Certified Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Featured in New Real Stories Video Ads

(Rockville, MD) Six new stories from certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists about clients, patients, and students they’ve helped in transformative ways are being released today as part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Real Stories public service announcement (PSA) campaign.

Launched a year ago, the television and radio PSA campaign has reached more than 48 million people to date. Until today, the campaign ads featured real stories of care conveyed by actors. In the new ads, however, ASHA member audiologists and speech-language pathologists themselves share their stories. They are being released today so they can be shared widely for the national celebration of Better Hearing and Speech Month (May) as well as throughout the year.

The ads include accounts of . . .  

• A busy patent attorney who had a brain aneurysm that resulted in aphasia. Despite substantial challenges with speaking, understanding, reading, and writing—all necessary skills for his job—he was eventually able to get back to a thriving career in his solo practitioner office after hard work with his speech-language pathologist.
• A 12-year-old child who, after having limited ability to communicate, conveyed “I love mom” as his first message upon independently using his augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device.
• A woman—with a terminal diagnosis—who, in her final weeks of life, was fitted with a hearing aid by a certified audiologist. Her hearing aid allowed her to hear and respond to her family’s words and messages before she passed, bringing her and her family great comfort.
• A child who needed help saying her rs—which was very important to her because she has an r in her name. Not only was she able to acquire the sound after working with her speech-language pathologist, but she also benefited from having a mentor with whom she could personally identify.
• An infant who, after several appointments with different professionals in his rural town, was finally identified as hard of hearing by a certified audiologist—confirming his mother’s intuition and setting him on a path to thrive.
• A pastor with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who was able to continue inspiring people with his messages of faith—achieving his life’s purpose—by communicating using his AAC device.

“These new stories are great examples of what ASHA members do every day and the difference they can make in people’s lives,” said ASHA 2023 President Robert M. Augustine, PhD, CCC-SLP. “We are pleased and proud to share them, and hope they will motivate the public to seek our professionals’ services.”

To learn more about communication disorders, and to find a national database of certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists who can help, visit www.asha.org/public.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 228,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.