Podcast
Beyond Words with Garrett Oyama
Hosted by Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP · EN
What lies beyond the words we speak? Hosted by speech-language pathologist, musician, and communication PhD student Garrett Oyama, this podcast explores the rich space where communication, music, neuroscience, and creativity converge. Through conversations, sound, and story, we go beyond the clinical and into the poetic dimensions of human connection.
Each episode of Beyond Words is worth 0.10 ASHA CEU when you complete the accompanying course on www.speechtherapypd.com.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Before Words: Understanding Babbling with Dr. Kimbrough Oller
Dec 401:04:37Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 15 | Before Words: Understanding Babbling with Dr. D. Kimbrough OllerWhat do a baby’s coos, squeals, and growls reveal about the origins of language? In this episode of Beyond Words, Dr. D. Kimbrough Oller — a leading voice in speech and language development — joins Garrett Oyama to explore protophones, functional flexibility, and why spontaneous infant vocalizations may hold the key to understanding how language evolved.Topics include:What protophones are and why they matterThe Functional Flexibility HypothesisHow infant vocal play relates to evolutionWhat LENA recordings reveal about early speechWhy babies vocalize even when no one is listeningGet ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTube
Transcribe →Inside the Language Network: Brains, AI, and What Words Really Mean with Dr. Blank
Nov 1101:01:01Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 14 | Inside the Language Network: Brains, AI, and What Words Really MeanIs language the same as thought? Dr. Idan Blank (UCLA) joins Beyond Words to explain why the answer is no — and why that matters for neuroscience, speech therapy, and AI. We explore the brain’s language network, how large language models learn, why Broca’s area is misunderstood, and what this all means for testing, development, and the future of cognition.Topics include:Why language and thought are separate systemsHow ChatGPT challenges our assumptionsWhat Broca’s area really doesImplications for speech therapy and assessmentWhat LLMs and infants both tell us about language learningJoin the Beyond Words Newsletter Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTube
Transcribe →Bilingual Brains and Sound Processing with Dr. Jennifer Krizman
Oct 2801:02:09Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 13 | Bilingual Brains and Sound Processing with Dr. Jennifer KrizmanWhat does it mean to hear the world through two languages? In this episode, host Garrett Oyama speaks with Dr. Jenn Krizman, research scientist at the Brainvolts Lab (Northwestern University), about how bilingualism reshapes the brain’s sound processing networks.Together they explore how speaking multiple languages enhances inhibitory control, boosts consistency in auditory encoding, and even provides a kind of “neural armor” that can delay cognitive decline. They also discuss clinical implications for speech-language pathologists, common myths about bilingualism, and why parents should feel confident nurturing their child’s native tongue.Join the Beyond Words Newsletter Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTube
Transcribe →The Developing Sound System: From Canonical Proportion to Cochlear Implants with Dr. Cychosz
Oct 1401:00:09Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 12 | The Developing Sound System: From Canonical Proportion to Cochlear Implants with Dr. CychoszIn this episode of Beyond Words, Dr. Meg Cychosz (Stanford University) joins host Garrett Oyama to explore how children develop speech and language—from babbling and canonical proportion to cochlear implants and multilingual environments. We dive into naturalistic data, cultural variation, and the surprising ways infants make sense of sound.Join the Beyond Words NewsletterGet ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTube
Transcribe →The Inner Voice: Exploring Intrapersonal Communication with Constance Bainbridge
Oct 700:54:37Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 11 | The Inner Voice: Exploring Intrapersonal Communication with Constance BainbridgeIn this special archive episode, Garrett sits down with fellow UCLA PhD student Constance (Connie) Bainbridge, a researcher in the Department of Communication who studies the inner voice—how we communicate with ourselves. Connie is the Principal Investigator of the Stream of Mind Lab and her work blends evolutionary, developmental, and cognitive science to better understand intrapersonal communication and the flow of consciousness. She also draws on her background as a musician to explore how music and self-expression shape human experience.This conversation covers:What the “inner voice” really isHow self-talk and imagination shape decision-making, self-regulation, and well-beingWhy hidden differences (like having no inner voice) matter for research and therapyConnections between music, language, and consciousnessJoin the Beyond Words Newsletter Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTube
Transcribe →The Magic of the Sound Mind with Dr. Nina Kraus
Sep 3000:58:15Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 10 | The Magic of the Sound Mind: Bridging Neuroscience and Speech Therapy with Dr. Nina KrausIn this special archive episode of Beyond Words, host Garrett Oyama sits down for his very first conversation with Dr. Nina Kraus — renowned auditory neuroscientist and author of Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World.Dr. Kraus shares her journey from studying chinchilla neurons to developing clinically relevant tools for measuring how the human brain processes sound. Together, they explore the frequency following response (FFR), the role of music in therapy, and why understanding the brain’s sound processing is essential for clinicians, educators, and anyone working with language.This episode laid the foundation for an ongoing series of conversations between Garrett and Dr. Kraus, diving deeper into the science and clinical applications of Of Sound Mind. Find them here: Dialogue SeriesBook Join the Beyond Words Newsletter Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD
Transcribe →The Power of Gesture in Language Development with Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow
Sep 2301:00:27Tap to summarizeBeyond Words Ep. 9 | The Power of Gesture in Language Development with Dr. Susan Goldin-MeadowGet ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD Watch on YouTubeJoin the Beyond Words NewsletterJoin host Garrett Oyama as he sits down with Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow, one of the world’s foremost experts on gesture and language development. Together, they explore how our hands reflect what we know, how gesture supports learning and communication, and why paying closer attention to movement can reshape how we teach, think, and connect.🧠 Learn more about Dr. Goldin-Meadow’s work:Thinking With Your Hands Bookcontact: sgm@uchicago.edu
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