Caroline Gammill, Neuro SLP, LLC

05/12/2022

I enjoyed speaking a few weeks on at the conference! I gave three presentations on evaluation and treatment of attention, memory, and executive functions. Thank you for inviting me and for being my 37th state visited!

12/08/2021

The holidays are full of hustle and bustle, but did you know that more strokes occur during winter than any other season? As much as we love the warmth and festivities the holiday season brings us, we all know it can be a stressful time of year.

Protect your brain and body by getting outside (bundle up on cold days!), eating a balanced diet, and exercising. Even a 10-minute walk a day reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke.

If you’re struggling with cognitive-commutation symptoms after a stroke, I can help.

Cgammill@neuroslp.com
(256)-202-4151
Www.neuroSLP.com

11/29/2021

Are you home for the holidays and struggling with symptoms from a brain injury?

I come to you and provide skilled, evidence-based speech therapy from the comfort of your own home.

Serving the Huntsville, Decatur, and Athens areas.

Let’s talk!
Cgammill@neuroslp.com
Www.neuroslp.com
(256)-202-4151

04/28/2021

I love using rating scales to help clients monitor their attention and fatigue levels throughout the day. These can help clients decide when to do certain tasks, and when they need to take a break. And that’s okay! These scales are also useful for communicating with loved ones. “I’m at a 5 right now” is code for “I need to leave RIGHT NOW.” Tbh, I may use this one for myself! 😉

Rating scales are quick and easy to make with the client and are an effective way to empower clients to advocate for themselves and their needs.

04/06/2021

If you know of anyone who has recently experienced a traumatic brain injury or stroke, Caroline can help!

👩🏼‍💻Now offering teletherapy 👩🏼‍💻

I am so excited to now offer teletherapy to adults with acquired brain injuries in the state of Alabama! Better late than never 😆

If you have had a concussion or brain injury and need skilled therapy from a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, but can’t GET to therapy, let’s talk. Teletherapy may be a good fit for you!

Cgammill@neuroslp.com
Www.NeuroSLP.com
(256)-202-4151

04/06/2021

👩🏼‍💻Now offering teletherapy 👩🏼‍💻

I am so excited to now offer teletherapy to adults with acquired brain injuries in the state of Alabama! Better late than never 😆

If you have had a concussion or brain injury and need skilled therapy from a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, but can’t GET to therapy, let’s talk. Teletherapy may be a good fit for you!

Cgammill@neuroslp.com
Www.NeuroSLP.com
(256)-202-4151

03/15/2021

Our last level of attention is DIVIDED ATTENTION. ➗

This is the toughest level! It means doing more than one thing at a time, like listening to a podcast while driving, watching TV while folding laundry, or talking on the phone while cooking 🍳

We have to consider the “cognitive load” with divided attention. Our total attention capabilities are the same regardless of what we’re doing, so the sum of each activity can’t exceed our capacity. Attention is a limited capacity resource. We only have so much to go around!

Let’s say your total attention capacity is 5. Talking on the phone requires 3 of your attention units (for example), and shopping for familiar grocery items requires 2 of your attention units. This works, because the total attention needed is 5!

But let’s say you’re talking on the phone to your boss about work assignments, or having a stressful conversation with a friend or family member, while shopping for ingredients for a new recipe in a section or aisle you’re not so familiar with. The demands for each task together may exceed your attention capacity, and you have to either stop shopping or tell the person on the phone you need to call them back.

Have you ever driven in a new place...in traffic...in the rain...at night? And turned down the radio to “see better?” 👀

What you’re actually doing is decreasing the demands on your attention. The music is too much when you’re focusing all your attention on safe driving (as you should).

If you’re having trouble with divided attention after stroke or brain injury, here are some tips:

1) Focus on one thing at a time. It really is okay to not do the most all the time. Stretching yourself too thin by trying to multi-task to “be more efficient” or be as efficient as you used to be will actually make you LESS efficient. It’ll take longer to do both tasks, and you’ll probably make mistakes. Give yourself permission to do one thing at a time.

2) Know your limits. Keep track of your attention throughout the day, and learn when you can and can’t multitask.

3) Practice improving divided attention in low-stakes tasks, like watching TV and folding laundry!

03/11/2021

Our third level of attention is ALTERNATING ATTENTION.

This is the ability to switch back and forth between two tasks, like:
-sending an email at work, then stopping when someone comes in your office to chat or ask you a question, then going back to that email
-switching back and forth between cooking scrambled eggs and slicing up fruit for breakfast
-starting to vacuum, but then realizing you need to dust first, then go back to vacuuming

Alternating attention takes some serious cognitive control!

If it’s hard for you to switch back and forth between tasks or that go back to what you were doing before you got distracted, you have trouble with alternating attention if you’ve had a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Some tips:
1) Just say no ❌ to distractions. Complete one task at a time. If someone tries to interrupt you, tell them kindly you need to finish what you’re doing and you’ll be with them in a minute!
2) Write a list of tasks or steps, and cross them off as you go. This will help keep you on track and remember where you were.
3) If you do get distracted, quickly jot down, mark with a post-it note, or make a note or alarm in your phone with the label of what you were doing.

If you have trouble with attention or any area of cognition or communication after brain injury, I can help.

You CAN get better and there IS hope!

Cgammill@neuroslp.com
(256)-202-4151
Www.NeuroSLP.com

03/09/2021

Our second level of attention is SELECTIVE ATTENTION.

Selective attention is the ability to focus on one thing, like reading a book, while ignoring other things, like people talking around you at Starbucks.

If you find you are easily distracted after your brain injury...

If even a little sound or background movement pulls you away from what you’re doing and it’s hard to ignore them and get back on task...

You may have trouble with selective attention!

We can help selective attention by minimizing distractions.

When you get to work on a task, like making a grocery list or sending a work email, minimize distractions.

1) Find or create a quiet, clutter-free space to work.

2) Turn off the TV or your Spotify playlist. Lovingly tell your spouse or coworkers to leave you alone for a few minutes.

3) On that note, set an alarm for yourself. Maybe for 5-10 minutes. After that, check in with yourself on your work, if you’re missing anything, and how your attention and cognitive fatigue levels are feeling. Maybe take a break!

4) Do tasks that are more cognitively demeaning when your attention is at its best! This means tracking your attention and cognitive fatigue levels throughout the day to find when you’re in tip-top shape, and when you’re not so great 👎🏽

Through these strategies and more, I can help you with your attention after brain injury. It CAN get better, and we CAN work around it.

Let’s talk!
(256)-202-4151
Www.NeuroSLP.com
Cgammill@neuroslp.com

(Sohlberg & Mateer, 2001)

02/23/2021

Our first level of attention is SUSTAINED ATTENTION.

This is the ability to focus on one task for a period of time - seconds, minutes, or hours!⏰

It’s the ability to maintain CONSISTENT and ACCURATE performance over time.

We need sustained attention to get anything done - fold the laundry, pay a bill, send an email, have a conversation...you name it, it needs sustained attention!

But sustained attention can be disrupted or difficult following brain injury.

How do you know if you have trouble with sustained attention?

If you find it’s hard to concentrate on ANYTHING, even basic tasks, for more than a few minutes...😑

If you can concentrate for a few minutes but then notice you drift off or start to make errors...❌

If it feels hard and effortful to focus on anything, even watching your favorite TV show... 📺

If someone tells you you drift off in conversation... 💭

You may have trouble with sustained attention!

One way we can work on sustained attention is through timers. ⏰ During any task you need to do, set a timer for yourself for slightly longer than you typically can sustain attention. When the timer goes off, take a break, even if you don’t feel like you need it!

Timers and scheduled breaks can help optimize your attention throughout the day.

I can work with you to determine a system that works for you and your life. Sometimes we have to start with sustaining attention for one minute. That’s okay!

If you’re struggling with attention after a brain injury, you are not alone.

I can help!
Cgammill@neuroslp.com
www.NeuroSLP.com
(256)-202-4151

(Sohlberg & Mateer, 2001)

02/23/2021

Let’s talk about...attention! 🧠

Attention is a limited capacity resource. We only have so much of it to go around at a time, and over the course of a day! ⏰

Some people have better attention and cognitive resources bright and early☀️, and some people are sharper at night 🌙

Up to 92% of all stroke survivors have attention problems, and even mild traumatic brain injuries can result in problems concentrating 🤔 (Hyndman, Pickering, & Asburn, 2009).

Attention is like a pyramid - if we don’t have the base (sustained attention), we can’t build the next levels. So, in therapy, we start at the first level that seems to be giving you trouble!

Follow along as we talk about the different types of attention and how we can treat it.

Caroline Gammill, Neuro SLP, has worked with hundreds of patients with attention problems after brain injury. If you’re struggling with concentration after your brain injury, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You don’t have to suffer alone. You’re not being “dramatic” or “choosing not to focus.”

Attention problems can affect your ability to get ready in the morning, send an email or a text, watch TV, talk with your friends, and participate in therapy so you can get better. Attention problems can affect every aspect of your life. But there is hope!

I can help identify where and why you’re having trouble so we can work together to find solutions that work for you and your life.

Let’s talk!

Cgammill@neuroslp.com
Www.NeuroSLP.com
(256)-202-4151

11/16/2020

I’m honored to be selected as a Distinguished Early Career Professional by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. My greatest honor is serving clients and families in their journey of recovering from brain injury!