Super Duper

Let’s start with one of the giants in therapy materials, Super Duper.  You know and love their red boxes of happiness.  However, most of their materials are so pricey and funds in districts have been cut.  So, how can you build up your library for less?  I would suggest keeping an eye on sites like Zulily and the Facebook Marketplace.  Zulily is a site that offers discounted products from various sites/companies.  A few times a year, Super Duper products pop up on here for 40%+ off!  Also, keep an eye out on Super Duper’s Deal of the Week for occasional deals.

Dry Erase

I love using dry erase to engage all of my clients from a group at once.  They get more targets, are actively engaged, and we save paper and other resources.  A few of my Dry Erase Must-Haves include:

Dry Erase Pockets – Worksheets, visual scenes, or just a blank piece of paper for open-ended activities can all fit in here.  The ones pictured above have an elastic holder for the big expo markers as well.  This group of 6 pockets is about $9 and is one of my most-used purchases.  They will last you about 2+ years with frequent use.

Dry Erase Crayons – I preface this must-have by saying that I do NOT let my students use these.  I use these awesome dry erase crayons to add things to my board that I don’t want to easily erase.  This includes dates, reminders, visuals, etc.  Because they take a little more work to erase, I can even use regular dry erase markers in/around the crayon marks and erase the marker without erasing the crayon.  Careful though, if you press too hard you may crack a crayon (speaking from experience).  These will last you many years and cost $5-9 depending on your place of purchase.  Sometimes you can find it at US Toy, Target, Walmart, etc.

Dry Erase Markers – Because we use the dry erase sleeves for any written work in my therapy room and for many other activities, “skinny” dry erase markers are a must.  I have found these U Brands markers (amazon, target, etc.) with the eraser tops to be the best for my students.  They come in many colors and the included eraser is a life-saver… and that’s not just me being dramatic.  They sell for about $5 and, with respectful use by your clients, should last you 2+ years with frequent use.

Books are a huge part of my therapy but I’m pretty cheap when it comes to accumulating my library.  Sure, I occasionally shell out $10 on a great book for my students.  However, most of my library has been purchased for less than $1 per book.  This is going to take some detective work and a few antibacterial wipes but it’s worth it.  Purchase your books at a thrift store like Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army or at garage sales.  Most books are very gently used and in good shape.  When I was working in Early Intervention I found board books and even gave them away to families – I could spare 50 cents for my kids to have at least one book in their home!  While it’s a little crazy on the half-price days, this is another way to save even more. Most sale days are on Saturdays but I just hunker down by the books and go through them.  Eric Carle, Usborne, Jan Brett, Old Lady, and so many more.

Games (and toys) can be used in therapy in many ways.  From Blurt to Candyland, games are easily modified to fit therapy goals while also working on turn-taking and other life skills.  But, as you may have guessed, I’m not about that full-price purchasing life.  Most of the games I use in therapy have been purchased from thrift stores, garage sales, and from friends with kids who are getting too old for the games.  The majority of my games have been purchased for less than $4 and their retail prices are up to $40!  Again… this doesn’t include the price of antibacterial wipes/bleach baths to clean them.

Minis/Trinkets:

Toobs, minis, dinky doodads… these are all wonderful additions to your therapy room. You can use them in sensory bins, as visuals for books, describing activities, etc.  At regular price, they can be a bit pricey for such tiny additions to your materials.  While Dinky Doodads are likely going to be full price at all times, it’s much cheaper than finding the items on your own.  Toobs/Good Luck Minis from Safari Ltd can be purchased for 40-50% off at all times… using those lovely craft store coupons from Michael’s or others!  Yes, it may take several trips to build up your collection but Toobs are about $12 each so you are saving $5-6 per Toob with a coupon.  Minis retail for about $6 so you will save $2-3 per pack.

Apps:

If you use an iPad in therapy, you know that quality therapy apps can cost you quite a bit.  I don’t have any revolutionary tips here except to keep an eye out during BHSM and during the ASHA Convention.  During these and some other times/dedicated months, app companies discount their more expensive apps by up to 50%.  Also, install apps like Apps Gone Free to keep up with limited time free apps from companies. I have gotten nearly all of my Toca Boca apps and others for free or heavily discounted!  Some apps, particularly AAC apps, will provide free copies/trials to SLPs to use with their students.

Decor:

We all know of the dollar spot and other dollar-themed stores.  Other decor tips include contact paper-ing your desk and cabinets/shelves, using JoAnn’s or other coupons to get material to cover bulletin boards instead of using paper that fades, etc.

IKEA is a great place to get frames, art prints, and other various furniture items.  I also love their selection of artificial plants for about $5 each to help green up my room a bit without the upkeep.  And if you have a very small “office”, IKEA can help you get organized.  I have also found some IKEA busy on the Facebook marketplace and craigslist for less.  (With receipt, IKEA items can be returned for 1 year!)

TeachersPayTeachers:

TpT is a wonderful way to find creative and helpful resources for decor, therapy, organization, PD, and more.  SLPs can take advantage of the SLP Must-Have sales on the 7th of each month during the school year.  Check out social media for what your favorite SLP-authors are offering.  Also, TpT has incredible sales a few times a year.  I typically just add a billion things to my wishlist throughout the year.  During sales I will use my TpT credits as well – these are the credits you get for leaving feedback on items you have purchased.  Also, bundles and introductory prices are a great way to get items for a lower price.  Some authors offer the ability to edit their products in exchange for the product for free.  Also, check out TpT for Schools and let your admins know how they can purchase items for your therapy sessions using this system.

Free!

Free is always great, right?  Here are some free resources for your therapy room:

Kahoot! – use Kahoot for comprehension activities, PD, etc.

YouTube – use YouTube to find readings of books that are not in your library, find interactive videos of topics from themes you are covering, etc.  You can also use YouTube to create videos accessible only with a link/unlisted to families if you send home instructional videos for articulation or other tips.

Gift Cards – Okay, not exactly free for the person who buys it but Gift Cards are a great way to get things for your classroom.  During the holidays and other times, you may find deals on gift cards which is free money! (e.g. Buy one gift card, get one 20% off. Getting $30 of gift cards for $25.)  Every little bit helps.

DonorsChooose – Every district has rules about using Donors Choose but it is a wonderful way to fund larger projects for your room.  Some projects I have seen for SLPs include iPads/Apps, Libraries, AAC devices/switch toys, etc.  When I do campaigns, I make sure to donate when my money is being doubled by a promo or matching donation source.  This helps get projects funded fully.

Professional Development – PD is changing.  SLP Summit, XceptionalED, and more are revolutionizing how we attain our professional development.  Many of these offer CMH (Certificate Maintenance Hours) for free.  While these would not count towards an ACE award through ASHA, they can be submitted for your CCCs maintenance!  Plus, in my opinion, they are so engaging and useful!

Other useful links with hacks and other money-saving ideas:

SLP Life Hacks from The Speech Bubble SLP

5 SLP Hacks that will Save You Time & Money from Nicole Allison Speech Peeps

Instagram #SLPHacks

What are your budget-friendly must-haves?  Share below so we can all be in the know, links welcome.

1 – Story Champs Intervention

I utilize Story Champs with so many of my students.  I wrote a review of it last year as well that you can view here.  Story Champs is flexible and I’ve seen really good growth from utilizing it.  In my mixed language/articulation groups, I’m able to target story grammar, vocabulary, articulation, and more with this tool.  There is also a Spanish Bilingual version available now.

Cost: $298.00

2 – iPad/Apps

I’ll just get this out of the way here.  I do utilize my iPad and apps frequently as therapy tools.  My iPad is much easier to take around to my quick artic sessions, screenings, etc. than a pile of artic cards or paper screeners.  I utilize it in various ways as well, using apps that aren’t solely for therapy as well.  I will say that we don’t ALWAYS use the iPad and I never let my students just “play” on it (unless they’ve earned free time after an assessment).  I typically sit next to them when we use it and I always hold it and have control in the session.  There are many great apps out there that can unleash your creativity as a clinician and apply speech/language skills in a different way.  I would recommend attending the upcoming XceptionalED Special Apps Update conference if you are interested in learning more.

Cost: iPad $329-1149  Apps: Vary $0-90

3 – Books

We use books constantly in therapy.  They are wonderful for mixed groups, themes, etc.  I typically find my books at thrift stores because they are so affordable there.  Occasionally I splurge on new literature.  There are so many great books that I won’t be naming them.  However – here are a few great lists by some of my favorite bloggers: Crazy Speech World; Speechy Musings Book Lists by Speech Sound and Books for Teaching Story Grammar in Speech Therapy; The Speech Space; etc.

Cost: $0.50-$20

4 – Super Duper

Honestly, for the most part I have moved away from the games and card decks from companies like Super Duper.  However, there are a few products that are flexible enough to be used for many goals and groups.  These are the products I pull on occasion to target 4-5 different goals in a session: “WH” Chipper Chat; Pirate Talk, What Do You Say…What Do You Do… At School?; The Question Challenge Card Game; Turtle Talk Fluency and Language Game

Cost: $55-70

5 – Board Games

We don’t play a lot of games but when we do, they address goals!  Now, I preface this by saying that most of these will need some adaptations made to make it work in therapy.  But that’s why we do the therapy and the material doesn’t do it.  Some of my favorites include Hedbanz, Blurt, 5 Second Rule Jr, Riddle Moo This, and others.  Again, I hunt thrift stores for these as I would much rather spend $3 on a gently used game than $15 on a new one.

Cost: $12-20

6 – Teachers Pay Teachers

I would be lying if I didn’t say that I utilize many wonderful materials from TpT.  Not everything on TpT is created equal and I highly suggest reading information and reviews carefully.  Also look for any information about the use of the product from the seller or others.  Some of my go-to resources include Editable SLP Assessment Templates; Cycles for Phonology Toolkit; Grab N’ Go “WH” Questions; Nyms-O; Nonfiction Texts Targeting Articulation and Language

Cost: $3-30

7 – Your School Campus

There is no reason to keep yourself inside the therapy room at all times.  Get out of there!  Within your school and on your campus are great opportunities for language and articulation.  We have done attribute searches (find something red, find something square), sound walks (find your articulation sound), and more.  Some of our favorite places to visit are bulletin boards, the playground, and my administrators (we like to ask them questions or tell them stories using our good articulation for example).  A big part of our job is moving the skills we work on from isolation into the general education environment.  These structured therapy times outside of the speech room can do just this.

Cost: Free

8 – Maps

A lot of my students have not been outside of the city they are growing up in.  They may travel to a nearby state or to Mexico to visit family occasionally.  We like to use maps – the bigger, the better – in my speech room.  We can use these to plan a road trip and read about/discuss attractions along the way.  We can hunt for cities that have their speech sound in the name.  We can talk about what we see around a place on the map (river, highway, city, park, etc.).  Maps are very interesting to kids in my experience.  They also love to use google maps to explore place they haven’t been or are just interested in.  We’ve used google maps to look at the house I grew up in – they LOVED that!  You can often get maps for free from local tourism shops, services like AAA, or from relatives who don’t want that atlas any longer.

Cost: Free

9 – Sensory Materials

I love integrating sensory bins and materials with my “everyday” speech materials.  We love using kinetic sand, fake snow, water beads, etc. to create a sensory component of our sessions.  I will often hide thematic/sound-based dinky doodads and other tiny items in sand and excavate them.  We may close our eyes and describe what we feel using our description details.  We might just put some laminated TpT cards or other stimuli in the sensory item and work on those.  Regardless of the activity, my students love working with sensory materials.

Cost: Free – $10

10 – Box of Highly-Preferred toys/items

If you work with students using PECS or other AAC devices/systems, having many highly-preferred items at your fingertips can be the key to unlocking their language skills.  I often keep several varieties of wind-up toys, light-up toys, poppers, sensory items, etc. nearby.  This allows me to quickly have students requesting with attributes and working on describing their items.  This can also help in motivating younger students to complete tasks and earn a preferred item.  I recommend looking in the dollar sections, holiday clearance, thrift stores, and even fast food meal toys.  Pro tip: keep these out of reach/sight if you aren’t using them or you may have a distracted and upset child on your hands.

Cost: Free – $4 each

Therapy is not all about the material you use.  It’s important to remember that the material is not the therapy, YOU provide the therapy and may utilize a material/tool in doing so.  What are some of your go-to therapy materials… share below!

The holidays are over and we’re still in the early days of winter – sigh.  I’m sure that many of you are shivering as you read this post.  So… what are some books to use in therapy that are NOT holiday books?  What can we pull out of our Mary Poppins bag and use with our clients until the Earth tilts back towards the sun and we can start planning spring therapy?

Here are 7 of my favorites:

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This is easily one of my top books to use.  We typically use it in conjunction with snow-themed sensory bins, creating instant fake snow, or other activities. Snowy Day can be used for inferencing (e.g. What did he find sticking out of the snow to make a third track?  What will happen when he hits the snow with his stick? Where did the snowball go?), narrative retell, vocabulary (slowly, firm, heaping, deep, drag), and more.  It’s a classic and easily adaptable for most elementary client ages.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

Of course I have to mention a “There Was an Old Lady” (when will she ever learn and does she have pica?!?) in this list.  Aside from some of the snow-based activities listed above, we use this book to work on vocabulary, answering “why” and other wh- questions, and pairs well with various TpT activities like this one from Jenn Alcorn of Crazy Speech World.

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, Ph.D.

If you have upper elementary clients or clients in middle/high school, take a look at this book.  It is more nonfiction with a little flair with great vocabulary and is a good way to work on comprehension of science texts in the therapy setting.  I like to use it as a transition from more “young” fiction texts to the textbooks that my students are learning from.  It’s  a nice bridge between the two.  This book can be read in chunks and activities planned for each area of the book.  Also, there is a “How To Catch Your Own Snow Crystals” experiment which wouldn’t work well for me in Phoenix but if you’re allowed to go outside with your clients in colder climates, could be great for you as a follow-through activity.

Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows

Hibernation is a big winter-related topic for many of our clients in their classrooms.  Here is a nice and slightly different book that looks more into the topic of hibernation.  I love that the animals are wearing pajamas and the cute illustrations.  There are problems to solve within the book and a lot of good “sound” words and animal vocabulary.

A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson

I will confess… my mom gifted this book to our speech/language room this year, it wasn’t my find.  The illustrations alone are hilarious and useful for therapy.  I love the “sound” and vocabulary words included, the emotions discussed, figuring out just why “tortoises don’t like winter”, and the overall message of this fun little book.  A quick read and easy to pair with animal, snow, or winter activities.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle

Of course I have to mention this gem.  If you work with younger clients, including pre-K and even EI, this book is truly wonderful.  It is even better if you’ve used Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? with the client before.  There are oodles and oodles of TpT and other materials to pair with this book – no need to re-invent the wheel.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

The wonderful SLP that I have the privilege of sharing a caseload with this year introduced me to Bear Snores On. This book pairs wonderful illustrations with descriptive vocabulary and rhyming words that make this book a sing-song read.  I love to pair this book with a book companion from Shannon Werbeckes of Speechy Musings and mix and match the skills depending on my groups.

There are, of course, many other wonderful winter books to use in therapy, please share your favorites below!  I can’t say how much the use of literature has improved my therapy provision and I highly recommend the use of books in therapy.  Happy winter and have a wonderful 2018!

In this post, I’ll talk about one of my most-utilized SLP tools, Story Champs.  Narrative structures and the ability for students to comprehend and retell stories is very important to their education.  This tool can be very helpful for this skill.  Read on!

What is Story Champs?

Story Champs is a multi-tiered language curriculum that is easy to implement, fast-paced, and powerful. The curriculum targets story structure and complex language features necessary for understanding and producing oral and written language that children need for academic success. Story Champs aligns with the Common Core State Standards and provides schools with the tools necessary to strategically and systematically focus on language.  To find out all of the intervention tool’s specifics, check out their website or these videos that Language Dynamics put together to demonstrate the product in use… take a look:

While they offer a bilingual edition, I will be discussing my use of the English Story Champs 2.0 in this review.

What Story Champs offers – Quick & Dirty:

• RESEARCH-BASED!  Over 20 feasibility and experimental studies have been completed. Here is a Research Synopsis
• Use as young as Pre-K.
• Skills Developed Through Story Champs
  • Listening comprehension/Reading comprehension
  • Answering questions about stories and information
  • Vocabulary & Learning vocabulary from context
  • Complex syntax
  • Oral narrative retelling, personal generation, fictional generation
  • Written narrative retelling, personal generation, fictional generation
  • Information oral retelling & writing
  • Domain knowledge
  • Problem solving
  • Social and emotional aptitude
  • Memory
• Ability to use in large groups, small groups, and individual intervention
• Lesson length of 15-45 minutes
• Designed for use within RtI/MTSS frameworks
• Ideally, a classroom teacher uses the large group lessons while a special educator (e.g., SLP, SpEd teacher)/literacy specialist/paraeducator delivers small group or individual lessons
• In many studies, the dose of Story Champs intervention was small (e.g., only 2X/week for 10 weeks), suggesting that this is a powerful intervention capable of producing robust effects in a short amount time.

Included in the kit (Spoiler alert… it’s EVERYTHING in the picture:

• 12 Classic Stories
  • LEVEL A: basic story structure & LEVEL B: enhanced story structure
• 12 Blitz Stories
  • LEVEL A & B: vocabulary words; vocabulary words from context
  • LEVEL C: causal connections (because, so that)
  • LEVEL D: temporal connections (after, when)
  • LEVEL E: modifiers (adverbs, adjectives)
  • LEVEL F: causal and temporal connections
  • LEVEL G: causal connections and modifiers
  • LEVEL H: temporal connections and modifiers
  • LEVEL I: causal connections, temporal connections and modifiers
  • LEVEL J: advanced story structure
• Illustration Cards (Blackline with some color)
• Icons (color)
• Champ Checks (use with dry-erase markers)
• Story Starter Cards
• Story Games for Small Groups
• Flash Drive
  • Manual and Master Lesson Plans
  • Digital Presentation
  • Printable Files
    • Take Home Activities
    • Classroom Center Activities
    • Story Writing Organizers
    • Info Writing Organizers
    • Pattern Blocks
    • Information Notes
    • Word Journals
    • Spot the Sparkle Posters

How I use it:

I currently work with a population of students coming from lower SES homes, and many are ELL students.  I have found that my students lack narrative skills and struggle with reading/listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, etc.  These skills make it difficult for them to fully access the curriculum.  I have been utilizing Story Champs with my students, K-5, for the end of last school year and the beginning of this year within therapy sessions, typically 1X/week.  We cover 1-2 stories during our time, depending on the skills we are targeting and the student performance.  I utilize the curriculum to target vocabulary, comprehension, retell, and other skills.

What works for us:

This curriculum has been great for my students.  The illustrations are simple and not too busy for them to “digest”.  They are able to see the characters and elements of the story.  The symbols used for each story element is carried throughout the materials and make it easy for students to comprehend the elements and what each means.  We also love the varying activities and printables that can be used with the curriculum. I love how easy the curriculum is to follow.  It’s not complicated and I can pull the intervention box out and use it with zero prep!  My students have not become bored yet with the curriculum because we are able to spice up each lesson with a different game or activity that keeps it fresh.  We have also been able to use many of the manipulatives with other stories we read (books, textbooks, etc.) or videos we watch (e.g. brainpop, flocabulary, etc.).

Suggestions for Improvement:

I love the popsicle sticks manipulative and we use them so much that the icons (stickers) have begun to fade.  I would love extra sheets of stickers and/or more durable material for this part of the product.  Some clearer labeling on the various manipulatives/supplies would help me pick them out faster.  Sometimes I forget what the name of each manipulative is and struggle to find the right one(s) for a lesson.  Of course we would love the ability to buy more stories if we happen to really get through all levels of the current ones.

Is it worth it?

Definitely!  Although it may be difficult to swallow the initial price point of $298, I believe that it is a great investment.  Why is it worth it?  First of all, most materials/tools that SLPs invest in are not proven to be research-based as this tool is.  I can also say that I have not purchased another tool that I have been able to use in individual and group therapy each week, while seeing great results, without my students getting bored.  As SLPs are becoming more involved in RtI, this curriculum is a great resource as it allows for group work as well as individual (my other tools do not allow for this).

Story Champs is a great Tool for SLPs, all school staff involved in RtI, and Speech/Language Therapy sessions targeting multiple goals. I hope this little knowledge party (aka review) was helpful to you.  If you have other questions/comments, add them below!

To kick us off, I’ll talk about one of my all-time favorite SLP tools, SLP Toolkit (aptly named, eh?).  When I first met “Tool” and “Kit” (Sarah and Lisa being their given names) I loved their energy and after seeing their product was even more impressed.  I was not sure how much I would use the Toolkit but after over a semester of using it, I’m sure I’d would never like to go back!  Read on!

What is SLP Toolkit?

To find out all of the sweet specifics, check out their website or this video that SLP Toolkit put together which covers so much about the product… they do it much better than I could, so take a look:

SLP Toolkit Intro Video from SLP Toolkit on Vimeo.

What SLP Toolkit offers – Quick & Dirty:

• Present Level Assessments: Quick, thorough screening tools to assess a student’s strengths and needs.
• Progress Monitoring Tools: Criterion Referenced Tests and rubrics for a variety of speech and language skills.
• Goals: Measurable and customizable goals for targeted skills, levels of cueing, criteria for mastery, assessment methods, and assessment frequency.
• Caseload Management: Sortable record of your students’ demographics, IEP/Evaluation dates, service times, and treatment areas.
• Strategies: Tips to enhance speech and language skills. Used as accommodations in a student’s IEP.
• Daily Data option.
• Scheduling Tool.
• Ability to send student files to other SLPs using SLP Toolkit.
• Storage of all paperless information on a HIPAA-compliant server.

How I WANTED to use it:

You know SLPs, I wanted to use it with 100% of my caseload on minute number one of walking back into my therapy room after signing up.  I wanted to get present level assessments on EVERY student immediately.  I wanted to add their goals and accommodations into their profiles and have the information in there to utilize seamlessly and right away.  I wanted an A+ in SLP Toolkit… but in reality I probably got a C in my first semester…

How I ACTUALLY used it:

I began using SLP Toolkit in December of last year.  I definitely can’t wait to start using it at the beginning of a year instead of mid-year as it will give me some time to update levels, integrate new students into the caseload, etc.  Some of the main features I used SLP Toolkit for in my first semester using it were:

• the goals
• progress monitoring
• present level assessments.  (I sort of have a crush on the present level assessments.)

I used the present level assessments for a few things including annual IEPs and initial evaluations.  I loved these for those tricky little nuggets who have scores and skills all over the place.  When there is no cut and dry goal, SLP Toolkit helps me to identify skill areas that students are most lacking and what may be most impacting their access to the curriculum.  While I do not use Toolkit to qualify students, it is often what I use for RtI or as additional informal information that can be included in the evaluation and/or IEP.  I was able to utilize the strengths/ weaknesses from these in IEPs and then in writing goals.  I was also able to write very specific and clear goals based on present level assessments and progress monitoring.  I felt very comfortable and prepared in my IEP meetings.  Recently, after they added some great updates, a coworker was able to send me the “file” of a student who is moving from her school to mine!  In a district with as many transient students, this is an incredible resource!

How I WILL use it this year:

Like I said above, I am so excited to use this from day one this year.  I will have all students in my caseload and can add new students.  I will be utilizing the scheduling tool to make those first 46 drafts of my therapy schedule a bit easier to navigate.  I can also utilize the sharing feature to send the files to SLPs in my district to start their year off well!  I’m excited to use more progress monitoring for my students from last year and to share more beneficial strategies and tips with classroom teachers and parents as well this year!

Is it worth it?

Yes, yep, duh, of course, why not, oh yeah!  Why is it worth it?  It makes me more confident, organized, and diligent.  It makes it EASY to be good at progress monitoring and writing great IEPs and Evals!  If I was a new SLP I would spend almost everyday hugging my computer if I had SLP Toolkit (Great graduation present for new grads!).  But… you should probably just check it out for yourself.  You are able to sign up for a free trial where you have access for 5 clients so you can dig in and see if it is right for you.

You can also use this sweet code, SUBLIME17, to get 1 FREE MONTH OF FULL ACCESS or $19 off of an annual subscription!  So go on with your bad SLP self and sign up!

You can also catch Sarah and Lisa of SLP Toolkit when they present their FREE course “5 Mistakes to Avoid in Data Collection” at the upcoming SLP Summit!

SLP Toolkit is a great Tool for SLPs and Speech/Language Therapy… I hope this little lovefest (aka review) was helpful to you.  If you have other questions/comments, add them below and/or contact SLP Toolkit!

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This product is updated yearly and can either be used as a PDF or as an Editable PowerPoint file.  It includes:

*2 design versions of covers
*SLP/SLPA Covers
*1 blank organizer cover/divider page for customization
*7 dividers for organizing pages and addition of your own pages
*1 blank divider for customization
*July through June calendars with plenty of room for adding meetings, etc. Also spaces for notes to be kept handy.
*Blank Calendar page for customization
*2017-2018 year at a glance calendar
*2018-2019 year at a glance calendar
*3 styles of To-Do List pages
*Meeting Notes Page
*Schedule template with enough room for scheduling 21 sessions/day
*Weekly therapy plan page to note materials needed and activities planned.
*One-Page Yearly Student Attendance Log with weekends marked.
*Parent communication Log
*Progress chart template
*Therapy Notes page
*Caseload record page
*Year at a Glance IEP/Eval Dates page
*IEP at a Glance page for classroom teachers
*IEP Meeting Notes page
*Monthly Evaluation Dates pages for each month
*CEU Course Log
*CEU Notes page
*Blank table page for customization

Here’s a video to help you edit and use this document:

Enjoy!

To start off the month, I would like to give you a sneak peak into The Hanen Centre‘s great booklet series called Make Play R.O.C.K and give you a chance to win a set (see below)!  These booklets are designed to for parents (and therapists) to assist young children with autism who have difficulty learning to play.  This great series of booklets (50-80 pages each) give parents and clinicians practical, research-based strategies for helping children expand their play skills through everyday activities!

Because play skills have been linked to the development of skills such as language, vocabulary, social skills, and problem-solving, it is an incredibly important part of a child’s life.  As a therapist, particularly when I was providing early intervention and Pre-K services, it was important to empower parents to be their child’s therapist in many ways.  They spend the most amount of time with their children.  However, I always found that teaching parents how to play with their children in a beneficial way was always a surprisingly difficult task.  These booklets could be very helpful for this purpose.

Booklet 1: Plan for People Play

This booklet discusses ideas for building a child’s interaction and communication skills by playing games that focus on interaction over toys.  I love the language that this, and the other booklets are written in – so parent-friendly!  This booklet has a nice “People Play Interaction Checklist” which help parents to identify what their children can already do and what next steps will be.  The booklet also discusses Hanen’s “O.W.L.” technique (Observe Wait Listen) to help parents interact in the most beneficial ways.  It also introduces the Repeat, Offer opportunities, Cue, and Keep techniques which make up the R.O.C.K. method.  It gives great examples of what this method would look like.  Additionally, the book references the sensory needs of young children with autism.  Finally, it begins to walk parents through some games at each stage of play.  The booklet also includes a “People Game Plan” for parents to develop a plan for their children.

Booklet 2: Take Out the Toys

In the second booklet, toy play skills are discussed.  This booklet discusses typical toy stages for children and how children with ASD may differ in their development.  Again, this booklet includes a “What’s My Play Style” quiz to assist parents in parents in finding their style of play and adjusting as needed to help their child.  The booklet then gives incredibly parent-friendly tips on facilitating play.  I always found myself giving these tips to parents during sessions and modeling it.  I think this would have been a very nice supplement to my sessions for parents to continue the work during the week.  Another section of the booklet discusses next steps for play.  Parents determine how their children currently play and what next steps for them are.  There are also great suggestions for types of toys to help facilitate the acquisition of certain toy skills.  Finally, the booklet discusses ways to R.O.C.K. the child’s play and examples of that before concluding with a “Toy Play Plan” for parents to complete.

Booklet 3: Put Pretending into Your Child’s Play

This booklet builds upon the previous booklets, or stands alone, as a resource to help parents expand their child’s pretend play skills during everyday activities.  This booklet begins by discussing pretend play and the importance of those skills, sequence of pretend play development, and how pretend play may differ in children on the autism spectrum.  The booklet then discusses next steps, including a mini checklist of for parents to determine how their child plays and what steps would be next for their play style/skills.  There is also a checklist for parents to determine what their play style with their children is and ways to adjust those styles to benefit their children.  Like the other booklets, this discusses R.O.C.K. and examples of implementing that technique.  The booklet wraps up with a “Pretend Play Plan” for parents to complete.

Overall, these booklets are an incredible resource for parents and for clinicians.  I found the parent-friendly language and progression to be very easy to follow.  I could see these being used by parents of children with autism as well as children with general developmental delays.  The complete set sells for $42 (before taxes and shipping).  I feel that this price is fair for the amount of information received in these booklets.  It would make a practical addition to the libraries of clinicians working in Early Intervention and Pre-K as well.

Now, to our giveaway from Hanen… Enter below!  But don’t worry, everybody is a winner with their Autism Awareness Month coupon codes – Save on More Than Words, TalkAbility and the Make Play ROCK booklets with “AAM2017” on their Teaching Tuning In, Coaching Parents in How to Play or Starting Early e-Seminars with “AAMSEM17”.

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About The Hanen Centre:  Founded more than 35 years ago, The Hanen Centre is a Canadian charitable organization with a global reach. Their mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children with or at risk of language delays and those with developmental challenges such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.  They fulfill their mission by:

Easy speech/language decoration activities:

My students LOVE to decorate my room for the seasons.  I have found a very easy way to make this a speech/language activity.  I simply find a line-art image(s) to print out large enough (1/2-full sheet) to be written on and decorated.  For my language groups we encorporate a book or activity into the decorating.  We may write vocab words, answers, etc. onto the graphics.  For articulation we write season-themed words onto the decorations and practice them before decorating.  The decorating is only 3-5 minutes of the session because we use paint daubers to decorate.

When completed, I cut them out an put them up on my cabinet.  They love this activity and will come in to find their decoration in future sessions – I may review the items on the decoration, have them say their words again, etc.  Easy!

Finger Lights:

We all know that card decks get stale very quickly.  We spice them up with these cheap finger lights from the party favor section of Target.  (You can find them elsewhere too)  I give each student one light and they use them to point to things on the card/book, point to their answer, etc.

I have really seen an increase in participation from students during their turn as well as during other students’ turns.  They don’t need another motivator during the session when these beauts are involved.

Spinners and Tallies:

Never underestimate the simplicity of tally points.  I simply printed off this chart for my groups of students and place it into a dry erase sleeve.  After their turn, they get to spin (eliminates the pesky dice roll which takes too long) and add the points to their total.  We often have a 2-minute drill at the end where we have the first person to accurately answer getting a point and go until the session is over.  Who knew that it just takes tallies?

Friendly Competition:

In my therapy room we use several apps and articulation activities in small groups or quick individual sessions.  I selected a few of those to display record-holders on our board.  We utilize Listen Close & Missing Letter apps from Erik X. Raj, Cup Stack Challenge (how many cups they can stack from our Articulation Towers), and a 5-minute challenge.  During the 5-minute challenge a student says their words independently and we count how many correct productions are made in 5 minutes.  They are very motivated to get their names onto the board and keep them there.  And by doing this, they are motivated to say as many accurate productions of their words in short sessions!  Win-Win!

Dauber Sheets:

There are a TON of these sheets available on TpT.  General reinforcers, 100 challenge pages, etc. are great for keeping students focused and motivated.  On articulation sheets I either have them say their words as they dot them or I have them keep track of accuracy with two colors of daubers for correct and incorrect responses.  They love seeing how many they can finish in a session and when they are finished I let them hang them up for a week.

(Pictured activity from Busy Bee Speech found here)

Erasers:

Have you seen those cheap $1 packs of erasers at Target?  Grab a few packs for therapy.  We use them in many ways but one that we use a lot is as a general reinforcer.  Simply have students spin/roll after a turn and collect that many erasers as “points”.  I suggest a small bowl or container to put them in or they will likely be played with by students.  Other uses include coverings for 100 challenges if you don’t want to paint dot them, bingo chips, etc.  These can also be found on sites like Oriental Trading and Amazon.  EASY!

Motivating doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.  It is not necessary to play games as a reinforcer.  Something simple like the motivators above will be easy to implement and will increase the motivation of your students.

HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR STUDENTS?

“Time is money”… “Lost time is never found again”… “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”…

We, as SLPs, are an extremely busy bunch. Between providing therapy services, writing reports, consulting with staff, calling parents, administering assessments, and trying to still have a full life outside of work, we don’t have a minute to spare, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to find time in our schedules for everything. I have prepared some time-saving tips below that are easy to implement and will save you a few minutes with each tip. This may not seem like much, but a few minutes here and there can really add up! Feel free to add your own time-saving tips/tricks in the comments section to share with your fellow SLPs!

1) Mobile Ordering:

I put this at the top of my list in case you are short on time! I want to make sure you are taking full advantage of mobile ordering apps/services. Apps like Starbucks, Dunkin, Chipolte, and even McDonald’s offer mobile ordering. This means that you can place your order on your phone and pick up your order in store without waiting in line. I admit, this has drastically increased my Starbucks consumption but it has been an incredible time-saver for me. Simply order, head to the restaurant at the estimated time it will be ready, and pick up your food/drink. I will typically place my order when I leave my house for the Starbucks by my school, park and pick it up (takes about 1 minute) and head to school! Typically the morning and lunch rush at restaurants will make you frustrated, so take advantage of mobile ordering and save yourself 5-10 minutes!

2) Collaborate with Team members on Google Docs:

Even if your school is not a “Google” school, using e-mail and other Google services, you can still access Google drive and its fantastic collaborative tools. I know that I would rather add to a document in the 2-3 minutes between a group than spend an hour sitting in a meeting trying to hash out ideas and documents with an entire group. Simply create a login for google, head to their drive services, and create a word processing doc, sheet, form, etc. You can share this with your other staff members and allow them to edit/view the documents. You can even see them typing live! And, don’t worry, Google automatically saves any changes and allows you to recover older versions of documents if something is changed on accident! This is a great way to have mobile meetings, collaborate, schedule, etc. This tip can easily save you 30-60 minutes of meeting time!

3) Use Google/Outlook Calendar “events/meetings”:

Speaking of Google… if you are a school with gmail for your email service or a school that utilizes Outlook on your school-wide computers, make sure you are taking full advantage of the features of the calendars. On Google you can create events and invite others. A similar feature is available on Outlook and other calendar providers. I utilize the calendar to schedule meetings, sessions, etc. When I schedule meetings, I invite the teacher or staff member to the calendar event. This sends them an e-mail and they can say if they will be attending. I also use this for scheduling sessions for students. I make a recurring even for their session time and invite their teacher. Yes, it took about 1 minute per student to set up but now that it’s finished and teachers are invited, I do a lot less calling for my older students who come independently to their therapy session. This saves me about 3-4 minutes of therapy time per day.

4) Use labels:

Mailing labels are great to use in many ways for therapy and organization. Try printing student goals/data tracking on labels. You can then use these to easily peel and stick on the daily data you are taking for sessions. You can also print labels as stickers for carry-over (“Ask me to say ____”; “Ask me what a _____ is”). They’ll likely lose it at some point during the day but a little extra carryover never hurt! It also helps to remind teachers of student goals and ways to carryover on non-therapy days! Using labels for data collection takes a little bit to set up but will save you 1-2 minutes per session and many minutes during progress note time!

(Great posts about using labels from Queen’s Speech & The Speech Bubble SLP)

5) Use social media:

Social media can get a bad rep… but it can be extremely helpful if you utilize it appropriately. If you are a part of SLP groups on facebook or follow SLP bloggers, authors, products, etc. you can harness the power of social media for good! If you have a question about a test, material, product, student, etc. why not ask thousands of SLPs? They are way smarter than Google! Put a question out there and go on with your day. You will likely get an answer or suggestion back with very little effort. I have asked for people to cite research they’ve seen about a technique, asked a question about a new version of an assessment, and asked for HELP with a tough case… and wouldn’t you know it, somebody had an answer or suggestion in each case. This saved me 10-30+ minutes per question of pouring over google search results or reading through old textbooks (the few that remain). Social media can be extremely helpful!

6) Lay out tomorrow’s materials before you leave:

If you’re a morning person who is 45 minutes early to work each day… please disregard. If you’re an SLP who struggles to speak to their dog, let alone provide therapy first thing in the morning… you aren’t alone! One time-saving tip that has really helped me this year is to lay out the materials I plan to use the next day after our students’ dismissal. It takes me about 5-10 minutes to lay out materials for each group but in doing so, I plan more effectively and have a general idea of how my day will go. Now, do I always use what I lay out? Nope… absences and other things pop up and my plan changes. We all know that making plans for therapy can be a waste of time. But, sometimes it isn’t and being able to just grab the next material/activity helps my day go more smoothly. This saves me about 1 minute per session… so on average about 10 therapy minutes per day! (That’s an extra 1500+ minutes of therapy time for my students per year!)

7) Keep tools close:

We all have the items we rely on. Some of these items for me are dice, game pieces, dry-erase markers, mirror, that creepy mouth thing, bingo chips, ipad, toobaloo, pens, post-its, etc. Normally, these items would live all over my office. I decided to put a set of all of these items in a basket on/near my therapy table. This allows me to quickly access tools without them being out for the touching. I can access this basket in 2 seconds instead of the 30 seconds it would take for me to get up, locate the item in my room, and return to my seat. I find myself using this basket about 3-4 times a day so it saves me about 1-2 minutes per day!

8) Post-it eval tabs:

Use small post-it tabs to label pages in an assessment manual that you access frequently. I place these on scoring pages, administration tips that I look at frequently, and other graphs or areas that I need. When scoring this saves me about 1-2 minutes depending on the assessment. With 30-40 evaluations per year with 3-4 assessments each, this saves me about 1-2 hours or more over the year! Here’s an example of my CELF manual labeled:

9) Get organized:

Organization comes in many varieties but it is extremely important. Spending time organizing files, supplies, materials, and even apps, you can quickly access these items when you need them. Instead of swiping through 5 screens of apps, try placing your articulation and language apps into “folders” for easy access. Label plastic boxes with their content. Face all materials out for easy location. Find an organization that works with you and utilize it. Being organized will save you too many minutes to count!

10) Set up automatic tabs on Chrome:

If you didn’t know, Chrome is a browser (like explorer or firefox). While this technique may work on other browsers, the steps listed below are for Chrome. When you open up Chrome, or another browser, you utilize the same websites daily. IEP system, billing system, e-mail, etc. Having those automatically pop up can save you a few minutes. Here’s how you can set up automatic tabs for your Chrome browser:

Time is precious. As SLPs our schedules are jam-packed. We don’t have time to waste. By working smarter, not harder, in a few of the above-listed ways, you can save a few minutes per day. This doesn’t seem like much but when you look at it over the course of a year, those are MANY extra minutes and hours for you and for your therapy sessions! I hope these tips help you, please add any additional in the comments below!