Have you seen the swag celebrities receive at award shows? Last month, NBC reported the value of a Golden Globes swag bag was $50K. 50K!!! And many of those same celebrities collect equally valuable baubles at the Grammys, the Academy Awards, the SAG awards… You know, the list goes on and on.
Can you imagine an A-lister walking right past those free baubles? Just leaving them behind? No? But here’s the thing, you do it everyday! There is a wealth of free (really and truly free) information, accurate information, and inspiration on the web every day.
Wondering what’s in your goody bag? Peek inside.
Twitter: Maybe you have a client that has you a bit stumped. You could pose a question with #SLPeeps typed at the end and you’ll get feedback from an on-line speech community. Or get on Twitter and simply search #SLPeeps and watch the conversations. You’ll be amazed at the information you can pick up. It’s like going to a cocktail party at ASHA.
Pinterest: Start by perusing the Pediastaff board for hundreds (thousands?) of creative therapy ideas. Get an invite and start your own board. What does that mean to you? It means you don’t need to print out and organize ideas on paper. You simply “pin” ideas you like to a virtual bulletin board and go back to them when you’re ready. Examples of your bulletin board sections might be: Articulation activities, Language Comprehension (school age), Cookie recipes to try. It’s like Martha Stewart came in and organized all the clippings that were sitting on your desk.
Blogs: Just because a blog is self-published doesn’t mean there is a lack of quality. Many, many therapists are sharing information on new technology/apps, reviews of products/courses, techniques and what works for them. You can subscribe to individual blogs and receive an email when they add something new or you can bundle blogs onto Google reader and periodically check up on several at once. Start by regularly reading ASHAsphere which posts entries from a wide variety of speech and hearing blogs. It will give you a chance to see which writers fit your needs best. And unlike a magazine or newspaper that would come to your door and then be misplaced or tossed, an article on a blog is there permanently. Translation, you can’t lose it. It’s like heading to a huge library or specialty bookstore, but in the comfort of your jammies!
Can you hear the applause? It’s for you. Don your shades and saunter down that red carpet to collect what you so richly deserve for the role of a lifetime!
(This post and other therapy ideas can be found at www.activitytailor.com )
Do you like this? Do you really like this? Then, please take a moment to PRINT this post out on good old-fashioned paper and hand it to your favorite, traditional SLP today. Let them know they deserve an award for what they do!
This Post Has 6 Comments
On the topic of free online resources for SLP’s: On my website, I have posted dozens of free lessons with lots of visual downloads and clear how-to directions. These are pragmatic speech/conversation methods and individual and group activities for kids with ASD. The link to these lessons/downloads, via my Facebook: http://on.fb.me/yC9hdE. Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Joel Shaul
Thanks for sharing, Joel. If anyone would like to add a link to their blog or other free resources, please add it as a comment!
I’ll add my blog too! Bob (my fellow author) and I post a lot about technology and therapy ideas. He gives the school-based perspective, and I give the medical SLP perspective!
Hi there! I found your great blog through ASHAphere. I LOVED your article on using toys in sessions. Since I do early intervention, I can’t imagine any other way! I’m an SLP specializing in birth to 3, and my website is http://www.teachmetotalk.com. Since I’ve been at this a while, I have TONS of articles and a full line of therapy products for parents and professionals. Keep up the good work you’re doing here Kim! Laura
Laura, Thanks for taking the time to comment–glad you like the blog! I like the way you’ve organized your site to have a “tip of the week”, very parent/family friendly. We visited Louisville a couple summers ago and it was beautiful. Keep up the good work out there in horse country! Kim
Awesome post Kim! It’s so true that there are SO many resources available at no-cost if people will use them. The #SLPeeps community on twitter is growing daily. I love having a group of colleagues at my fingertips! There’s also the facebook groups, as well as pinterest and instagram.
While social media can be daunting – it’s an amazing wealth of information, ideas, and support. Who better to understand exactly what you’re going through than those of us who are right there with you!
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