Meet Our Therapists: Cameron Mallette

We’re so proud to have Cameron Mallette, MCD, CCC-SLP on the Steel City Speech team! We hope you enjoy this Q&A with another of our wonderful therapists.

Tell us about your family.

My husband Brandon and I have been married now for a little over a year. He works as the college pastor at Valleydale Church, so we spend a lot of our time with college students!

Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Brandon and I love rock climbing, disc golf, tennis - really anything outside! Indoors, we like playing board games and making fancy coffee drinks with our espresso machine. I've also been called a "plant lady" because I loved keeping lots of plants around the house!

Favorite Birmingham restaurant?

Saw's Soul Kitchen. Specifically, the Sweet Tea Fried Chicken sandwich. It is life changing!

Where did you go to school?

I went to Auburn University for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communication Disorders. 

What made you want to be an SLP?

Before college, I didn't even know speech pathology existed. I was having a conversation with someone one night before starting college and told them how I wanted to find a job where I could help teach kids who were struggling with certain concepts, work in a one-on-one setting, and not be confined to a classroom. They told me that speech pathology was the exact job I was describing, so I switched majors as soon as I got on campus and have never looked back!

What's your favorite aspect of being an SLP?

I love meeting children where they are at, finding a way of breaking down a concept or skill that is challenging for them, and watching as they slowly begin to understand for the first time. I love the confidence that these kids can gain and the joy that their parents can have when they start to see progress in communication!

What are your favorite resources for learning more about speech and language?

ASHA is definitely the first place I turn for research and evidence-based practices. As far as ideas for therapy activities, I follow several well-known SLPs on social media and regularly watch their videos and read their posts to gain inspiration! SLP Stephen is great for fluency, Amy Graham for articulation, and the SLT Scrapbook for early intervention/late talkers! Teachers Pay Teachers is of course another go-to for materials. 

What's the one thing you wish parents knew about speech and language?

That they truly are the best resource for language development that their children have! And I don't say that to overwhelm or intimidate them, but to reassure them that they are such a valuable piece of the language puzzle. It often is as simple as finding ways to incorporate simple language-based routines into their daily life!

You can reach Cameron at cameron.mallette@steelcityspeech.com.