It was a deep honour to engage in a conversation with Shaun Ziegenfusz about his Life Chapter, Language and its Impact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9AyBv6-lMg. Shaun openly and generously shared the following:
- what instigated the journey to become a Speech and Language Pathologist,
- his love and passion for communication (in various aspects of life),
- one of his passion projects aims to raise awareness about a common yet silent condition called Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Shaun and Natalie Turner have cofounded a wonderful platform The DLD Project, https://thedldproject.com/ that provides information for families, educators, allied health professionals, and much more,
- an example of how language might be used (functionally) from the time Shaun wakes up and why this was important to discuss,
- his current Ph.D. work in the area of Developmental Language Disorder (the link for his 3-minute thesis can be accessed on https://www.youtube.com/watch...
- how communication difficulties may be identified at various levels, the impact of these on the individual's life (academic growth, social participation, mental health, employment opportunities, etc), what can be done to support these difficulties, and so much more.
There were numerous points that resonated deeply; however, a couple that I'd like to highlight are: "The humanness of communicating is so powerful.", "Strike up a conversation about DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) in a social setting and find out a little more about it."
An enormous thanks to Shaun Ziegenfusz for taking the time and spending the energy in sharing this Chapter. A huge thanks to everyone else that will also engage with this Chapter. Please share it with anyone that may connect. 
