Speech-Language Pathologist
My name is Marissa Mayer, and I am happy to be working as your child’s Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) this year! This will be my 9th year working for the Kasson-Mantorville School District. I truly love this community and all the teachers and staff at KM.
About me
I grew up in the small of town of Stacyville, Iowa and attended school in St. Ansgar, Iowa. I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders. I completed my Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Dakota in 2015. I live in Kasson with my husband, Will, and our 4 kids- Grey (8), Lyndon (6), Samuel (3), and Frankie (1). We also have a ten-year old cockapoo, Paisley. My family enjoys camping and spending time outdoors!
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to keep communication open! I can be reached by email at m.mayer@komets.k12.mn.us or by phone at (507) 634-1508.
Sincerely,
Marissa Mayer
About Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
Speech disorders occur when a person has difficulty producing speech sounds correctly or fluently (e.g., stuttering is a form of disfluency) or has problems with his or her voice or resonance.
Language disorders occur when a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings (expressive language). Language disorders may be spoken or written and may involve the form (phonology, morphology, syntax), content (semantics), and/or use (pragmatics) of language in functional and socially appropriate ways.
Social communication disorders occur when a person has trouble with the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication. These disorders may include problems (a) communicating for social purposes (e.g., greeting, commenting, asking questions), (b) talking in different ways to suit the listener and setting, and (c) following rules for conversation and story-telling. All individuals with autism spectrum disorder have social communication problems. Social communication disorders are also found individuals with other conditions, such as traumatic brain injury.
Cognitive-communication disorders include problems organizing thoughts, paying attention, remembering, planning, and/or problem-solving. These disorders usually happen as a result of a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or dementia, although they can be congenital.
Swallowing disorders (dysphagia) are feeding and swallowing difficulties, which may follow an illness, surgery, stroke, or injury.