I’m an SLP and I enjoy long walks… down the hallway?

Most SLPs have a packed schedule.  Trying to organize therapy minutes for 60+ students across multiple grade levels and goals into about 30-35 hours per week is extremely difficult.  I’m not sure about you, but I end up with sessions back-to-back nearly all day.

Each year I’m surprised with how long it takes me to walk to and from my students’ classrooms.  This year I’m on a very spacious campus.  For example, if I have 1st grade students scheduled at 9:00, I am leaving my office with my previous group at 8:58.  It takes a few minutes for me to gather all of them from their classrooms and organize them.  It’s 9:02 when we leave their pod area.  We begin walking, as briskly as their 1st grade legs will move, and arrive at my room at 9:05.  By the time they are sitting and calm and I begin our activity or lesson, it can be nearly 9:10.  At 9:28 we must depart to return to their rooms.  We don’t walk silently, I’m trying to engage them in conversations that further target their therapy goals but it is difficult to do without bringing along materials.  I feel like I’m missing out on so many minutes of potential therapy each day.

I know that part of the solution is students moving about campus and arriving to my room independently.  While my older students should be able to come to me on their own, there are those beginning weeks of learning schedules as well as those students who demonstrate “difficulty” with getting from their classroom to me.  And eventually I’d like to be able to send my Kindergarteners and 1st graders back on their own but we’ll likely be starting our sessions together for a majority of the year.

To take advantage of these minutes of transition, I’ve developed these Walk ‘n Talk cards to keep on hand.  I have included a majority of the targets my students work on in 16 prompt cards (printed 2-sided) that I can use as we walk across campus.  I can have students practice articulation for 3 more minutes, warm up with some reminders and questions, practice fluency carry-over or conversation skills, etc.  These cards are available here!

I have really enjoyed having prompts on-hand during our transitions and it has also been something that I can utilize for quick articulation and language RtI and screenings, provide to teachers for RtI and carryover in the classroom, and send home for parents.

I would love to hear from you on this topic.  Are transition times something you struggle with as well?  How do you take advantage of those minutes?

Have a great week!

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.

~A. A. Milne

Summer is a great time to get ready for the busy Autumn ahead.  No matter what setting you are in, organization is a key element to successful therapy.  This year I have put together 2 organizational tools for you.

The first is mainly for School therapists.  This SLP Organizer is perfect for creating a custom organizer for all of those dates and paperwork you need!

Pre-made cover

Various section pages for organization and a blank template for additional areas.

Year at a glance for 2 years, 12 months of monthly calendars, 3 types of To-Do List pages.

Meeting Notes, Schedule, Lesson Plans, Communication Log, Progress Chart, Therapy Notes, Caseload, & Student Attendance Log.

Year at a Glance IEP/Eval Dates, IEP at a Glance, IEP Meeting Notes, Monthly Eval Dates, CEU Course Log, CEU Notes, Blank templates

This product can be found here and is on sale for the remainder of July!

For more generic planning I have put together an SLP Planning Calendar:

Fun cover

Weekly Calendars with quotes

Weekly Calendars with quotes

Weekly Calendars with quotes

Weekly Calendars with quotes

Monthly Calendars with quotes (June ’14-September ’15)

Dates to Remember Page

Notes Page

This product can be found here and is on sale for the remainder of July!

And, if you’re in need of the simple basics, a simple wall calendar may be more of your style.  Here is an example of a wall calendar that I created:

This product can be found here and is on sale for the remainder of July!

The most important thing about becoming an organized SLP is to find a system that works for you.  No two SLP organizational systems are the same.  Please share your organizational tips below!

It’s time for the very FIRST Book Review here at Sublime Speech!  And, I’ve had the privilege of starting off with a bang with Easy-To-Say First Words: A Focus on Final Consonants!  This simple, yet incredibly useful, book was sent to me from the author, Cara Tambellini Danielson who is an SLP! (I’m a little biased towards those amazing SLPs!)

This book was developed to help children acquire first words and articulate final consonants.  It has unique and engaging illustrations that capture children’s attention. The target words in this book are easy-to-say because they are one-syllable words that contain early-developing consonants.  Since the words in this book are common first words, this book can be read with any child who is learning to talk. There are three categories of final consonants included in the book: words that end with /p/, /t/, and /k/.

I love that there is a parent guide explaining how to help children with his/her speech and language skills included.  This is easy to understand and can be used by parents … or SLPs!

I actually have used this with my K-5 students with severe Autism including a student who is currently nonverbal but working on those early sounds that are targeted in the book.  We utilize the great drawings to expand on each illustration.

As you can see… it’s a very engaging book and my kiddos LOVED the illustrations and the predictable format of the book.  This is perfect for EI/Early Childhood and students with severe Autism/other diagnoses who are minimally or nonverbal.

Overall, this is such a great little book!  It is currently available from Amazon for $10.39.

Cara has offered to do an amazing giveaway for THREE copies of the book!  Enter below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Colorful Illustrations
• Great content
• A sampling of most sounds/processes
• Hilarious content
• Motivating
• Separate card with the words used
• Small, easy to transport box for traveling SLPs

• Wish the included intro card had the whole sentences instead of just the words listed to allow the stimulus card to be placed on the table when the clinician is reading it.
• This is a stand-alone deck (much like other fun decks) but there are no matches so most games will need to be additional to the product.
• I think this would make a GREAT App!  (hint, hint!)

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Disclosure: Kim Patterson, author, provided a copy of this material to Sublime Speech for review.  No other compensation was provided and all opinions are that of Sublime Speech.