First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights
First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional SLP Insights
Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP
Language, Literacy, and the Path to Reading Success with Heather Ramsdell
1 hour 4 minutes Posted Aug 11, 2026 at 11:00 am.
0:00
1:04:28
Download MP3
Show notes

What role do SLPs play with literacy development?

Guest: Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD, CCC-SLP, CALT, QIT

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

Watch on Youtube

In this episode of First Bite, Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, is joined by Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD, CCC-SLP, CALT, QIT, for a passionate, research-backed discussion that positions speech-language pathologists as central to literacy development. Heather reframes dyslexia and reading challenges as reflections of underlying language and developmental profiles, explains how early oral language skills lay the foundation for reading, and discusses key early indicators of risk and the diverse developmental pathways that contribute to reading difficulties.

About the Guest: Heather L. Ramsdell, PhD CCC-SLP, CALT, QI in Training, University of Memphis, 2009, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Idaho State University, owner/clinician at Once Upon a Time LLC, and mother of two children with dyslexia. Her teaching, research, and clinical areas of expertise/interest include infant vocal development, phonetics, phonology, multisensory structured language intervention, spelling, structured word inquiry, literacy, and dyslexia.

Show Notes: