Did you hear that May – Better Speech and Hearing Month? Let’s dive into what this means and how you can celebrate it as a therapist, parent/caregiver of someone receiving speech therapy, or employer of a therapist!

Why is May – Better Speech and Hearing Month?

The American Speech Language Hearing Association, usually referred to as ASHA, is the national credentialing association for speech language pathologists (SLP) and audiologists. Better speech and hearing month raises awareness about communication/swallowing disorders and the professionals that treat them!

also a great chance to celebrate us! 🙂

How Can You Celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month as a Therapist?

As an SLP, you may want to celebrate Better Speech and Hearing month as a way to raise awareness of your job, the services that you provide if you own your own therapy clinic, or just to educate your clients! Here are some fun ideas to try –

• Share a graphic on social media
  • I’ve got some examples in a highlight on my Instagram page!

• Buy a cute SLP graphic tee, sweatshirt, etc. to wear at work
  • I found these on Etsy, and they are so cute!

• Send a flyer home with families or post one on your door/wall
  • Here’s some I found on TPT!

• Make a BSHM bulletin board for your treatment room
  • I found this one on TPT

• Or simply tell your clients about it during therapy!

How Can You Celebrate as a Parent/Caregiver or Employer?

My biggest advice for celebrating a therapist in your life is to not JUST do something during BSHM, but always show your appreciation/gratitude throughout the year. That will make the biggest difference!

When I ask therapists what do we want, they always mention better pay $$ and benefits! But also things like materials budget, professional development / CEU budget, lower productivity standards, and just overall better support/communication with our bosses. We really just want to be respected as therapists. SLPs aren’t teachers. We are speech language therapists. We treat the entire lifespan and make a difference in the lives of our clients! Please recognize us as such 🙂

but if you really want to do something for us, here are some ideas!

• Gift cards to Starbucks, Sonic, Target, or Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)

• SLP shirts/stickers (check Etsy)

• Generic therapy materials (like flair pens, sticky notes) or individualized to a therapist’s wish list

• Handwritten thank you note

• Favorite Sonic drink or coffee delivered

• Snacks or breakfast/lunch provided for free in the workplace

• PTO! 🙂 (had to throw it in there for you employers!)

I hope this info was helpful! If so, let me know in the comments below! And thank you for wanting to celebrate such a special month and appreciate the therapists in your life! We are so thankful for our clients and employers! 🙂

If you want to know more about being a school SLP, check out this blog post.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Chloe B | School SLP