Speech and Language Screenings: A Guide for SLPs and Parents

Speech and language screenings are an essential tool for identifying children who may need further evaluation and support in their communication development. Whether you’re a speech-language pathologist (SLP) conducting screenings in schools or a parent wondering about your child’s speech and language skills, this guide will walk you through the process and highlight an easy-to-use, no-prep digital screening option for children in PreK through 5th grade.

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What is a Speech and Language Screening?

A speech and language screening is a quick assessment of a child’s communication skills. It provides a brief overview of key areas, including:

• Speech sounds – How a child pronounces sounds

• Receptive language – How well a child understands language

• Expressive language – Vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure

• Fluency – The flow and smoothness of speech

• Voice and resonance – The quality and pitch of the voice

• Play skills and social interactions – Communication during interactions with others

Screenings are different from full evaluations. While a screening provides a snapshot of a child’s communication abilities, an evaluation is a comprehensive, in-depth assessment of specific areas of concern.

Why Are Speech and Language Screenings Important?

Screenings play a vital role in early intervention by helping to identify potential delays that could affect a child’s social and educational success. They are particularly beneficial in:

• Preschools, daycares, and schools – Ensuring children receive support as early as possible

• Early identification – Addressing concerns before they become bigger challenges

• Monitoring communication development – Keeping track of skills over time

When used regularly, screenings help children receive timely intervention, leading to better outcomes for their speech and language development. My No-Prep Digital Articulation and Digital Language Screenings (Preschool and Kindergarten , First and Second Grade, Third and Fourth grade) make this process even easier by providing an efficient way to assess children from PreK to 5th grade.

Preparing for Speech and Language Screenings

Preparation is key to running an effective and organized screening. Here’s my step-by-step process:

1. Coordinate with Schools or Daycares

   • Discuss available dates and times with administrators, teachers, or preschool directors.

   • Provide permission forms for parents to sign (I recommend sending these out two weeks in advance).

   • Consider using a Google Form for parent permissions—this saves time by automatically populating a spreadsheet with student information.

2. Organize Your Screening Materials

   • Estimate about 10–20 minutes per child and schedule accordingly. Using my No-Prep Digital Articulation and Digital Language Screenings (Preschool and Kindergarten , First and Second Grade, Third and Fourth grade) I typically screen 4–6 children per hour.

   • Prepare a spreadsheet with student details, including teacher, last name, first name, date of birth (DOB), and age.

   • Ensure all permission forms are signed and collected before screening day.

   • Print out record forms for articulation and language screenings (I recommend waiting until the day of screening in case of absences).

Screening Day: Staying Organized and Efficient

On screening day, efficiency and organization are key. Here’s how I manage my process:

• Bring a printed spreadsheet with the names of children requiring screening.

• Have all speech and language screening forms ready (I use my digital articulation and language screening bundle for efficiency).

• Document child details (name, DOB, teacher) at the start of each screening.

• Check off names and dates in my spreadsheet to track progress.

• Complete recommendations immediately after screening using a fill-in-the-blank form:

  • Pass – No concerns; provide general communication tips for parents and teachers.

  • Monitor & provide strategies – Share recommendations with parents and teachers to support communication skills.

  • Recommend full evaluation – If concerns arise, provide information on requesting a full speech and language evaluation through the school system.

  • Provide a copy of the screening results to parents to assist in the evaluation process if needed.

By following this structured approach, I ensure that my screenings are smooth, effective, and well-documented.

Make Screenings Easier with My No-Prep Digital Screening Bundle

Conducting speech and language screenings doesn’t have to be overwhelming! My Speech and Language Screening Bundle is designed for SLPs looking for an efficient, organized, and comprehensive tool to assess articulation and language skills in students from PreK to 5th grade. This resource is available now in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and is perfect for both in-person and digital use.

Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Activities for Kids

Thanksgiving comes up so quickly after Halloween this year, and we all need quick, engaging activities to use in therapy that don’t require a ton of prep work, right? Here are some activities you can create today for tomorrow’s sessions! Whether you’re looking to target articulation, language, or even social skills, I’ve got you covered with some easy Thanksgiving-inspired ideas that keep kids engaged, practicing, and learning. Let’s dive in!

1. Play-Based Language Activities Around Thanksgiving Dinner

What you’ll need: A play kitchen, some play food, or laminated Thanksgiving food pieces (check out my Thanksgiving Dinner Activity Set for easy printables!).

Set up a play kitchen and let kids “prepare” a Thanksgiving feast! This activity is fantastic for working on vocabulary, pronouns, and prepositions. Here’s how to make it interactive and packed with language practice:

• Label Foods: Talk about each food item as kids place it on plates. (“That’s turkey! These are peas!”)

• Pronouns: Use phrases like, “This is his plate,” “You have my mac and cheese,” or “Here is your milk.”

• Prepositions: Practice positional concepts: “The turkey is next to the potatoes,” or “The pie is on the plate.”

• Negation: “Uh-oh! I do not like green beans!”

With minimal setup, kids get tons of functional language practice—and they love taking on the “chef” or “server” role. Bon appétit!

2. Turkey Thanksgiving Articulation Craft

What you’ll need: Turkey cutouts, feathers with target sound pictures (or use my Thanksgiving Articulation Craft!).

Have a naked turkey ready for some colorful feathers! Each feather holds a word with your target sound, and kids can earn feathers by practicing each word. For variety, this craft doubles as a smash mat—just add play dough to each target spot for kids to press down as they say their words. This activity encourages repetition and reinforces sounds in a fun, creative way.

Colander Turkey

3. Colander Turkey Feathers for Spatial Concepts and Articulation Practice

What you’ll need: A turkey cutout, an upside-down colander, and craft feathers.

Tape your turkey cutout onto an upside-down colander and push real feathers into the holes. Each feather can represent a sound or phrase for practice, making it an ideal way to get tons of articulation trials. Plus, you can target spatial concepts like “on the side” or “in back” as they place each feather. It’s also a fine motor workout as kids practice their pincer grasp while pushing the feathers into the colander!

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Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

4. Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

What you’ll need: Dried black beans or cereal for the base, laminated food items (find these in my Thanksgiving Visuals Set!), plus mini utensils, napkins, or small cups.

For my sensory bin fans out there (you knew this was coming, right?), here’s a Thanksgiving bin setup that’s simple yet effective. Toss in some dried beans, play food items, and a few extras like salt packets, napkins, or small cups. This bin invites language-rich play and helps kids explore textures, vocabulary, and functional language skills as they “serve” their Thanksgiving meal.

5. Turkey Farm Activities

What you’ll need: A play barn and, optionally, the book Turkey Goes to School by Wendi Silvano.

Farm activities are a great theme for November, and you can use them to act out scenarios around a farm or even “search” for turkeys hiding in the barn! Turkey Goes to School is a perfect companion—follow a turkey’s attempts to blend in with other animals so he can attend school. Kids can help act out the story and practice storytelling, sequencing, and imaginative play.

6. Recommended Thanksgiving Books

Nothing completes a session like a seasonal story, and these Thanksgiving and turkey-themed books bring language practice to life. Each is perfect for engaging little ones, enhancing vocabulary, and sparking conversation:

• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey by Lucille Colandro

• Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

• Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

• Thank You, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim

• 10 Hungry Turkeys by SpeechieTrish

• Turkey Goes to School by Wendi Silvano

These stories are packed with repetition, humor, and Thanksgiving themes that resonate with kids of all ages. (These books are affiliate links. I only recommend books, toys, and activities that I love and use in my own practice!)

Wrapping It Up: Quick Reference

For those who skimmed to the end, here’s the quick version of the activities above:

1. Play Kitchen Thanksgiving Feast

2. Turkey Articulation Craft (or smash mat)

3. Colander Turkey Feathers Activity

4. Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

5. Turkey Farm Pretend Play

6. Recommended Thanksgiving Books (each book linked above)

May your sessions be as smooth as pumpkin pie!

Kids, Screen Time and Recommendations

The Real Scoop on Screen Time for Young Children: How Much is Too Much?

Let’s talk about something that’s become a big part of our daily lives: screen time. Whether it’s a quick YouTube video during breakfast, a tablet app to keep kids entertained on a car ride, or a cozy movie night, screens are everywhere. But how much is too much? Does too much viewing lead to language delays? And how can we make sure screen time is a positive experience for our children’s development?

Quantity Matters: Setting Limits on Screen Time

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests that children under 18 months should only have screen time for video chatting with an adult. For kids aged 2 to 5 years, the recommendation is to limit non-educational screen time to about one hour per weekday and up to three hours on weekend days. These guidelines help ensure that children have enough time for other important activities, like playing, reading, and interacting with others, which are essential for their development.

The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) collaborated with the Children's Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay to develop the Be TechWise series. These printable handouts—available in English and Spanish—focus on screen guidance for families with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

The main concern isn't that watching TV directly leads to language delays. It's that kids benefit the most when they're actively engaging in conversations with others. Problems can arise if screen time replaces those important real-life interactions and activities that support their development. Our best strategy? Let's give our kids plenty of opportunities to talk, explore, ask questions, and have meaningful interactions.

Quality Over Quantity: What Kind of Content is Best?

It’s not just about how much screen time children have—it’s also about what they’re watching. Research shows that fast-paced, highly stimulating shows like CoComelon and Little Baby Bum can negatively impact a child’s development. These types of shows often have rapid scene changes, flashy visuals, and non-stop action, which can overwhelm young brains. This overstimulation might lead to shorter attention spans, difficulty concentrating, and potential issues with speech and language development.

On the flip side, slower-paced, educational shows can have a positive impact. Shows like Bluey (Disney+), Sesame Street (PBS), Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (PBS), and Mister Clay (YouTube) are excellent options. These programs are designed with young children's developmental needs in mind. They promote learning through storytelling, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, all while engaging kids in a fun and age-appropriate way.

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The Importance of Co-Viewing: Watch Together and Talk About It

One of the best ways to make screen time beneficial is to watch together and engage in conversations about what’s on the screen. This co-viewing experience turns passive screen time into an interactive activity. For example, you can pause a show to ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why is the character feeling sad?” This not only boosts comprehension and critical thinking but also enhances language development. Talking about and/or acting out a show after viewing is a great way to facilitate pretend play and language skills.

But when it comes to learning to talk, the most important takeaway concerns the effects of live conversations between children and adults.

Balancing Screen Time with Real-World Interactions

While screens can be educational and entertaining, they should not replace real-world interactions. Research has shown that children learn language best through direct interaction with adults and peers. Conversations, reading together, playing, and exploring the world around them are crucial for building strong communication skills. If screen time begins to replace these real-world activities, it may hinder a child’s ability to develop essential social and language skills. 

Gestalt Language Learners can really benefit from using phrasing from songs or TV shows as their initial communication. When parents watch with their GLP (gestalt language processors), they are more easily able to identify the context of the phrase. One of the cons of lots of screen time for GLPS is that, “If a child only views media as their source of language, they might be inclined to continue amassing hundreds of gestalts from media, and potentially struggle to connect with natural language in their environment.” (Meaningful Speech, May 2024). To learn more about Gestalt Language processors click here)

High-Quality Shows to Consider for young children:

Here are some great shows that balance entertainment with educational value:

1. Bluey (Disney+): This show features a lovable Australian Blue Heeler puppy named Bluey and her adventures with family and friends. It promotes creativity, problem-solving, and social-emotional learning.

2. Ms. Rachel (YouTube): Focused on early language development, Ms. Rachel engages children with songs, stories, and interactive activities that encourage speech and communication skills.

3. Super Simple Songs: (You Tube) These songs have a variety of themes and the animations are, well…. simple. I often slow them down so children can sign along.

4. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Disney+): A classic choice for young kids, this show combines problem-solving with fun adventures led by Mickey and his friends.

5. Sesame Street (PBS): A long-time favorite that mixes fun with valuable lessons on literacy, numeracy, and social skills. It’s perfect for co-viewing and discussing topics like kindness, sharing, and understanding emotions.

6. Mister Clay (You Tube): Mister Clay is a fellow SLP who incorporates picture symbols into his songs. His songs are repetitive, catchy and teach real life concepts in a really fun and humorous way.

7. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (PBS): Based on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, this show helps young children learn about emotions, routines, and life skills in a gentle, relatable way.

8. Boom Learning: These are digital, educational activities developed by educators that parents and children can use together as a shared activity. I use Boom Cards in speech therapy to target speech and language skills. Take a look at my Boom store for interactive activities such as “Who is Knocking on my Door?” and “Vet Clinc for Preschool Children” which are a HUGE hit with young children!

Making Screen Time Work for You

Remember, screen time isn’t inherently bad—it’s all about how we use it. By being mindful of the quantity and quality of the content, and by actively engaging with our children during screen time, we can turn it into a valuable tool for learning and growth.

Think of screen time as one of many tools in your parenting toolkit. When used thoughtfully and balanced with other activities, it can be a positive part of your child’s development. So, let’s make the most of it! Watch together, talk about what you see, and don’t forget to turn off the screens and enjoy some unplugged playtime, too. Your child’s brain—and future self—will thank you!

Fall October Speech Therapy Activities for Young Children

October is one of my favorite months for speech therapy sessions! The crisp fall air, colorful leaves, big chunky sweaters and the excitement of Halloween make it the perfect time to introduce engaging and seasonal activities that help build speech and language skills.

Over the years, I’ve found some go-to activities that my students look forward to each autumn. Here are a few of my favorites that have helped my students work on speech and language goals while having tons of fall fun!

Fall Speech Therapy Activities That I Love 🍂

1. Pumpkin Play dough Smash Mats

I can’t get through a fall season without these! I like to use themed smash mats (such as pumpkins, apples, or leaves) with playdough. These mats are great for working on target sounds, following directions, and sentence expansion. Students can “smash” a playdough ball when they find a picture or word that matches their sound or language goal. It’s always a hit, and it’s a tactile way to reinforce skills while having fun.

2. Fall-Themed “I Spy” Activities

I love creating and using fall-themed “I Spy” sheets! These are great for working on expressive and receptive vocabulary. Students take turns describing what they see, practicing prepositions like “under the pumpkin” or “next to the witch’s hat,” and making inferences. They also help with visual scanning and attention.

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3. Sensory Bins with Fall Elements

Sensory bins filled with dried leaves, acorns, mini pumpkins, and little fall-themed objects provide a hands-on way for students to explore fall vocabulary. I often hide small toys or pictures related to our books, and we “hunt” for them while practicing articulation words or using target phrases like “I found a…” or “It’s hiding under…”

Halloween-Themed Activities 🎃

Halloween is such an exciting time for students, so I love incorporating a bit of Halloween magic into speech therapy sessions. Here are a few activities that have worked wonders in my sessions:

1. Haunted House from a Box

One of my favorite activities is creating a haunted house out of an Amazon box (we all have a spare box handy!). I cut out doors and windows and then use it alongside the book Inside a House that is Haunted. As we read, students place corresponding pictures or objects in different areas of the house, working on spatial concepts like “inside the window,” “through the door,” and “up on the roof.” It’s a fun, hands-on way to reinforce spatial language while tying into a Halloween story!

2. Trick-or-Treating Scenarios

We take our haunted house activity a step further by acting out trick-or-treating scenarios! Students take turns sticking their heads inside the box and “knocking” on the door. We practice social language skills by saying, “Trick or Treat,” “Happy Halloween,” and “Thank you.” This simple but effective role-playing game helps students with greetings, requests, and polite language in a context they love.

3. Digital Halloween Activities

For no prep digital activities “Who is Knocking on My Door” is a fun activity to target answering and asking “who” questions while also working on Fall vocabulary. A way to target the following sounds: B, P, T, D, K, G, F, V, S, Z, L, R , TH, DG, CH, SH is with the Pumpkin Articulation Match game for your computer or tablet! Kids LOVE competing with this fall match activity!

4. Spiders and Monsters for Non-Halloween Themes

If Halloween isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry! I often turn to spider and monster themes, which are just as fun. My students love making “spider eggs” by wrapping small plastic spiders in playdough and hiding them inside. Then we take turns unwrapping the “eggs” to see who can find the spider. This activity is perfect for targeting core words like “in,” “out,” “look,” and “see” as well as phrases such as, “Find it,” “Not there,” and “It’s scary.” For those working on speech sound targets, we sneak in some /sp/ blends with words like spider, spy, and spooky.

5. Monster Blobs with Playdough

For a fun fine motor and language activity, we make “Monster Blobs” by pushing googly eyes into playdough. This activity strengthens pointing skills and can be adapted to work on speech sounds. Students practice producing correct sounds before they get to push an eye into the monster, which adds a playful and tactile twist to articulation practice.

Wrapping Up October with Fun and Learning

With the right mix of fall-themed books and interactive activities, October can be a time of both learning and fun in speech therapy sessions. My goal is always to keep students engaged and motivated, and bringing in seasonal elements helps make each session feel new and exciting.

Favorite Fall-Themed Books 🍁

1. The Leaf Thief: This fun and engaging story is about a squirrel who’s convinced one of his leaves has gone missing. With help from his friend Bird, they set off to solve the mystery of the missing leaf. The playful language and vibrant illustrations keep my students engaged, making it perfect for working on problem-solving, sequencing, and expressive language. I love to have my students guess who might be the leaf thief, and it always leads to fun discussions.

2. We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt: If you’re familiar with We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, this fall-themed version is a wonderful choice for early learners. It’s about three friends who venture through the forest, collecting leaves and encountering fun obstacles along the way. The rhyming text and repetitive patterns are perfect for targeting early language skills, and my students love chiming in with the sound effects. We often go on our own “leaf hunts” around the classroom or outside, finding different shapes and colors of leaves, which opens up opportunities to expand vocabulary and descriptive language.

3. Leaves, Leaves Falling from a Tree: This interactive book is such a gem because it lets students get involved in the story. I use printable leaves that students can move around during the story to “catch” or “fall” as we read. It’s ideal for following directions, matching, and describing what happens to the leaves as they fall from the tree. This story is also available as a no-prep digital version, which I sometimes use for teletherapy or for a change of pace. The interactive elements make it easy to turn the story into a game—students love pretending to catch falling leaves or finding leaves that match certain descriptions.

   (affiliate links included. I earn a small amount of money from Amazon links and only recommend books and activities that I use personally)

Understanding Communication Milestones: A Guide to Speech and Language Development for Young Children

“NOT ALL CHILDREN MASTER SKILLS AT THE SAME AGE”

Free Milestones and Tips

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When it comes to young children's communication milestones, understanding typical speech and language development is key. As parents, caregivers, or educators, it's essential to know what to expect as children grow and develop. Monitoring these milestones can help you recognize if your child is on track or might benefit from the support of a speech-language pathologist or audiologist.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) provides valuable developmental milestones handouts that outline what most children achieve at specific ages. These handouts cover both communication and feeding/swallowing skills, giving a comprehensive view of a child's development. However, it's important to remember that these milestones are general guidelines. Not all children will master these skills at the exact same age, and that’s perfectly normal! The goal is to observe continuous progress in speech and language skills over time.

Key Points to Remember:

• General Guidelines, Not Strict Rules: Milestones are not a diagnostic tool. They're a helpful reference to guide you in understanding typical development. Each child is unique, and variations are common.

• Look for Continuous Development: Rather than focusing solely on specific ages, consider the broader range of development that may happen before and after the expected age. This holistic approach allows you to see a clearer picture of your child's progress.

• Know When to Seek Guidance: If you're ever concerned about your child's communication or feeding skills, don't hesitate to reach out to a professional. Early intervention can make a significant difference in helping children reach their full potential.

“GET TEXTS ABOUT MILESTONES, SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND WARNING SIGNS OF A SPEECH OR LANGUAGE DELAY”

Resources for Parents and Caregivers:

ASHA has partnered with Bright by Text to provide free, expert-backed resources and tips directly to parents and caregivers of children ages 2-6. By subscribing, you'll receive text messages with practical activities and advice tailored to your child’s age. Content is sourced from trusted organizations like PBS and Sesame Street, covering topics from language and early literacy to health, safety, and behavioral tips. You can get texts about speech and language milestones, suggested activities and warning signs of a speech or language disorder or delay. Text TALK to 274-448

For more detailed information on communication milestones and to access ASHA's developmental handouts, visit ASHA's developmental milestones page. These resources are designed to empower you with the knowledge you need to support your child’s speech and language development effectively.

How much of my child’s speech should I be able to understand? Click here for guidelines.

Remember, every child’s journey is different. Celebrate the progress your child makes, and don't hesitate to seek support if you have concerns. Together, we can ensure our children grow into strong communicators, ready to engage with the world around them.

Engaging Preschoolers with Interactive Storytime: Using Books, Props, and Play

As a speech-language pathologist, I often use books in my therapy sessions to create engaging and interactive themes that help target communication goals. Using books with young children encourages receptive and expressive language skills, facilitates “reading” and listening comprehension, expands vocabulary and syntactic skills, and promotes a love of reading.

“Language and literacy develop concurrently and influence one another. What children learn from listening and talking contributes to their ability to read and write and vice versa. For example, young children's phonological awareness (ability to identify and make oral rhymes, identify and work with syllables in spoken words, and the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds—phonemes—in spoken words) is an important indicator of their potential success in learning to decode print,” according to a Preschool Policy Brief by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University, April 2006.

Research tells us that children who fall behind in oral language and literacy development before formal schooling are less likely to become successful readers, and their achievement lag is likely to persist throughout primary grades and beyond. Therefore, it is crucial for SLPs, teachers, and parents to make reading and literacy fun and engaging. It’s not about sitting down to read or listen to an entire book; it’s about engaging children in the story, the pictures, and the words. We can do this by giving kids a “part” in the story with their words, sounds, movements, or props.

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Engaging Children with Props:

Using props during storytime can make stories more meaningful and memorable for children. Props can include pictures, stuffed animals, and toys that children can hold and move as the story progresses. For example, books like "5 Little Ducks," "The Gingerbread Baby," and "Tip Tip Dig Dig" are perfect for incorporating props to engage children. I have a variety of book companions ready-made in my store that include props and activities to use in speech therapy, the classroom, and at home.

Types of Books That Engage Children

Books with Repetitive Text: Repetitive text helps children comprehend and remember the story due to repeat phrasing. "The Pout Pout Fish," "5 Little Ducks," and "It’s Mine" are excellent examples of books with repetitive text included in my water-themed companions.

Books That Encourage Movement: Movement helps children attend to longer stories and builds imitation skills and memory. Books like "Tip Tip Dig Dig," "The Napping House," and "Dinosaurumpus" are great for incorporating actions such as stirring, pouring, and whisking, using real-life objects. Click here for Movement themed book companions

To grab the bundle of book companions for year-round props and activities, including books with incorporated movement, repetitive text, lift-the-flap books, and interactive books, click below.

Want to know more about the types of books that best engage preschoolers? 

Click to see this blog post, Top Children’s Books for Speech and Language Development. I’ve highlighted the top children’s books, linked all of the books and categorized them by type. 

By using books, props, and play, we can create interactive and engaging storytimes that not only make reading fun but also support the speech and language development of young children.

Happy reading!

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Creative Speech Therapy Ideas: Using Stickers for Articulation, Apraxia and Language Goals

I want to shine a spotlight on an often underrated but inexpensive versatile resource for targeting goals in our speech therapy sessions. They are  lightweight, require minimal prep, and the kids absolutely LOVE them! Yes, I’m talking about……

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What is it about sticky pieces of paper that is so intriguing? 

Recently, I’ve been using a Paw Patrol Puffy Sticker Book that I found at Marshalls (they also had a construction vehicle one!). It’s become a favorite among my kids, and I just had to share all the ways we can use stickers to target both speech and language goals.

Use stickers for……

Speech Sound Practice

• Working with kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. When adding stickers to a page or background scenes model  “power phrases” like “put on”, “take off” and  “my turn” and use self advocacy phrases like “help me” and  “it’s stuck”.

• Sticker Charts: Create a chart with different articulation targets. Each time a child successfully practices a target sound, they get to place a sticker on the chart. This visual reinforcement can be very motivating (ok,  so this one is overused and underwhelming, but I had to add it!)

• Sticker Stories: Have the children create a story using stickers. Each sticker represents a word or sound they are working on. They can narrate their story, practicing their target sounds as they go.

Language Development

• Sticker Sequences: Use stickers to create sequences or patterns. Have the child describe the sequence, focusing on using words like "first," "next," and "last."

• Sticker Descriptions: Give each child a set of stickers and have them describe what they see. This can help with vocabulary building and descriptive language.

• Sticker Scenes: Provide background scenes and let children create their own stories using stickers. Have them narrate their story, focusing on sentence structure and vocabulary.

STICKER SCENES

Add sticky magnets from a magnet tape roll to stickers to create magnetic stickers!

Social Skills

• Sticker Conversations: Use stickers to prompt conversations. For example, place a sticker of a happy face and ask, "What makes you happy?" or use a sticker of a group of friends and discuss friendship and social scenarios.

• Emotion Stickers: Use stickers depicting different emotions and discuss each one. This can help children identify and express their feelings.

Following Directions

• Sticker Maps: Create a simple map or scene on paper and use stickers to give directions. For example, "Place the dog sticker next to the tree" or "Put the car sticker on the road."

Examples with Paw Patrol Puffy Sticker Book

To give you some concrete examples, here’s how I’ve been using the Paw Patrol Puffy Sticker Book in my sessions:

• Prepositions: Receptive and expressive use. "Put Chase under the tree," "Where is Chickaletta?"

• Expanding Utterance Length: Targeting 2+ word phrases. "Go Ryder," "Marshall wants a ride," "Bye ___." I model and repeat these phrases throughout the session.

• Working with children with Apraxia: Power phrases like “put on”, “take off” and “my turn”. Self-advocacy phrases like “help me” and “it’s stuck”.

• Gestalt Language Processors: Mixing and matching phrases. For example, if a child uses "Rubble on the double" and "I'm fired up," I model a combination like "Rubble is fired up."

• Production of 2+ Syllable Words: We worked on "Mayor Humdinger" - a motivating 3-syllable word!

• Verb Tense: Using background scenes with minis, we practiced past tense: "The car jumped over the sign," "He drove away."

• Negatives: Using stickers on background scenes. "I don’t want it there," "Not in," "Not on my nose!"

PAINT STICKS WITH PACKING TAPE

Use paint sticks or tongue depressors and cover them with packing tape for repeated articulation trials.

Low Prep, Low Expense Ideas

Here are some additional low-prep, low-expense ideas to get plenty of repetitions with stickers:

1. Paint Sticks or Wooden Tongue Depressors: Add stickers for each target the child gets correct. I add packing tape to my paint sticks so kids can put on and take off stickers over and over for multiple trials!

2. Body Parts: Stick stickers on different body parts on you and the kids following each production, then have the kids take them off again while practicing their target sounds, words, or sentences.

3. Matching Games: Add matching stickers onto milk or juice lids, or cardboard circles or squares and play a matching game with them.

Stickers are a fantastic tool for making speech therapy sessions fun and engaging. I hope you find these ideas as helpful and enjoyable as I do. Happy sticking!

Using Power Words with Minimally Verbal Children

POWER WORDS

“Starting initially with a selection of 3-5 power words lays a sturdy foundation for accelerated progress and nurtures the child's communicative confidence.”

The use of "power words" in speech therapy for emergent talkers can make a big impact on communication and confidence!

So, what exactly are power words ? In speech therapy, power words are those functional vocalizations that empower children to control their environment with minimal language. They serve as essential tools for communication, aligning closely with the child's interests and needs.

It's important to recognize that what constitutes a power word for one child may not necessarily hold the same weight for another. Personalization based on individual preferences and family input is paramount.

Picture this: a child who struggles to articulate complex sentences or express their desires suddenly finds their voice through a simple, yet powerful word like "go" or "up." These words are not chosen at random; they're carefully selected based on what matters most to the child and their family. From "me" and "my" to "stop" and "push," each power word holds significance, serving as a bridge between thoughts and actions.

Starting initially with a concise selection of 3-5 power words lays a sturdy foundation for accelerated progress and nurtures the child's communicative confidence. Initiating with sounds within the child's phonemic repertoire ensures that their utterances remain intelligible, fostering successful communication exchanges. The Apraxia Cards BUNDLE of visual cues for many of these words can help elicit production.

To illustrate the practical application of these concepts, here are some power word suggestions along with simple activities that can be seamlessly integrated into therapy sessions or at home::

1. Me: Encourage the child to point to themselves in a mirror or in photos while saying "me." or while using Magnet tiles, as you put a tile onto a tower, continue to model the word “me” each turn.

2. My: Have the child bring personal items like a favorite toy or a family photo album while labeling them as "my” or  stick stickers all different places on you “my hand”, “my nose” then on the child continuing to use the word “my”.  Use “my” during turn taking while playing indicating it is “my” turn.

3. Animal sounds: “moo”, “quack quack”, “meow” count as words and are fun for children to say. Most of these sounds have a CV, VC or CVC pattern perfect for children with apraxia of speech (Visuals for animal sounds can be found here)

4. Go: Set up a simple obstacle course or use toys that move (e.g., cars, trains) and prompt the child to say "go" as they navigate through or initiate movement. 

5. Up: Incorporate actions like jumping, stacking blocks or pillows, or lifting toys into containers while encouraging the child to say "up." This activity reinforces spatial concepts and enhances motor skills.

6. Come: Utilize games where the child needs to come to you or follow simple instructions like "come here" while using preferred toys or activities as motivators or you run across the room and run to the child while modeling “come”.

7. No: Introduce scenarios where the child can express negation in a silly way using "no," such as putting a shoe on your head or pretending to eat a toy. 

8. Stop: Incorporate activities involving movement (e.g., dancing, playing catch) and prompt the child to say "stop" to pause or end the activity. 

9. In: Create opportunities for the child to place objects into containers or hide toys in designated areas while labeling the action as "in." This activity reinforces spatial understanding and enhances object manipulation skills.

10. Poo: Introduce simple bathroom routines or use picture cards depicting toileting activities while encouraging the child to say "poo." This fosters functional communication related to toileting  and promotes self-care skills.

11. Push: Provide toys or objects that require pushing (e.g., toy cars, buttons) and prompt the child to say "push" as they engage in these actions. Using a balloon pump where the child says “push” while you pump the balloon to inflate it.

12. Exclamatory sounds: “ohuh”, “oh no” and “weee” count as words and these have tons of uses in daily life. Try dropping items on the floor and modeling “uhoh” or “oh no each time” (visuals for Exclamatory words can aid with production of words).

These suggested words are often words that young children use daily, they are functional and they are powerful! But remember- your child’s power words may be completely different and it is important to consider the child, their phonemic repertoire and their environment. 

These activities serve as starting points for incorporating power words into therapy sessions, fostering meaningful communication exchanges and supporting the child's overall development. Moreover, the journey begins with sounds that a child can already produce, ensuring that their utterances remain intelligible. By using sounds within the child's phonemic repertoire, we lay a solid foundation for clear and effective communication exchanges.

Using Plastic Eggs in Speech Therapy

Spring is in the air, and as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) we're always on the lookout for engaging activities to keep our therapy sessions fresh and fun!  Using plastic “eggs” in the spring and year round is an easy low prep way to target all your speech and language goals. 

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Plastic “eggs” now come in so many different shapes and sizes like animal shapes, vehicles, dinosaur eggs!  They are easy to find in March and April at Dollar stores, grocery stores and big box stores).

Here are 11 easy, low prep activities to use these plastic eggs for Speech Therapy ....

• Sound Guessing Game: Shake, rattle, and roll! Fill plastic eggs with various objects and challenge your students to guess what's inside based on the sound. It's a simple yet effective way to work on auditory discrimination skills.

• Categorization: Get cracking on categorization skills by sorting eggs into different categories such as animals, vehicles, colors, or shapes. This activity helps with language organization and expanding vocabulary.

• Concepts "Same" and "Different": Explore the concepts of "same" and "different" by placing matching or mismatched objects inside eggs. Have students open them up and identify whether the contents are the same or different, fostering cognitive flexibility.

• Descriptive Language: Encourage descriptive language by having students describe the eggs or the objects inside using adjectives like colors, sizes, textures, or functions. It's a great way to expand their expressive language skills.

• Positional Concepts: Hide eggs around the room and give clues using positional concepts like "under the table," "next to the bookshelf," or "behind the chair." This activity reinforces spatial awareness and following directions.

• Following Directions: Give students one, two, or three-step directions on where to hide the eggs. This activity not only targets listening comprehension but also provides opportunities for following multi-step directions.

• Sensory Bins: Create sensory bins filled with real or paper "grass" and hide plastic eggs inside. The sensory experience enhances engagement and provides opportunities for natural language expansion.

Stack Eggs with Play Dough to target corewords like “more, up, fall down and uhoh”

• Play-Doh Egg Stack: Stack 'em up with play dough! Use play dough as a base for stacking eggs and prompt students to use core words and phrases like "up," "down," "stick”, “uh-oh”, “oh no” and "hard" as they build. Click here and I’ll send you some free visuals for the play dough stack!

• Pair Eggs with Books like First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, The Good Egg by Jory John  and The Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni.

• Open-ended Play: Allow students to dump the eggs out and explore freely. Encourage imaginative play, storytelling, and conversation as they interact with the eggs. Usuallythe most language comes from kids when they are leading the activity.

• Articulation Targets: Sneak in some articulation practice by placing target words or pictures inside eggs. Students can practice their speech sounds as they open the eggs and say the words aloud.

These egg-citing activities are not only educational but also tons of fun for students of all ages. Add some plastic eggs to your therapy toolkit!

Targeting /s/ Clusters for Children who are Exhibiting /s/ Cluster Reduction

As speech language pathologists, we see many children in speech therapy with specific predictable patterns of errors or phonological processing disorders, with /s/cluster reduction being a frequent challenge, and one that I love to work on because of the quick increase in intelligibility!

“Cluster reduction” involves the systematic omission or simplification of consonant sounds in clusters, significantly impacting speech intelligibility. Specifically, our focus lies on the complexity of producing /s/ blends –  combinations of consonants like ST, SN, SM, SP, SW, SK, SL, where the initial consonant is an /s/. You might hear a phrase like “Let’s go play in the no” instead of “Let’s play in the snow”, “Top the car” instead of “stop the car” and “I pilled my juice” instead of “I spilled my juice”.

Cluster reduction featuring /s/ should ideally be eliminated by the age of five, but there are considerable individual differences among children. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that the average developmental age of elimination for cluster reduction with /s/ is 5 years old and Shriberg and Kwiatkowski (1980) reported that 4-year-olds correctly produced 90% of consonant clusters in spontaneous speech. Understanding these age-appropriate expectations is important so we can get an idea when children should be producing the correct /s/ cluster, however, if a child can correctly produce both the sounds that are in the cluster separately, it is a good indication that they can produce the cluster with help. 

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I have found that addressing /s/ cluster reduction with children is often dependent on their receptive language skills; how well they can understand the hand cues, picture cues and movement from one sound to the next. 

The Traditional Method involves working on one sound at a time, progressing gradually from isolation to conversation. 

The Cycles Approach targets each different phonological process that the child is using for a specific amount of time and “cycles” through other phonological processes. This works well for children exhibiting many phonological processes. Hodson and Paden (1983, 1991).

Minimal pairs Approach, where words differ in only one phonological element, prove effective in honing in on the target sound with the meaning of the words being different. Think of the words “snow and no”, they only differ by the /s/ sound but they mean completely different things. I found that children really love the silliness of using the minimal pairs approach (i.e. “you want a nap?” oh you need to snap!”). When they can assign meaning to the words, they work to say the correct words.

How to help with /s/ cluster production:

1. Within the minimal pairs approach for /s/ cluster reduction I use speech sound picture cues to name the sounds, children have a visual cue for production paired with a hand cue. We call the /s/ sound the “snake sound” and use our hand and arm moving outward like a snake as a hand cue. 

2. When the child is elongating the /s/or the “snake sound” and using their hand during the vocalization, they land on the next sound in the cluster (it will sound like “sssssssssst or ssssssssnnnnn”). 

3. Movement is the key for the child to understand the elongation of the /s/ moving into the next sound. I often use a wipe board and draw a line from a snake while the child is vocalizing the /s/ then move the marker to the rest of the word- and I draw a picture of the minimal pair word (ie. ssssss–Knees for “sneeze”). Breaking down the /s/ blend into smaller parts, such as 'sss”  'm is the key. If you are looking for minimal pair words for /s/ clusters I have a Don’t Break the Ice for /s/ Cluster Reduction printable activity that the kids have been asking for over and over!

10 Games and Activities for /s/ Clusters

1. Any game with a spinner is great where kids have to say “my turn to “ssssspin” for each turn working on the /sp/ cluster. 

2. “Spot it” Games where you have to find 2 of the same pictures on 2 cards. Encourage kids to day “I spot___” to work on /sp/ cluster.

3. “I spy” games and “Where’s Waldo” books work for working on /sp/ in the word “spy:

4. “Stop/Start” Motor Activity where children “stop and start” when the caller says the words,then the child becomes the caller.

5. Try Don’t Break the Ice /s/ cluster Minimal Pair Game with pictures of all those /s/ clusters and their errored pair.

6. Board games can target the /sp/ cluster (like Candy Land)- “Move one space”

7. Stepping Stones are fun to incorporate movement into the session  while also working on the word “step”.

8. Digital activities like Phonological Processes Play Scenes and Brush Your Teeth for Articulation are no prep quick activities 

9. Play open ended activities and incorporate a target /s/ cluster into play (ie. pirate play: skull, stick, scrape, swim) (ie. Vet play with stuffies: sleep, scale, skin, snout, swab, stray) (play house: school, sleep, snuggle, spoon, stairs).

    10) Read books with /s/ clusters embedded in the story (ie. The Snowy Day, Sneezy the Snowman, Space,

The Very Busy Spider, That’s Not a Stick).

Teaching Production of the /k/ and /g/ Sounds in Speech Therapy

If a child is making errors on the /k/, /g/ and /sh/ sounds and producing sounds like /t/, /d/ and /s/ consistently instead, this is called fronting. Speech therapy can benefit children who are exhibiting the phonological process of fronting after age 3 ½. With children who are continuing to exhibit fronting, you might hear “o-tay” instead of “ok”,  “I want the tea” instead of “I want the key”, “pet the dod” instead of “pet the dog” or “Let’s do” instead of “let’s go”.

As children are developing their speech sound skills when they begin talking, they make predictable errors patterns (called phonological processes). As kids develop, these processes are expected to extinguish naturally. When children continue to exhibit fronting after age 3 ½, intervention may be required (Bowen, Caroline, 2011. Elimination of Phonological Processes in Typical Development).

I love working on /k/ and /g/ because once children get these sounds, their intelligibility increases dramatically. That’s not to say working on these sounds isn’t tough at first, but the work is worth it!

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HOW TO PRODUCE A /k/ sound:

The back of your tongue will touch your soft palate (velum), the tip of your tongue will stay down.( If your tongue tip goes up, you will end up saying the /t/). Then release a burst of air.

HOW TO PRODUCE A /g/ sound:

Same as the /k/ only you turn your voice on! (if your tongue tip goes up, you will end up saying the /d/)

I usually start with the /k/ sound and often, once kids get the /k/ sound, it gengeneralizes over to the /g/ sound and we don’t even have to work on it!

1) ELONGATE THE VELAR

Start with elongating the /k/ or /g/ sound (sounds a bit like you are clearing your throat). I call the /k/ sound the coughing sound and the /g/ sound is called the gulping sound in my speech sound cue cards resource. We are showing the child what a “back” or velar sound feels like as opposed to the sounds produced in the front of the mouth.

2) ADD A LOW VOWEL

Try to add a vowel to the /k/ or /g/ like the sound a crow makes “caw”. With the word “caw” the tongue doesn’t require much movement between /k/ and “aw” and the “aw” sound helps facilitate the child to keep their tongue tip down and mouth open.

If the /k/ or /g/ plus the vowel seems to be too difficult, try starting with the vowel and ending with the /k/ as in “aaak”. The positioning between the “aaaa” and the “k” is similar and again, both sounds require the tongue tip to be positioned down and the back of the tongue raised.

3) GET AS MANY REPETITIONS AS YOU CAN

Whichever combination of vowel-consonant (aaa-k) or consonant-vowel (k-aw) works with the child, try to get in as many repetitions as you can for that motor movement. Use activities with crows, and crafts to elicit “caw” as many times as the child will allow. There are many activities with food you can use and have the child say “aaak” for foods they think are yucky. Try my Velar Mini Books for practicing in speech therapy and at home!

4) ADD MORE VOWEL SOUNDS

After the child has these VC and CV combinations try using different vowel sounds in combination with the /k/ and /g/. The vowel sounds that work best for children who have difficulty with the velar sounds are “low front and back” vowel sounds (meaning the vowel is produced with the tongue at a level close to the bottom of the oral cavity and the jaw may also be lowered). This position of the tongue assists the facilitation of the /k/ sound that is paired with it. The vowels that I find work best are “aaa” (as in back), “aw”(as in bought) and “ai” (as in bike). After the child is able to use these vowels in combination with the /k/ sound, add different vowels like “uh” as in up and “E” was in “bet”.

5) USE REAL WORDS

When the child has some good /k/ sounds in combinations with vowels, try moving to real words using those “low” vowels again. Words like “bike”, “back”, “kite” and “caught”. These Velar Sound Mini Books work great for practicing real words including nouns and verbs!

6) USE MINIMAL PAIRS

I usually use a minimal pairs approach when working with children who are using front sounds /t/ and /d/ for back sounds /k/ and /g/. A minimal pairs approach takes two words that are similar but has a one sound (or phoneme) difference like “tape and cape”, “bite and bike”, “go and dough”, “bud and bug”. This technique helps children understand that speech sound errors they make change the meaning of the words they are trying to produce.

1) PROVIDE A TACTILE CUE:

Even with the above facilitating contexts, the child cannot produce the /k/ sound, we may need to assist them with keeping their tongue down. I use a spoon and have the child open their mouth and place the spoon on the front-middle of the tongue and ask them to say the /k/ sound. Sometimes the child really pushes up on their tongue trying to get that tongue tip up! I have also used a gloved finger, tongue depressor (but I myself am not a fan of the feel of a tongue depressor in my mouth), popsicles and lollipops to hold the tongue tip down which can work well for motivation. Visual Cues such as Speech Sound Cue cards work well for naming the sounds (the coughing sound or the gulping sound) and allow children to associate a hand cue and picture to the sound they are learning.

2) LET GRAVITY HELP

I have also had a child lie down flat on the floor face up and attempted production of the /k/ or /g/ sound. In this position, gravity will take the tongue to the back position, which can help in production. 

3) KEEP THE TONGUE TIP DOWN

Can use cereal like Cheerios,or fruit loops and have the child hold the piece of cereal with their tongue tip against their front bottom teeth:

This will help kids keep their tongue tip down where it is supposed to be 

Same thing with the /g/ just tell the student to turn on their voices

IF THE CHILD IS NOT READY

Sometimes I have put the production of velars on the back burner and worked on other sounds because the child was not ready for work on these back sounds. 

Best Christmas and Winter Books for Kids Ages 3-5

Winter and Christmas books are some of my favorite to use in speech therapy for facilitating language skills in preschoolers. Following is a list of books I use in my speech sessions each season with different target goals in the descriptions. I wanted to post this blog now if you are thinking about gift for this age children.

For more information on choosing books for children, go to Choosing Books for Preschoolers to Encourage Communication Skills

Each title has a link to the book on Amazon (these links are affiliate links, so I get a few cents if you purchase one- at NO extra cost to you). You can also find most of these books at your local library!

Holiday Books

Holiday and Winter Books can target an array of speech and language goals

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The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

  This is a classic book with simple colorful contrasting pictures of a journey of a little boy and his adventures through the snow.  I use the concepts of “toes pointed in” and “toes pointed out” when walking to incorporate some motor movement into speech therapy. I use my book companion for this story each winter!  We also work on opposites like “down the hill” and “up the hill”. You can have tons of supplemental craft extension activities with this sweet story.

The Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Conner. 

This story is about a real family living in a house, then the snow globe family living in a snow globe in the real family’s house and only the baby sees the snow globe family.  This is for 4-5 year olds and is also great for older children also. It lends itself to working on “pretend” versus “real”, “big” versus “little” and working on finding solutions for problems. This one has fun extension activities like making snow globes. 

Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

This is really a perfect Christmas book for this age! A little mouse initially tries to hide his presents from the big hungry bear, then realizes that the bear needs some presents too! 

This story has repetitive text and the reader is talking to the mouse keeping children interested in knowing how this will end up! I target asking the mouse questions for information and kids love to join in talking to the mouse. We also target “big and small” when talking about the bear versus the mouse, what they wear, the presents and where they live.

Are You Grumpy Santa by Gregg Spiridellis

Santa is grumpy in the beginning of this wonderful rhyming story then comes around. This is fun to read and kids think this grumpy Santa is hysterical because of all the reasons  he is grumpy (itchy suit, he’s on a diet..). This one is for 4-5 year olds and is perfect for working on emotions like “grumpy, happy, sad, frustrated, annoyed”. 

Merry Christmas, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Stinky Face loves Christmastime...but he still has plenty of questions. What if a big, wintry wind blows his Christmas tree away? What if one of the reindeer gets his antlers stuck in the branches that hang over the roof? His  Mama knows how to answer these questions. This one is fantastic for working on “wh” questions!

Snowmen at Christmas  by Caralyn Buehner

This is one book in a series of 5 about Snowmen at different time (Winter, Night, Play). There are hidden items throughout the story that children can try to find (although it’s not easy even for me!).  Working on concepts like “behind’, “under” and “on top” when describing where the snowmen are as well as using descriptive language when describing the different snow people works well in this book. There is quite a bit of text, but remember, you do not have to read it all if you have a younger child.

Llama Llama Jingle Bells  by Anna Dewdney

This is a book for younger children or children with difficulty attending to longer stories. It has rhyming phrases where children can attempt to fill in the words. The pictures are engaging and good to work on pointing to pictures named. 

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

This is a story about a little boy who makes friends with a snowman. I like the “lift the flap” version of this book with my younger children. There is very little text (or no text in the original version), so children can use their own words to tell the story.

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

This is one of my favorite winter books! A farmer dreams that snow has covered him and his farm animals. There is a snow cover plastic page covering each animal in the story, so children can guess what is under each page. This works well for answering and answering  “who” questions and labeling animals and using animal sounds for minimally verbal children.

Max’s Christmas by Rosemary Wells

Max has plans to stay up late to see Santa Claus, but his big sister, Ruby, won’t let him. Max asks questions throughout the book making it perfect for working on “wh” questions with children. It has limited text which is perfect for younger wiggly listeners!

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

The repeated phrasing in this story makes it easy for children to “help” tell the story. The people and animals that the Gingerbread Baby meet continue to grow lending this story to working on sequencing of events with children. There is a “hint” with the side pictures of what is coming next, that children love to guess! You can find a ready made book companion here!

The Night before Christmas by Clement Moore

Need I say more?  Just had to include this for those of us who had to read this every Christmas Eve!

Check out my Winter Book Companion Kit in my TPT store for activities to use with some wonderful winter and holiday books!

Visual Supports for Preschool Classroom Routines and Procedures

Visual Supports for Preschool Classroom Routines and Procedures

Visual supports in the classroom can provide your preschool students cues for classroom routines and procedures assisting with behavior, predictable routines, choice making and communication skills. Visual supports are a seemingly magical tools that can help your classroom move from chaos to calm! When implemented throughout the day, these supports can assist our students with communication needs, behavior difficulties, emergent talkers AND all other children in the classroom as well.

What are Visual Supports?

Visual supports can be anything in the classroom that is presented visually to assist children with understanding and communicating their wants and needs. They are pictures or symbols that represent different behaviors or actions. These visual prompts allow children to understand what comes next, what options they have and what is expected of them. 

A Visual Supports Tool Kit checks all the boxes.

6 Practical easy ways you can implement visual supports in the classroom:

1) Choice Pictures for Centers: Foster Independence and Communication

Pictures indicating activities in the classroom allow for children to feel that they are in charge of what is happening. Letting your kids decide their activities not only fosters independence but also adds communication requests into their learning journey. I have a choice board for centers where children choose the velcroed picture off of a large choice board to let the teacher know where they want to head following circle time. With some children, they bring the picture they chose to the specific center and velcro it on a board in that center to make the choice more representative. Children can independently move from one activity to another if they know the consistent and predictable routine.

2) Transitioning Between Classroom Activities

Change can be difficult and often frustrating for our young students resulting in some behavioral issues. By visually preparing them for transitions, children can see what is happening and what is next- it’s predictable and therefore decreases anxiety over the unknown.  Whether it's from circle time to the playground, these visual cues allow for smooth transitions, minus the stress.

I show students a picture of the activity they are doing and a picture of the activity that comes next. Often I put these pictures on a “first/then” visual so the children know what to expect next.

3) Picture Cues for Teacher Directions

Placing smaller pictures on a lanyard and showing children the picture about upcoming activities and tasks helps them understand what is expected of them. Pictures like “line up”, “wait” and “wash hands” provide a picture cue for all children. When children understand the picture, often we only need to hold up the picture for the children to follow directions without saying a word!

4) Visual Schedules

Having a visual schedule about what happens first, next and last creates a predictable routine for children. We know that when we know what to expect, our anxiety is reduced, the same goes for children. Once children know and see the routine visually, they become comfortable which leads to better learning readiness. Children don’t have to be concerned about what comes next in the day because they can see and know the routine.

5) Visual Aids for Real-life Adventures

Because education isn't confined to four walls, visual aids for bathroom and playground routines are also important. It's about creating predictability and consistency in learning, whether inside or outside the classroom. Kids love to flip over the routine arrival tabs in the Visual Toolkit after each task is complete! Take boots off , check, hang backpack in cubby, check, put shoes on, check…..(it’s like checking off our own list of to-do’s on our phones!). Completing the tasks gives children a sense of mastery and improves confidence!

6) Core Visual Boards for Classroom Activities

Core Boards are boards that have common pictures or symbols on them representing things that a child might say in a specific area or during a specific activity. Having core boards available in each center of the classroom provides minimally verbal children or children with verbal communication difficulties with the tools for communication. In the Visual Supports Resource common classroom centers like Block Center, Kitchen center or Art Area have communication boards available for teacher modeling the boards a use and children using the boards to communicate with the teacher and peers. 

In our roles as speech language pathologists and educators, our mission is to champion every child's journey towards effective communication and personal growth. Visual supports can help children build confidence and independence with behavioral, educational and communication growth. 

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What Counts as a Word?

As a speech-language pathologist, when evaluating children for speech therapy I have to ask the parents, “How many words does your child have?” Then we talk about what actually counts as a word? This post will answer that question!

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“Words need to be consistent, independent and intentional.” 

1) Consistent: Children use this sign, vocalization, sound for the same thing over and over. They might say “beep beep” for car. If they use this sound always to indicate a car, then this counts as a word!

2)Independent: Children spontaneously use the word. They use the word by themselves without directly imitating an adult or another child. If they repeat what you’ve said, it does not count as a word yet.

3)Intentional: It counts as a word if a child uses a word, sound or sign for a specific reason. They might use the sign, vocalization or sound to request an item (looking toward a juice and saying “mmmm”, to comment (pointing at a car and saying ‘beep”), to label (seeing a broken toy and saying “uh oh”) or negate (i.e shaking their head no when asked if they want to nap).

So let’s see what counts as a word:

Do exclamatory sounds count as words?

YES! A child may say “uhoh” when they spill their drink, or when they fall down. They are using this as a word because they are spontaneously using the sounds over and over for a specific event. Often exclamatory sounds are the first sounds that children use. These words do not demand as much motor speech control as other words and they are fun to say! Some other examples of exclamatory sounds are “wheee”, “yummy”, and “Boo”. I developed  a set of 21 EXCLAMATORY SOUND PICTURE CARDS to use during play activities or use as flashcards to facilitate production of these early words.

Do animal sounds count as words?

YES! Animal books, puzzles and figures are early learning toys that can promote production of animal sounds like “quack quack”, “meow” and the sound a pig makes (not necessarily “oink”, but the intake of air through the nose). All of these vocalizations count when they are consistently used for the same animal. These ANIMAL SOUND PICTURES CARDS can assist with facilitation of production of animal sounds!

Do word approximations count?

Yes! Remember, if the approximation is intentional, independent and consistent it counts as a word, even if the word does not sound like it should. When beginning to talk, children often use words that might sound a little like the “real” word but not exactly. A child might say “mu” for “more” or “ow” for “outside”, but this still counts as a word. As a child’s speech and language develop, these words should become closer to sounding like the true word, and if they don’t, that may indicate that there is a speech or language delay or disorder.

Do gestures and sign language count as words?

This answer is yes and no.

If we are talking about intentional communications or messages that the child is using, then the answer is yes. The child might use the “eat” sign for food consistently and intentionally. This would count as a “message”. 

If we are talking about vocalizations that the child is using, then sign language or gestures would not count as words. That is not to say that gestures and sign language are not important  communication methods. Gestures and signs should always be encouraged and are a part of meaningful communication and can also augment or assist verbal communication.

I often categorize a child’s messages into groups:

1) Vocalizations (what a child says verbally)

2) Gestures or sign language 

3) Using pictures for communication. 

This classification system helps determine the method a child is currently using to get their message across to a peer or adult. 

Does pointing to or giving pictures count as a word?

Again, the answer is yes and no. 

When counting messages or communicative instances, then yes, pointing to a picture to request or comment would count. A child may use AAC (augmentative/alternative communication) to point to or access a picture to communicate their message. If children are having difficulty using spoken language, AAC is an important tool for the child to be able to communicate.

If we are talking about verbal words, then no, pictures do not count as vocalizations. Using the classification system I mentioned above is important so all messages are “counted” in some way. 

Do letters and numbers count as words?

They can, but it depends on the scenario. If a child is rote counting or saying the ABC’s one after the other, then no, that does not count as a word.

If a child is using the word “one” to indicate “one more”, or “two”  to indicate that they want  “two cookies” then it would count as a word. As far as saying the name of a letter, this gets a little tricky. I may count a letter as a word if they are requesting a specific letter (but I would not count each letter as a word because that would inflate the child’s communicative word count).

What counts as 2 words versus 1 word?

Words that are often chunked together with one meaning like “all done” or “Thank you” would be counted as 1 word (even though they have 2 words in them).

Two words that each hold different meanings in the message count as 2 words, for example, “go out”, “my cup”.

Beginning words are an important milestone for children and now you can answer the question “How many words does your child have?” with more confidence!

Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech

About 15 years ago, I got my first case of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) that was diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician as “verbal dyspraxia”. From that moment, I did some big digging into what CAS really is. Since then, I have had many children that I have worked with with CAS (most whom I diagnosed) and although complex, I really love working with kids with CAS because of the difference I can make! Kids with CAS are close to my heart and I want you to feel as comfortable as I do know with techniques for treatment. Understanding it better can help us make a significant impact on the lives of our young clients.

I recently took a refresher course by Alonna Bondar that I would highly recommend if you need more information on CAS, choosing targets and applying treatment techniques. There are also some videos on YouTube by Edyth Strand that provide some really practical therapy and treatment information!

1) What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

CAS is a speech disorder that affects a child's ability to plan and execute the precise movements required for clear speech. It's like the brain and mouth are not on the same page when it comes to talking. Unlike other speech sound disorders, CAS isn't caused by muscle weakness or muscle coordination problems but rather by neurological issues that disrupt the planning process.

2) How CAS Differs from Other Speech Sound Disorders

Unlike phonological disorders or articulation disorders, CAS is not about substituting one sound for another. It's about the brain struggling to coordinate all the movements required to produce the planning of speech sounds and combinations of sounds. CAS can sometimes be mistaken for other speech sound disorders like phonological disorders or articulation disorders. The key difference lies in the motor planning aspect. In CAS, the child knows what they want to say, but their brain has trouble coordinating the precise movements necessary for speech. This makes CAS unique and requires a different approach in therapy (see the earlier Blog Post: Principles of Motor Learning in CAS).

3) Early Signs of Apraxia of Speech

1. Limited babbling before 12 months

2. 5 or less consonants between 17-24 months

3. Limited vocalizations

4. Simple syllable shapes (vowel or consonant-vowel only)

5. Late or difficult development of first words

6. Words that appear then disappear

(Bondar 2023, Bjorem Speech Informal Motor Speech Assessment 2020, Davis and Velleman 2000)

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4)What characteristics distinguish Childhood apraxia of speech from other speech sound disorders?

• Awkward transition from one sound and/or one syllable to another

• Groping behavior while attempting word or sound production

• Vowel Distortions

• Errors with prosody (stress, loudness, intonation, pitch and rhythm

• Inconsistent voicing errors

• Inconsistency of word or phrase production over repeated trials 

• Struggling with longer and more complex words

• Inconsistent errors when trying to repeat words

(ASHA 2007, Strand 2020, Bondar 2023)

5) How do we know a child is ready for CAS Treatment?

• Does the child have an internet to communicate? Are they using some type of communication to make  wants and needs known (i.e. pointing, grunting, pulling the hand of a caregiver)

• Is the child able to focus on an activity (i.e focus on a favorite toy).

• Can the child imitate motor movements (i.e opening their mouth, pursing their lips)

• Is the child able to request items with gestures like pointing or reaching?

• Will the child look at an object near your face?

6) Techniques for Children with CAS

Let’s get to the fun part!  Treatment!  When working with kids who have CAS, we've got to be creative and choose the approach and feedback that best fits the individual child. Whatever treatment approach is used the key is working on MOTOR MOVEMENT.  Multisensory approaches work well for children with CAS.  Here are a few techniques that have worked for me (and many others based on the research!) this is not ALL of the treatment procedures, I am highlighting some that proven to be successful for my students:

• DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing): 

This is a dynamic approach that combines touch and sound cues. It helps kids improve speech motor planning by guiding them through the correct movements.

With DTTC, there is a specific hierarchy and cueing methodology to facilitate the acquisition and generalization of movement accuracy for speech. It is structured to slowly lengthen the amount of time between the clinician’s production of a motor movement and the child’s production of the word or motor movement. Initially the child says the word at the same time with the clinician, then the child voices the word while the clinician only produces the mouth shapes of the word and later is cued to say the word with no cues.

DTTC is designed for children with more severe CAS and is not intended for long-term use. 

For more detailed information regarding the DTTC hierarchy please see the references below
(https://www.bjoremspeech.com/collections/free-resources/products/dttc-hierarchy-flow-chart-for-apraxia-therapy, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Strand, Edyth,  Vol. 29, 30–48 • February 2020, Apraxia Course, Bondar, Alonna 2023)

• Speech Sound Cue Cards: 

Visual aids can be a game-changer! Using cue cards with pictures and written prompts can help children understand and produce specific sounds. You can find the speech sound cue cards that I developed for my students with CAS that provide visual (pictorial and hand cues), and auditory cues to aid in motor movement. 

Using cue cards with pictures and written prompts can help children understand and produce specific sounds. Using a finger or pointer or marker on a wipe board to move from one sound cue card to another showing the child movement while elongating the sound (if possible) works well for a visual representation.

• Promote Functional Communication:

Encourage children to communicate using signs, gestures, or alternative communication methods while working on speech goals. This helps reduce frustration and builds their communication skills. 

7) Appropriate Target Selection

Choosing the right targets is key for the child to feel successful in the therapy program. Initially, if a child has very little verbal productions, begin with sounds and sound effects such as animal sounds (“baa, moo, neigh"), sounds like a car sound or “beep” and “uhoh” or” eeekk”. These sounds are fun to produce and promote the child’s engagement. It is important to reinforce the child’s attempts at vocalizations and imitate their vocalizations and assign some meaning to them. 

Start with functional verbal words that are relevant to the child's daily life and communication needs if the child is at this level. As progress is made, gradually work your way towards more complex sounds and words. Words like “on, up, pop, bye, ma, poo” are great powerful words for kids to start with, but what is meaningful to the child is the best way to choose the targets. Use words that are meaningful to that child such as favorite toys, family names, friends names and favorite foods.

Using games that have lots of pieces to them can provide many trials and motivation for CV, VC and CVC words like “out, in, up, pop, push, my, me and see”.(Games like Pop-up Pirate, Banana Blast and Jumpin’Jack are great for this!). 

Remember, progress may be slow, and that's okay. Every small victory is a step in the right direction. Celebrate those wins, no matter how tiny they may seem! CAS is a unique and challenging speech disorder that requires a specialized approach. By understanding the nature of CAS, spotting it early, and using appropriate techniques, we can make a world of difference in the lives of our young clients.

For more information: (https://www.bjoremspeech.com/collections/free-resources/products/dttc-hierarchy-flow-chart-for-apraxia-therapy, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Strand, Edyth,  Vol. 29, 30–48 • February 2020, Apraxia Course, Bondar, Alonna 2023)

Principles of Motor Learning for Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

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When learning about treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), we hear that we need to use the principles of motor learning (PML), so what does that mean? These principles or processes are how we all learn new motor skills or plans. 

Speech is a motor skill that can improve using these principles. 

Treatment may be designed differently depending on the child (with differences in severity, attention and motivation ), but applying the PML will provide a roadmap to support and treat children with CAS.

Following is a guide for using principles of motor learning that I use when I treat children with CAS (based on research):

1) PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE:

Imagine learning to swim. You didn't jump in the water and swim right away,  you had to practice moving your body in different ways to float and stay afloat, then to move forward, all the while breathing at the same time. The same goes for children with CAS. Regular practice is the most  important aspect for generalization of speech production. 

It's all about getting enough practice trials per session to make the motor speech movements second nature and automatic. But remember, quality matters as much as quantity. Be attentive to the child's response, and adjust cues accordingly. As they progress, you can gradually fade those cues.

2) MASSED PRACTICE VS. DISTRIBUTED PRACTICE:

Think of this as the difference between cramming for an exam and studying consistently over time. For CAS, research suggests that frequent, shorter sessions spread out over time are more effective for progress and generalization.

Starting with massed practice (practicing all at once- think one session weekly for a longer time period)  to build a strong foundation, then transitioning to distributed practice (therapy spread out across sessions- think 4, half hour sessions weekly). I know sometimes we don't have the luxury of changing a schedule like that in schools- but see principle number 3 for ways to change up practice within time constraints.

3) BLOCKED VS. RANDOM PRACTICE:

Blocked practice is practicing one target extensively before moving on, then later randomizing practice by mixing several targets together. An example is initially you might choose 5 words including bilabials plus vowels (like poo, ba, me, ma, and pee) and focus on those only. As the child improves, you can randomize the targets for example adding a vowel consonant productions in (i.e. “up, oop, um”)

The severity of CAS can be your guide here. For severe cases, more blocked practice might be necessary, but you can modify it by mixing targets within blocks. This variation allows you to get more repetitions of target movements within each blocked practice.

4) VARY CONTEXTS AND PROSODY

Facilitate practice in different contexts. Vary the types of consonants or vowels and the positions that they are in . For example, change the initial set, going from CV (consonant-vowel) to CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant). Increase complexity of movements as the child gains the accurate motor movement sequences.

Experiment with prosody, loudness, and emotional intonation. This variability engages different muscles, enhancing motor planning processing and efficiency – our ultimate goal.

5) FEEDBACK MUST BE EVER-CHANGING

Feedback is dynamic throughout a child’s therapy program. Feedback can be intrinsic (what the child perceives) or extrinsic (what we provide for the child). Extrinsic feedback can be knowledge of results (was that right or wrong) or knowledge of performance (specific guidance on what specifically needs improvement). 

Initially, provide more feedback to guide the child, but gradually fade it as they become more accurate and independent in their speech movements. We don’t want too much support for too long otherwise the child could become dependent on the supports. We want to fade supports so children know how to produce the movements independently.

Often the type of feedback can change depending on the target and the accuracy of that target.

Using the Principles of Motor Learning:

Using the Principles of Motor Learning is like having roadmap in the world of CAS therapy. These principles guide speech therapy leading our children toward improved communication skills. So, practice often and adapt to the child's needs whether it be with feedback, type of practice or contexts.

Top Children’s Books for Speech and Language Development

“Remember, the best part is not just reading the books but also engaging your child in conversation, asking questions, letting them add to a story with words and phrases and creating new language with literacy.”

As a speech-language pathologist, I get to dive into the magical world of children's books every day, and if my bookshelves could talk they would tell you I have a bit of an obsession! 

There's something about watching kids light up as they explore the wonders of language through books. Not only do I love books, but I love sharing them with friends!

I'm excited to share some of my top picks for children's books that nurture speech and language development. I have divided them into categories that promote engagement and language learning. (Amazon affiliate links included on titles)

BOOKS WITH INCORPORATED MOVEMENT

Who says reading has to be a sit-still activity? Incorporating movement into storytelling is a genius way to keep those little minds engaged. So, get ready to wiggle, jump, and roar as you read some fantastic books that'll have your kiddos imitating animal moves and dancing with joy!

Movement helps kids attend to longer stories. By incorporating movement it builds imitation skills and assists with memory or concepts.

1. Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

2. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Rosen and Oxenbury

3. Press Here by Herve Tullet

4. Is Everyone Ready for Fun? By Jan Thomas

5. I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian

6. Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia

7. Tap Tap Bang Bang by Emma Garcia

8. Plinka Plinka Shake Shake by Emma Garcia

9. 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Eileen Christelow

10. Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen Kids

BOOKS WITH REPETITIVE TEXT

Children's books with repetitive text are like musical earworms that stick in your head (in the best way!). They'll have your little ones predicting what comes next and filling in the blanks like pros. So get ready for some rhyming, rhythmic fun!  Familiar text  helps children comprehend the story and remember due to repeat phrasing.

1. Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

2. Too Many Carrots by Katie Hudson

3. The Seals in the Bus by Lenny Holt

4. The Bear Came over to My House by Rick Walton

5. Today is Monday by Eric Carle

6. Thank You Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

7. Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle

8. Polar Bear Polar Bear by Eric Carle

9. The GingerBread Baby by Jan Brett

10. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

11. Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

12. Pout Pout Fish books by Deborah Diesen

13. Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

14. Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw

15. I say Ooh You say Aah by John Kane

LIFT THE FLAP BOOKS

Surprise! There's nothing quite like the excitement of lifting a flap to reveal hidden treasures within a book. These interactive gems not only captivate kids' attention but also help target important language skills like answering questions, predicting what's behind that flap, and learning about "open and close" concepts.

1. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

2. Oh Dear by Rod Campbell

3. Peek a Who by Nina Laden

4. Open the Garage Door by Christopher Santoro

5. Find Spot books by Eric Hill

6. Do Cows Meow by Salina Yoon

7. Gotta Go Buffalo by Haily Meyers

8. Tree by Britta Teckentrup (Peek through book)

9. Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd (Peek through book)

10. How Does Bunjee Feel?: An Interactive Lift Flap Book by Josie Mott

INTERACTIVE BOOKS

Moveable parts and tasks to complete during storytime? Yes, please! These interactive books keep those little hands busy and their minds buzzing with curiosity.Interactive books keep kids engaged and moving with moveable parts. Kids love to have a task during book reading!

1. Nita’s Day by Kathy McMillian (sign language)

2. Nita’s First Signs Kathy McMillian (sign language)

3. Find the Duck by Stephen Cartwright

4. Find the Puppy by Stephen Cartwright

5. All Better by Henning Lohein

6. The Cheerios Play Book by Lee Wade

7. Print and Laminate Books by SpeechieTrish

8. Hey, Seymour Books by Walter Wick

9. Drive the Firetruck and Drive the Car by Dave Mottram

10. Poke-a-Dot: Construction Vehicles (Board Book with Buttons to Pop) and other “Pop” books by Melissa and Doug

11. Hi-Five Farm! (A Never Bored Book!) by Ross Burach

CHAIN OR CIRCULAR STORIES

Wait, did the story just go back to the beginning? You bet! Chain or circular stories are like literary roller coasters that take you on a looping journey. Not only are they entertaining, but they also help reinforce storytelling skills and make kids feel like master storytellers themselves.

The storyline is linked so the ending goes back to the beginning in these books. 

1. The Napping House by Audrey Wood

2. If you Give a….. Books by Laura Numeroff

3. I know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a …Books by Various Authors

4. Little Blue Truck Books by Alice Schertle

5. 5 Little Ducks  by Various Authors

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

WORDLESS OR LIMITED TEXT

Who needs words when pictures can speak a thousand of 'em? Wordless or limited text books are a feast for the imagination. They encourage kids to create their own stories, build vocabulary, and improve their narrative expressive language skills.

1. Carl’s Birthday by Alexandra Day

2. Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

3. Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

4. Mix it up By Herve Tullet

5. Moo Baa La La La by Sandre Boyton

6. Maybe by Chris Haughton

7. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

8. Flashlight by Lizi Boyd 

9. Big Bear Little Chair by Lizi Boyd

10. Let’s Go Puppy by Holly Rosensweig

11. Wishy Washy: A Board Book of First Words and Colors for Growing Minds by Tabitha Paige

12. Gravity by Jason Chin

 Let the language adventures begin!

Remember, the best part is not just reading the books but also engaging your child in conversation, asking questions, letting them add to a story with words and phrases and creating new language with literacy. Happy reading! 📚✨

SLP Essentials for Back to School

To make sure we kick speech off with a bang, I've put together a list of essential items that will make our lives a breeze during those first few weeks back in school. Check 'em out:

(Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click the Amazon links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons.)

Binder Rings

Binder Rings with Speech Sound Cue Cards

1. Binder Rings: I use these ALL the time!  I have my speech sound cue cards on them for on the go access to the visuals. My students love to flip through them to find “their sounds”. I also use them to hang visuals around the classrooms on plastic hooks.

Velcro Dots

2. Velcro Dots: Using velcro for visual schedules, adapting books and them for behavior charts is key! I no longer have to cut my velcro with these time saving dots!

Copier Paper

3. Copy Paper: Let's face it, we can never have enough of this stuff. Gonna be printing out activities, resources and screening record forms like crazy!

Laminating sheets 5m

4. Laminating Sheets: I laminate SO MUCH! I can keep activities year after year and kids can’t rip the pages! I use 5 mm sheets for even more durability for my visual sentence strips and books (check out my printable Back to School book for preschoolers!)

plastic sleeves

5. Plastic Sleeves: Slip those printable resources into these sleeves for use with dry erase markers when don’t have the time to laminate!. Plus, they're super easy to wipe clean. Score!

mesh storage bags

6. Mesh Storage Bags (the big ones): I used these to store my games paired with books in one place! I have a fun S’mores speech activity that includes articulation marshmallows that can all be stored in one bag.

7. New Play-Doh: Opening play-doh for an activity and finding it gray and hard is no fun!! Who doesn’t love the smell of new play doh any way? It's time to restock our Play-Doh stash. Love using play-doh for smash mats!

8. Nice Pens: Treat yourself to some smooth writing action with good quality pens. They make note-taking way less boring!

9. Dry Erase Markers: I always have a stash of these for making on the spot speech sound visuals and they are perfect for writing on whiteboards or laminated materials. 

Plastic Container with attached Lid with Sensory Materials

10. Plastic Bins with Attached Lids: Seems like I always need one to make a sensory bin for a new theme, and the bins with the attached lids work the best for me in my therapy bag since they don’t open unless I want them to.

11. Water Bottle: My goal for this year is to drink more water and even though I have SO MANY water bottles, I want to motivate myself, so I’m buying a new one!

12. Dot Painters: These bad boys can be used for all kinds of cool therapy activities, dot articulation comes to mind and can be used with little prep and kids love to use them!.

13. Glue Sticks: Never can find my glue sticks, so this year I am putting one in every pocket of my therapy bag. I like the clear ones to use with the small pieces that I laminate. I stick inside the laminating sheet to hold the pieces in place while they run through the laminator.

14. Clipboard with Storage: This was a game changer for me last year!  I keep each child’s daily sign in sheets inside the storage portion and the child’s sheet that I am working with on top plus my monthly time sheet. 

Now that we're armed with these essential speechie necessities, we're all set for an amazing start to the school year. 

Here's to a fantastic school year ahead!

Movement Activities in Speech-Language Sessions: Boosting Engagement and Language Skills

Get those bodies moving and minds buzzing with excitement in our speech-language sessions!

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Why is it helpful to incorporate movement activities in speech-language sessions? Let’s explore why adding motor movement can be beneficial for children with communication impairments. Here we go…. jump right in!

Research-backed Reasons to Get Moving:

• Increased Attention and Engagement: We all know how tricky it can be to hold a child's attention during therapy sessions. Integrating movement activities captures kid’s focus and boosts active participation. When children are physically engaged, they become more invested and motivated to learn and the activities become more functional!

• A Calming Touch: Have you ever noticed how certain movements have a magical calming effect? It's like waving a wand of tranquility. Pairing learning tasks with motor movement helps children stay calm and relaxed. Those rhythmic motions, like rocking or bouncing, work wonders in reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of peace. This can work especially well for our autistic clients or children with sensory disorders.

• Increased Cognitive Skills: Let's give those brilliant minds a workout! Movement activities stimulate various cognitive processes, from problem-solving to spatial awareness. By engaging the body and mind together, we can enhance overall cognitive development  (including communication skills)and critical thinking skills.

• Help Decrease Behavior Problems: Frustration and difficulty expressing themselves can lead children with communication impairments to act out. Movement activities offer a constructive outlet for releasing energy and emotions. This, in turn, reduces behavior problems and promotes self-regulation.

• Boosting Memory: Ever wish there was a way to make those therapy sessions stick? Research suggests that movement helps facilitate memory formation and retention. By linking speech and language tasks with specific movements, children are more likely to remember and apply what they've learned.

10 Beneficial

Speech and Language Activities Paired with Movement:

1. Obstacle Courses: Create interactive obstacle courses that include language-based challenges. Children can identify objects, follow directions, and describe items along the way. Adding speech sound cards to the path provides motivation to get all those trials in!

2. Dance and Sing: Combine language-rich songs with dance movements to target vocabulary, sentence structure, and expressive language skills. Get those little feet tapping!

3. Yoga for Speech: Blend speech and language tasks with yoga routines to promote breath control, body awareness, and language expression.

4. Imitate Book Actions: Bring books to life by acting out characters' and objects movements, using gestures.  Watch comprehension and expressive language soar! I have an engaging book companion to the book “TipTip Dig Dig”, “The Napping House” and “Dinosaurumpus” and kids can act out what items and people are doing in the story (i.e.” tip like a dump truck”).

5. Ball Toss Games: Spice up ball toss games by incorporating speech and language targets. Children can say words, answer questions, or use target sounds before throwing or catching the ball. Write or draw target words or sounds on those plastic beach balls with dry erase markers and wherever the child’s hand is they say that sound or word.

6. Puppet Play: Unleash the power of puppets! Engage children in conversations, role-playing scenarios, and narrative development. 

7. Sensory Bins: Dive into sensory adventures by incorporating language-based tasks. Children can explore textures, categorize objects, describe items, and engage in meaningful conversations. I use sensory bins ALOT and have themes bins with book companions in my store.

8. Action Songs: Teach children catchy songs with accompanying movements that target specific speech and language goals, such as articulation, phonological awareness, or grammar. It's like a musical language extravaganza! Think 5 Little Monkeys Jumpin’ on the Bed, while kids jump off a mini trampoline acting like those monkeys.

9. Feed the Animal: Use target cards for kids to feed an animal, puppet or monster! Use cut out animals with holes for mouths that kids can drop cards into.

10. Ball poppers with targets: Attach articulation cards to binder clips to create a target to hit with a ball popper. 

If you want children to choose activities like ball poppers or swatting cards with a fly swatter, I have a free choice visual that children can use for what to do with speech sound cards.

Customize these activities to suit the unique needs and goals of your little communication stars. 

So, let's get those bodies moving and minds buzzing with excitement in our speech-language sessions! Embracing movement activities opens doors to dynamic and effective learning experiences, empowering our young heroes to communicate with confidence. 

Tips for Making the /s/and /z/Sounds in Speech Therapy

As speech therapists, we encounter various challenges when helping children achieve correct articulation of specific sounds. The /s/ and /z/ sounds are particularly tricky, with errors ranging from lisps to phonological processes like stopping.

HOW DO YOU MAKE AN /S/ and /Z/?

As SLP’s we know this, but here’s a review and a simple way to explain it:

Understanding Correct Tongue, Lip, and Jaw Positioning:

1. The lateral sides of the tongue should be elevated and touching the sides of the upper top teeth, specifically the upper molars. This positioning creates a narrow passage for the airflow.

2. Funnel-like Tongue Shape: The middle of the tongue forms a slight groove or funnel, allowing the airflow to travel smoothly through the oral cavity. The tongue tip should lower just slightly to create a channel that facilitates the passage of the airflow.

3. Jaw and Lip Positioning: The jaw should be in a high position, but it may shift forward slightly during the production of the /s/ sound. This subtle movement contributes to the precise articulation of the sound. The lips should be slightly relaxed and parted, allowing a smooth airflow.

4. Forward Airflow: The airstream moves forward and out of the mouth during the production of the /s/ and /z/ sounds. The airflow should continue while the tongue remains in place, ensuring a clear and crisp sound. 

COMMON ERRORS WITH /S/ and /Z/:

• Frontal Lisp/Interdental Lisp: This occurs when the tongue protrudes between the front teeth, resulting in a "th" sound instead of the /s/ or /z/ sound. The “typical” lisp.

• Lateral Lisp:  Air escapes over the sides of the tongue, creating a "slushy" sound rather than the crisp /s/ or /z/ sound. I have found that this can be really tough to remediate, especially with younger children!

• Stopping: The phonological process of stopping involves substituting the /s/ sound with a stop sound like /t/ or /d/, resulting in words like "sun" sounding like "tun." This is really where those picture and hand cues can be effective!

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR ELICITING /S/ and /Z/ SOUNDS:

1. Tongue Placement Similarities: The initial tongue placement for the /t/ and /s/ sounds is the same!  Encourage the child to produce a "long" /t/ sound, with the tongue lightly touching the alveolar ridge then elongate that sound (like the /ts/ the end of the word “cats”). Calling this a “new sound” can eliminate the child’s attempts to correct an errored sound.

2. Mirror Work: Incorporate the use of mirrors during therapy sessions. This enables children to visually observe their tongue placement and make necessary adjustments for correct /s/ and /z/ sounds.

3. Tactile Feedback: Utilize foods like popsicles or lollipops to provide tactile feedback. Instruct the child to touch the tip of their tongue to the alveolar ridge where the food is placed, reinforcing correct tongue positioning.

4. Forward Stream of Air: Particularly for lateral lisps, encourage the child to visualize using a "forward stream" of air (or making the air come out of the front of the mouth instead of the sides). Explain that this helps prevent air from escaping over the sides of the tongue. Using a straw on the middle lower lip and instructing the child to make the air come through the straw can help for more feedback.

5. Visual Cues and Gestures: Use visual cues (picture of a snake for /s/) and name the sound as the "snake sound" for /s/. Accompany the cue with a hand and arm movement resembling a snake, moving up and down. This adds a multi-sensory aspect to the therapy, aiding in sound production.

   
   Helping children produce the /s/ and /z/ sounds correctly can be challenging but with the right strategies, patience, and practice, success can be achieved. Remember, each child's progress may vary, so adapting these strategies to suit individual needs is crucial for optimal results.

For activities to elicit the /s/ and /z/ sounds check out some of my resources below:

SPEECH SOUND MINI BOOKS FOR PRACTICE

S’MORE ARTICULATION CRAFT AND ACTIVTIES