March 2015 – Binh Doan

March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

A Day in the Life of a Speech Pathologist

“My mission in life is to help as many people as possible with speaking, reading and confidence.”

Good morning,

It’s time to grab some breakfast: multigrain toast with scrambled eggs. I’m getting some energy for a busy day ahead.

8 AM. Feeling awesome and preparing therapy materials for my clients. It’s time to get creative and tailor various activities according to their needs.

First up, I’m helping an adult who has been diagnosed with speech apraxia. We’re working on the consonants R, V and TH to increase the clarity of their speech. Lots of practice to strengthen those neurological pathways for speech and coordination.

Next up, 2 Accent Training clients who happen to work on one of the hardest sounds of English – the TH sound. It isn’t easy to place the tongue in between the teeth to make the sound, but we manage to say our words (e.g., the, think….) and even practice them in phrase and sentences. We also practice word, phrase and sentence stress at the conversation level. A Toobaloo, a mirror and a set of teeth are used regularly to give my clients auditory, visual and tactile feedback, assisting their pronunciation and helping them to articulate various sounds correctly and clearly.

1 PM. Having lunch in the sun at a local cafe.

After lunch, I meet up with a 3-year-old who used to be non-verbal. This client can now speak in phrases and sentences and can also follow simple instructions. Fantastic! I was given some Easter eggs too.

Next, I’m working with a young client who has problem articulating various sounds such as the SK cluster (e.g., school, ski….). We start with some listening exercises and then proceed onto single words. The pirate game helps a lot when it comes to providing positive reinforcement.

At the end of the day, 2 High School students come to work on their reading and spelling. We have so much fun learning and practicing these skills.

The day has ended on a positive note. I am exhausted but feel so thankful to be working in an area that I’m absolutely passionate about: speaking, language and literacy.

Thank you for reading. Hope this blog gives you an idea of what it’s like to be a Speech Pathologist.

Until then, be happy and healthy.

Binh

March 17, 2015

The MIA

MIAs set you up to win!

Life can be busy and we can easily lose track of things. Sometimes, instead of focussing on the list of things to do, it’s better to take 1 or 2 most important actions that will bring us closer to achieving our goals.

MIA = Most Important Action

“MIAs can give you massive leverage in time, finance and freedom, even if you ignored everything else.” – Natalie Sisson

ONE Most Important Action that I am going to take in the next 15 days (and for the rest of 2015) is to tell as many people about “Accent Training” as possible.

At 15, I came to Australia speaking English with a strong accent. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to learn from my local friends/family and train myself to speak clearly. My mission is to help immigrants, just like myself, speak clearly and integrate into the Australian culture. This way, other aspects of their lives can also be improved such as social relationships and career.

My dream for 2015 is to help at least 100 people improve their accent.

What’s your MIA for the next 15 days?

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

Thank you,

Binh

March 16, 2015

The Hour of Power – Morning ritual

Do you have a morning ritual? How do you set yourself up to have an awesome day?

Here is my morning ritual or The Hour of Power to get me started.

The alarm goes off. It’s time to get out of bed. In order to set myself up to win, I have to be ready physically and mentally. Here are 6 things that I do on a regular basis:

1. Have a big glass of warm water with a few slices of lemon. This will help alkalize my body after a long night sleep.

2. Spend 10-20 minutes on a rebounder, getting the blood pumping and waking myself up.

3. Make a green juice and drink it all up, throw in some spinach, celery, cucumber, kale and ginger. Outcome: alkalizing effects on the body.

4. Practice thankfulness: think of all the things that I’m thankful for such as the air that I breathe, my family, colleagues and friends. There’s always something to be thankful for.

5. Meditate and do my breathing exercise: sit in silence and breathe in (8 seconds), hold (32 seconds) and breathe out (16 seconds). The body needs a lot of oxygen and therefore this exercise is crucial.

6. Incantations: repeat to myself 3 positive affirmations.

“All I need is within me now and I have the courage to see it through.”

“Every day and in every way, I’m getting better and better;
Every day and in every way, I’m getting stronger and stronger.”

“I love my life and I am so blessed.”

So there it is – my morning ritual. Everyone is different and you should create one that suits your needs. Comments are always welcome!

Be happy and healthy.

Binh