Hi, my name is Sarah Payton.  I am an ASHA certified Speech Language Pathologist with a Bachelor's and Master's in Communication Disorders.  I have worked for 20 years as a school based SLP, serving preschoolers to 12-year-olds. My interest and passion in the power of mealtime conversation began about 7 years ago when I first read some research showing the impact of mealtime conversation on language skills.  As an SLP, this was interesting! I could help children increase their language by getting parents to eat a meal daily and talking with the people they love the most, their children?! The more I read, the more intrigued I became. 

 

Since then I have shared this message with parents and families through a variety of venues such as parent nights, newsletters, and presentations to parent organizations and other organizations who are interested in their children's optimal development.  I am continually researching and studying this topic and the more I learn the more I want to share with parents how important mealtime conversations are and how much early childhood mealtime conversations can benefit children throughout their entire life.