SLP Coffee Talk

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie's back with returning guest Shelby Davis, a school-based SLP at Community High School in Teaneck, NJ, and a doctoral candidate at Monmouth University. Shelby's diving into the 5th-year transition program she's helping build for students on the spectrum and others with complex learning needs — designed to bridge the gap between high school and real independence. From vocational skill-building to community partnerships, Shelby walks through how the program came together, what SLPs can offer beyond the classroom, and how any SLP can bring these strategies into their own practice, transition program or not.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why four years isn't always enough — and what a 5th-year transition program looks like in practice 
Moving beyond classroom goals to communication students actually need at work, in the community, and at home 
The skill areas worth targeting: self-advocacy, executive functioning, vocational communication, problem-solving 
Real-world practice — job shadowing, budgeting trips, even a visit to the post office 
Why repetition and hands-on practice outside the classroom matters most for autistic and other diverse learners 
Getting SLPs, OTs, teachers, counselors, and families all working from the same playbook 
The resources behind the program — Speech Time Fun, a monthly themed curriculum, and the NYT Learning Network

Here’s what we learned: 

There's almost no existing research on 5th-year transition programs — which is part of why Shelby's building her doctoral work around it 
Real-world self-advocacy starts small: affirmation flashcards students can lean on when asking for help at a register or counter 
Admin buy-in came down to a clear proposal — mock curriculum, funding, staff certifications, not just an idea 
Parents said yes faster than expected — once they saw the goal was independence, not delay 
Bottom line for older students: treat them like people, not projects — connect to their interests first

Learn more about Shelby Davis: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelbyadavis/ 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with researchers Klaire Brumbaugh and Katy Cabbage, who are part of a team building a nationwide study around something secondary SLPs know all too well: the older student still working on that R who has zero interest in being in the speech room. They're developing tools to actually measure student motivation—so SLPs have real data behind decisions like when to keep kids on, when to discharge, and how to catch that window when a student is finally ready to do the work.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
What one SLP noticed in her high school speech room that kicked off this whole research project 
Why motivation is already being used as a dismissal criteria—but no one's actually measuring it 
What the research is finding so far—and where the big gaps still are 
What a nationwide study looks like and how SLPs can get involved

Here’s what we learned: 
When a student is intrinsically motivated, progress can happen in weeks—not years. 
Low motivation is already being used to dismiss kids from therapy, but there's no real way to measure or track it. 
Parents, teachers, and students often see the same speech sound disorder in completely different ways—and that gap can affect every decision you make. 
The best research ideas are already happening in school speech rooms. This whole study started because one SLP spoke up at a conference.

Learn more about Klaire Brumbaugh & Katy Cabbage: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cablab_wsu/ 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Alyssa Antcliff—SLP and founder of IndiAide—about what's actually happening with your clients between sessions, and how technology can finally give you the full picture. Alyssa shares how her frustration with paper handouts and vague "it went fine" updates led her to build a between-session therapy management platform, and why remote therapeutic monitoring might be the reimbursement pathway you didn't know existed. If you've ever wished you had more data to work with before your clients walked back through the door, this one's for you.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why paper-based home materials keep falling through the cracks 
How a pre-COVID teletherapy client reshaped Alyssa's thinking on carryover 
What remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) is
Which clients benefit most from between-session support
How IndiAide works, from clinician dashboard to family-facing tools 
Who qualifies for RTM reimbursement—and how to pitch it to your supervisor

Here’s what we learned: 
The gap between sessions is where progress gets lost—or made. 
Paper handouts don't fail because families don't care—they fail because there's no follow-through built in.
RTM is a reimbursement pathway that's actually growing—and SLPs are largely missing out on it. 
IndiAide lets families mark activities complete, rate difficulty, and send photos or videos—so you're not flying blind at the next session.
More data between sessions means better decisions when they're back in the room. 

Learn more about Alyssa Antcliff: 

Website: https://www.indiaide.com/home 
Website: https://www.indiaide.com/blog/rtm-for-slps-webinar 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indiaide_rtm/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/IndiAide-61582771767836/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-antcliff/ 
RTM Guide: https://info.indiaide.com/rtm-guide 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Ana Hernandez—SLP and founder of Adult Stuttering—about why she ditched fluency therapy and never looked back. Ana breaks down the adaptation effect, why you can’t sit in the middle ground, and what it actually looks like to run an affirming stuttering session from start to finish. If stuttering has always felt like uncharted territory, this one’s your map.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why the middle ground between fluency and acceptance is hurting your students
The adaptation effect and why fluency strategies fail in real life
Using the five stages of behavioral change to meet students where they are
Ditching “bumpy speech” and reframing how we talk about stuttering
Starting sessions with a positive speaking moment

Here’s what we learned: 
You can’t tell a kid their stutter is okay and drill fluency strategies in the same session.
Fluency strategies don’t fail because the student didn’t try hard enough—they’re just unreliable by design.
Safety comes before progress. Some kids need the whole session just to feel okay being in the room.
“Stutter” is not a bad word. “Bumpy speech” is out.
If you’re shifting away from fluency therapy, just tell your student. Kids love honesty.

Learn more about Ana Hernandez: 

Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/adult-stuttering
Website: www.adultstuttering.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adultstuttering/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adultstuttering-ana/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adultstuttering
Adult Stutter – Goals List: https://adultstuttering.myflodesk.com/slpgoals 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie finally tells her own story. From an undecided freshman at University of Buffalo to accidentally falling in love with speech pathology through a friend doing phonetics homework in the library, to getting peed on the morning of her one job interview in 2009 — yeah, that happened. If you’ve been listening for a while and always wondered how Speech Time Fun actually started, this one’s for you.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

How Hallie stumbled into speech pathology sophomore year — completely by accident
Why her CF year in preschool was the push she needed to find her people
The one student who forced her to rethink everything she thought she knew
How a Pinterest gap in 2012 turned into Speech Time Fun, Teachers Pay Teachers, and eventually SLP Elevate
The boardwalk conversation in 2023 that made it all official

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  
📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 
Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets