Amber Higgins

ISM Period 6

Morgan, Christina. "Talk to me, baby: a doctor discovers how well children
communicate." Black Enterprise Oct. 2003: 54. Student Resources in Context. Web. 22 Oct.
2015.
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow?
failOverType=&query=&prodId=SUIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlightin
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4

Dr. Debra Jervay-Pendergrass considered pediatrics until speech pathology sparked her
interest
She grew a liking to it and pursued it as a career
Received a bachelors degree in communication disorders and the following year received
her masters degree
Is a professional in the area of speech language pathology
Focused on the study of younger children and their use of communication babbling at their
beginning developmental years
Her research showed that children develop pre-narrative skills at a much earlier age than
originally thought. She received her doctorate in linguistics from Georgetown University in
1992.
She hopes to help adults understand that tuning in to "first stories" will help increase a
child's conversation, build relationships, boost vocabulary, and develop early literacy skills.
Jervay-Pendergrass is one of 22 professionals who received ZERO TO THREE's
Prestigious Leaders for the 21st Century Fellowship, awarded to professionals who study
children up to age 3. Her project is to develop an instrument that will examine prenarratives, interaction, and early discourse skills among young children.

This article from a magazine discusses a woman and her drive to become a speech pathologist
and the interest she took in younger children specifically and her methods of therapy and
discovery on how younger children communicate before developing speech.

Amber Higgins
ISM Period 6
"Speech-Language Pathologists." Career Information Center. Ed. Kristin B. Mallegg and Joseph
Palmisano. 10th ed. Vol. 8: Health Science. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2014. 355358.Student Resources in Context. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?
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2265d4145

Defines a speech pathologist as Speech-language pathologists, sometimes called speech

therapists, assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing
disorders in patients.
Disorders which are cured from a speech therapist result from causes such as a stroke,
brain injury, hearing loss, developmental delay, cleft palate, cerebral palsy, or emotional
issue
Lists ways to diagnose patients and specifies:
o

Communicate with patients to evaluate their levels of speech or language difficulty

Determine the extent of communication problems by having a patient complete basic reading
and vocalizing tasks or by giving standardized tests

Identify treatment options

Create and carry out an individualized treatment plan

Teach patients how to make sounds and improve their voices

Teach alternative communication methods, such as sign language, to patients with little or no
speech capability

Work with patients to increase their ability to read and write correctly

Work with patients to develop and strengthen the muscles used to swallow

Counsel patients and families on how to cope with communication disorders

Amber Higgins
ISM Period 6
This source went into depth of what a Speech-language Pathologist is with many definitions and
descriptions of the occupation and training that comes with it as well as the overall outlook of the job looks
like.