May 19

May 19 Megan Stewart | Speech-Language Pathologist

Megan is the lead Speech-Language Pathologist at a school in Jacksonville, FL that focuses on students with moderate to severe autism and related disabilities. Not only does she provide language services to more than 55 pre-kj students, she also coaches fellow teachers, leads professional development trainings for staff, helps develop curriculum, speaks at conferences, and so much more. Outside of teaching, she also founded SENSEable Literacy, a brand that’s building awareness around the importance of providing access to books and high quality literacy experiences for all learners.

The Basics:

Hometown: Grand Island, Nebraska
Current city: Jacksonville, FL
Alma mater: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Degree: M.A, Speech-Language Pathology
Very first job: Server at a retirement home
Hustle: Speech-Language Pathologist

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?

Dr. Cynthia Cress, who was one of my professors during both undergrad and grad school. Her passion for her job—and her belief that everyone has a voice within them that should be heard—motivated and inspired me to focus on those learners that may not be able to communicate with their words. She taught me that access to communication is a right that everyone should have, no matter what.

A woman, past or present, who you’d love to sit down and grab a cup of coffee with?

Brene Brown—her teachings are so important! Whether it’s reading her books or listening to her podcasts/videos, etc, I am continually learning about myself and others, and how we all interact in this world. Her work is so insightful and captivating—it would be an honor to learn from her in person.

How do you relax after a long day?

I love to sit down on the couch with a good book, some soft lighting, and read—preferably snuggled up with a cozy blanket.

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle.

My daily hustle involves many different things. I have been a wife to my wonderful husband—and high school sweetheart—for 20 years. I am a mom of three teenage boys; 15-year-old twins and a 14-year-old who constantly keep me on my toes. Professionally, I have been a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), specializing in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and learners with complex communication needs for almost 19 years. I have worked in many settings as a SLP including schools, outpatient rehabilitation, home health, early intervention, and hippotherapy (using the movements of a horse as a therapeutic intervention). I currently work in a school that specializes in serving students with autism and related disabilities from age three through 8th grade. Working primarily with the preschool population at this school, my roles include providing direct language therapy interventions, conducting AAC assessments for students to assist with acquiring communication devices, consulting, providing trainings in communication and literacy for staff and parents, troubleshooting technical problems with communication devices, and supervising SLP students.

Outside of my work at the school, I continue my hustle as the owner of SENSEable Literacy. I started this business to build awareness around the importance of providing access to books and high quality literacy experiences for all learners. Unfortunately, literacy instruction is often an afterthought for students that are AAC users and/or have complex communication needs. My goal is to change that mindset, and empower those who work with students that have complex communication needs, and that may or may not use AAC, to incorporate more literacy instruction into their day through fun, engaging, and multi-sensory literacy experiences.

What has your professional journey been like so far? How did you find yourself at your current position?

From early on in my professional journey, I had a general idea of what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to help those learners who couldn’t communicate in the traditional sense and needed the assistance of AAC to do so. However, throughout my professional journey, that mission has taken on several different forms. From working in various school environments, outpatient clinics, clients homes, and even pastures providing intervention while learners rode horses; my mission has always been the same: to provide access to effective and efficient communication for all students, in whatever form they need. Starting at my current position is definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. I happened to be interviewing for a school-based SLP position at the time, and after sharing where my interests and passions lie, it was determined that I would be a good fit to help launch their language and communication program, specifically designed for students with autism and related disabilities—many of whom would most likely need AAC to communicate. The rest, I guess you could say, is history. I’ve been there since they opened their doors in the fall of 2016.

Why was it important for you to create SENSEable Literacy? What went into creating the platform?

I am passionate about the belief that all kids, no matter what, need to have access to books! Learners who are enrolled in special education programs, have complex communication needs, and/or use AAC, are often not provided with access to books and/or comprehensive literacy instruction. SENSEable Literacy was created to help change this mindset, and promote the importance of literacy for all. It also incorporates various elements that support multi-sensory learning; activating the five senses. After engaging in a shared reading activity with learners, their senses of sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste are activated through various extension activities. These hands-on, multi-sensory activities provide learners with increased levels of engagement within the literacy instruction, promoting increased skill development, retention, memory, and comprehension related to the focus of the instruction.

For those who aren’t familiar with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), what is it?

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is anything that can help a learner communicate through “augmenting” or adding to their current verbal speech and/or language—and/or providing an “alternative” method for them to communicate other than verbal speech and/or language. AAC can come in many different forms including: gestures (e.g., pointing, reaching, etc), signs, pictures, communication boards, speech generating devices with voice output, emojis, etc. While it may sound complex, everyone uses some form of AAC everyday. Texting is AAC, using emojis is AAC, typing and/or writing is AAC. Anything that you do to communicate that is an addition to and/or a replacement of your verbal communication is AAC. So, while it is primarily thought of for those who do not have verbal speech and/or language, AAC is for everyone and is used by everyone, just in different forms.

When we are learning to read and write, we learn how to recognize letters and words—and also learn how to form them when writing on paper or typing them on a keyboard. Learners who use AAC are no different. When provided access to language through AAC, we are also providing access to literacy—they go hand-in-hand. Teaching AAC users to read and write looks the same as it does for their verbally communicating peers. Their AAC system doesn’t necessarily help them learn to read and write, rather, it is the way that they are able to communicate about and convey their knowledge of the literacy instruction. Through using their AAC system, learners are able to share their thoughts about a book read aloud to them and/or that they have read, use their knowledge of the alphabet and letter sounds to create and form words, phrases and/or sentences.

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to keep a growth mindset. The word “yet” is very small—only 3 letters—but I think it’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. It reminds me to not count anyone, or anything out—myself included. Just because something isn’t happening now, or hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean that it never will. Keeping that in the forefront of my mind has helped motivated me to keep working and trying, even in the face of adversity. No one can see the future, and if we give up, we never know what could have been!

Starting out my career, I was not prepared for all that the learners I have worked with have taught me. I do not see this as a fault of any academic experiences, or lack thereof. I don’t think anyone or any classes can prepare you for something like that. I am continually in awe of my learners. Their joy, excitement, determination, and tenacity inspire me daily. I have learned much more from them than I could ever teach them, and for that, I am thankful.

How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?

About 96% of SLPs are women. Because of that, I haven’t given much thought to how being a woman has impacted my professional experiences. With the majority of the Speech-Language Pathologists being women, it’s easy to find women in the field to look to for inspiration and guidance. It has also provided me with many examples of strong and successful women who are passionate about their career and are willing to provide guidance and support to others in the field. We, as women, need to continually build one another up, providing support and encouragement. Providing opportunities to ask questions without fear of judgment is also so important. The field of Speech-Language Pathology is so vast—no one can ever know everything, it’s impossible. Being open to answering any and all questions from someone who is interested in learning is a skill that we should all strive to add to our professional and personal toolboxes, no matter what field you specialize in.

What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?

I am very proud and honored that I have had the opportunity to speak at many different local, state and international conferences, sharing knowledge and my love of incorporating AAC and literacy. While I still get nervous before presenting, those nerves are often quickly overridden by my passion for the topic I am speaking about.

Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?

Oh my—there are so many! Some of them include Karen Erickson, Rachel Madel, Rachael Langley, Anne Page, Mary Katerine Dally, Kim Rankin, Beth Poss, Sarah Gregory, Kate McLaughlin, and so many more!

Career and/or life advice for other babes?

Believe in yourself, trust your gut, keep an open mind, take time for yourself, listen well, ask for help, set boundaries, and spread love, kindness, and happiness around like confetti.