About the Author

M. Hegde, Ph.D. M. N. Hegde, Ph.D. is Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Communicative Disorders at California State University, Fresno. A highly regarded author in speech-language pathology, his books include leading texts in academic courses and valuable resources for clinicians. His books have been used in worldwide in speech-language pathology programs. Adriana Pena-Brooks, M.A. Adriana Pena-Brooks holds a Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from California State University-Fresno. She also holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the License in Speech-Language Pathology from the State of California, and the Clinical Rehabilitation Services Credential from the State of California. She has previously worked as an instructor and clinical supervisor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at California State University-Fresno, where she taught a variety of courses. Subsequently, she has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist at the Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, California. In this clinical position, Mrs. Pena-Brooks has worked with children in Kindergarten through sixth grade. She has gained clinical expertise in assessing and treating a variety of communication disorders in children of varying ethnocultural backgrounds. Mrs. Pena-Brooks also has worked extensively with adults who had neurogenic communication disorders and dysphagia. She has made various scholarly presentations at the local, state, and national levels. Currently, Mrs. Pena-Brooks lives in Sahuarita, Arizona, raising her triplets and devoting her time to scholarly writing in speech-language pathology.