Walking, Talking, Thinking… Falling

“Walking is so automatic,” says Assistant Professor Julie Stierwalt, “but we can get distracted from it. Think of cell phones.” The example resonates with anyone who has dodged a weaving, or suddenly stationary, cell talker on a sidewalk. Now consider distractions for a walker with Parkinson disease, already unsteady and vulnerable to falling. That’s one …

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Jackson breaking down cultural barriers

?Diferencia Linguistica o Desorden Linguistico?Language difference or language disorder? Answering that question, says speech-language pathologist Carla Wood Jackson, is essential for evaluating a bilingual child or English learner, and every year the urgency rises: “Hispanic Americans are the largest minority population with limited English proficiency in U.S. public schools. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA] recognizes …

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LaPointe collaborating across the globe

The life of this scientist embodies multiple collaborations and intriguing journeys of discovery. Leonard (Chick) LaPointe, FSU’s distinguished Francis Eppes Professor of Communication Disorders, is also an adjunct faculty member in the College of Medicine and co-director of the new Neurolinguistic and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation Research Center, a partnership between Florida State and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital …

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