Category: speech language pathology

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It’s all about RtI!

Today I am excited to review one of the latest products from Busy Bee Speech “Common Core Standards-Based RtI Packet for Language“.

So what is RtI or Response to Intervention?

Developed as an alternative to the ability–achievement “discrepancy model,” which requires children to show a discrepancy between their IQ and standardized tests/grades, RtI is a method of academic intervention aimed to provide early, systematic assistance to children who are having difficulty learning in order to prevent academic failure via the provision of early school based intervention, frequent progress measurement, and increasingly intensive research-based instructional interventions for children who continue to have difficulty learning.

In contrast to a number of schools in my state (New Jersey), RTI or Response to Intervention is currently not utilized in my unique setting (outpatient specialized school in a psychiatric hospital). Continue reading It’s all about RtI!

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Recognizing the Warning Signs of Social Emotional Difficulties in Language Impaired Toddlers and Preschoolers

emd toddlersToday I am exited to tell you about the new product I created in honor of Better Speech and Hearing Month. 

It is a 45 slide presentation created for speech language pathologists to explain the connection between late language development and the risk of social emotional disturbances in young children 18 months- 6 years of age.

Learning Objectives:

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Being Functional is APP-ealing!

apfun sampleIf you’ve been following my blog for a while ,then you know that I place a lot of emphasis on function. This is reflected in the assessments I select and the materials I choose. I want them to be practical, multifaceted, and useful for a wide variety of clients.  My caseload at the hospital and in private practice is pretty varied with diagnoses ranging from über verbal high functioning Asperger’s to non-verbal autistic clients.

It is for the latter clients that I am always in search of more materials, since it is much easier to find/adapt materials for the high functioning verbal students then for the low-functioning non-verbal ones. Especially because you want to make sure that whichever materials you select are not just educational and functional but also fun and easy to interact with.  That is why I was so excited when I got the opportunity to review Teach Speech 365 APP-ealing Functional Communication Packet. Continue reading Being Functional is APP-ealing!

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Materials Corner: Multiple Interpretations Social Language Freebie

I don’t about you but I am always looking for visually based social language materials for my clients. Luckily, even with a non-existent budget social skills materials are fairly easy to create. All you need is to locate a few relevant photos with faintly ambiguous scenarios and punctuate them by relevant to the scenarios questions.

Voilà! Your materials are ready for use.  It really is that easy. Want to take a look at a one such material in action?  Then check out the Multiple Interpretations Social Language Freebie I created specially for you. Click on the image below to get to my Facebook Page. There click on the Free Downloads Tab located on the top right corner and check it out for yourself.

 

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Can you keep it down? Voice Monsters on the Prowl!

So I have to admit, I don’t really like pediatric voice therapy. I don’t know why. I got A’s and loved all my voice classes and voice clients  in grad school. I voluntarily got some CEUs in pediatric voice therapy after college. But I never quite felt about it the same way I feel about language therapy. So needless to say I could always use some help when searching for materials for pediatric voice clients.  That’s why I was so excited when I got the opportunity to review the   “Voice Monsters” created by Rachel Osborn of The Queen’s Speech Blog.

Rachel has created this voice therapy techniques packet to target clients with vocal nodules. However, the materials in this packet are applicable to clients with a number of different voice diagnoses (e.g., vocal hyperfunction, functional dysphonia, etc) provided of course these clients have been seen by an otolaryngologist and have been cleared to receive vocal therapy).

So what does this 37 page packet contain?

Targeted for children ages 4 and above this packet provides explanation of voice disorders as well as tips on vocal hygiene for kids. Interestingly both the explanations on page 4 and the tips on vocal hygiene on pages 5 and 6 are actually a perfect way to present the information to parents. However, given the complexity of the language on the first two cards on page 4 (e.g., abnormal, characteristics, intensity, causes, inflammation) you might need to simplify this information for the students (especially for younger children) to adjust the language to their level.

The next set of cards explains the yawn sigh (pages 7-20) and the ‘buzzy voice’ (pages 20-30) techniques. The yawn sigh technique cards are very easy to understand and what I particularly like about them that they are arranged in a hierarchy of vowels, words, and sentences. I like the fact that Rachel included blank cards so you can create our own sentences. She does a similar hierarchy of sounds, phrases and sentences for the ‘buzzy voice’  technique as well.

I also like the fact that Rachel included some fun activities into her pack in addition to the exercises. There’s the quiz which reviews things that can hurt and help you voice, the voice detective game  for good and bad voice habits, as well as a voice thermometer to help students monitor their vocal volume. There is even a generic game board for practicing a variety of tasks.

Finally, I really like that fact that Rachel includes information on other voice exercises as well as links to videos and other useful resources.

There’s just so much you can do with these activities, and the adorable graphics make it both fun and functional for the children to participate in therapy.

The best part of me was that in addition to the materials being functional I didn’t have to spend any effort on “cutefying’ them for my clients, and that’s definitely a huge plus in my book. You can grab this cute and functional activity in Rachel’s TPT store for as little as $4.00.

For more information check out Rachel’s blog,  The Queen’s Speech  and don’t forget to follow her on Facebook!

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Language therapy for children with severe cognitive impairments: Focus on Function!

Print, laminate and cut out all cards. There are seven categories for sorting food pictures: DairyGrainsMeatsFruits VegetablesSweetsDrinks...Lately I’ve had a number of children on my caseload with marked cognitive limitations. While I always attempt to integrate curriculum concepts into their therapy sessions, I also focus extensively on doing functional activities with them. These are tasks that pertain to daily living such as ordering food in a restaurant, shopping in supermarket, performing household activities, or looking up information.  This is why I was very happy to come across Figuratively Speeching SLP’s activity: Bundled Supermarket Activities. Continue reading Language therapy for children with severe cognitive impairments: Focus on Function!

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Giveaway: Speech Language Assessment Checklist For A School-Aged Child

Recently I did a giveaway of my preschool speech language assessment checklist on my blog. I had so much fun doing it, that I decided I can’t just stop there, so I am going to do a giveaway of my school aged checklist as well.

For those of you unfamiliar with it – it’s a 12 page guide, which I was created to assist speech language pathologists in the decision making process of how to select assessment instruments and prioritize assessment for school age children.

My goal was to eliminate administration of unnecessary or irrelevant tests and focus on the administration of instruments directly targeting the areas of difficulty that the child presents with.

Checklist Contents: Continue reading Giveaway: Speech Language Assessment Checklist For A School-Aged Child

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In case you missed it: Integrating aspects of multiculturalism into group language therapy sessions

Last week I did a guest post for The Practically Speeching Blog on the topic of multiculturalism. In case you missed it,  below I offer some suggestions on how to integrate multiculturalism into your group therapy sessions.

I don’t know about you but I have a number of multicultural students on my caseload who exhibit language deficits in both their birth language as well as English. Even though I am unable to speak their languages (e.g., Spanish, Hindu) I still like to integrate various aspects of multiculturalism into my sessions in order to support their first language as well as educate them about their culture and other cultures around the world as much as possible.   Why? Because among other benefits (e.g., cognitive, linguistic, academic, just to name a few) studies have also found a connection between bilingualism/multiculturalism and higher self-esteem in children (Verkuyten, 2009).  For me the latter definitely plays a huge part, since children with language impairments already recognize that they are different from their peers when it comes to their abilities and accomplishments in the classroom, which is why I try to support them in any way that I can in this area. Believe it or not it’s not as complicated as it sounds, and with a little ingenuity you can make it happen as well.  Below are some suggestions of what you can do in sessions. Continue reading In case you missed it: Integrating aspects of multiculturalism into group language therapy sessions

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To Speech Buddy or Not to Speech Buddy: That is the Question?

A few weeks ago I received my new gleaming set of Speech Buddies for the purposes of review.  So today I’ll be describing my experiences using speech buddies in speech therapy with several clients. My client’s ages were 3.5, 4.5, 8, and 9. Prior to initiating the use of the speech buddies I have posed a number of questions for myself including:

  1. Does the use of a particular speech buddy really shorten the time needed to attain sound mastery? (Since on their intro page a chart shows them to be twice as faster in eliciting correct sound production)
  2. How does the use of a speech buddy compare with the use of a “traditional” oral placement implements (e.g., bite block, tongue depressor, cotton tip applicator, etc)
  3. Do the speech buddies justify their cost? Continue reading To Speech Buddy or Not to Speech Buddy: That is the Question?
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SPEECH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Today I am excited to tell you about another product in my assessment referral series: SPEECH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN 

I created this 9 page guide to assist speech language pathologists in the decision making process of how to select assessment instruments and prioritize assessment for preschool children. In doing that you are eliminating the administration of irrelevant tests and focusing on the administration of instruments directly targeting the areas of difficulty that the child presents with. Continue reading SPEECH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN