ABOUT
Founder
Margaret Vento-Wilson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is the founder and owner of SLPedia and has worked with children with communicative needs in both the school and private settings for many years. Dr. Vento-Wilson has also provided training for special education teams and speech-language pathologists in the area of AAC and aided language acquisition, as well as service models and service delivery.
In addition to her work at SLPedia, Dr. Vento-Wilson is currently an assistant professor at California State University, Long Beach in the department of Speech-Language Pathology (Go Beach!).
Dr. Vento-Wilson has extensive experience in the following areas:
- Developmental language disorder (formerly referred to as specific-language impairment)
- Language acquisition and development
- Pragmatic language
- Speech-sound disorders
- Articulation
- Motor Speech Disorders
- Phonological Disorders
- Stuttering
She has specialized expertise in the following areas:
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Gestalt language processing/Natural language acquisition
- Orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD)
Dr. Vento-Wilson is a certified Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) Professional, has completed over 100 hours of training in OMD, and has completed both levels of PROMPT training. Additionally, Dr. Vento-Wilson is a Natural Language Acquisition trained clinician and can be found on the NLA Registry.
Dr. Vento-Wilson is an active member of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology, and the International Association of Orofacial Myology.
Dr. Vento-Wilson is licensed by the State of California.
Speech-Language Pathologist
Carley B. Crandall, M.A., CCC-SLP is an alumna of California State University, Long Beach, and a team member at SLPEDIA.
Carley’s clinical experience includes both children and adults, and in communicative needs that arise in infancy and childhood, as well as those that arise through acquired conditions later in life. In addition to her work at SLPedia, Carley has provided clinical services in the schools and in clients’ homes.
Carley has a research background in traumatic brain injury (TBI), neurogenic communication disorders, cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT), and evidence-based practice in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She authored two chapters in a TBI treatment manual and co-authored a chapter on adult neurogenic disorders in the definitive textbook for speech- language pathology assistants.
Carley has completed over 50 hours in orofacial myofunctional disorders training and is in the process of becoming a Natural Language Acquisition trained clinician.
Carley’s desire and passion are to contribute further to the field of speech-language pathology and ultimately assist individuals with complex communication needs to lead and develop more fulfilled lives!
Carley Crandall is an active member of the American-Speech- Language-Hearing Association and is licensed by the State of California.
Augmentative and alternative communication, also known as AAC, is an alternate communication modality that can be used to supplement or replace natural speech for individuals who cannot use natural speech to meet their daily communication needs. It can also be used to support comprehension.
AAC includes all the ways people share emotions and thoughts feelings without using natural speech. Although AAC is often thought of as a device or a system, it really is part of everyday communication. Most people don’t realize how often we communicate without words—facial expressions and gestures actually fall under the umbrella of AAC. As a communicative modality, AAC can be no, low, or high tech—it just depends on the unique needs of the individual.
Fortunately, AAC is an area of specialty for SLPedia. Dr. Vento- Wilson has studied AAC for many years and worked with children with complex communication needs extensively. Although much of her work involved children on the autism spectrum, there are many other profiles that bring people to the table of AAC, such as cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Regardless of the reason, at SLPedia, we are ready to meet individuals wherever they are in their journey toward greater communicative competence.
If you or a family member are looking for support in this journey, we are here for you. Because not being able to say anything is not the same thing as having nothing to say.
Most people are familiar with the analytical language acquisition process, which is when children build language from the bottom up—one word at a time. These children are often referred to as “word babies.”
More recently, the concept of the gestalt language acquisition process has been getting attention, but it is not new. The word ‘gestalt’ means ‘whole,’ so gestalt units are typically long holistic units, sentences, songs, and stories. These holistic units are often produced with pronounced intonation and prosody. These children are often referred to as “intonation babies” and build language from the top down.
Gestalts are also called, “echolalia,” which is when children repeat words or phrases after hearing them. Echolalia can be immediate or delayed. When echolalia is “delayed” it can be referred to as “scripting.” Rather than viewing echolalia as a maladaptive behavior, we work to support children move from echoed speech to the expression of their own voice through evidenced based principles that validate this process.
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD) are atypical, adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patterns within the orofacial complex. The regular presence of these adaptive movements can often result in a variety of disturbances. It is a recognized area within the scope of practice of SLPs by ASHA.
Examples of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders include one or a combination of the following:
- Thumb and finger sucking habits;
- A routine habit of resting with the lips apart;
- A forward resting posture of the tongue between or against the teeth;
- Tongue Thrust;
- Other harmful oral habits
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders can impact:
- Oral-facial growth and development;
- Breathing patterns that in turn influence the structures of the face and mouth;
- Swallowing patterns;
- Teeth alignment;
- Orthodontic treatment;
- Temporomandibular joint;
- Speech and articulation patterns*
*Research has shown that traditional articulation therapy alone is unlikely to generalize long term if functional oral habits are not established.