Caseload Evolution
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t make it as a classroom teacher. All of those kids in that same room for the whole day seems excruciatingly long. It’s like those years I stayed home with my little ones and was soooo grateful I could, but operated in a fog of exhaustion and lack of self identity. (Behavior management with a group that size isn’t my strong suit either.) But there is something I envy about our general ed friends–they usually get what they signed up for. I know there are years where the Kindergarten teacher is moved to 1st and I
Teaching Executive Function Skills in Speech
Executive Function Skills in Speech Executive functioning sounds like the ability to put on business attire, adopt a serious expression and bustle about productively. What it really means is the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks. The three ability areas generally grouped together—working memory, flexible thinking and self-control/regulation—are what are responsible for staying organized, paying attention, regulating emotions and self-monitoring (Understood.org). Addressing executive functioning skills in the speech room happens when we work on social thinking skills, processing speed and the ability to explain their ideas and thoughts. Sequencing Skills It seems like all of my little people with
5 Activities to Teach “Not”
Teaching the concept “not” in speech therapy is a common target in my room. Little ones start responding to “no” within the first year, no doubt because of the tone and facial expression associated with it. But “not?” That’s a tougher one. While adding “not” changes the entire meaning of a sentence, my students tend to either treat it as a tiny, inconsequential part of the sentence or seem not to catch its implications. These five easy to implement therapy activities will get them going! That’s not it. Grab a deck of cards, any kind of cards; in fact pictures
Learning to Follow Directions in Speech Therapy
Half the battle with Kindergarteners is following directions. While all those early reading and math skills are critical components, it’s the inability to follow directions that derails kiddos and classrooms most. Parents often feel that following directions has more to do with compliance and tend to say “refuses to” or “won’t listen,” maybe “stubborn” or “uncooperative.” My experience has been that the ones not following directions are struggling more with the concepts and language load of the instructions as opposed to a true behavioral issue. Classroom directions are loaded with language that tends to be a weakness for our speech
Reading Goals
When I was little, our tiny local library held a reading contest in the summer. You’d fill out the log and hand it in to the librarian and in late August they’d give you a certificate with the number of books you read and a prize to the one who read the most. I lied every year I entered. At the time, I had a book a day habit and while I was introverted and not terribly motivated by social peer groups, I certainly knew better than to be upfront about my reading tendencies. I’d log maybe half of what
Expressive Language Games off the Shelves
Hmmm, looks like a game….smells like a game…must be a game. I loooove Eeboo games. Last spring I shared a bunch I used for social thinking lessons. This year I added a few more from their line with a focus on expressive language games (and, still of course, social skills). These were a huge hit and they targeted all my goals. In fact, a few students went straight back to their parents and said I asked them to buy it for home. (I didn’t!) But the fact that these games are right off the shelf “normal” looking with a non-therapy
Roll A Pirate Name
For many years, my family has gone to Hilton Head for a week in the summer. And I mean extended family which means cousins and Mimi too. There’s a lot of walking on the beach, naps, reading, and competitive mini-golf. This year we’re mixing things up a bit and heading to the Charleston area. I can’t wait! The Carolina coasts have a rich pirate history and there tends to be a lot of pirate themed stuff especially for the younger crowd (like mini-golf through shipwrecks and treasure). Which is probably why I’ve had pirates on the brain when I was
Establishing Isolated Sounds in Speech Therapy
Sometimes I feel like I have an uphill battle (especially when I’m trying to establish isolated sounds). Although I see my students in a (private) school setting, in essence they are private practice clients which means “selling” is a part of my job. And since I’m seeing the kids on their own, what they report back is often the first impression parents have of speech therapy. Which means I need to walk a fine line between work that looks like work and work that looks more like fun. The evaluations themselves are working against me. No matter how good I
Print & Go: Picnic Theme
Who else is seeing students this summer? I have one location that has NO space and I was going to work outside. Lovely if the weather is good, but brutal in our NC heat (and let’s not discuss cancelling speech due to rain?) Happily, we’ve worked out an alternative for some days. I wanted some fun, quick sheets for my kiddos willing to hang in with me. I know they’d rather be at the pool or playground, so I made sure to add a game component. They’re loving these Artic Print & Go picnic theme sheets! These are print and
Attendance and Data Collection 2018-19 FREEBIE
I always have these grand ideas of filing away and reorganizing all of my materials before I check out for the summer (clients). Ha! By the time progress notes are finished, I am more than happy to shut the door and say “I’ll get to it later.” With the idea that some bored, rainy summer day, I’ll forgo a matinee and popcorn and head it to clean. It never happens. But, what I can do to feel a little more on top of things is print out a copy of next year’s attendance sheet and a bunch of data collection
Caseload Evolution
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t make it as a classroom teacher. All of those kids in that same room for the whole day seems excruciatingly long. It’s like those years I stayed home with my little ones and was soooo grateful I could, but operated in a fog of exhaustion and lack of self identity. (Behavior management with a group that size isn’t my strong suit either.) But there is something I envy about our general ed friends–they usually get what they signed up for. I know there are years where the Kindergarten teacher is moved to 1st and I
Teaching Executive Function Skills in Speech
Executive Function Skills in Speech Executive functioning sounds like the ability to put on business attire, adopt a serious expression and bustle about productively. What it really means is the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks. The three ability areas generally grouped together—working memory, flexible thinking and self-control/regulation—are what are responsible for staying organized, paying attention, regulating emotions and self-monitoring (Understood.org). Addressing executive functioning skills in the speech room happens when we work on social thinking skills, processing speed and the ability to explain their ideas and thoughts. Sequencing Skills It seems like all of my little people with
5 Activities to Teach “Not”
Teaching the concept “not” in speech therapy is a common target in my room. Little ones start responding to “no” within the first year, no doubt because of the tone and facial expression associated with it. But “not?” That’s a tougher one. While adding “not” changes the entire meaning of a sentence, my students tend to either treat it as a tiny, inconsequential part of the sentence or seem not to catch its implications. These five easy to implement therapy activities will get them going! That’s not it. Grab a deck of cards, any kind of cards; in fact pictures
Learning to Follow Directions in Speech Therapy
Half the battle with Kindergarteners is following directions. While all those early reading and math skills are critical components, it’s the inability to follow directions that derails kiddos and classrooms most. Parents often feel that following directions has more to do with compliance and tend to say “refuses to” or “won’t listen,” maybe “stubborn” or “uncooperative.” My experience has been that the ones not following directions are struggling more with the concepts and language load of the instructions as opposed to a true behavioral issue. Classroom directions are loaded with language that tends to be a weakness for our speech
Reading Goals
When I was little, our tiny local library held a reading contest in the summer. You’d fill out the log and hand it in to the librarian and in late August they’d give you a certificate with the number of books you read and a prize to the one who read the most. I lied every year I entered. At the time, I had a book a day habit and while I was introverted and not terribly motivated by social peer groups, I certainly knew better than to be upfront about my reading tendencies. I’d log maybe half of what
Expressive Language Games off the Shelves
Hmmm, looks like a game….smells like a game…must be a game. I loooove Eeboo games. Last spring I shared a bunch I used for social thinking lessons. This year I added a few more from their line with a focus on expressive language games (and, still of course, social skills). These were a huge hit and they targeted all my goals. In fact, a few students went straight back to their parents and said I asked them to buy it for home. (I didn’t!) But the fact that these games are right off the shelf “normal” looking with a non-therapy
Roll A Pirate Name
For many years, my family has gone to Hilton Head for a week in the summer. And I mean extended family which means cousins and Mimi too. There’s a lot of walking on the beach, naps, reading, and competitive mini-golf. This year we’re mixing things up a bit and heading to the Charleston area. I can’t wait! The Carolina coasts have a rich pirate history and there tends to be a lot of pirate themed stuff especially for the younger crowd (like mini-golf through shipwrecks and treasure). Which is probably why I’ve had pirates on the brain when I was
Establishing Isolated Sounds in Speech Therapy
Sometimes I feel like I have an uphill battle (especially when I’m trying to establish isolated sounds). Although I see my students in a (private) school setting, in essence they are private practice clients which means “selling” is a part of my job. And since I’m seeing the kids on their own, what they report back is often the first impression parents have of speech therapy. Which means I need to walk a fine line between work that looks like work and work that looks more like fun. The evaluations themselves are working against me. No matter how good I
Print & Go: Picnic Theme
Who else is seeing students this summer? I have one location that has NO space and I was going to work outside. Lovely if the weather is good, but brutal in our NC heat (and let’s not discuss cancelling speech due to rain?) Happily, we’ve worked out an alternative for some days. I wanted some fun, quick sheets for my kiddos willing to hang in with me. I know they’d rather be at the pool or playground, so I made sure to add a game component. They’re loving these Artic Print & Go picnic theme sheets! These are print and
Attendance and Data Collection 2018-19 FREEBIE
I always have these grand ideas of filing away and reorganizing all of my materials before I check out for the summer (clients). Ha! By the time progress notes are finished, I am more than happy to shut the door and say “I’ll get to it later.” With the idea that some bored, rainy summer day, I’ll forgo a matinee and popcorn and head it to clean. It never happens. But, what I can do to feel a little more on top of things is print out a copy of next year’s attendance sheet and a bunch of data collection
