AI Fundamentals for SLPs

Understanding AI doesn't require a computer science degree. Let's break it down in practical terms that connect to your daily work as a speech-language pathologist.

What Is AI, Really?

🧠 Think of AI as a Brilliant Research Assistant

Imagine you have a research assistant who has read:

  • Every speech therapy textbook ever written
  • Every research paper on aphasia
  • Every patient case study in the literature
  • Thousands of therapy materials and examples

But here's the catch: This assistant is very literal. They'll only give you exactly what you ask for.

❌ Vague Request

"Help me with aphasia"

→ Gets you a general definition

✅ Specific Request

"Create 5 simple cooking sentences for a 55-year-old chef with moderate Broca's aphasia working on word retrieval"

→ Gets you exactly what you need!

The Power of Good Instructions

💪 You Already Have This Skill

As speech therapists, you're already experts at giving clear, specific instructions. You do this with patients every day. "Prompt engineering" is just a fancy way of saying "knowing how to give good instructions" - and you're already pros at this!

🎯 The Good Prompt Formula

1

Role

"Act as a speech therapist specializing in aphasia..."

2

Context

"Patient has moderate Broca's aphasia..."

3

Task

"Create 5 sentences for repetition practice..."

4

Constraints

"Use 4-6 words, present tense, common vocabulary..."

5

Example

"Like: 'The dog runs fast.'"

How This Solves Your Daily Challenges

⏰

Time Efficiency

Generate personalized materials in seconds instead of searching for hours through therapy books.

🎯

Perfect Personalization

Materials tailored to each patient's profession, interests, and recovery stage automatically.

📈

Progressive Difficulty

Easily adjust complexity as patients improve - just modify your prompt slightly.

🎨

Unlimited Variety

Never run out of fresh material - AI can generate endless variations on any theme.

AI Amplifies Your Expertise

🔑 Key Principle: AI Enhances, Never Replaces

AI doesn't make therapy decisions - you do. Think of AI as providing raw materials that your clinical expertise shapes into effective therapy. AI can generate twenty different exercise options in minutes. Your professional judgment selects the three that are perfect for your patient's needs today.

Your Expertise Determines:

  • ✅ Whether sentence complexity matches patient ability
  • ✅ If vocabulary choices are cognitively appropriate
  • ✅ Whether exercises align with therapeutic goals
  • ✅ How to modify content for individual needs
  • ✅ When to progress to more challenging material

Ready to Try?

In the next sections, you'll see exactly how this works with real examples and live demonstrations.

🎬 See Live Demos 📖 My Discovery Story