful opportunities for communication success across everyday routines.

About the Guest: Daj Mitchell, MS CCC-SLP, graduated from Governors State University with her Bachelor's in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Psychology. She received her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Illinois State University and holds a variety of certifications and awards, including, but not limited to, certification as a Lingraphica Technology Specialist, Level I and Level II Sensory certified, and a recipient of two successive ASHA ACE awards.

Show Notes:

• Contact Daj on Instagram: @yourslpdaj
• Listen to Daj's Podcast: Co-Treat Corner: Collaboration Tips for Therapists
• Love Money: Support Spero Stuttering

Explore the ripple effect of early speech and language skills on literacy development.

Guest: Margo Kinzer Courter, MBA, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

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In this episode of First Bite, Michelle is tickled pink to host Margo Kinzer Courter, MBA, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, to explore child-led intervention and how letting little ones take the lead can transform speech and language outcomes in early intervention and preschool settings. Margo shares her go-to resources to help bridge speaking, listening, reading, and writing in ways that feel natural and effective in your sessions. This conversation is full of practical ideas to help you support early communication and literacy while keeping therapy engaging, responsive, and meaningful.

About the Guest: Margo Kinzer Courter, MBA, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, began her speech-language pathology career in inpatient pediatric rehabilitation. From there, she moved to an outpatient clinic specializing in language-based learning disabilities. Her medical and educational background in language and language disorders has provided the foundation for her 30-year career as a speech-language pathologist.

Show Notes:

• Big Kid School: EI to Preschool Course
• Margo’s Website: Courter Communications (Therapy Materials)
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech Videos
• Extensions to the Speech Disorders Classification System (Shriberg et al., 2010)
• Developmental Texture Framework
• Marquette Neurodevelopmental Feeding And Swallowing Lab
• I-EaT Swallowing Research Lab
• Love Money: Support Butler University SLHS Fund

Musical speech therapy techniques for the non-musical SLP.

Guest: Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP

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Take the FREE Pediatric Feeding Courses for ASHA CEUs (through June 30, 2026)

Want to incorporate music into your speech therapy sessions but don't know where to start? Michelle and Corinne share easy-to-use resources to help non-musical SLPs confidently incorporate music into sessions, along with evidence-based tools for clinicians looking to deepen their knowledge of music-based language intervention.

About the Guest: Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, is a musical speech-language pathologist based in Baltimore, Maryland, and the founder of *Messy Happy Music Lab*, a private practice specializing in neurodivergent language acquisition, musical language therapy, Gestalt Processing, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Show Notes:

Please note the following correction: A4 (A above middle C) is 440Hz, not middle C as stated.

Contact Corinne:

• IG: @crescendo.communication
• crescendocommunication.com
• Gestalt Get-Together podcast

Love Money: Support Marian House in Baltimore

Join the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders

Run the Virtual Dash For Dysphagia June 6-13, 2026

Dysphagia Research Society

Dive into the science behind the power of breastmilk and how it applies clinically.

Guest: Dr. Richard Noel, MD, PhD

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Michelle and Richard lean into the “nerdy details” behind early nutrition and why it matters so much for the infants we serve. Their conversation walks through clinical guidance on probiotics in the NICU, unpacks the emerging science of microRNA, and connects these concepts to real-world infant growth, gut health, and feeding outcomes. Michelle helps you translate the science into what it means at the bedside, in early intervention, and in caregiver conversations. If you’ve ever wanted a clearer, evidence-based understanding of why breastmilk exposure supports GI development and how to talk about it with families, this episode delivers.

About the Guest: Dr. Richard Noel, MD, PhD, Division Chief for Pediatric GI at Baylor College of Medicine at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital in San Antonio and volunteer Medical Director for Feeding Matters.

Show Notes:

• Healthy Children’s Lactation Project
• IBCLC
• Gold Lactation
• Feeding Matters

What does meaningful caregiver coaching look like in infant feeding therapy?

Guest: Madi Metcalf, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, welcomes back Madi Metcalf, MS, CCC-SLP, to explore infant feeding through a Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) lens. Together, they discuss how medical factors can impact feeding even in the youngest patients, and the importance of early, caregiver-centered support. The conversation also highlights building caregiver confidence, creating realistic feeding goals, and supporting families through postpartum challenges. This conversation is rooted in hope, trust, and helping caregivers feel seen, supported, and confident throughout the feeding journey.

About the Guest(s): Madi Metcalf, MS, CCC-SLP, is an Arkansas-based speech-language pathologist with advanced training in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders and the owner of Function First Speech and Feeding Therapy, where she provides home, community, and clinic-based services. She is passionate about interdisciplinary care and caregiver collaboration to support safe, functional feeding.

Show Notes:

• Contact Madi: @functionfirstslp on Instagram or on LinkedIn
• Attend the 2026 PEDIATRIC FEEDING SYMPOSIUM Beyond the Bite: Supporting the Whole Family in Pediatric Feeding Disorders
• Madi's Related Courses
• Effective Parent Coaching Course
• Family Guided Routines Based Intervention
• Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating Book
• Britt Pados Related Course
• Routines-based Interview Checklist
• Bridging NICU to Home Course
• Feeding Matters

Walk through sensory systems and key reflexes for infant feeding.

Guest: Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST

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Register for the FREE Empowering Providers PFD series

Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, welcomes industry leader Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST, for a thoughtful and engaging conversation on infant reflexes and their role in early feeding development. Together, they explore how key reflexes contribute to early suck–swallow coordination, and how these patterns evolve as infants grow. Their conversation also highlights the role of interoception–the body’s internal sense that helps infants recognize hunger and fullness cues. They discuss torticollis and how neck muscle imbalance can impact positioning and latch, and close with a candid look at tethered oral tissues and their potential influence on feeding outcomes.

About the Guest: Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST, has been a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for 30 years and specializes in working with newborns to pre-crawling infants. She is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and IBCLC, who is also certified in yoga and several forms of manual therapy. Michelle is passionate about infant neurodevelopment, feeding, the sensory nervous system, and social engagement.

Show Notes:

• Contact Michelle Emanuel: @tonguetiebabies and @tummytimemethod on Instagram or on LinkedIn
• Hazelbaker Lactation Institute
• American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Consensus Statement: Ankyloglossia in Children
• Georgia Malandraki Publications
• Tummy Time Method
• Love Money: La Leche League

This innovative tool is sure to support both your clinical heart and your practice as it grows.

Guest: Meg Simione, PhD, CCC-SLP and Helen Cohen, BA, CLC

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Register for the FREE Empowering Providers PFD series

This episode of First Bite features Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, kicking off PFD and ARFID Awareness Month with Meg Simione, PhD, CCC-SLP, and her graduate student, Helen Cohen, BA, CLC, for an in-depth look at the PFD DAISI. Meg and Helen explain how the six DAISI factors, represented by the flower's petals, guide feeding assessment and treatment. They then dive into the four Social Spheres at the flower’s core, highlighting their influence on a child’s mealtime journey. They share practical tips for using the PFD DAISI in clinical practice, helping SLPs take a holistic, dynamic approach to pediatric feeding care.

About the Guests: Meg Simione, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a clinician-scientist specializing in infant and child feeding, growth, and care delivery innovation. She serves as a research scientist in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a speech-language pathologist, and Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Helen Cohen, BA, CLC, is a graduate student at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, where she is pursuing a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology with a concentration in Medical Speech Pathology. Alongside her academic work, she serves as a research assistant at the University of Rhode Island, conducting research on Pediatric Feeding Disorder, Family Centered Care, and Implementation Science.

Show Notes:

Contact Meg and Helen on LinkedIn

Download the PFD DAISI

Feeding Innovation Lab: @feedinginnovationlab on Instagram

Dr Brown’s Bottles

Dysphagia Outreach Project

FindHelp.org

The Feeding Flock

Feeding Matters

Love Money: Support URISSHLA

Approach supervision with greater clarity, intention, and sustainability.

Guest: Alice L. Williams, BA, SLPA

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Register for the FREE 5 part PFD Series, April 30-May 28

This course meets ASHA's Supervision PD requirement.

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, welcomes Alice L. Williams, BA, SLPA, creator of The SLPA Network, to explore the real challenges SLPs face when stepping into supervisory roles, including limited training and the constant pull between clinical responsibilities and mentorship. Alice breaks down how supervision requirements vary widely across states and settings, while highlighting the core principles that make supervision effective no matter where you practice. The discussion centers on "empowered supervision" as a way to build clinician confidence, strengthen professional identity, and support better outcomes for those we serve.

About the Guests: Alice L. Williams, B.A., SLPA, is the creator of The SLPA Network and an experienced speech-language pathology assistant with over seven years in pediatric settings. Her work centers on professional identity, empowered supervision, and sustainable collaboration between SLPs and support personnel. Alice develops educational and leadership resources that support ethical practice, reduce burnout, and strengthen interdisciplinary teams across school-based, medical, and private-practice environments.

Show Notes:

Contact Alice: @speechwith_msalice and @the.slpa.network on Instagram

SLPA Network

Alice’s Course: Foundations of Effective Supervision

Get 10% with the code: LEAD10 (Valid through 12/31/26)

If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently by Fred Lee

Love Money: Faith Christian Center Cross The Street Fund