Nicholas Said:

Any medics from Eritrea here? What's this medical proceedure?

We Answered:

Uvulectomies appear to be fairly common in many parts of Africa. The procedure is believed to combat throat infections and reduce a perceived risk of suffocation.

Dan Said:

Do kids with special needs have a special sensitivity to dogs?

We Answered:

I am a pediatric speech therapist and most of my kids would be fine with dogs but a few would have pretty bad allergic reactions. (Funny enough my boss brings her dogs to the office sometimes) I don't think she is saying that kids with autism can't handle dogs, it's just that we tend to see a lot of kids with serious medical problems which frequently includes allergies and other respiratory problems (such as those resulting from prematurity). Perhaps ask her if some days are ok to bring the dogs and the days when she sees these highly allergic kids you can keep them home.

It does seem like a pretty extreme reaction but only she knows the needs of the kids on her caseload so unless you know of an alterior motive, you'll just have to take her word for it.

Maureen Said:

What would be a good associates degree to obtain before going into a speech pathology program?

We Answered:

Look into the requirements of the school you hope to transfer to. I know that you will need basics like math, biology, chemistry and english. However, if SP requires alot of science classes you might be better off getting a science degree. Focus more on the classes you need for a bachelors vs the name of the community college degree. Dont forget to check to make sure each class will transfer to each school. Ex: some schools want only biology for science majors some dont care. so you're better off taking the science major biology. However, the school might not let you take it if you major in something like psychology.

Stephanie Said:

What does it take to be a speech therapist? Can you get a masters in speech-language pathology at Columbia?

We Answered:

You need to be good at therapy and speaking.