by Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP
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.
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Publishing Since
7/8/2025
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June 24, 2026
<p>Beyond Words Ep. 24 | Gaze, Hands, and the Roots of Communication with Gedeon Deák, PhD</p><p>In this episode of Beyond Words, host Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by UC San Diego professor Gedeon Deák, PhD, to explore how infants learn to share attention with others and why these early interactions are so important for communication and language development. Together, they unpack the evolving nature of joint attention, including gaze following, pointing, caregiver scaffolding, and the often-overlooked role of hands, movement, and object interaction in early learning.</p><p>Drawing from Dr. Deák’s research, this conversation challenges the idea of joint attention as a single developmental milestone. Instead, it highlights how infants gradually learn to coordinate attention through repeated, real-world interactions with caregivers, objects, and their environment. The discussion explores how babies learn to follow attention not simply by watching eyes, but through meaningful experiences that involve looking, reaching, pointing, and shared engagement with objects and routines.</p><p>🎙️ Topics include:</p><ul><li>a deeper understanding of how gesture, gaze, and movement</li><li>support early communication development</li><li>valuable perspectives for assessing and supporting young children</li><li>social communication and language delays</li></ul><br/><p>Earn ASHA CEUs - <a href="https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/gaze-hands" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/gaze-hands</a></p>
May 25, 2026
<p>Beyond Words Ep. 23 | Music, Voice, and Meaning: From Infant Speech to Social Signals with Greg Bryant, PhD</p><p><a href="https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/music-voice-meaning" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD for this podcast</a></p><p>In this episode of Beyond Words, Greg Bryant, PhD, joins host Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP, to explore how the human voice carries meaning through prosody, musicality, and nonverbal vocalizations.</p><p>Together, they examine how infant-directed speech uses exaggerated pitch, rhythm, and timing to capture attention and support early learning, and how these same acoustic patterns overlap with features found in music. Dr. Bryant connects infant communication, emotional vocal expression, and music within an evolutionary framework, highlighting how vocal behavior supports social bonding, coordination, and shared understanding.</p><p>🎙️ Topics include:</p><ul><li>How listeners interpret emotion, intention</li><li>Social context from vocal cues alone</li><li>Cross-cultural research</li><li>Highlighting how vocal behavior supports social bonding</li><li>Prosody, pragmatics, and culturally responsive care</li></ul><br/><p></p>
May 4, 2026
<p>Beyond Words Ep. 22 | Active Infant Learning: Curiosity and How Children Seek Words with Martin Zettersten, PhD</p><p><a href="https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/active-infant-learning" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get ASHA CEUs: Speech Therapy PD for this podcast</a></p><p>In this episode of Beyond Words, host Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP, welcomes Martin Zettersten, PhD, to explore how infants actively learn language through curiosity, attention, and everyday experiences. Dr. Zettersten shares insights from his work as Principal Investigator of the Language and Infant Learning (LIL) Lab at the University of California, San Diego, highlighting how children seek out and process information as they begin to build their early vocabularies.</p><p>Together, they break down how attention and learning interact in early word learning, and what that means for how infants begin to connect words with meaning.</p><p>🎙️ Topics include:</p><ul><li>How infants and children learn language</li><li>Large collaborative projects and shared datasets</li><li>Improve confidence in infant development findings</li><li>Developmental evidence to inform the caregiver</li><li>Guidance and early language support</li></ul><br/><p>Resources:</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=agency+and+cognitive+development&crid=2RMSHXB3L02LX&sprefix=Agency+and+Cog%2Caps%2C302&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_1_14" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Agency and Cognitive Development (Oxford Series in Cognitive Development) by Michael Tomasello </a></p>
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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.
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