You have accessThe ASHA LeaderSIG Spotlight1 Nov 2017Spotlight on Special Interest Group 1, Language Learning and Education Rebecca WiseheartPhD, CCC-SLP Rebecca Wiseheart Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD, CCC-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.SIGS.22112017.np SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In 1. When did you join your SIG—and what made you want to join? I honestly can’t remember when, but I originally joined SIG 1 for the CEUs. 2. How has your involvement with the SIG helped you in your career? I’m a huge fan of SIG 1, Language Learning and Education. The CE articles are always well written and clinically focused, so they were especially helpful during the early years of my career when I began moving into dyslexia as a specialty area of practice. More recently, I have been working as the associate CE content manager which has undoubtedly helped me become a better researcher and writer. In transitioning into the academic world, the online community has become an invaluable support network for me. It also gives members a voice that we may not have felt we had before. For example: Two years ago, I contacted our coordinator, Geralyn Timler, to suggest editing some proposed changes that would have drastically altered SLPs’ scope of practice related to written language. With input from the community, she coordinated a joint letter from SIG 1 and SIG 16, School-Based Issues, to the ASHA Scope of Practice committee addressing our issues, which were ultimately resolved. That change affected every aspect of my career—from practice to research—and the collaborative experience felt like democracy at its very best. I don’t think any of that would have happened without being engaged in the online community. 3. How do you carve out time to volunteer with the SIG while working in your full-time job and balancing other commitments? What advice would you give to someone who’d like to get more involved in the SIG, including how you get support from your supervisor/institution? I try to do my SIG work on Fridays. Several of my colleagues have or have had leadership positions at ASHA, so my institution is very supportive. To get support from an institution new to SIG volunteer work, I would stress that the time commitment is relatively minimal compared to the outcomes of your contribution. 4. What upcoming events related to or sponsored by your SIG should everyone know about? Chats, conferences or convention events? We are excited about our new journal club: a new CE opportunity in which affiliates discuss a set of Perspectives articles in the SIG 1 online community moderated by the Professional Development Committee. We also just had our annual October webchat, “The SLP and Literacy A to Z.” Our SIG 1 sponsored ASHA Convention events were: Affiliates meeting. Short Course 23: “Multi-linguistic, Speech-to-Print Instruction: Leveraging our Biological Wiring for Oral Language to Develop Written Language,” by Jan Wasowicz. Session 1334: “Speech & Decoding: Connections and How to Connect Them in Practice,” by Theresa Roberts. 5. What is your favorite recent Perspectives article, and why? I was impressed by “Literacy Difficulties in the Face of Multiple Factors: Using a Team Approach” by Emily Lund. It presents a case study that includes every possible complicating factor and in my experience, complicated literacy cases like these are more the norm than the exception. Author Notes Rebecca Wiseheart, PhD, CCC-SLP, is assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. She is a member of the SIG 1 professional development committee and an affiliate of SIG 10, Issues in Higher Education, and SIG 16, School-Based Issues. [email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 22Issue 11November 2017 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Nov 1, 2017 Metrics Current downloads: 104 Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2017 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...
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