Marisha

How to Stop Taking Paperwork Home

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If you keep taking paperwork home, start with a paperwork schedule audit. Map out every IEP, evaluation, progress note deadline, and billing task you have left this year. Count them by month so you can see your heavy months before they hit. Then set a 15-minute monthly review to check what’s coming and make a game plan. When the load is more than your work hours can hold, that same map gives you data to bring to your administrator.

That’s the short version. Let me walk you through how I do it.

Why So Many SLPs Take Paperwork Home

A lot of us are bringing paperwork home. We’re wrapping up billing, progress notes, IEPs, and evaluations on our evenings, weekends, and school breaks. It’s become very normal.

But it doesn’t have to be. Paperwork should get done at work, and that’s what this paperwork series is all about. Over the next few episodes, I’ll cover billing, progress notes, IEPs, and evaluations one at a time. This first post covers the big picture strategies that help with all of them.

Taking paperwork home is common. It doesn’t have to be your normal.

The Two Types of Paperwork Overwhelm

Paperwork usually isn’t hard because of one task. Billing on its own can be manageable. IEPs are manageable. It gets hard when everything stacks up at once. I think about paperwork overwhelm in two ways: volume and process.

Volume: When Everything Is Due at Once

Volume is when deadlines pile up. You have your therapy sessions. You have meetings. You have IEPs and evaluations and all the testing that goes with them. Oh, and it’s progress note season. And you need to catch up on billing.

None of those things is too much alone. Together, they get really stressful.

Process: When Each Task Takes Too Long

Process is about how long each piece takes. If it takes you a long time to write an IEP, finish progress notes, or do your billing, every task eats more of your day.

I’ve felt both of these for sure. When you’re dealing with volume and process at the same time, paperwork gets really hard.

Volume is how much is due. Process is how long each task takes. It helps to know which one you’re up against, because each one needs a different fix.

What My Triple-Digit Caseload Taught Me

For a while, I had a caseload in the triple digits. I was in my second year as an SLP, so I didn’t have a solid process yet. And the volume just knocked me out. I worked nonstop.

The good news is that I found ways to make it more manageable, even with that many students. I really believe there’s always something we can do to make the workload lighter.

I also want to be honest. I don’t know if it’s realistic to get it all done during work hours with a caseload of 120 students. Sometimes we need to advocate for a more reasonable caseload size and workload. The strategies below can give you some relief in the meantime.

Strategies help. They don’t replace a reasonable caseload.

How to Do a Paperwork Schedule Audit

My biggest strategy for getting ahead of the volume is a schedule audit. You map out your full paperwork load so you can see it all in one place. The start of the school year is a great time to do this, but any time works. Whether it’s August or February, just look at what you have left.

Step 1: Count Your IEPs and Evaluations by Month

Grab your caseload list. Ask yourself, what IEPs do I have due this year? What evaluations do I have?

If your caseload is in SLP Now, you can click the columns to sort by date. Then count. Maybe you have five IEPs in August and 10 in September. Jot that down. Then sort by the evaluation date column and do the same thing.

If your list lives somewhere else, sort it and count. The goal is one number for each month.

Step 2: Add Your Progress Note Deadlines

Next, write down when your progress notes are due. This is a big paperwork timeline, and it lands on top of everything else. Put those dates right next to your IEP and evaluation counts.

Step 3: Factor in Your Billing

Then think about billing. Are you doing it every day? Or are you batching it at the end of the month? Add it to your map so you can see how it fits with everything else.

Step 4: Spot Your Heavy Months

Once it’s all in one place, you can see which months are heavier. Maybe you usually have five IEPs a month, but March has 20. Now you know that ahead of time.

Just being able to see it gives you time to problem solve and plan ahead. That’s the whole point.

You can’t plan for a busy month you don’t see coming. The audit makes it visible.

How to Plan Ahead for Heavy Paperwork Months

Once you know where your heavy months are, you can make a plan for each one. There isn’t one right answer. Pick the strategies that fit your schedule, your school, and your life.

Work Ahead on IEPs

If I know March is going to be a really heavy month, I start front loading. I work ahead on the IEPs leading up to it, so I’m not trying to write all 20 in the same few weeks.

Plan Around Progress Note Season

If progress notes land in a lighter month for IEPs and evaluations, great. If they land in a heavy one, I know I need to plan my workload around it. That might mean asking for help.

Protect Your Paperwork Blocks

Paperwork time on your schedule is easy to give away. During heavy months, guard it. Treat it like any other appointment on your calendar.

Use Larger Groups During the Busiest Weeks

In your busiest weeks, you might make larger groups and have fewer session times, where that works for your students. That frees up time for paperwork when you need it most.

Support Yourself Outside of Work

Not every strategy happens at school. Maybe working ahead isn’t realistic for you. That’s okay.

Maybe on your busier month, you plan to go in a little earlier. You grab a coffee on the way to make it more fun. Or you get help with meal prep that month.

Think about it as a whole person. What do you need to manage a slightly heavier workload for a short stretch of time?

How to Ask Your Administrator for Paperwork Support

Sometimes the plan needs more than you can do on your own. That’s when your audit gets really useful. It gives you real data to bring to your administrator.

Lay it out for them. You might say, “I have this many hours of paperwork time. This is how much I can get done. In these months, I have way more. What help can you offer me?”

Come with a few ideas for extra support during the heaviest times, too. When you show what you can realistically do and the strategies you’re already using, that conversation gets a lot easier.

Your audit doubles as data you can share when you need support.

Set Up a 15-Minute Monthly Paperwork Review

The audit gets you started. A monthly review keeps you on track. I highly recommend it.

Once a month, check in on your schedule audit. Look at what’s coming up next month. Make sure you have what you need to do the things you need to do. Then come up with a game plan.

Use Your Review to Reflect on Your Process

This is also a time to reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Maybe it takes you two hours to finish an IEP, and the SLPs in your district say it takes them one. That’s worth noticing. What could make IEPs easier for you?

Or maybe you’re already the fastest IEP writer around, and you’re still struggling to keep up. That’s useful to know, too. Same with progress notes. If they’re the bane of your existence, your review is the time to ask what could make them easier.

This is where volume and process meet. The audit helps you see the volume. The review helps you spot process problems so you can keep getting better over time.

Put It on Your Calendar

Here’s your action item. Set aside 15 minutes on your calendar. Make it a monthly appointment with yourself. Schedule it for however many months you have left in the school year.

Fifteen minutes a month is enough to stay ahead of what’s coming.

Make Paperwork Easier With a Plan

The goal here is to make paperwork as easy and efficient as possible. You don’t need to type faster or skip lunch. You need a plan, so you’re not racing to keep up.

When you know what’s coming, you get to choose how to handle it. You can work ahead. You can ask for help early. You can set yourself up at home for a busy stretch. That’s what working smarter, not harder, looks like with paperwork.

Start Your Paperwork Schedule Audit This Week

Here’s the recap. Do a schedule audit for the rest of the year. Count your IEPs and evaluations by month, add your progress note deadlines, and factor in billing. Spot your heavy months and plan for them. Then schedule a 15-minute monthly review to check in.

If you’re taking work home right now, we can work on that together. The goal is to get you as close as possible to keeping work at work. In the next posts in this series, I’ll dig into billing, progress notes, IEPs, and evaluations one at a time.

If you’d like your caseload, therapy planning, and materials all in one place, you can try SLP Now free. Start your free trial here.

Transcript

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A lot of us are bringing paperwork home, and we're wrapping up billing, progress notes, IEPs, evaluations on our evenings, weekends, school breaks, and it's become very normalized, but it doesn't have to be inevitable or something that we always have to do.
so that's what this series is all about, is making paperwork more manageable so we can get it done at work, which is where it should be happening. And in this series we're going to be talking about billing, progress notes, IEPs, and evaluations, but in this first section, we're just going to focus on overall strategies.
And the problem with paperwork isn't necessarily just the tasks, like billing in and of itself can be manageable, IEPs are manageable. It becomes a struggle when those things start to pile up, when we have all of our therapy sessions and all of these meetings and these IEPs and these evaluations and all the testing we have to do. Oh, and it's progress note season, and we need to catch up on all of our billing.
And so it's when all of these things stack up is when it starts to get really stressful.
There's two types of overwhelm. First is the volume, when those deadlines are stacking up, when all the things are due at the same time, and then the other thing is the process. So this is when if it takes us a really long time to do our IEPs and our progress notes and our billing, and I've experienced both of these for sure.
And when we struggle with the volume and the process at the same time, that can make things really, really stressful and really challenging. I had a caseload in the triple digits for a while, and I was in my second year as an SLP, so I didn't have the most solid process yet.
Also the volume just knocked me out. I worked nonstop. And the good news is that even with that high of a caseload, I found a way to make it more manageable, and I've talked about this a lot before. I think there's always something that we can do to make the workload more manageable, but being able to get it done during work hours. I don't know if it's realistic to make that happen with a caseload of 120 students.
There is a time and a place when we just need to advocate for a more reasonable caseload size and workload. But the strategies can help get us some relief in the meantime. And so that's what we're talking about this month, is finding relief with the paperwork side of things. So what I like to do, I'm gonna just share a couple tips and strategies for paperwork in general to help us get ahead of the volume, and then also touching a little bit on process, but we'll go into process in way more detail when we get into the specific sections on billing and progress notes and IEPs and evaluations.
But first up, one of my biggest strategies to help with the process side of things is to do a schedule audit. So at the beginning of the school year, or whenever you're listening to this, 'cause it's always a good time to start, map out the full paperwork load. Get your caseload list.
What IEPs do you have due this year? What evaluations do you have? If you have your caseload in SLP Now, you can click the columns to sort by date so you can quickly count, okay, I have five IEPs in August, 10 in September, and you can just jot that down, and you can also sort by the evaluation date column.
If you have your list somewhere else, sort and count how many you have. And this gives you an idea. If you've noticed, oh, in March I have 20 IEPs due and I usually only have five, then you know ahead of time that March is a little bit heavier. Then jot down when your progress notes are due, because that's a big paperwork timeline.
And then think about your billing. We'll talk about this more, but are you doing your billing on a daily basis, or are you batching it at the end of the month? What does that look like? And factor that into your paperwork load as well. And once it's all visible, you can see, okay, I have this many this month, and this is when progress notes are.
You can quickly see which months are heavier, and just being able to see it can give you some time to troubleshoot and problem solve and plan ahead. For IEPs, if I know that March is going to be a really, really heavy month, I'm going to start front loading and trying to work ahead on my IEPs leading up to that.
And then if I know I have a ton of progress notes due, if it's a lighter month of IEPs and evaluations, then that's great. If it's not, then I'm gonna have to figure that out and plan my workload accordingly and maybe ask for help. We'll talk about more strategies that you can use in the specific episodes.
Having it all laid out and getting to see what months are heavy, and planning ahead for those can help. And then we can use strategies like protecting our paperwork blocks, making larger groups and having fewer session times in the really, really, really busy weeks.
We can also use strategies at home to help us manage our stress levels. Maybe you decide, "Okay, it's not realistic for me to work ahead on things." Maybe on your busier month, you just plan to go into work a little bit earlier and you get yourself a coffee on the way to work to make it a little bit more fun, or you get help with meal prep, or we can think about it more holistically on what you need as a person to be able to manage a slightly heavier workload for that time period.
But we can also ask for additional support potentially, and having data on, "Okay, this is how much I can realistically get done. These are the strategies that I'm implementing." And then again, calling out the next few episodes to help with the specific strategies. Lay it out for your administrator. "Okay, I have this many hours of paperwork time. This is how many I can get done. In these months, I have way more. What help can you offer me?" And you can offer some suggestions of extra support to help you get through the bigger, heavier paperwork times. Okay, so those are some strategies.
We do our audit ahead of time, and then I highly recommend a monthly review where you just check in on your initial schedule audit and check what's coming up in the next month, and have it be a time to reflect on what's working, what's not working. And this helps you continue to improve.
And if you're like, "Man, it takes me two hours to finish an IEP, and the SLPs in my district say it takes them one hour. What can I do to make IEPs easier for myself and reduce the time?" Or even if you're the fastest IEP writer, but you're still struggling to keep up with the IEPs.
What can I do to make them easier and get them done a little bit more quickly? Or if progress notes are the bane of your existence, trying to think of strategies of, "Okay, what can I implement to make them easier?" The future podcast episodes will give you lots of ideas.
One action item is to schedule a quick block of time on your calendar. Set aside 15 minutes, have it be a monthly appointment with yourself where you do this quick check-in on your paperwork and look at the month ahead and make sure you have what you need to do the things that you need to do and come up with a game plan.
When we're talking about these strategies, we're not just talking about figuring out how to work faster. We just wanna make sure that we have strategies in place to make paperwork as easy as possible and as efficient as possible.
Just starting with a schedule audit for the year, previewing what we have left, whether it's August or January or February. Whenever you're listening to this, just take some time to look at what you have left, in terms of your workload for the year, in terms of billing, progress notes, IEPs, and evaluations.
And then schedule that monthly review to check in for however many months you have left in the school year. If you are taking work home, we can work on reducing that and getting you as close as possible to keeping work at work
So that's a wrap on our intro to paperwork.

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FAQ

How can SLPs stop taking paperwork home?

Start with a paperwork schedule audit. Count your IEPs and evaluations by month, add progress note deadlines, and factor in billing. This shows your heavy months early so you can plan ahead. Then set a 15-minute monthly review to check what's coming and make a game plan.

What is a paperwork schedule audit?

It's a map of your full paperwork load for the school year. You sort your caseload list by IEP and evaluation dates, count how many land in each month, and add progress note and billing timelines. Once it's all in one place, you can see which months will be heavier.

What are the two types of paperwork overwhelm?

The first is volume, when lots of deadlines stack up at the same time. The second is process, when each task takes a long time to finish. Many SLPs deal with both at once, which is what makes paperwork feel so stressful.

What should I do if I can't finish my paperwork during work hours?

Use your schedule audit as data. Show your administrator how many hours of paperwork time you have, how much you can get done, and which months have far more. Then ask what help they can offer, and bring a few ideas for extra support.

Organizing Your Materials So Planning Actually Stays Simple

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The easiest way to keep therapy planning simple is to sort your materials into two groups. Core materials are the goal cards, probes, and visuals you use every session with every group. Unit materials are the activities tied to the book, article, or video you’re using that month. Student folders connect the two. Once your core materials are set up, about 80% of your planning for the whole school year is done.

I’ve been using this system for 12 years. In this post, I’ll walk you through how I set up each part, plus a few small tricks that save me time every single week.

Why Organizing Therapy Materials Makes Planning Simple

Planning feels hard when you have to hunt for things. You know you saved that visual somewhere. You just can’t find it. And by the time you do, your group is at the door.

When every material has a home, planning gets small. Instead of starting from scratch each week, you grab what you already set up.

When your materials are organized, most of your planning happens once, not every week.

The Two Types of Therapy Materials Every SLP Needs

I sort everything into two buckets. This one choice makes the rest of the system work. Here’s what goes in each.

Core Materials: The Tools You Use Every Session

Core materials are the teaching tools I use every single session with every single group. There are three:

  • Goal cards
  • Probes
  • Visuals

You set these up once. After that, you just update them when a student’s goals change.

Unit Materials: The Activities Tied to Your Monthly Text

Unit materials are the activities that go with the text I’m using that month. That might be a picture book, a fiction article, or a vocational video.

These change every month. You can pull them up digitally or print them. More on that below.

How to Set Up Student Goal Cards

Goal cards are the anchor for almost all of my sessions. We start every session by reviewing them. They’re simple to make, and they keep students focused on what they’re working on.

You can use index cards or small pieces of paper. Each card has one goal. The idea is that students write their goal in their own words.

If a student isn’t quite there yet, I write a short version of the goal. Then the student draws a little picture as a reminder. You can adjust this for each student.

I make goal cards at the start of the school year. When a student’s IEP is updated, we do a quick update to their cards.

Where to Store Goal Cards So They’re Easy to Grab

You’ll use goal cards at the start of every session, so they need to be easy to grab. There’s no one right way to store them. Pick what fits how you run your sessions.

Here are a few options I’ve tried:

  • A calendar pocket chart. I used to put each group’s cards in the pockets.
  • A big key ring. All the cards stay in one spot.
  • Student folders. This is what I do now. More on that below.

How to Organize Speech Therapy Probes

Probes are the second core material. They help me collect data on each goal. Here’s how I keep them organized so I’m not digging for them in the middle of a session.

I use a big digital probe binder. It’s a PDF with thousands of probes, and it’s organized by goal. I keep it saved on my iPad home screen so it’s always one tap away.

My Page Number Trick for the Probe Binder

This trick has saved me so much time. It’s a game changer for me.

When students are making their goal cards, I look up the probe that matches each goal. Then I write the page number on the student’s goal card.

When that goal comes up in a session, I type in the page number. The probe pops up in two seconds. It has any visuals the student needs, plus my stimulus items. I collect data quickly and jump to the next student.

Write the probe page number on the goal card, and you’ll never search for a probe mid-session again.

If you use the goal bank in SLP Now, or create goals with our assessment tools, the probes are linked to your session automatically. You can pull them up digitally. I still like the probe binder sometimes, though. It’s just easy.

Building Your Own Probe Collection

You don’t have to use our probes. You can build your own collection if you’d like.

But if you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, the probe binder is inside SLP Now. Members can find it in the Data Collection course. If you’re not a member yet, you can start a free trial, go to the Academy, and find the binder in that same course.

How to Organize Visuals and Teaching Tools

Visuals are the third core material. The goal is simple. Have a visual ready for every goal on your caseload.

That includes articulation placement visuals. It also includes visuals for grammar, vocabulary, and language goals.

I keep my visuals in an accordion folder by my therapy table. I’ve also tried a hanging organizer. If you have a spot to hang a pocket chart, that works too.

Sometimes I make visuals with my students. If you’d rather skip the prep, we have pre-made sets of laminated visuals at shop.slpnow.com.

Using Student Folders to Keep Everything in One Place

Student folders are the bridge between core materials and unit materials. They hold everything one student needs. This is the setup I’ve been loving lately.

What Goes Inside Each Student Folder

When I update a student’s IEP, I go to Assessments in SLP Now. I run the assessments that fit, like articulation, phonology, language, grammar, or vocabulary. The system recommends goals based on how the student did. I use that to get baseline data and write the goals.

Then I can print a bundle of activities for that student. The bundle has the probes, evidence-backed strategies to teach the goals, and the visuals. I print it and put it in the student’s folder, along with their goal cards.

I keep the folders in a file box by my therapy table. When students come in, I pull out their folders. They open them up and go through their goal cards. We pull up the probe and visual for that goal. It’s all right there.

One folder per student means no flipping between a bunch of different places.

You get to choose what works for you. You can use one general set of materials for your caseload with the probe binder and visuals. Or you can build student folders. Both work.

Building Vocabulary Journals Over Time

I also use student folders to keep vocabulary pages. Over time, these turn into a vocabulary journal.

For categories, we have a sheet for each category. Say we’re doing animals. The student writes a student-friendly definition. At the top, there’s a quick exercise showing what is and isn’t an animal. The bottom is blank. Students paste picture cards or write examples as we go through each unit.

This helps because animals will show up in lots of picture books. The journal keeps growing, and students can look back at it. We have pages for basic concepts too, plus more traditional vocabulary journals for older students.

I don’t keep every story grammar organizer or WH questions page. That isn’t super helpful. I just keep the vocabulary pages and any work samples that are interesting or worth saving.

How to Organize Unit Materials for Monthly Prep

Unit materials change every month, so the goal here is fast prep. You have two options. You can go fully digital, or you can set up a simple paper system.

Going Digital With Your Therapy Plans

If you’re okay with digital, this part is easy. Select your therapy plan in SLP Now and pull up the activities as you go through the unit. There’s no printing and no prep.

The Copy Count Hack for Paper Prep

If you like paper, this hack helps a lot.

Say I have a preschool through fifth grade caseload. I’m always doing an early language unit, a picture book unit, and a fiction article unit. I have favorite activities I use across those units. So I make a folder for each activity in each unit.

Then I jot down how many copies I need of each one. Let’s say I have 10 preschoolers using the early language book. I want picture cards for all 10. I want the WH questions activity for all 10. But only two of my groups, six students total, use the story grammar organizer.

When I do my monthly prep, I open the therapy plan and pull up my folders. I print 10 picture cards. I print 10 WH questions. I print six story grammar organizers. Done.

I usually print the black line version so students can color and cut. Sometimes I laminate. You get into a groove, and then you just repeat it every month. If you change your mind later, that’s fine too. You get to be flexible.

Setting Up Activity Folders in Your File Box

I use manila folders for each activity in a unit. I set them up in the order I want to go through the activities. Then I grab each one as I need it.

The folders live in a file box close to my therapy table, and I reuse them every month. If I laminate anything, I tuck it inside the book so it’s there next time. If there’s an activity I want to keep, I put it in another folder for myself.

How to Build Your Starter Kit Without Getting Overwhelmed

Building your starter kit can take some time. That’s normal. Here are two ways to make it more manageable.

First, you don’t have to build everything yourself. In SLP Now, the probe binder, the visuals library, and the therapy plans are about 90% done for you. You download the binder to your iPad or computer, print some visuals, and click through your therapy plans.

Second, you can take a slower roll. Start a student folder each time you have a new IEP. Use that to build out their probes and visuals. By the end of the school year, every student will have a full set of materials.

Recap: A Simple System for Organizing Speech Therapy Materials

Here’s the whole system in one place. Core materials are your goal cards, probes, and visuals. Set them up once. Unit materials are the activities for your monthly text. Prep them in a few minutes once a month. Student folders hold it all together.

When this is in place, your planning is 80% of the way done, maybe even 90%. The rest happens right in the session. No more hunting for materials. No more printing and laminating at 9 p.m. on a Sunday.

If you’d like the probe binder, visuals, and therapy plans ready to go, you can start your free SLP Now trial here. Let SLP Now do the heavy lifting, so you can show up, be present with your students, and find the joy in this work again.

Transcript

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Now we're going to dive into some tips and strategies to organize your therapy materials so planning actually stays simple.
We have two types of materials.
We have our core materials. So these are the teaching tools that we use every single session with every single group.
We have our goal cards. We have our probes, and we have our visuals. And we set these up once, and once those are organized, 80% of your planning for the entire school year is done. So that's the first thing that we want.
And then, the unit materials are what we talked about last episode, which are our activity-specific resources tied to the text that we're using that month, whether we're doing a picture book, a fiction article, a vocational video, whatever it might be.
And we can access those digitally, or we can have them printed. With that in mind, we have our core materials and our unit materials. Some tips for setting up your core materials. We start off the session by reviewing students' goal cards, and you can organize these in any number of ways.
I used to have a calendar pocket chart, and I would just put the different groups' cards in the pockets of the calendar. And just backing up a second, you can just cut out little pieces of paper or index cards and the students write their goal.
There's one goal per card or piece of paper, but the intention is that students write their goal in their own words. Or if they're not quite at that level, we might just write a quick version of the goal, and then the student can draw a little picture or visual reminder. There's different ways to differentiate that based on where the students are at.
That is a anchor for almost all of my sessions. And so that's what the goal cards are. And I like to keep my goal cards in my student folders, or you can keep them in a calendar pocket chart, like I said before, or you can put them all on a big keyring. There's different ways to set this up. Everyone does their sessions a little bit differently, so just think about what would be the easiest way to access those goal cards. 'Cause you're gonna use them at the beginning of every session, and you want them to be really easy to access. And then I just create the goal cards at the beginning of the school year, and then as students' IEPs are updated, we do a quick update as their goals change.
And then second, we have our probes. There are a number of ways to keep these organized. I have a massive digital resource that has thousands of probes in a PDF, digital binder. and I have this saved on my iPad.
I use it is when students are creating their goal cards, I go through the probe binder, and it's organized by goal, so you can easily search and find what you're looking for. But I find the probe that matches the student's goal, and then I just write the page number on their goal card.
When that goal comes up in the session, I just type the page number in the probe binder, and so I can pull up the probe in two seconds. and it has any visuals that the student might need, and it gives me my stimulus items, so it's great. but I'll just pull that up and then run the probe super quick, just jump between my students, and then that's what that looks like.
That digital binder is amazing. If you are using the goal bank in SLP Now or creating goals using our assessment tools, then the probes will automatically be linked to your session, so you can pull them up digitally. Sometimes I still like to use the probe binder. I just think it's easy, and then that page number trick is a game changer for me.
It has saved me so much time, and it just makes it easy to access those visuals in a really accessible way, like just pulling up the PDF on the iPad. I have it saved on my home screen, and so that's really easy. so that's how I manage the probes and you can build your own collection of probes if you prefer. You don't have to use ours. If you're not wanting to reinvent the wheel and you want something that's already done, that's something that you can access in SLP Now. If you're a member, the way to access the probe binder is to go through the Data Collection course.
Or if you're a non-member, you can sign up for a free trial and go to the Academy, find that Data Collection course, and then you can also access the binder. But that's a really, really great resource.
So we talked about goal cards and probes. The goal cards would just be an activity in your first session, and then the probe binder would be a little bit of work to look up the probe that matches the student's goals, but that could also be done in session potentially. And then the third component is our visuals and our teaching tools. I have an accordion folder that I usually keep by my therapy table. I also have tried using a hanging organizer.
So if you have a way to hang up a pocket chart kind of thing, you can do that. But I just make sure that I have a visual that I can use for all of my students' goals, and I have articulation placement visuals. I have visuals for all of the grammar, vocabulary, language goals, all of that good stuff.
Sometimes I might make visuals with students, but that's an option, in terms of some ideas to organize those. And we do have pre-made sets of laminated visuals. You can check them out at shop.slpnow.com. That can be a way to save yourself some time if you don't wanna do the prep for those.
That's one option. In SLP Now we have a way, whenever I update a student's IEP, I go to the Assessments in SLP Now and I run the relevant assessments, like we have them for articulation, phonology, language, grammar, vocabulary, all of those areas.
And then the system will recommend goals based on the student's performance on these assessments. I'll use that to collect baseline data and create the goals for the student's IEP. And then when I do that, I have the option to print out a bundle of activities.
And so this bundle includes the probes. And then it also includes, evidence-backed strategies to target and teach those goals. And then it also includes the visuals. I've started printing those out. I print out the visuals and the probes and all of that, and I put that in the student's folder. The probe binder and the pre-made visuals are a really good option, to get started and not have to do a ton of prep right off the bat.
I like having these individualized bundles of materials and then everything that I need for a student is in that folder, and I've really been liking that system. So you can choose what works for you. You can have, a generic set of materials for your caseload using the probe binder and the visuals.
Or you can create student folders. I have them in a file box by therapy table, and then I just pull them out as students are coming in, and I include their goal cards in their folder. So they'll open up their folder, go through their goal cards. We'll pull up the probe and the visual that goes with that goal, and it's all within the folder.
And then we'll just go from there. That's, a nice way to organize all the resources and we're not having to flip between a bunch of things. So that's what we talked about for core materials and just my brain dump of strategies.
In terms of unit materials, if you're okay with digital, you can totally just select your therapy plan in SLP Now and pull up the activities as you go through the unit. You don't have to do any printing or any prep. But if you prefer paper, let's say for the preschool through fifth grade caseload, I would always be doing an early language unit, the picture book, and a fiction article.
And I have my favorite activities that I like to use across those units. So I would just create a folder for each of the activities in each of the units. And then one quick little hack. Let's say you have 10 preschoolers that you're using the early language book for. And let's say you love using the picture cards, and you want a copy of the picture cards for every student, and you love the WH questions activity, so you want that for every group. But maybe you don't need like the categories or the story grammar activities for all of your students. You only use that for two of your groups, and so six students are using that.
So you can just jot down the number of copies that you need of each activity, and then when you're doing your monthly prep and you're opening up the therapy plan in SLP Now, you would just pull up your folders. "Okay, I need 10 picture cards. Print 10 of those. I need 10 WH questions. Print 10 of those. I need six story grammar organizers. Print six of those." And so that can help you do your prep ahead of time.
I usually like to print the black line version so that the students can color them and cut them out and do different activities with them. Sometimes I like to have the laminated version. You can decide what works best for you, and you get into your groove, and then you just rinse and repeat every month. And if you're like, eh, I don't wanna print and laminate the story grammar organizer, I'm just gonna give students their own copies, then you can do that too.
So we get to be flexible. Making some of those decisions ahead of time is helpful, and then if you wanna change your mind, you totally can. I have manila folders for all of the activities in a unit, and then I set up the folders like in the order that I want to go through the activities, and then I just run through those, and then I'll grab them as I need them.
And that's how I keep the activities organized. I just make sure that they're in a file box close to my therapy table. Then you can just reuse the folders. And then if you did do any lamination or whatnot, you can just tuck that in the book and it'll be there for next time, if you have a physical copy of the book.
Or if there are any activities that you wanna save, you can just put them in another folder for yourself.
So we talked about our core materials. We talked about our unit materials. I talked about the student folders a little bit and using those to store their probes and visuals.
I also like using the student folder to keep their vocabulary pages. It ends up being like a vocabulary journal. For categories, we have sheets that, it includes the category. Let's say we're doing animals, then the student writes a student-friendly definition, and they have a quick exercise at the top to remind them of, okay, these are examples of animals, and these are not examples of animals.
So that's like a quick refresher. And then the bottom of the page is blank, so they can paste their picture cards, or they can write in examples of items in that category as we go through the different units. I like to keep those. We have something for basic concepts, too. We have more traditional vocabulary journals for older students. And I like to keep those types of materials. I won't keep all of the story grammar organizers or all of the WH questions activities. I don't think that's super helpful. Particularly for the vocabulary goals, I think it's helpful to have a growing set to grow that journal and reference it, because there's going to be multiple examples of animals across picture books, for example, with the, categories example that I gave.
So I really like using student folders to build those vocabulary journals, and then I might keep other work samples that I think are particularly interesting or relevant.
Building your starter kit of materials can take some time. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I highly recommend checking out SLP Now to access that probe binder, our library of visuals, and then also our therapy plans because 90% of it is done for you. And then you would just need to download the binder to your iPad or computer, then print some of the visuals, and then do a couple clicks for your therapy plans and you're ready to go. So that can make it super manageable if you're feeling overwhelmed. And there is a little bit of upfront work with creating the student folders. You could also decide, like, "Okay, I'm just gonna start building this every time I have a new IEP. Like, that's how I'm going to start getting my students into SLP Now. I want it to be a slower roll." And then you can use that to build out their probes and their visuals, and all of that.
And then by the end of the school year, all of your students will have these beautiful sets of materials. So that's an option too. We talked about core materials, unit materials, and then student materials to bridge both of those. And then when we do this, your planning is 80% of the way done, maybe even 90%.
And a lot of it, you just spend a few minutes once a month prepping your units, selecting them and printing out any materials you want. And then the rest of your planning just happens in the session, and you're delivering really high quality therapy that's individualized. And you're going to see students making amazing progress and you'll have so much more time in your schedule.
You won't have to be shelling out money on Saturday or Sunday night at 9:00 PM just trying to get a unit put together, printing, laminating, cutting, all the things. You just have a really nice streamlined system with all the things that you need. You don't have to hunt for materials. You don't have to do that late night printing and laminating.
You don't have to start from scratch. You can use a system that's been tested and that I've personally been using for the past 12 years and that thousands of other SLPs have been using as well. We've had a whole team of SLPs helping us build this out. And SLP Now can do the heavy lifting, and you just get to show up and be the best therapist that you can be, and be present with your students and find some joy in being an SLP because it can be really hard when the workload becomes as heavy as it gets for a lot of us.
It really can be so much fun, and I really hope that you find that joy again and that therapy planning feels really easy for you this year.

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FAQ

What are core materials in speech therapy?

Core materials are the tools I use every session with every group. For me, that means goal cards, probes, and visuals. I set them up once at the start of the year and update them when IEPs change.

How do I organize speech therapy probes?

I keep a digital probe binder on my iPad, organized by goal. When a student makes a goal card, I find the matching probe and write the page number on the card. In the session, I type in that page number and the probe is ready in seconds.

What should go in a speech therapy student folder?

I keep each student's goal cards, probes, and visuals in their folder. I also keep vocabulary journal pages and any work samples worth saving. That way everything I need for that student is in one place.

How do I prep therapy unit materials each month?

If you're okay with digital, pull up the activities right from your therapy plan. If you like paper, make a folder for each activity and jot down how many copies you need. Then monthly prep is just printing those numbers.

How to Plan a Month of Therapy in One Sitting

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You can plan a whole month of speech therapy in one sitting. Before the month starts, I sort my caseload into segments by grade and goals. I pick one literacy-based therapy unit for each segment. Then I do the rest of my planning inside my sessions, with a quick note at the end of each one. A few clicks up front, and everything else happens in the flow of therapy.

In the last few episodes, we talked about the problems with how we might be planning therapy right now. If you missed it, I shared why you might be reinventing the wheel every session. Then we talked about segmenting your caseload as a way to make planning faster. Now I want to show you what the actual planning looks like.

Start by Segmenting Your Caseload by Grade and Goals

Segmenting is the step that makes everything else fast. Instead of planning for every single group, you plan for a few segments. Each segment uses a type of text that fits those grades and goals.

In SLP Now, we have a Therapy Plan Assistant. You enter your grades and your goals, and the assistant recommends caseload segments.

You still get to use your clinical judgment. You decide if those segments make sense for your students. But they’re usually very spot on.

We make those recommendations based on which units work best for which types of goals and which grade bands. We also think about which ones will be most relevant to the curriculum.

What Segments Look Like for a Preschool Through Fifth Grade Caseload

Let’s make this real. Say I have a preschool through fifth grade caseload.

My segments might use an early language book, a picture book, and a fiction article. Each segment gets its own unit for the month. That’s three units for my whole caseload, not a separate plan for every group.

Pick One Unit for Each Segment

Once your segments are set, you choose your units. This is the part that used to eat up my planning time. Now it takes a couple clicks.

The assistant gives you the top three unit recommendations for each segment. So for my preschool through fifth grade caseload, I’d see the top three units for the early language book, the picture book, and the fiction article.

Then I just scroll through and decide.

“Okay, number one looks best for the early language book. I love number two for the picture book. And number one for the fiction article looks really awesome.”

You get a short list. You check it. “This looks great. This looks great. This looks great.”

That’s your therapy planning for the month, in just a couple clicks.

Browse the Full Unit Library When You Want Something Specific

You can make it more complicated if you want to. The short list shows the units that are most popular right now. But you can also scroll through our entire library of units.

If you’re looking for something in particular, the full library lets you find the unit that matches what you need.

And if you can’t find it? We have a chat button on our site. You can just say, “Hey, I’m really hoping to do a unit on pumpkins.”

If you’re having trouble finding that unit for whatever reason, we can share it with you. If we don’t have anything for what you’re asking, we can add it to our list. We have a whole team of SLPs who are always making new materials.

You should be able to find your units in just a few clicks.

Why Monthly Therapy Planning Can Take Minutes Instead of Hours

I used to do calls with SLPs where we would do therapy planning together. We would spend an hour putting together these plans. We’d look at different targets, link different activities, and put it all together by hand.

That work matters. But you shouldn’t have to do it from scratch every month. So we’ve done all of that legwork for you.

Every Unit Is Already Analyzed for Common Targets

When you click into a therapy plan, we’ve already analyzed the text for the targets that match your most common goals.

For example, if you’re targeting articulation, we’ve pulled the high-frequency articulation words. We’ve also analyzed each text for categories, syntax, basic concepts, and all sorts of other targets.

You can click to view all of the targets. If you click on a single target, you’ll find teaching materials for it.

Those are there if a student needs extra support. You can use them to really dive into that target, like for pre-teaching before you start the book.

Activities Are Linked to Every Step of the Literacy-Based Therapy Framework

Each plan also has the whole unit plan. Activities are linked for every step of the literacy-based therapy framework.

So you aren’t hunting for a KWL chart in one folder and a vocabulary activity in another. It’s all in one place, in the order you’ll use it.

If you need a refresher on the framework itself, scroll back to the last few episodes. We did a deep dive on all things literacy-based therapy planning.

Deciding Once Takes the Pressure Off Every Session

Here’s why this saves so much time. You make the big decision one time: which units you’ll use across your caseload this month.

After that, you aren’t starting from zero before each group. When you see your next group, you just decide which of your units makes the most sense for them. Then you click in and go.

What Using a Unit Looks Like in a Real Session

After those few clicks, you’ve technically planned a whole month of therapy. So what happens when a group walks in? You open the unit and every activity is right there.

Let’s say we’re doing Apple Trouble.

Step 1 is pre-story knowledge activation. You have a KWL chart. You have a virtual field trip. You have all the activities for that step.

Step 2 is the read-aloud. You have the YouTube video for the read-aloud, so you don’t even have to get the book. You can just pull up the video and use that.

And it keeps going for the rest of the unit. Step four is very meaty, and we have a lot of activities linked there.

All of the activities are digital. You just click to open them.

You Don’t Have to Print Anything (But You Can)

You can click and go. You literally don’t have to print a thing if you don’t want to.

Now, I do like to have some paper activities. So there’s a tab where you can open your favorite materials and print them out. They come in color or black line versions.

Printing is totally optional. It just adds a few minutes to your planning time. In the next episode, I’ll talk more about organizing all of those materials.

The Best Therapy Planning Happens Inside Your Sessions

This is my favorite part. Once your units are picked, there is still a little planning to do. But it happens in the session with your students, not at your kitchen table on Sunday night.

You really do your best therapy planning when you’re in the group with students. You can see what’s working. You can see what they need next.

As we’re wrapping up a session, I do my little micro planning. Wherever you keep your notes, digital or paper, jot down a quick note about where you want to pick up next time.

You can jot down what’s working, too.

“Okay, these strategies are working really well.”

Or, “We just did the KWL chart. We really need a virtual field trip before we dive into the book walk.”

You’re giving your future self a reminder of where you left off and what will work best, based on what you know about your students. Then you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.

How to Track Where Each Group Is in a Unit

If you’re scheduling your sessions in SLP Now, you can attach the therapy plan to your sessions. You check off the steps as you finish them.

The next time you go into that session, it remembers what you did last time. You just pick up where you left off. Checking off those steps is your planning.

If you use your own paper data sheets, that works too. Just make a note of which activity you left off on, or what you want to do next session. That way you always know where each group is in the unit.

My Monthly Therapy Planning Routine, Step by Step

Here’s a quick summary of what this looks like in practice. Most of it happens in one sitting before the month starts. The rest happens while you’re doing therapy.

  1. Sit down before the month starts.
  2. Open the Therapy Plan Assistant in SLP Now.
  3. Select your segments.
  4. Favorite the units you want to use for that month.
  5. Optional: attach those plans to your sessions.
  6. Optional: print some of the materials.
  7. At the end of each session, jot a quick note about where to pick up next time.

That’s it. You don’t have to do any other prep or planning. Everything else happens in the flow of your actual sessions.

Recap: How to Plan a Month of Speech Therapy in One Sitting

Planning a month of therapy doesn’t have to mean a weekend of searching and building. You segment your caseload, pick one unit per segment, and let your in-session notes handle the rest.

Your segments decide the texts. Your units hold the targets and activities. Your quick notes keep every group moving forward.

If you’d like to try this routine for your next month, you can start a free SLP Now trial here. Pick your segments, favorite a few units, and see how it feels to walk into the month already planned.

Transcript

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Now we're going to dive into what actual planning looks like. In the previous episodes, we talked about what the problems with therapy planning are, with how we might currently be doing it.
And then in the last episode, we talked about the strategy of segmenting your caseload as a way to streamline your therapy planning. So what this actually looks like, in SLP Now, we have a therapy planning assistant, and you enter your grades and your goals, and the assistant will recommend caseload segments.
And you get to use your clinical judgment to decide if those segment recommendations make sense. But they're typically very spot on. And we make the decision based on which units are best for which types of goals and for which grade bands. Which ones are gonna be more relevant to the curriculum and all of that.
So that's how we make those decisions. And when you do that, it gives you the top three recommendations for units for each segment.
So let's say I have my preschool through fifth grade caseload, and I'm using the early language book, the picture book, and a fiction article. It'll show me the top three units for the early language book, the picture book, and the fiction article.
And then I can just scroll through and be like, "Okay, number one looks best for the early language book. I love number two for the picture book, and number one for the fiction article looks really awesome." And so it gives you a short list, and you can just quickly check and be like, "Okay. Yeah, this looks great. This looks great. This looks great." So you can do your therapy planning for the month in just a couple clicks.
You can make it more complicated if you want to. You can scroll through our entire list of units, instead of just looking at the ones that are most popular right now.
If you're looking for something in particular, you can scroll through our entire library of units and find the one that matches what you're looking for and what you need. If you're not finding what you're looking for, we have a chat button on our site. You can just say, "Hey, I'm really hoping to do a unit on pumpkins."
If you're having trouble finding that for whatever reason, we can share that unit with you. And if we don't have anything for that specific thing that you're asking for, we can also add it to our list. We have a whole team of SLPs who are always making new materials. You should be able to find your units in just a few clicks, and we have done all of the legwork for you.
So I used to do calls with SLPs where we would do therapy planning, and we would spend an hour putting together these therapy plans, and we would be looking at different targets and linking different activities and manually putting it all together. But we have done all of that legwork for you.
So if you click into a therapy plan, we've analyzed the text for all of the relevant targets for your most common goals. For example, like the high-frequency articulation words if you're targeting articulation. We've analyzed it for categories and syntax and basic concepts, all sorts of targets.
You can click to view all of the targets, and if you click on a target, it has teaching materials if you need supplementary materials to really dive into that target for a student, for your pre-teaching and all of that.
And then we also have the whole unit plan, and we have activities linked for all of the steps of the literacy-based therapy framework.
And if you need a refresher, scroll back to the last few episodes. We did a deep dive on all things literacy-based therapy planning.
After taking those few clicks and selecting your units, you technically have planned a whole month of therapy. When you see your next group, you just decide, okay, this unit makes the most sense for them.
You click into that unit. You have access to all of your activities for that unit, and they're all digital, and you just click to access them. So let's say we're doing, Apple Trouble, and so for step one of the unit, we have pre-story knowledge activation. So you have access to a KWL chart. You have access to a virtual field trip. You have access to all the activities for pre-story knowledge activation.
Then for step two, you have access to the YouTube video for the read-aloud, so you don't even have to get the book. You can just pull up the video and use that. And then it just goes on and on for the rest of the unit.
Like step four is very meaty, and we have a lot of activities linked there.
Like I said, you can just click and go. You literally don't have to print a thing if you don't want to.
Now I do prefer to have some paper activities, and so we have a tab where you can just click and open your favorite materials and just print them out.
We have color or black line versions. And in the next episode, I'll talk a little bit more about organizing all of that and what that might look like. But you do have the option to print if you prefer, and that would just add a few minutes onto your therapy planning time.
If you're scheduling your sessions in SLP Now, you can attach the therapy plan to your sessions. It'll help you keep track of where you are in each unit for each group because you can check off the steps, and then the next time you go into the session, it'll remember what you did last time, and you just pick up where you left off.
If you have your own paper data sheets, you would just wanna make a note of which activity you left off on or what you wanna do next session, just so you can keep track of where you are in the unit for each group.
So you just make the decision, okay, which units am I going to use across my caseload? And then, there is a little bit of planning within the session. The best therapy planning happens in the session.
And I do my little mini micro planning within the session as we're wrapping up the session. And so wherever you're keeping your notes, whether it's digital or paper, I just jot down a quick note about where I wanna pick up next time.
Like I said, if you're using SLP Now, you can check off the steps that you complete and that automatically is your planning.
You really do your best therapy planning when you're in the group with students.
"Okay, these strategies are working really well."
And you can jot that down, too. And then you can jot down notes of, okay, we just did the KWL chart. We really need a virtual field trip before we dive into the book walk and all of that. So you can jot down those notes, and then you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time.
You're giving your future self a reminder of where you left off and what you think will work best based on what you know about your students. A quick summary of what this looks like in practice. You sit down before the month starts. You open the Therapy Plan Assistant in SLP Now. You select your segments. You favorite the units that you wanna use for that month. An optional step is to attach those plans to your sessions. Then another optional step is to print some of the materials as well, but then you're done. Everything else happens in the flow of your actual sessions.
You don't have to do any other prep or work or planning. It's just a couple clicks, and that's all you need. So that's a peek at what your therapy planning routine could look like. And then in the next episode, we're going to talk about organizing all of the materials and making that process as easy as possible.

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FAQ

How can I plan a month of speech therapy in one sitting?

Group your caseload into segments by grade and goals. Pick one literacy-based therapy unit for each segment before the month starts. Then do a little planning at the end of each session by jotting down where you want to pick up next time.

What is a caseload segment?

A caseload segment is a group of students who can share the same type of unit, based on their grades and goals. Segmenting lets one unit serve many groups, so you plan a few units instead of a plan for every group.

Do I have to print materials for literacy-based therapy units?

No. In SLP Now, the unit activities are digital, and the read-aloud is linked as a YouTube video, so you don't even need the book. If you like paper, you can print your favorite activities in color or black line.

How do I keep track of where each group is in a unit?

At the end of each session, jot a quick note about where you want to pick up next time. If you schedule sessions in SLP Now, you can attach the therapy plan and check off steps, and it remembers where you left off.

How to Segment Your Caseload and Plan in a Fraction of the Time

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If therapy planning is taking over your evenings, segmenting your caseload is the strategy that makes the biggest difference. Instead of planning for each student or each group, you split your caseload into a few segments. Each segment gets one unit. You plan that unit once and run it with every group in that segment for the whole month. For a preschool through 5th grade caseload, that means planning about 3 to 4 units total. Even if you have 100 students.

In this post, I’ll show you what this looks like for an elementary caseload and a secondary caseload. I’ll also share how to keep your segments flexible, how to add variety when you’re ready, and why using the same text across groups is great for you and your students.

What Is the Caseload Segmentation Strategy in Speech Therapy?

Most of us learned to plan student by student or group by group. With a big caseload, that adds up fast. Every group means a new set of choices about what to use and how to use it. The caseload segmentation strategy cuts all of that down.

Plan One Unit for Each Segment

A segment is a set of groups that can share the same unit. You choose one unit for each segment. You plan it once. Then you slot it into every group in that segment for the month.

So instead of asking, “What am I doing with my 10:30 group?” you ask a much simpler question. “Which segment is this group in?” The answer tells you which unit to grab.

Key Takeaway: You plan for each segment, not for each group.

Why Fewer Planning Decisions Make a Big Difference

When I plan this way, my decisions go from about 5,000 a week to about 10 a week. And that 10 includes the small tweaks I make for certain groups.

That’s a lot of brain space back. Planning stops being a pile of tiny choices. It becomes a few clear ones. And the energy I used to spend deciding now goes to my students.

How to Segment a Preschool Through 5th Grade Caseload

Let’s make this concrete. Say I have a preschool through 5th grade caseload. Here’s how I might split it into three segments.

Segment 1: An Early Language Picture Book for Preschool

For my first segment, I’d pick an early language picture book. This is a really simple story. I’d use it with my preschoolers and my younger kindergartners, the ones who need a little more support.

Segment 2: A Picture Book for Kindergarten Through 2nd Grade

For my second segment, I’d choose a picture book. I’d use it with my K through 2nd grade students.

Segment 3: A Fiction or Nonfiction Article for 3rd Through 5th Grade

For my third segment, I’d use a fiction or a nonfiction article with my 3rd through 5th graders. It depends on where my students are.

If I have a lot of range in 3rd through 5th grade, I might do both. One fiction article and one nonfiction article. That gives me four segments.

Key Takeaway: For preschool through 5th grade, I’d have 3 to 4 segments. That means I’m planning 3 to 4 units for my entire caseload. Even with 100 students, I plan those units once and slot them into the right groups.

How to Segment a Middle School and High School Caseload

Secondary caseloads look a little different. With 6th through 12th graders, I might not split by grade at all. Instead, I’d focus more on the skills we’re working on. Here’s an example with four segments.

Fiction Articles for Narrative Goals

I might use a fiction article for students who have narrative-based goals. A story gives them lots of chances to practice retelling, story parts, and sequencing.

Nonfiction Articles for Expository Text and Summarizing

Then I might use a nonfiction article for students who are a little higher level. These students might be working on expository text and summarizing.

Science Experiment Units for Social Language and Higher-Level Skills

Next, I might use a science experiment unit. This is a great fit for students working on social language, executive function, and higher-level language skills like inferencing. There’s planning, teamwork, and a lot to talk about.

Vocational Videos for Functional Communication and AAC Users

Last, I might use a vocational video for students working on functional communication goals and for my AAC users.

If you haven’t seen a vocational video before, here’s what it is. We have units in SLP Now where we worked with secondary students to create peer modeling videos. The videos show different functional, real-life scenarios. They’re really fun.

Key Takeaway: For secondary students, you can segment by skill instead of by grade.

How to Choose the Right Therapy Units for Each Segment

Once you know your segments, you need units to fill them. You can absolutely make your own. I’m sure you already have a lot of materials you love.

Using Units You Already Have

You don’t need anything fancy to start. A good book or article plus a few language-rich activities can carry a segment for a month. If you want ideas for making one book work across different goals, I wrote about using books with mixed groups here.

Getting Support from SLP Now

All of the units I mentioned have versions in SLP Now. That includes fiction, nonfiction, science experiment, and vocational video units. Each one gives you the targets, the activities, and everything you need to run it.

If you’re looking at your caseload thinking, “Okay, but which units would I use for which groups?” we can help with that too. SLP Now has a tool where you plug in the grades you work with and the goals you’re targeting. It recommends units for you. Then you get the actual units to use.

Every Unit Still Targets Every Goal

One worry I hear a lot is, “If everyone uses the same unit, how do I hit all the different goals?” The units all have language-rich activities. They’re still great for targeting all of our students’ goals, even in mixed groups. For more on this, check out my 5 rules for literacy-based therapy with mixed groups.

How to Keep Your Caseload Segments Flexible

Segments are a starting point. They’re meant to make planning easier, so they should bend when your students need them to. You don’t have to decide anything forever.

Assign Units, Then Adjust as You Go

First, pick your units. Then go through your schedule and assign them. “My Monday 10:00 group gets this one. My 10:30 group gets that one.” Use your best judgment about what makes sense.

As you go, pay attention. Maybe you notice a group would do better with the early language book than the picture book. Then switch it. If it’s not working, switch it up. Some students might need to step away from the unit for a while, and that’s okay too.

Use Your Own Criteria

You don’t have to use the same grade cutoffs as me. Choose what makes the most sense for your caseload.

Maybe you push in for certain groups, and a science experiment fits best in that classroom. Great. Put those groups in that segment. You can use any criteria you want to decide which unit fits which group.

Key Takeaway: Pick one, take your best guess, and see how it works.

Start Simple and Add More Variety Over Time

If you’re feeling super overwhelmed right now, like “Please save me, I’m drowning,” segmenting your caseload is a really great place to start. You don’t need tons of variety to deliver great therapy. As your capacity grows, you can add more.

Using Classroom Texts When You’re Ready

Once I got the hang of things, teachers started sharing the texts they were using in class. So for some of my upper elementary groups, I stopped picking my own fiction or nonfiction article. I just used the article that grade or classroom was already reading.

Pulling From the Curriculum

I felt like I had room to do something a little different for a few groups. So I started pulling more from the curriculum instead of choosing topics I thought were relevant.

That was a step I took once I was ready. It wasn’t where I started. And it doesn’t have to be where you start either.

Why Using the Same Text Across Groups Helps Your Students

I want to come back to this, because it matters. You might worry that using the same picture book or article with many groups short-changes your students, or that it’s lazy. I promise, it doesn’t, and it isn’t. Using the same text actually makes your clinical thinking really sharp.

Knowing the Text Frees Up Your Brain

Think about everything you juggle in a session. Multiple students. Multiple goals. A bunch of other things you’re figuring out in the moment.

When you know the text really well, that’s one less thing to think about. You can put your focus on your students and what they need right then.

A Repeatable Structure Helps Students Make Progress

Your students get the same benefit. When the structure repeats, they don’t spend so much effort just figuring out what’s going on. They can put that energy into the skills they’re working on, which helps them make more progress.

I Thought I’d Get Bored (I Didn’t)

I’ll be honest. I was nervous when I first tried this. I thought I’d get bored using the same text over and over.

Instead, I got more creative. I’d catch myself thinking, “Wow, Marisha. You thought of that? That was a really cool way to target that skill.” Or, “Wow, that worked way better than I thought.” Or, “This student is making a ton of progress because I’m helping them in a slightly different way.”

It was really cool to see how much this helped me show up as a clinician. And my students benefited too.

Key Takeaway: Repeating a text gives you and your students more room to focus on the skills that matter.

Recap: How to Segment Your Speech Therapy Caseload

Segmenting your caseload is the planning strategy that makes the biggest difference. Here’s the quick version:

  • Split your caseload into 3 to 4 segments, by grade band or by skill.
  • Give each segment one unit for the month.
  • Plan each unit once and run it with every group in that segment.
  • Switch units anytime a group needs something different.
  • Add more variety, like classroom texts, as your capacity grows.

If you’d like help picking units for your segments, SLP Now can recommend units based on your grades and goals, and give you everything you need to run them. You can start a free trial here and try it with your own caseload.

Transcript

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We are going to dive into how to segment our caseload and reduce our planning time. So this is the big, big strategy that makes the biggest difference.
So what the caseload segmentation strategy is... instead of planning for each student or each group, we segment our caseload and each segment gets one unit. We just plan that unit once and we run it across every group in that segment for the whole month.
So let me get a little bit more specific with what this actually looks like.
Let's say that I have a preschool through fifth grade caseload.
I might create three segments for that caseload.
So segment one might be for an early language picture book, so a really simple story for my preschoolers and my younger kindergartners, like the kindergartners who need a little more support.
For the second segment, I might choose a picture book and use that with my K through two students.
And then for segment three, depending on where the students are at, I might use a fiction or a nonfiction article for my third through fifth graders. If I have a lot of variability in third through fifth grade, I might do a fiction and a nonfiction and have four segments. But for pre- preschool through fifth grade, I would have between three and four segments, and that means that I'm only planning three to four units for my entire caseload.
Even if I have 100 students, I'm planning those units and slotting them into the appropriate group.
Another example, if I'm working with sixth through 12th graders, I might not do it by grade band and just focus a little bit more on the types of skills that we're targeting if I'm working with a secondary caseload, but I might use a fiction article for students who have narrative-based goals.
And then I might use a nonfiction article for students who are a little bit higher level, working on more expository text summarizing.
I might use a science experiment unit for students working on social language, executive function, higher level language skills like inferencing.
And then I might use a vocational video for my students working on functional communication goals or my AAC users. If you're not familiar with a vocational video, we have units in SLP Now and we worked with secondary students to create peer modeling videos in different functional scenarios, and so those are really fun.
All of the units that I mentioned, the fiction, nonfiction, science experiment, vocational video, we have units for those in SLP Now where it gives you all of the targets and the activities and everything that you need to implement those units. And you can absolutely create your own units, and I'm sure that you already have a lot of materials at your disposal.
If you're looking for a little bit of support with that, SLP Now has a tool where you can plug in the grades that you're working with and the goals that you're targeting, and it'll recommend units for you. So if you're listening to this and you're like, "Okay, this is my caseload. I'm not quite sure which units I would wanna use for which groups," we can help you with that, and then we'll also give you the actual units.
And some important things to note, the segments are not meant to be rigid. So you might select your units, and then you would say, "Okay, my Monday 10:00 AM group gets this one, 10:30 gets this one," and you can decide what unit you think makes sense. But as you're going through it, if it's not working and you're like, "Oh, we actually would benefit from using the early language book more than the picture book," then you can absolutely switch that.
If it's not working, then switch it up. Maybe some students need to step away from the unit for a while. It's totally flexible, but it just helps reduce our decisions from 5,000 a week to 10 a week, if we're including some of those customizations. They don't have to be rigid.
You don't have to decide for forever. You can just pick one and take your best guess and then see how it works.
And the units all have language-rich activities. They're still great for targeting all of our students' goals. That's what we spent all of last month talking about, in terms of how to use a unit.
So there's lots and lots of options here And you don't have to use the same grade cutoffs as me. You can choose, what makes the most sense.
Maybe you do push-in for certain groups and you feel like the science experiment would be the best activity to use for those groups. You can absolutely use your own custom criteria to decide which unit makes sense for which groups.
Segmenting your caseload is a really great place to start if you are feeling super overwhelmed and you're like, "Please save me, I am drowning."
But as your capacity grows, you can add more variety, but you don't have to have that variety to deliver really awesome therapy. Once I got the hang of things, teachers would share texts that they were using in the classroom. And so instead of using kind of my best selection for a fiction or nonfiction article for my upper elementary students, I might just use the article that they're using in that grade or in that classroom.
I felt like I had capacity to do something a little bit different for a few of my groups. And so I started pulling more specifically from the curriculum instead of trying to select topics that I thought were relevant And so you have options to step things up and add more variety over time.
We talked about this a lot last month, but I want to reiterate this. Using the same texts across multiple groups, like using the same picture book or the same article across multiple groups isn't short-changing your students. It's not being lazy. It actually makes your clinical thinking really sharp.
I was nervous at first. I thought I would get bored, but it was really, really cool when I started implementing this. There are so many things that we have to wrap our heads around in a session. We have multiple students in front of us, multiple goals, multiple factors that we're figuring out throughout the session.
And being really familiar with the text that we're using reduces the number of things that we have to think about, and we can really focus more on our students and what they need. If we have a more repeatable structure, it also helps our students, be able to make more progress because they're not having to spend so much cognitive effort just figuring out what's going on.
They have the same kind of experience as we are.
When I started implementing this, I was worried that I would be bored. But it was so cool to see how creative I got, and I would just, like, be like, "Wow, Marisha. Like, you thought of that? That was a really cool way to target that skill."
Or, "Oh, wow, that was really, really awesome." or, "Wow, that worked way better than I thought." or, "Wow, this student is making a ton of progress because I'm helping them in a slightly different way." And so it's just really, really cool to see how much that can help us show up as clinicians and how that benefits our students as well.
I hope that this was a helpful overview of how to segment your caseload. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

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FAQ

What is caseload segmentation in speech therapy?

Caseload segmentation means you split your caseload into a few segments. Each segment gets one unit for the month. You plan that unit once, then use it with every group in that segment.

How many segments should a school-based SLP use?

For a preschool through 5th grade caseload, I usually use 3 to 4 segments. That means planning 3 to 4 units for the whole caseload, even with 100 students.

Is it okay to use the same book with multiple speech therapy groups?

Yes. When you know a text well, you have fewer things to juggle in a session, so you can focus on your students. A repeatable structure also helps students make more progress, because they spend less effort figuring out what's going on.

How do you segment a middle school or high school caseload?

Instead of grade bands, I group by the skills students are working on. For example, a fiction article for narrative goals, a nonfiction article for expository text and summarizing, a science experiment unit for social language, executive function, and inferencing, and a vocational video for functional communication goals and AAC users.

Why Therapy Planning Takes So Long (It’s Not a You Problem)

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Therapy planning takes so long when we are trying to plan every session from scratch, manage a big school-based caseload, and work without a clear system for data and materials. The answer is not to work longer hours. The answer is to build a better planning system. In this article, I am breaking down why session-by-session planning wears us out, what makes therapy feel reactive instead of intentional, and how The Unit-Based Planning Method can help us save time while still running really, really great sessions.

Why therapy planning takes so long for school-based SLPs

If you are managing a school-based caseload, you are likely juggling a lot more than therapy. You might have 30, 40, 50, or even more than 100 students. Some students are seen multiple times a week. Some are in mixed groups. Some need very different levels of support.

When we look at that reality, it makes sense that therapy planning can start to feel impossible. We are not just planning one lesson. We are trying to coordinate dozens of goals, personalities, schedules, materials, and follow-up tasks, all while keeping up with the rest of the school workload.

The math gets overwhelming fast

It is easy to underestimate how quickly the planning load adds up. If you have a large caseload and you are seeing students multiple times a week, the number of lessons you could technically plan gets huge. Even if you are planning for groups instead of individual students, most SLPs are still running 20, 30, or 40 groups each week.

That is why planning unique activities for every single student, or even every single group, every single week is just not realistic. It is not a motivation problem. It is not because you need to be more disciplined. It is a workload problem.

The school workload does not pause for planning

Therapy planning does not happen in a vacuum. We are planning while also managing IEPs, progress notes, billing, meetings, referrals, makeup sessions, evaluations, and all the other little things that somehow take a big bite out of the day.

By the time we sit down to plan, we are often already mentally tired. That is part of why planning can feel so heavy. It is not just the task itself. It is the fact that planning gets stacked on top of everything else.

The Session-by-Session Planning Trap

One of the biggest reasons therapy planning takes so long is that many of us were never shown a sustainable planning system. So we end up doing what feels responsible in the moment. We plan session by session.

I did this too. When I was a CF, I planned one session at a time. In my second year, I had a caseload in the triple digits. I was working all nights and weekends trying to put together fun therapy activities. Sometimes I would kind of crash and burn. Students would be walking in the door, and I would be looking around the room thinking, “Okay, what are we gonna grab for these students?”

Both ends of that spectrum are exhausting. We do not want to spend late nights planning, printing, cutting, and laminating materials that might flop. But we also do not want to fly by the seat of our pants while students are literally walking through the door.

When every week starts from zero

Session-by-session planning means we are constantly starting over. Every new group can feel like a brand new puzzle. What activity should I use? How do I keep everyone engaged? How do I target different goals at the same time? What materials do I even have ready?

When we ask ourselves those questions over and over again, planning becomes slow because there is no system doing any of the lifting. We are relying on decision-making energy every single time. That is exhausting.

Why inconsistent planning creates inconsistent sessions

When we are always reinventing the wheel, our sessions can feel inconsistent. We might have one really, really, really amazing session and then a session that completely flops with the same group. Not because we suddenly became worse clinicians, but because the system around us is shaky.

That inconsistency creates stress. It also makes it harder to build momentum for students. If every session feels different in a scattered way, it is harder to stay intentional. Therapy starts to feel reactive instead of purposeful.

It is not a you problem

This is the part I really want you to hear. If therapy planning takes a long time for you, that does not mean you are bad at your job. It does not mean you are lazy. It does not mean you are missing some magical productivity trick everyone else knows.

You are likely a really talented SLP. You have great ideas. You can put together amazing therapy sessions. You are just spread too thin, and you need more structure.

That shift matters. When we treat therapy planning like a personal failure, we add shame to an already hard situation. When we treat it like a systems problem, we can actually solve it.

Grad school taught us one thing, school reality teaches us another

A lot of us were trained to write detailed therapy plans for every single session. That can be a useful exercise in grad school. It helps us think through goals, prompts, scaffolds, and data collection. I understand why programs teach it that way.

But that model does not translate well to a full school caseload. Sustainable, efficient therapy planning is not something many of us learned in grad school. We had to figure it out later, often after a lot of overwhelm.

Structure does not replace your clinical magic

Sometimes people worry that a more streamlined planning system will make therapy feel less personalized. I do not see it that way at all. Structure is what gives us room to bring our clinical magic into the mix.

When we are not scrambling to invent every activity from scratch, we have more energy to notice what students need, respond in the moment, and make thoughtful adjustments. The system supports the clinician. It does not replace the clinician.

The Unit-Based Planning Method

So what does a better way actually look like? For me, it starts with The Unit-Based Planning Method. Instead of planning session by session, I plan by units.

A unit covers a full month of therapy. That means I plan the core structure once, then use it across multiple sessions and groups. Right away, that cuts down the amount of planning I have to do.

Plan once, use it all month

When I plan by units, I am not creating a brand new plan for every single session. I am building a strong foundation that can carry me through the month. The text, topic, routines, and materials stay stable enough to save time, but flexible enough to support different students and goals.

This is one of the biggest mindset shifts. We do not need novelty every time in order for therapy to be effective. In fact, consistency often helps students engage more deeply because they know the routine and can focus on the learning.

Why three to four units can cover an entire caseload

For most SLPs, three to four units can cover the whole caseload. That might sound surprising at first, especially if you are used to matching a different activity to every group. But once we start thinking in terms of themes, routines, and adaptable targets, it becomes much more doable.

The goal is not to make every student do the exact same thing in the exact same way. The goal is to create a shared structure that makes planning manageable. Then we individualize within that structure.

Here is what that can look like:

  • Choose a unit topic or text. Pick something rich enough to support multiple goals.
  • Set a simple session routine. Use a repeatable flow so you are not rebuilding the session every time.
  • Match goals within the unit. Students can work on different targets while participating in the same general activity.
  • Adjust supports, not the whole plan. Change cues, prompts, response expectations, or extension tasks based on student needs.

That is what working smarter, not harder can look like in a school setting.

How I individualize without starting over

This is where the magic happens. Once the unit is planned, I can focus on how each student is engaging with it. One student might work on answering comprehension questions. Another might practice using target vocabulary. Another might work on articulation carryover while participating in the discussion.

I am not building three separate sessions. I am using one strong framework and layering in the supports each student needs. That keeps therapy intentional, but much more sustainable.

The Data Clarity System

Another piece of efficient therapy planning is knowing exactly where students are. If we are guessing, planning takes longer. We spend more time wondering what to target, how much support to give, and whether we should move on or stay the course.

That is why I think of this as The Data Clarity System. It does not have to be fancy, but it does need to be consistent.

You need to know where each student is

To do efficient therapy planning, we really need to know where each student is. If the data lives in sticky notes, random logs, or half-finished forms, planning becomes a scavenger hunt. We end up spending precious time searching for information instead of making decisions.

A streamlined data system changes that. It helps us see progress quickly. It makes it easier to group students, choose the right level of support, and know what to do next.

Data cuts down on decision fatigue

One of the sneakiest drains on our energy is decision fatigue. Therapy planning is not just one decision. It is hundreds of tiny decisions layered on top of all the other choices we are making during the week.

When we have a clear data system, some of those decisions get easier. We are not asking, “What should I do with this student?” from scratch every time. We have information to guide us. That lowers the mental load in a big way.

The Ready-to-Teach Toolkit

The other thing that makes therapy planning really hard is not having the right teaching tools. If we have to build activities from scratch every time, of course planning takes forever.

That is why I like to think in terms of a Ready-to-Teach Toolkit. We want a set of materials that makes good therapy easier to deliver.

Stop building every activity from scratch

Creating everything ourselves might feel productive in the moment, but it is usually not sustainable. When we are always starting from a blank page, we lose time to searching, prepping, printing, and second-guessing.

Having go-to materials changes the equation. We can spend less time making the therapy happen and more time actually delivering it well. That might include unit plans, books, visuals, routines, data tools, and adaptable activities that work across groups.

Prep can be light, or even zero prep

One thing I love about a solid unit-based system is that the prep can vary based on your season. Sometimes you may have time to prep a little more. Sometimes you need something that is as close to zero prep as possible.

Both can work. The point is not to create a perfect Pinterest-worthy setup. The point is to create a therapy system that supports strong sessions without eating your evenings and weekends.

A simple monthly therapy planning process

If you want to make this practical, here is a simple planning flow you can try this month. It does not need to be complicated to be effective.

  • Pick three to four units for the month. Choose topics, texts, or themes that can support a range of goals.
  • Map groups to those units. Decide which groups will use which unit and where you may need small adjustments.
  • Create a repeatable session routine. Keep the flow familiar so students know what to expect and you do not have to rethink every step.
  • Gather a small set of flexible materials. Focus on tools you can reuse, not one-off activities.
  • Use data to guide weekly tweaks. Adjust support levels and targets as needed without rebuilding the whole plan.

This kind of process gives you structure without boxing you in. It helps you show up prepared, but it still leaves room for your judgment and creativity.

What changes when you stop planning session by session

When I shifted away from session-by-session planning, it was a complete game changer. I was no longer working around the clock trying to keep up. I had a system. I could see what I was doing and why I was doing it. Therapy felt calmer and more sustainable.

That does not mean every day became perfect. School-based work is still school-based work. Schedules change. Groups are mixed. Random things pop up. But a strong system gives us something steady to come back to.

Students get more consistency

Students benefit when our therapy is consistent. They know the routine. They get repeated exposure to language, strategies, and supports. We are able to build momentum instead of starting over every time.

That consistency can make sessions feel smoother for everyone in the room. It also gives us better information about what is actually working.

You get more calm, clarity, and breathing room

Just as important, you get some of your brain space back. Instead of making five million planning decisions every week, you have a smaller set of high-value choices. That can help therapy feel more intentional and less frantic.

You also get the chance to protect your time a little better. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to stop needing late nights and last-minute scrambling just to make therapy happen.

A better way to plan therapy

If therapy planning has been taking too long, I hope this gives you a different lens. You do not need to squeeze more effort out of yourself. You need a system that matches the reality of your caseload.

Planning by units, using a streamlined data system, and relying on ready-to-teach materials can make a huge difference. That is how we move from reactive therapy to intentional therapy. That is how we support students well without expecting ourselves to reinvent the wheel every week.

If you want help building a system like this, you can explore the free trial of SLP Now. It is a simple next step if you are ready for more support with therapy planning, materials, and systems that help you work smarter, not harder.

Transcript

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Today we are chatting about therapy planning and why it takes so long. If you're managing a school-based caseload, you likely have, 30, 40, 50, upwards of 100 students, depending on where you are. That means that we could technically be planning the same number of lessons for our students times two if we're seeing them multiple times a week, or even more than that.
and it's just not realistic to plan unique activities for every single student on our caseload every single week. And even if we're planning for groups, most SLPs are running at least 20, 30, 40 groups every week, and creating a new therapy plan for that with the school-based workload, there just isn't enough time to set that up.
A lot of SLPs are planning session by session. I was doing this as a CF. In my second year, I had a caseload in the triple digits, and I was working all nights and weekends trying to put together fun therapy activities, and then I would kinda crash and burn sometimes.
Students would be walking in the door, and I would be looking around the room like, "Okay, what are we gonna grab for these students?" So both of those scenarios are not ideal. We don't wanna be planning and printing and cutting and laminating materials that inevitably flop late at night, or the opposite, flying by the seat of our pants and just coming up with a plan as students are walking in the door.
There is a better way to do things where we are prepared for our students, but we're not having to plan last minute or really late into the evening, and take our personal time to make that happen while still having really, really great sessions. So that's what we're going to spend this series diving into.
We all are very familiar with the results that we get when we are using that type of planning. Our sessions are inconsistent. We might have one really, really, really amazing session and then a session that completely flops with the same group. And then we're just not being consistent from session to session.
We're having decision fatigue because we're having to make five million decisions about our therapy planning on top of all of the decisions that we're making about our caseload, with IEPs and progress notes and billing and all of those things. It just adds thousands and thousands of decisions to every single week.
And, our therapy starts to feel really reactive instead of being intentional.
You're a really talented SLP, and you have great ideas, and you can put together amazing therapy sessions.
You're just spread too thin, and you just need a little bit more structure and some strategies to make it easier to implement that.
And no one really teaches us how to plan efficiently. In grad school, we have to write these massive therapy plans for every single session, which can be a good exercise and it helps us demonstrate our thinking and a lot of that does become more automatic over time.
So I understand why they do it that way in grad school, but it's not realistic for what we're doing in the schools. And maybe if you have a really cool schools placement, your supervisor there taught you some tips and tricks, but sustainable efficient therapy planning is not something that I learned in grad school at all.
I didn't figure it out until a few years into my career. That's why I'm extra, extra excited about this series here. Two things that make therapy planning particularly difficult is not having a streamlined data system because to do efficient therapy planning, we really need to know where each student is. We can't be guessing at where they're at. And so having that solid data system will make a big difference. And then the second thing that makes therapy planning really hard is not having the correct teaching tools and having to build activities from scratch every time. Like we wanna have a set of materials that really help make this possible.
And so what therapy planning looks like when you have some strategies in place is that you don't have to plan session by session. You start planning by units, which significantly decreases your therapy planning time and your units cover a full month of therapy, and you just have to plan it once and you get to use it all month.
And there's varying degrees of prep involved depending on where you're at, but you could potentially do this with zero prep.
For most SLPs, we can have three to four units to cover our entire caseload.
So we're just planning those three to four units and then, we implement strategies within our sessions to really individualize that instruction and bring our clinical magic into the mix. So that's what therapy planning could look like, and we're gonna spend the next few episodes really diving into all of that.
Like I said, I was managing a caseload in the triple digits, and I was completely drowning. And I started digging through the research trying to figure out a better way to serve my students because I was working around the clock. I wasn't seeing the progress that I wanted to see, and that was really frustrating for how hard I was working. And so that's what led me to dive into the research. It's been a complete game changer having these systems. This was about 12 years ago, and so I'm excited to share all the things that I've learned and refined over time, and I hope that this series ends up being really helpful.
And if you are in that therapy planning overwhelm, I hope you walk away with some really great strategies that help make that easier for you.

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FAQ

Why does therapy planning take so long?

It often takes so long because SLPs plan every session from scratch while also managing large caseloads, groups, IEPs, progress notes, billing, and other school based responsibilities.

What is unit based planning?

Unit based planning means planning one unit that can support a full month of therapy instead of creating a brand new plan for every session.

How many units do most SLPs need?

For most SLPs, three to four units can cover an entire caseload. Data and clinical strategies help individualize instruction for each student.

What systems make therapy planning easier?

A streamlined data system and the right teaching tools make planning easier because you know where each student is and do not have to build every activity from scratch.

Making It Work With Expository Text (for Upper Elementary + Secondary)

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Expository text can absolutely work in literacy-based therapy with older students. I use the same five-step framework, but I make a few simple swaps. I change Pre-Story Knowledge Activation to Pre-Reading Knowledge Activation. I swap the story grammar organizer for a graphic organizer that matches the structure of the text. I keep shared reading and focused skill activities the same. Then, instead of a parallel story, I have students recreate or repurpose what they read through something more age-appropriate, like a newscast, a debate, or a narrative inspired by the article. The framework does not fundamentally change. The goal is still multiple meaningful exposures, contextualized language-rich therapy, and activities that connect to a student’s school day.

How to Use Expository Text in Literacy-Based Therapy for Older Students

If you have ever looked at a literacy-based therapy framework and thought, “This makes sense for stories, but what do I do with nonfiction?” you are not alone. I hear that question a lot, especially from SLPs working with upper elementary and secondary students.

When students get older, their school day shifts. They are listening to lectures. They are reading textbooks. They are expected to pull information from science articles, social studies passages, classroom handouts, and all kinds of nonfiction materials. If I want therapy to feel relevant, I need to keep that reality in mind.

That is why I love using expository text. It gives me a way to target comprehension, vocabulary, inferencing, executive function, and social language in a context that actually matches what students are doing in class. It is a simple way to keep therapy functional while still making it engaging. That is working smarter, not harder.

Key takeaway: Older students do not need a completely different framework. They just need a few thoughtful adaptations.

Why Expository Text Belongs in Therapy for Upper Elementary and Secondary Students

One of the biggest wins with expository text is that it helps me start with generalization in mind. I am not targeting skills in isolation. I am embedding them in a task that looks and feels a lot more like the student’s actual day.

Students in upper elementary, middle school, and high school spend so much time trying to comprehend information that is presented through reading, discussion, lecture, and class activities. They have to organize ideas, figure out the main point, hold onto supporting details, and explain what they learned. Those are the exact kinds of language demands that show up in therapy goals.

When I use expository text, I can give students multiple meaningful exposures to the same vocabulary, concepts, and language structures. We activate background knowledge. We read and discuss. We organize information. We use that information again in a new task. That repetition is powerful because it is tied to meaning, not busy work.

I also think expository text opens up a world of options. If a student is not connecting with a traditional story-based activity, I am not stuck. I can pull from science, social studies, career exploration, classroom materials, or high-interest articles. That makes it much easier to find something that actually resonates with the group in front of me.

Real academic relevance matters

For older students, relevance matters. A lot. If a text feels too young, they know it. If an activity feels disconnected from their world, they know that too.

That is why I do not want to rely on picture books for the vast majority of students as they move into the higher grades. Instead, I want to use texts that feel age-appropriate and connected to their curriculum, interests, and communication needs. When I make that shift, I usually get better buy-in and better discussion.

Key takeaway: Expository text gives older students contextualized support in a format that fits their real academic demands.

My Five-Step Adaptation for Expository Text

I still use the same overall literacy-based therapy framework. I just make a few strategic changes. You can think of this as the “Expository Text Adaptation Method.” The heart of the framework stays the same. I am simply changing the pieces that are tied to story structure.

Step 1: Shift to Pre-Reading Knowledge Activation

In a story-based framework, Step 1 is often called Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. For expository text, I just rename it Pre-Reading Knowledge Activation.

This is a small change, but it helps me stay focused on the purpose of the task. We are not getting ready for a story. We are getting ready to read an article or informational text.

At this stage, I still want students thinking, predicting, and connecting. I might use a KWL chart. I might look at the topic of the article and ask students what they already know. I might have them skim the title, headings, pictures, or first few lines. The goal is to get their brains moving before we dive in.

This is also where I use what I call the “Structure-Matched Organizer Strategy.” Instead of pulling out a story grammar organizer, I use a graphic organizer that matches the structure of the text. If the article is built around main idea and details, that is the organizer I use. If it is compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequence, or problem and solution, I match the organizer to that structure.

That one move makes a huge difference. Students are not just predicting random details. They are learning how to organize the type of information they are actually going to encounter.

  • Look at the title and topic
  • Skim pictures or headings if the text includes them
  • Activate background knowledge with a KWL chart or quick discussion
  • Predict the main idea and possible supporting details
  • Choose a graphic organizer that matches the text structure

Key takeaway: In Step 1, I keep the routine but shift the focus from story structure to text structure.

Step 2: Shared Reading Stays the Same

This is the easy part. Shared reading does not need to change.

We read the article. We pause to talk. We clarify vocabulary. We ask questions. We notice important details. We model thinking. All of that still works beautifully with expository text.

Sometimes I read the passage aloud and stop to think out loud. Sometimes we take turns. Sometimes I chunk the text into smaller parts so the students can process as we go. The delivery might vary based on the group, but the purpose does not change.

I still want reading to be active. I still want students engaging with the language. I still want them making meaning instead of passively hearing words go by.

If I have students who need more support, I can slow the pace and build in more discussion. If I have students who are ready for more independence, I can ask them to take the lead in identifying the main point, noticing signal words, or adding information to the organizer as we read.

Key takeaway: Shared reading still works. The text changed, but the interactive reading process did not.

Step 3: Change Post-Story Comprehension to Post-Reading Comprehension

In Dr. Ukrainetz’s framework, Step 3 is Post-Story Comprehension. For expository text, I change that to Post-Reading Comprehension.

Again, this is not a huge reinvention. It is a targeted swap. We skip the story grammar organizer because it is not relevant, and we go back to the same structure-matched graphic organizer we introduced in Step 1.

This consistency helps students in a big way. They saw the organizer before reading. They used it to make predictions. Now they use it again to sort and summarize what they actually learned. That gives them a clear bridge from background knowledge to comprehension.

I love this step because it makes abstract information much more manageable. Instead of asking students to hold the whole article in their heads, I am giving them a visual framework for organizing the information. That can support everything from answering comprehension questions to retelling the main points to explaining the content to someone else.

This step is also a great place to target inferencing and flexible thinking. Students can compare what they predicted to what they actually read. They can identify missing information. They can revise their thinking. That is powerful language work.

Key takeaway: Post-reading comprehension becomes much easier when students have a visual organizer that matches the way the text is built.

Step 4: Focused Skill Activities Stay the Same

Step 4 is where I target the student’s specific goals, and I do not need to change that just because the text is expository.

I can still work on vocabulary. I can still work on sentence formulation, syntax, inferencing, summarizing, describing, comparing, perspective taking, executive function, and so much more. The difference is that now I am doing it with language pulled from the article or activity we already explored together.

That context matters. Students are not being asked to jump into a disconnected drill. They are using familiar content from the shared reading experience. That usually makes it easier for them to stay engaged and to see how the skill applies beyond the therapy room.

For example, if we read a science article, we can target tiered vocabulary, category relationships, and explaining cause and effect. If we use a procedural or informational text, we can target sequencing, describing, and predicting. If the topic sparks discussion, we can target conversation skills, perspective taking, and organizing verbal responses.

This is where expository text becomes incredibly flexible. One article can support a mixed group really well because the shared context stays the same, even if each student’s goal looks a little different.

Key takeaway: Expository text gives me a shared context for individualized goals, which is one reason it works so well for mixed groups.

Step 5: Replace the Parallel Story With a Repurposing Task

This is the other big adaptation. In the story-based framework, Step 5 is a Parallel Story. With expository text, I replace that with what I think of as the “Repurpose the Summary Strategy.”

Instead of asking students to create a parallel story, I ask them to recreate or repurpose the summary of what they read in a way that feels more age-appropriate.

This is one of my favorite parts of the process because it gives students a reason to use the information again. They are not just answering a few questions and moving on. They are taking what they learned and doing something with it.

  • Record a newscast
  • Have a debate
  • Create a narrative inspired by the article
  • Teach the information to a partner or small group
  • Turn the content into a quick presentation or recap

I especially love the newscast idea. It is engaging, it feels more mature, and it gives students a natural reason to summarize key information clearly. A debate can also be a great fit when the topic lends itself to opinions, problem solving, or multiple viewpoints.

What I like most about this step is that it keeps the spirit of the framework intact. Students are still revisiting the content. They are still practicing language in a meaningful way. It just looks different because the text type is different.

Key takeaway: The final step should feel age-appropriate and purposeful. Repurposing the summary does exactly that.

Where to Find Good Expository Texts for Speech Therapy

Once you start thinking beyond picture books, you will realize there are so many good options.

I like to look for texts that are high-interest, relevant to the curriculum, and flexible enough to support the goals I am targeting. I do not need the perfect article. I just need a solid text that fits the group.

My favorite sources for older students

  • ReadWorks articles: These are some of my favorite options because they include both fiction and nonfiction, and you can find high-interest passages that connect to classroom content.
  • Classroom articles and handouts: If students are already working with a text in class, that can be a great place to start.
  • Textbooks: Short sections from science, social studies, or health texts can work really well.
  • Chapter book passages: If the class is reading a text with informational sections or strong academic language, I can pull from that too.
  • Science experiments: These are so fun, and they create natural opportunities for prediction, sequencing, collaboration, and explaining.
  • Vocational videos and functional communication materials: These can be a great fit for older students, especially when I want the content to feel practical and relevant.

If I am using a fiction article or short story, I can still use the story-based framework. I only make these modifications when I am working with expository text. That distinction is helpful because it keeps me from overcomplicating the planning process.

Key takeaway: You probably already have access to better expository texts than you think.

How I Decide Which Text Fits the Group Best

At the end of the day, clinical judgment drives which text fits your group best. That line is worth repeating because it takes the pressure off trying to find one perfect answer.

You know your students. You know what will resonate. You know which topics will get them talking and which ones will flop. You know how much support they need, how much background knowledge they have, and how far you can stretch them without losing them.

When I am choosing a text, I run it through a simple “Best Fit Filter.”

  • Is it age-appropriate?
  • Is it relevant to the student’s school day, interests, or goals?
  • Does it have a clear structure I can support with an organizer?
  • Can I use it to target the goals in this group?
  • Will it create opportunities for meaningful discussion or repurposing?

If the answer is yes to most of those questions, it is probably a good option.

I also try to remember that older students often feel like they do not have a lot of options. That is simply not true. When I use literacy-based therapy with expository text, the options multiply quickly. I can pull from the curriculum. I can use a science experiment. I can use a ReadWorks article. I can use vocational materials. I can build a session around a topic the students are already hearing about in class. There is so much to work with.

And if you are ever feeling stuck, that does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Sometimes it just means you need a framework for sorting through the options. That is one reason I love systems. They make it easier to make good decisions without reinventing everything from scratch.

A Simple Recap of the Main Takeaways

If you want to make literacy-based therapy work with expository text, you do not need to throw out the framework. You just need to adapt the parts that are tied to story structure.

  • Change Pre-Story Knowledge Activation to Pre-Reading Knowledge Activation.
  • Use a graphic organizer that matches the structure of the text.
  • Keep shared reading and focused skill activities the same.
  • Change Post-Story Comprehension to Post-Reading Comprehension.
  • Replace the parallel story with an age-appropriate repurposing task, like a newscast or debate.

The framework does not fundamentally change. The principles still apply. I am still giving students multiple meaningful exposures. I am still keeping therapy contextualized and language-rich. I am still thinking about generalization from the start.

And maybe most importantly, I am using materials that make sense for older students. That one shift can open up a world of options.

If you have been wondering how to make nonfiction or informational text fit into your sessions, I hope this gives you a simple place to start. Trust your judgment, keep the structure, and make the small tweaks that help the framework match the text in front of you.

Transcript

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Today, we are going to chat about how to make this framework work with expository text, especially for our older students.
Dr. Ukrainetz's framework talks a lot about stories. And if we're using an expository text, it's not a story. This is an adaptation that I've made. I think the principles still apply of giving students multiple meaningful exposures and using a context for therapy that is very contextualized.
We're not targeting these skills in isolation. We're really thinking about generalization from the start and embedding in activities that are relevant to a student's school day. They are being lectured at for hours and hours a day, and they have to be able to comprehend that information.
By using this framework, we give them those frameworks for organizing that information, and then being able to give them a bunch of language rich activities to target their goals as well. So, the modifications that we make across the five steps.
Step one is called Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. I would just change it to be like Pre-Reading Knowledge Activation. So we just look at the topic of the text or the article and fill in the information there. But we can still use the KWL chart. Instead of using a story grammar organizer for our inferencing activity, we would just use a, graphic organizer that represents the structure of the text. Instead of predicting the story structure, we're predicting the main idea and supporting details.
Instead of looking at the book, we're looking at the title. Maybe if there's pictures in the text, we can look at those and skimming the paragraphs. There's just little tweaks and adjustments that we make.
Then Step Two, Shared Reading. There's no changes there. We read the article.
Then Step Three is in Dr. Ukrainetz's framework, it's Post-Story Comprehension. So I would just change that to Post-Reading Comprehension.And then we would obviously skip the story grammar organizer because that's not relevant, and we would use a graphic organizer just like we did in Step One.
We use a graphic organizer that matches the structure of the text, and that's all we change there.
And then Step Four, our Focused Skill Activities. That's all the same. We still target our students' goals using vocabulary and activities based on the text.
And then Step Five in Dr. Ukrainetz's framework is a Parallel Story. Instead of that, students get to recreate or repurpose the summary of what they read. So with a lot of my students, I like to have them record newscasts. Depending on the goals and what we're working on, maybe I have them create a narrative text based on the article.
Maybe we have a debate. There's lots of different ways to repurpose it that is more age-appropriate.
The newscast, making a story inspired by the article, having a debate. Those are just some of my favorites.
In terms of where to find the texts, 'cause I don't think that picture books are relevant for the vast majority of students as they move into the higher grades. Some of my favorite sources are ReadWorks articles. They have great fiction and nonfiction articles.
If we're using a fiction article, like basically a short story, we can still use the story-based framework. We would only make the modifications that I mentioned for expository texts. But those are great options, and you can find really high-interest passages there that are relevant to the curriculum as well.
You can pull passages from their chapter books that they're reading in the classroom or from any textbooks. A lot of times they're using different articles in the classroom, so pulling from those.
I love using science experiments. I think those are really fun to use. And that would elicit a bunch of different text structures and all of that too. It's really great for, collaborating with peers, communicating with peers, kind of social language aspects, executive function, higher level language, like making predictions and all of that.
And then vocational videos are really fun in SLP Now. We have peer-modeled videos for functional communication, that can be really fun as well, and we help map out those units.
they're not quite literacy based. They're a little bit different, but we map out those units for older students as well, and we give you a month worth of activities to work through those.
The main takeaways here are that the framework doesn't fundamentally change. The principles of providing contextualized language-rich therapy apply across whatever text or context we're using in therapy.
I know that a lot of secondary SLPs feel like they don't have a lot of options, but if you're using literacy-based therapy, it just opens up a world of options, and we have so much that we can pull from, whether it's from ReadWorks, or from the curriculum, or a science experiment, or the vocational videos. There's so many options, and they are so, so fun.
The last takeaway here is that clinical judgment drives which text fits your group best. So you know your students and you know what will resonate and what makes the most sense for them. Trust your judgment when you're deciding what makes sense for a group or not.
In SLP Now, we help you dig through your caseload and decide which units would be helpful given your students' grades and the goals that they're targeting. You are the expert on your students, and you ultimately get to decide. But we do have some help for you if you're feeling like, "Oh, I'm working with these seventh and eighth graders, and I'm not sure what to do." If you plug that into SLP Now, we can give you some options, and then hopefully that'll help make the decision a little bit easier.
That is a wrap on our series. I hope this was helpful.
Let me know if you have any follow-up questions, and we'll see you again real soon.
​

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FAQ

How do I use literacy-based therapy with expository text?

I use the same five-step framework, but I make a few simple swaps. I change pre-story knowledge activation to pre-reading knowledge activation, match the graphic organizer to the structure of the text, and replace the parallel story with an age-appropriate way to repurpose the summary.

What kind of graphic organizer should I use for expository text?

I use a graphic organizer that matches the structure of the text. If the article is focused on main idea and details, cause and effect, or compare and contrast, I choose an organizer that helps students sort that information clearly.

Where can I find expository texts for older speech therapy students?

Some of my favorite options are ReadWorks articles, classroom articles, textbooks, chapter book passages, science experiments, and vocational videos. I look for texts that are high interest and relevant to the student’s school day.

What can students do instead of a parallel story?

I like having students recreate or repurpose what they read. Some of my favorite options are recording a newscast, having a debate, teaching the information to a partner, or creating a narrative inspired by the article.

Using One Book to Target Every Goal in Your Group

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If you’re wondering how to use one book to target every goal in a mixed speech therapy group, the short answer is this: pick one text, choose one session focus, and adapt the same language-rich activity for each student’s goal. I use WH question cards, conversation, focused stimulation, recasting, and simple supports like category pages to target articulation, grammar, and vocabulary in the same session. Then I reuse a few strategic texts across age bands so I am not planning 100 sessions a month.

This is one of my favorite ways to work smarter, not harder. It helps me plan faster, stay focused, and give each student meaningful practice without juggling a pile of disconnected activities. I do not need a different activity for every student’s goal. I need a strong text and a clear plan.

Why One Book Can Target Every Goal in a Mixed Group

When I first started thinking about mixed groups through a literacy-based therapy lens, one of the biggest mindset shifts was realizing that every activity in the literacy-based therapy framework is language-rich. That means I am not limited to using a book only for comprehension, or a set of WH question cards only for WH questions. A strong activity gives me multiple ways to target goals.

That matters because mixed groups are rarely neat and tidy. One student may be working on articulation. Another may be working on grammar. Another may be working on vocabulary, categories, or working memory. If I think I need a completely different activity for every single goal, therapy planning gets overwhelming fast.

But if I remember that we can target any goal with any activity, everything changes. I stop asking, what brand new material do I need for this student? Instead, I ask, how can I adapt this shared activity so each student gets meaningful practice? That question is a lot easier to answer.

A set of WH question cards is a perfect example. I can obviously target WH questions with it. But I can also target grammar, vocabulary, perspective taking, working memory, articulation, all of the things. The activity stays the same. The target changes.

Key takeaway: I am not matching one activity to one goal. I am using one language-rich activity to support several different goals in the same session.

The One Goal Per Session Method

One strategy that makes this feel a lot more manageable is what I think of as the One Goal Per Session Method. I talked about this in my session structure episodes, and it is one of the biggest reasons this framework feels sustainable instead of stressful.

Here is the basic idea. I pick one goal to focus on per session for each student. I am not trying to squeeze every possible target into every moment. I am deciding ahead of time what that student will practice during the shared activity.

This gives me clarity. It also keeps me from overplanning. I do not need six different activities, a cart full of supplies, and a color-coded spreadsheet to make the session work. I need one solid text, one shared routine, and a clear response demand for each student.

That does not mean the session becomes rigid. It actually gives me more flexibility. When I know the focus, I can listen more closely, respond in the moment, and adjust my prompts as needed. I am not scrambling to invent the plan while the group is already sitting in front of me.

A Real Example With Three Students

Let’s walk through a specific example. Let’s say I have three students in a group. One student is working on producing /k/ at the sentence level. Student two is working on past tense verbs. Student three is working on categories.

Now let’s say we use a comprehension activity with WH question cards. None of these students have WH questions as a goal. This is the point where it can be tempting to abandon the activity and pull something different for each student. But I do not need to do that.

For the student working on articulation, I can have them focus on using their target sound when responding to the questions. I might give them a sentence with their target sound in it, and that is what they get to practice. It is still related to the activity. It is still meaningful. And it gives me a natural way to build repetition without making the practice feel random.

For the student working on past tense verbs, I can have them produce those verbs in response to the questions. If we are talking about what happened in the story, that target is already built into the task. I can also use focused stimulation during conversation. I can do lots of recasting. There is a lot of evidence for targeting grammar goals in this way, rather than just doing a bunch of drill-based activities.

For the student working on categories, I can focus on vocabulary and category labels as we go. If they are working on naming the category for something, we can look at different responses and talk about what group those items belong in. Is that an animal? Is that a fruit? Is that food? Is that transportation? The student is practicing the goal inside a real discussion, not in isolation.

What matters most: everyone can participate in the same activity, even though each student is practicing something a little different.

How I Adapt WH Question Cards for Different Goals

WH question cards are simple, but they are also incredibly flexible. If I only see them as a comprehension tool, I miss so many opportunities. When I zoom out and think about the response instead of just the question, I can use them in a lot of different ways.

Using WH Questions for Crticulation

For articulation goals, I think about how I want the student to answer. Maybe I give them a sentence starter that includes their target sound. Maybe I have them answer in a full sentence. Maybe I choose target words from the text that include the sound we are practicing. The question creates the reason to talk, and the response gives us the articulation practice.

This keeps the student connected to the group. They are not off doing a disconnected drill while everyone else is discussing the text. They are participating in the same moment, with a response that matches their goal.

Using WH Questions for Grammar

For grammar goals, I think about the forms that fit naturally in the conversation. Past tense verbs are an easy fit when we are talking about what happened in the story. I can model the target form, pause for the student to fill it in, or recast their response. I can give the student multiple chances to hear and use the structure without making it feel forced.

This is one of the reasons I love contextualized therapy. I am not just hoping the student will generalize the skill later. I am helping them use it in a real language task right now.

Using WH Questions for Vocabulary and Categories

For vocabulary goals, I can focus on target words, word relationships, and categories as we respond to the questions. If the text includes a lot of animals and fruits, I can have the student be on the hunt for different examples. As they hear or say a word, they can decide where it belongs.

I also love using simple supports for this. Our units include the relevant categories in the text, book, or article. We can use category pages or worksheets during the teaching section of the session to review the concept and prime that before we dive into the discussion. Then, as we go through the questions, the student can fill in their category sheet. It is a small support, but it can make a big difference.

The Age Band Text Selection Method

Another big part of making this work is being strategic with the text itself. I like to segment this by age band. I am not using the exact same kind of book for every group on my caseload. I want the text to match the developmental level of the students and give me enough language to work with.

Here is the general pattern I use:

  • For preschoolers, I use a really simple book.
  • For early elementary, I like to use a picture book with full story grammar.
  • For upper elementary, I tend to move to nonfiction texts.
  • For older students, I love using science experiments and vocational videos.

I use something different depending on the flavor of the student’s goals. That part matters. I am not going to target complex syntax using a very, very simple picture book that I am using with my preschoolers. I still want the text to be appropriate for the language targets I am working on.

But I can absolutely use the same text across multiple groups within those age bands. That is the sweet spot. I am being thoughtful about selection, while also keeping the number of materials manageable.

How Using One Text Cuts Planning Time

This approach is not just clinically helpful. It is also one of the best time-saving systems I know. A lot of times, I can use the same text across multiple groups in those different age bands. That makes therapy planning way easier.

Instead of having to plan 100 sessions a month, I can plan those three to four units and implement the session structure we talked about in previous episodes. That is a very different workload. It means fewer materials to prep, fewer decisions to make, and a lot less mental clutter.

When I plan this way, I am not asking myself to reinvent the wheel every day. I already know the text. I already know the routine. I already know the likely prompts and supports I want to use. Now I just plug in the students’ session targets and go.

That is such a relief when caseloads are full and time is limited. I do not need more busywork. I need systems that help me show up prepared without spending all weekend planning. That is what this gives me.

Simple Planning Checklist:

  • Choose one strong text.
  • Choose one shared activity.
  • Pick one goal to focus on per student for that session.
  • Plan the response demand.
  • Add one support if needed.
  • Reuse the text across similar groups.

That is it. Simple does not mean watered down. Simple means sustainable.

Why Repetition Makes Me Better, Not Bored

One of my favorite parts of this approach is that it gives me more brain space to be really creative with my students. That might sound backwards at first, because using the same text multiple times can seem repetitive. But I have found the opposite to be true.

Because I am using that same text multiple times, I get really familiar with it. I know where the rich vocabulary is. I know where the discussion naturally opens up. I know which parts are great for inferencing, which parts work well for sentence practice, and which moments will help me model grammar.

That familiarity helps me get really, really, really good at using that text to target multiple students’ goals. I am not spending energy trying to remember what happens on the next page. I can pay attention to the students in front of me. I can make stronger clinical decisions. I can pivot more easily when a student needs extra support.

That is where the creativity comes in. The simpler the planning system, the more room I have to think, notice, and respond in the moment. I am not buried under prep. I am present in the session.

What to Do When You Cannot Figure Out How to Target a Goal

Sometimes the hardest part is looking at a specific goal and thinking, I cannot figure out how to target that in the context of a book or article. If that is happening, it does not mean you are doing it wrong. It usually just means the goal needs to be broken down one more step.

When I get stuck, I run through a few questions:

  • Can the student practice the goal in their spoken response?
  • Can I model the goal during conversation?
  • Can I use focused stimulation or recasting as we talk?
  • Can I add a simple visual, sentence frame, or worksheet?
  • Can I prime the skill during the teaching section before we read or discuss?

Usually, one of those questions opens something up. I do not need a perfect Pinterest activity. I need a language-rich routine and a clear plan for how the student will participate in it.

If I still feel stuck, I go back to the basics. One text. One target. One support. That is often enough to create a really solid session.

Why This Approach Supports Better Therapy

Yes, this framework helps me streamline planning. But I also think it leads to better therapy. Students are using language in context. They are responding, describing, recalling, categorizing, and connecting ideas inside a shared task. That gives me richer opportunities for teaching than a pile of disconnected worksheets ever could.

It also helps the group feel more cohesive. Everyone is participating in the same general activity, even though the target for each student is different. That makes the session smoother for me, and it usually makes the experience more meaningful for the students too.

And maybe most importantly, it takes some pressure off. I do not have to do more to be effective. I can do less, more strategically. I can build a repeatable system that supports student progress and protects my energy.

Using One Book to Target Every Goal Is Possible

If mixed groups have been feeling impossible to plan for, I hope this gives you a helpful starting point. You do not need a different activity for every student’s goal. One activity can work for everyone. That is one of the biggest mindset shifts in literacy-based therapy.

Pick a text that fits the age range. Keep the activity language-rich. Be strategic about the response you want from each student. Then repeat the process enough times that it starts to feel natural. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

And that is the beauty of it. You spend less time prepping activities, more time using your go-to materials, and more time showing up as the thoughtful, creative clinician you already are.

Transcript

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Now we're going to dive into how to use one book to target all of your students' goals.
We talked about this a lot in the previous episode, but every activity in the literacy-based therapy framework is language-rich. We can target any goal with any activity, and we don't need a different activity for every student's goal. One activity can work for everyone. So as an example, if we have WH question cards, we can obviously target WH questions, but we can also target grammar, vocabulary, perspective taking, working memory, articulation, all of the things.
Let's walk through a more specific example of what this might look like. In the Session Structure episodes last month, I talked about how I pick one goal to focus on per session, and that's a strategy that makes this a lot more manageable. So let's say we have three students in a group.
One student is working on producing K at the sentence level, student two is working on past tense verbs, and student three is working on categories.
Let's say we do end up using that comprehension activity. None of these students have WH questions as a goal. If we're using the WH question cards, student one can focus on using their articulation sound when responding to the questions, and we might give them a sentence with their target sound in it, and that's what they get to practice, and it's still related to the activity. Then student two working on past tense verbs, we may have them producing those past tense verbs in response to the questions.
But we can also use focused stimulation, during conversation, and doing lots of recasting and all of that. There's a lot of evidence for targeting grammar goals in this way, rather than just doing a bunch of drill-based activities. So, that can be a great way to target those goals.
And then for vocabulary, they can work on using their target words in response to the questions, or we can identify words as we're going through the questions. So if they're working on, naming the category for something, we can look at the different responses and be like, "Oh, is that an animal? Is that a whatever?" And all of our units include, we identify the relevant categories in the text, or the book, or article. And we have worksheets for the different categories. Let's say it's a book with a lot of animals and fruits, I would give the student those category pages, and during the teaching section of our session, we would just review the category and prime that.
As we go through our questions, they could potentially work on filling in their category sheet. They could be on the hunt for different examples of animals and different examples of fruits. That is just one example of what that could look like.
We talked about using one text across multiple groups. And I like to segment this. For my preschoolers, I'd use a really simple book. My early elementary, I like to use a picture book with full story grammar episodes. And then for upper elementary, I tend to move to nonfiction texts.
And then for older students, I love using science experiments and vocational videos. I use something different depending on the flavor of the student's goals. A lot of times I can use the same text across multiple groups in those different age bands. That makes therapy planning way easier. It also makes it a little bit easier to target students' goals. We're not going to be targeting complex syntax using a very, very simple picture book that we're using with our preschoolers. So we are picking texts that are appropriate for that age range. We can still, again pick a couple texts to use across our caseload, being very strategic with how we're selecting those.
And then instead of having to plan 100 sessions a month, we just plan those three to four units and implement the session structure that we talked about in previous episodes, and we're good to go. We've completely streamlined our therapy planning. We've really reduced the time that we need to spend prepping activities, and we just have our go-to materials.
And we get to really ramp up our creativity because we're giving ourselves brain space to be really creative with our students. Because we are using that same text multiple times, we're getting really familiar with the text, and we're getting really, really, really good at using that text to target multiple students' goals.
And it's just so cool to see that all come together. So if you have any follow-up questions about using a single book or article to target all of your students' goals. If there is something in particular that you're struggling with, like, "I can't figure out how to target X in the context of a book or an article," email us, [email protected], or reach out on social media. We're SLP Now on all of the different social media platforms. I'd love to hear from you and see if you have any follow-up questions. Hopefully this is a helpful way to start navigating that.

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FAQ

How can I use one book to target different speech and language goals in the same group?

I start with one language-rich text and one shared activity. Then I change the response demand for each student so one can practice articulation, another can use grammar targets, and another can work on vocabulary or categories.

Can I use WH question cards even if WH questions are not one of my students' goals?

Yes. WH question cards can support much more than comprehension. I can use them to target articulation in sentence responses, past tense verbs during discussion, or vocabulary and categories as students talk through their answers.

What kinds of texts work best for different age groups in literacy-based therapy?

I like to segment by age band. For preschoolers, I use simple books. For early elementary, I use picture books with full story grammar. For upper elementary, I move to nonfiction texts. For older students, I love science experiments and vocational videos.

How many texts do I need to plan for a month of mixed group therapy?

I usually aim for just three to four units. Reusing a few strong texts across groups makes therapy planning easier, reduces prep, and helps me get really good at targeting multiple goals with the same material.

The 5-Step Literacy-Based Therapy Framework, Step by Step

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If you want a simple way to plan literacy-based therapy, this framework gives you a clear path. I use five steps: Pre-Story Knowledge Activation, Shared Reading, Post-Story Comprehension, Focused Skill Activities, and the Parallel Story. Together, these steps can guide about a month of therapy. They help me build background knowledge, keep sessions language-rich, and target multiple goals in the same group. This is one of my favorite ways to work smarter, not harder.

One thing I love about literacy-based therapy is that it gives me structure without making me feel boxed in. I am not scrambling to come up with a brand new activity every session. I am not trying to patch together random worksheets that kind of fit but do not really build on each other. I have a roadmap. My students get meaningful multiple exposures. And I can keep the focus on real language, real comprehension, and real carryover.

In this post, I am breaking down what Dr. Ukrainetz’s five steps actually look like in practice. I am also sharing the sixth grade forensic science example that really drove this home for me. If literacy-based therapy has ever felt a little fuzzy, this will help you see how the pieces fit together.

How the Five-Step Literacy-Based Therapy Framework Fits into a Month of Therapy

Before we jump into each step, it helps to look at the big picture. I think of one session as the inner part of the circle. Then I think of the five steps as the outside of the circle, representing about one month of therapy. I still use my regular session structure within each session. But when we get to the practice phase, I run through these different steps.

That is what makes this framework feel so doable. I do not have to overhaul everything. I can keep the structure that is already working in my sessions, then plug these steps into the practice portion. It creates consistency for me and for my students.

This is also what makes the framework such a good fit for mixed groups. I can use one shared text and build several sessions around it. That means less prep, more repetition, and more opportunities to target different goals in a connected way.

Step 1: Pre-Story Knowledge Activation Builds the Foundation

Pre-Story Knowledge Activation is the first step, and honestly, it can be easy to underestimate. It can feel a little fluffy at first glance. You might look at it and think, “Why would I spend therapy time on this?” But this step matters so much because it helps students build the background knowledge they need to access the text.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I was working with a group of sixth graders, and their teacher sent me the outline of all the articles they were going to read for the rest of the semester. I was so excited. I thought, “Yes, we’re ready to implement curriculum and literacy-based therapy. This is going to be amazing.”

The first article was on forensic science. I thought, “Okay, cool topic.” I printed out the article, brought it to the group, and the students were totally engaged. They were into it. The topic had their attention. Then we got to the comprehension activities, and they completely bombed it.

That was my wake-up call.

I realized I had completely skipped Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. The students were engaged, but they did not have the background knowledge they needed. They were missing key concepts and vocabulary, so they could not access the text in a meaningful way. That experience made it very clear to me that this step is not extra. It is foundational.

What Pre-Story Knowledge Activation Can Look Like

This step can be flexible. I like to pick and choose based on where my students are at and how much support they need. Some of my favorite options include:

  • Pre-story discussion. I ask students what they already know about the topic.
  • A KWL chart. We talk about what they know, what they want to know, and later what they learned.
  • A book walk or article walk. We look at the cover, title, images, and first few pages or sections.
  • A story grammar or text structure organizer. We make predictions about what the text might include.
  • A virtual field trip. We watch a relevant video to help fill in background knowledge.
  • Pre-teaching vocabulary. We preview important words students will need in order to understand the text.

If I am using a fiction text, I might have students guess who the characters will be, what the problem might be, and how it could be solved. If I am using nonfiction, I might pull out a summarizing organizer or match the organizer to the structure of the text. We can even guess what type of text it will be. That kind of prediction work is a great comprehension strategy all by itself.

If students have very little background knowledge, I often go straight to a virtual field trip or vocabulary preview. For my forensic science group, words like “suspect,” “victim,” and “evidence” would have made a huge difference. If I had taught those ahead of time, they would have comprehended way more of the passage.

And even though this step may not look like a typical drill activity, it is still language-rich. I can target goals strategically the whole time. That matters.

Step 2: Shared Reading Keeps the Text Short, Simple, and Engaging

The second step is Shared Reading, and this one is pretty straightforward. This is where we read the text. I like to keep it short and sweet. In SLP Now, we choose texts that are brief enough to be manageable. I usually try to stay under five minutes.

I have tried using chapter books, and they can be really fun, but I do not try to keep up with the speed of the classroom. That is usually not realistic in therapy. If I use a chapter book, I pick a short segment. Sometimes I use a picture book, a short article, or a text that is adjacent to what students are reading in class.

The goal here is not to turn reading into a stop-and-start interrogation. I want students engaged in the text. I use strategies to keep them with me, but I am not asking a lot of questions or doing a lot of extra things during this step. Shared Reading is usually the shortest part of the unit.

The Minimal-Stop Shared Reading Approach

One helpful mindset is what I think of as the Minimal-Stop Shared Reading Approach. I keep interruptions low so students can stay connected to the story or article. Then I save the deeper processing work for the next step. This keeps the reading itself cleaner and helps students build meaning across the full text.

If I do not have a physical book, I can usually find a read-aloud on YouTube. That is also helpful because I can share the link with teachers or parents. Students can get extra exposures during reading centers, at home, or any time they have a few extra minutes. Those rereadings can make a big difference.

Step 3: Post-Story Comprehension Helps Students Process What They Read

After we finish reading, we move into Post-Story Comprehension. This is where I ask literal and inferential questions, revisit organizers, and help students put the pieces together. Depending on the level of the students, I may use visual answer choices or more open-ended prompts.

This step is a great place to scaffold. I can use guiding questions. I can return to the book. I can pull back out the story grammar organizer. I can help students answer questions like who the text was about, when it happened, where it happened, what the key events were, or what the big idea was.

At first glance, this might seem like it is only for students working on WH questions or comprehension. But that is not how I use it. This step can support a wide range of goals.

The Piggyback Goal Strategy for Mixed Groups

One of my favorite parts of literacy-based therapy is how easy it is to piggyback goals. If one student is working on answering questions, great. They answer. If another student is working on past tense verbs, I can have them restate the answer in the past tense. If another student is working on describing, they can describe one of the visual answer choices or explain why an answer fits.

Same activity, different goals.

That is such a game changer in mixed groups. I am not running three separate mini sessions at the same table. I am using one shared task and adjusting the response demands based on each student’s goals. It keeps things efficient and connected.

Step 4: Focused Skill Activities is Where the Unit Gets Really Meaty

This is the step where I tend to spend the most time. We have already built background knowledge. We have read the text. We have worked on comprehension. Now we can dig into focused targets tied to the text.

This is where I pull in vocabulary, grammar, narrative, syntax, articulation, and all kinds of language-rich practice. Because everything is tied back to the same text, students are not starting from scratch each time. They already know the context. That frees up more mental energy for the actual skill work.

What Focused Skill Activities Can Include

There are so many ways to approach this step. For example, if I am targeting articulation, I might use picture cards with higher-frequency words from the text for common articulation targets. If a student is working at the word level, phrase level, or sentence level, I can adjust accordingly.

If another student has a vocabulary goal, we can use those same pictures to talk about the meaning of words. If another student is working on syntax, we can build sentences from the same materials. If I have a student working on narrative or grammar, I can tie that in too.

That is what makes this part so powerful. I am not reinventing the wheel every time. I am pulling relevant targets and layering them onto a shared context.

In SLP Now, this is where the pre-made materials can be really helpful. There are activities for articulation, vocabulary, narrative, syntax, and more. That makes it easier to move from framework to implementation without a ton of extra prep. And again, that fits the whole goal of working smarter, not harder.

Step 5: The Parallel Story Helps Students Apply What They Learned

The final step is the Parallel Story, and this is where everything comes together. Students use the structure of the original text to create something new. It is a great way to bring together the vocabulary, comprehension, organization, and language targets they have been practicing throughout the unit.

If we are using a fiction text, I usually pull out the story grammar organizer again. At that point, we may have three versions:

  • our original prediction or pre-story organizer
  • the organizer for the actual text
  • the organizer for the new parallel story

Then students create a new story that mirrors the structure of the original. It has a similar flavor, but it is their own. That makes it meaningful and fun.

One of my favorite examples is using Snowmen at Night. One group created a parallel story about cacti at night. We used the inspiration and structure from the original story, but the students made it their own. That kind of final product is such a great way to practice language in context.

If I am working with expository text instead of fiction, I can do the same thing with a matching organizer. We might create a new informational piece, act it out, make a book, or use an app to turn it into an animation. There are lots of ways to build the final product based on student needs and interests.

Why This Framework Works so Well for School SLPs

There are a few reasons I keep coming back to this framework.

First, it is structured. I know what comes next. That reduces planning fatigue and makes it easier to map out a month of therapy.

Second, it is flexible. I can adapt the text, the supports, and the response demands based on the students in front of me.

Third, it is contextualized. Students are not practicing isolated skills with no connection to meaning. They are using language in a rich, shared context.

Fourth, it is efficient for mixed groups. I can target different goals inside the same activity. That alone can save so much planning time.

And finally, it gives students meaningful multiple exposures. We revisit the same ideas in different ways across the unit. That repetition supports comprehension and carryover without feeling boring.

If you are an SLP who has ever sat down to plan and wondered how to target sequencing, vocabulary, and articulation in the same 20-minute session, this framework can be such a relief. It gives you a system. And when you have a system, it is so much easier to show up feeling calm, prepared, and ready to teach.

A Simple Recap of the Five Steps

Here is the quick recap:

  • Step 1: Pre-Story Knowledge Activation to build background knowledge and preview key concepts.
  • Step 2: Shared Reading to read the text with strong engagement and minimal stopping.
  • Step 3: Post-Story Comprehension to process the text and scaffold understanding.
  • Step 4: Focused Skill Activities to target vocabulary, grammar, syntax, articulation, and more.
  • Step 5: The Parallel Story to help students apply what they learned in a meaningful final product.

If you want a practical way to organize literacy-based therapy across about a month of sessions, this is a great place to start. It is simple. It is strategic. And it helps me create sessions that feel connected instead of cobbled together.

If you want help putting this into practice with ready-to-use materials, you can explore SLP Now. It is one of my favorite ways to streamline planning and keep therapy language-rich without adding more to my plate.

FAQ

What are the five steps of literacy-based therapy?

The five steps are Pre-Story Knowledge Activation, Shared Reading, Post-Story Comprehension, Focused Skill Activities, and the Parallel Story. I use these steps across about a month of therapy to build understanding, target goals, and give students meaningful practice.

Why is Pre-Story Knowledge Activation important?

his step helps students build the background knowledge they need before reading. When students understand the topic and key vocabulary first, they can access the text much more easily.

Can I use literacy-based therapy with mixed groups?

Yes. That is one of the biggest benefits. I can use one shared text and target different goals within the same activity, like comprehension, past tense, describing, vocabulary, or articulation.

How long should a shared reading text be in speech therapy?

I like to keep it short and sweet, usually under five minutes. That keeps students engaged and leaves more time for comprehension and focused skill work.

Transcript

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[00:00:00]
Okay, so now let's dive into what this actually looks like [00:00:05] and what Dr. Ukrainetz's five steps actually are, and [00:00:10] what it would look like to implement that in therapy.
So I have this [00:00:15] visual here. and if you're watching the video, you can reference it. If not, [00:00:20] I'll have the visual in the show notes as well.
Last month we talked [00:00:25] about how to set up your session structure. If you want to listen back, those episodes [00:00:30] are on the podcast about different components of session structure.
The inner part of the [00:00:35] circle is one individual session. And then this month we're [00:00:40] talking about the five steps of literacy-based therapy. So the [00:00:45] outside of the circle represents one month of [00:00:50] therapy. We have our structure for any given session, and [00:00:55] then when we get to the practice phase, we'll run through these [00:01:00] different steps.
And so that's how it all fits together [00:01:05] with what we talked about last month.
So the first step [00:01:10] is Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. So [00:01:15] let's say we're starting off a new unit. within the session, we checked in with our students, we did [00:01:20] our assessment, we got some probe data, we filled in any teaching that our [00:01:25] students needed based on how they did on their initial [00:01:30] probe.
Now we're in the practice stage. So for Pre-Story Knowledge Activation, [00:01:35] what we would do is build students' background knowledge. [00:01:40] And I know that this can often feel like a fluffy, [00:01:45] unnecessary activity. Why would we spend our time on this? I have one [00:01:50] example from my clinical experience that really, really drove this home for me, and I hope [00:01:55] that sharing this example helps you too.
So I started implementing [00:02:00] this, and I was so excited. I was working with a group [00:02:05] of sixth graders. I connected with their teacher, and [00:02:10] she was totally on board. She sent me the outline of all the articles that they were going to be doing [00:02:15] for the rest of the semester. And I was like, "Yes, we're ready to implement [00:02:20] curriculum and literacy-based therapy. This is going to be amazing."
The first article [00:02:25] on the list was forensic science, and I was like, "Okay, cool topic." And then [00:02:30] I printed out the article and had it ready to go for my group. The students were so [00:02:35] excited about it. We read the article, and there was amazing engagement. [00:02:40] And then we got to the comprehension activities, and the [00:02:45] students completely bombed it even though they were totally engaged.
And I [00:02:50] realized that I completely skipped pre-story knowledge activation. This [00:02:55] was when I was just figuring out the framework and new to all of it. [00:03:00] And so it is really critical [00:03:05] to look at background knowledge before we dive into a unit, especially if we're [00:03:10] going to spend a lot of time on it.
And so what that can look like, [00:03:15] there's a number of activities that I like to pick and choose from depending on where the [00:03:20] students are at. We'll use this group of sixth graders as an example [00:03:25] to, illustrate the different examples of the activities.
So one [00:03:30] thing that we can do is a pre-story discussion. This is where [00:03:35] we discuss what students already know about a topic. For the example, [00:03:40] I really like to use a KWL chart. It's a piece of paper folded into three [00:03:45] parts, and the K stands for what they know, the W stands for what they want [00:03:50] to know or learn, and then the L stands for what they learn.
So that's filled in [00:03:55] retroactively, at the end of the pre-story activities [00:04:00] or at the end of the unit. For the example with the sixth graders, I would ask [00:04:05] them what they know about forensic science. And with this particular group, they probably wouldn't [00:04:10] have been able to give me much, or they would have very general kind of knowledge.
[00:04:15] Another example would be, if we were reading Snowmen at Night, we might, have a [00:04:20] pre-story discussion about what they know about snow and snowmen. And for a lot of my [00:04:25] kiddos here in Arizona , they wouldn't know a whole lot about snow and [00:04:30] snowmen. And then example I gave with my sixth graders, they didn't know much [00:04:35] about forensic science.
And so that gives us a pulse [00:04:40] on what gaps we need to fill for our students.
So some [00:04:45] additional activities that we can fill in, these are all examples of pre-story [00:04:50] knowledge activation.
We can do a book or an article [00:04:55] walk. If it's a book walk, we look at the cover, we maybe look at the first few pages, [00:05:00] and we just discuss what we're seeing.
And [00:05:05] this might not go over super well if we found that they don't have a lot of prior [00:05:10] knowledge. So this is one that may be better later in the sequence.
One activity [00:05:15] that I really like to do is fill in a story grammar organizer. and this would [00:05:20] be great one to jump to if the students already have a lot of prior knowledge.
What we would [00:05:25] do is we look at the cover and maybe a few pages and talk about what we see. We [00:05:30] could talk about the title. If it's an article, we could look at the title and maybe [00:05:35] skim a little bit of the passage and then guess what it's going to be [00:05:40] about. So if it's a fiction text, we would fill in a story grammar [00:05:45] organizer, guess who the characters will be, what the problem will be, how [00:05:50] they're gonna solve the problem, all of that good stuff.
If it's a nonfiction text, we can [00:05:55] pull out a summarizing organizer or an organizer that matches the [00:06:00] structure of the text. We could even try to identify what type of text we think it'll be. That's [00:06:05] a really good comprehension strategy for our students. And then we make a guess [00:06:10] about what the story or the article will be about and what we think we'll [00:06:15] discover as we read it.
And then this is a great activity [00:06:20] to come back to and revisit in the later steps [00:06:25] of the framework, and then we can compare and contrast and [00:06:30] revisit all of the different content, again for more meaningful exposures, but then also to [00:06:35] really expand our knowledge and our skills we're [00:06:40] targeting.
If we do find that students are missing a lot of that background [00:06:45] knowledge, we can do a virtual field trip. In SLP Now we have [00:06:50] virtual field trips linked for every single book or article that we [00:06:55] have, and it's embedded right in the unit plan, so you just click to open [00:07:00] the video and you have access to it. There's just one video, so we try to identify the [00:07:05] one that we thought would be most helpful for the most groups.
If they have a specific gap [00:07:10] in knowledge that we want to fill, you can look on YouTube for a different [00:07:15] video. There's also different sites like National Geographic and things like that. You [00:07:20] might end up finding favorite sites to use for videos or [00:07:25] information.
Maybe grab a nonfiction book from the library to help fill in the gap. You [00:07:30] can look at some pictures and read some passages. There's lots of things that we can do to [00:07:35] help fill in that knowledge, but a virtual field trip is a really fun one, where you just find a [00:07:40] relevant YouTube video.
It's fun and engaging to watch. And, [00:07:45] even though this might feel like a fluffy activity, this is, [00:07:50] one, building their background knowledge, which will help them access the text and [00:07:55] give them that knowledge for all future contexts, but it's still a language-rich [00:08:00] activity.
So even though it's not explicitly titled comprehension [00:08:05] activity or WH questions activity or a story grammar activity [00:08:10] or a past tense verb activity, we can target all of our student skills in [00:08:15] very strategic ways. SLPs are really good at taking any [00:08:20] activity and targeting any goal. but that's just something to remember. We are targeting [00:08:25] our students' goals strategically throughout these activities.
So far [00:08:30] we talked about pre-story discussions, the KWL charts. We talked [00:08:35] about the book walk, filling in a story grammar organizer or just any [00:08:40] graphic organizer to fit the structure of the text. We talked about doing [00:08:45] a virtual field trip. And then the last strategy for step one is to [00:08:50] pre-teach vocabulary. So this is what I should have done with my [00:08:55] sixth graders.
This strategy tends to work best for older [00:09:00] students. I wouldn't necessarily recommend pre-teaching basic [00:09:05] concepts or core vocabulary. I think those are best taught in [00:09:10] context. But, for my sixth graders reading the forensic science article, [00:09:15] they missed a lot of the content because they just didn't have some of those vocabulary [00:09:20] words like suspect and victim and evidence. If we had [00:09:25] taken some time to teach that vocabulary ahead of time, they would've been able [00:09:30] to comprehend way more of the passage. So that is step one, [00:09:35] Pre-Story Knowledge Activation.
Then step two is Shared [00:09:40] Reading. That one is luckily a really nice, easy, simple step. This is [00:09:45] where we read the text. In SLP Now, we choose texts that are short and [00:09:50] sweet. I try to stay under five minutes. If it's too [00:09:55] long, it's too much information to dive into.
I've tried doing chapter [00:10:00] book units, which are so cool and so fun. But if I use a chapter [00:10:05] book in therapy, I try to pick the [00:10:10] text that they're reading in the classroom and just pick a short segment. There's no way [00:10:15] we can keep up with the speed of the classroom, and we just do mini [00:10:20] segments.
I'll pick an interesting part of a chapter or whatnot, and we'll dive into [00:10:25] that. Or I'll pick a picture book or fiction article or something that's [00:10:30] adjacent to what they're reading. I don't generally try to keep up with chapter books. [00:10:35] And when we're reading, I try to keep students engaged [00:10:40] with minimal stopping.
I'm just using strategies to keep them [00:10:45] engaged in the text, and I'm not asking a lot of questions, and I'm not [00:10:50] doing a lot of extra things. Shared Reading is the shortest part of the unit. If I [00:10:55] don't have the physical book, every text I've looked for, I've been able to find on [00:11:00] YouTube.
They have teachers doing read-alouds. Even if you have the physical book, [00:11:05] you can share the link to the YouTube book with teachers or parents [00:11:10] to let them know what we're working on. They can watch the video if they have any downtime [00:11:15] or if there's, reading center time in the classroom or if the parents want to be involved.
They can just [00:11:20] play the YouTube video, and then the students get multiple exposures to the [00:11:25] text, and it's just really great. Just having those multiple rereadings, there's [00:11:30] lots of research showing the benefits of that. I love that as a quick [00:11:35] home activity that is accessible to anyone who has internet [00:11:40] access.
Okay, so that's step two.
Then step three is [00:11:45] Post-Story Comprehension. After we finish reading the text, we [00:11:50] can ask literal questions. Depending on the level of the students, I might have [00:11:55] visual answer choices. A lot of our activities in SLP Now have [00:12:00] three visual response.
You can also do inferential [00:12:05] questions. I revisit the story grammar organizer in this step [00:12:10] as well. We can answer questions like, "Who was it about? When did the story happen? Where did it [00:12:15] happen?" and that's also a great bridge into step four. but just some quick strategies [00:12:20] here.
I like to scaffold with visual supports as needed. I like to use guiding [00:12:25] questions or return to the book if students need support. Those are some of my favorite [00:12:30] strategies, to use in this step. And again, this [00:12:35] sounds like it might just be a WH questions activity, but it is not. So if [00:12:40] we do have a student working on literal or inferential questions as a goal, then [00:12:45] great, that's an easy one to target with this.
It's also easy to target other [00:12:50] students' goals. Let's say Student A is working on responding to questions. Awesome. They respond. [00:12:55] They have the opportunity to respond. Let's say Student B is working on past tense verbs.[00:13:00]
They can reproduce Student A's answer in the past tense, [00:13:05] or we can ask them a question and specifically elicit the past [00:13:10] tense. And then let's say the other student is working on describing. If we're using the [00:13:15] visual answer choices, they can describe the response and give some describing words for [00:13:20] that.
Or if it's at a higher level, we can practice describing [00:13:25] at that level. We can piggyback and target multiple goals using these types of [00:13:30] activities. And that's just one simple example, but that applies to all steps of the unit. [00:13:35] We're using rich language here, and we're able to target [00:13:40] all of those types of goals.
And then that brings us to step [00:13:45] four, which is Focused Skill Activities. This is where we spend the [00:13:50] majority of the time in the unit. We did our Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. [00:13:55] That can sometimes take a couple sessions depending on where students are at. Shared [00:14:00] Reading is super quick.
Post-Story Comprehension. Typically I do Step [00:14:05] Two and Three in one session. That's usually about how much time I spend on it, but [00:14:10] if we have a lot of comprehension goals, I might spend more time there. [00:14:15] And then Step Four is the meaty part. This is where we [00:14:20] pull in vocabulary, grammar, narrative, syntax, [00:14:25] all types of activities tied to the text And again, every [00:14:30] activity is language-rich, so we can target all of our students' goals [00:14:35] simultaneously.
Let's go through a couple examples. I mentioned articulation in [00:14:40] the first episode of this series. We have picture cards, where [00:14:45] we've identified higher frequency words in the text for [00:14:50] common articulation targets.
So you could print out those [00:14:55] cards, and then you can use that to target the student's articulation goals. If someone is at the [00:15:00] the word or the phrase or the sentence level, you can target it at whatever level using [00:15:05] those cards. If someone has a vocabulary goal, you can work on the [00:15:10] vocabulary goal in the context of those pictures.
You can work on producing [00:15:15] sentences. You can do syntax with that too. There's so many [00:15:20] ways to use any of these activities. In SLP Now we have [00:15:25] pre-made activities for articulation, like I said. We have vocabulary targets [00:15:30] identified, whether it's basic concepts, categories, tier two vocabulary, all of [00:15:35] that good stuff.
We have narrative activities in place. We have syntax [00:15:40] activities, so you can work on passive voice and all of that good stuff. In SLP Now, [00:15:45] we give you a lot of activities to help make this part easier so you don't have to reinvent [00:15:50] the wheel every time. You could easily target all of your students' goals, just by [00:15:55] pulling relevant targets and going from there. It just helps to have pre-made [00:16:00] activities for you ready to go.
And then Step Five is [00:16:05] the Parallel Story. So this is the culmination of all of the things [00:16:10] that we've been working on. So if we're doing a fiction text, [00:16:15] this is where I pull out the story grammar organizer again. At this point, we [00:16:20] would've had, like the Pre-Story Knowledge, our guess of what the story is about, [00:16:25] then we would have story grammar organizer for the actual story, which we [00:16:30] completed in step three and/or four.
And then we would have our third graphic [00:16:35] organizer for the parallel story, and this is where students create a new story that [00:16:40] mirrors the structure of the original. So it's an opportunity to [00:16:45] incorporate all of the targets that they've been working on throughout the unit. Their [00:16:50] vocabulary, their articulation words, all of that good stuff.
We're using a similar structure, so it [00:16:55] has similar flavor, but using slightly different targets. [00:17:00] And it's a great way to practice and really bring all of their targets [00:17:05] into a contextualized final product. And again, give them those really [00:17:10] meaningful multiple exposures.
There's a number of ways that this can look, but I tend [00:17:15] to create the graphic organizer first, whether it's story grammar or for any [00:17:20] type of expository text, and then we can act it out, we can make a [00:17:25] book. You can create an animation using different iPad apps. and it's [00:17:30] so cool because every group ends up having a unique story.
One example [00:17:35] of what this might look like, if we read Snowmen at Night, one of my groups made a story [00:17:40] about cacti at night, and so we used inspiration from the story, but made [00:17:45] one about what cacti do. So that's what that looks like.
A [00:17:50] quick recap of the five steps.
One is Pre-Story Knowledge Activation. [00:17:55] Two, Shared Reading. Three, Post-Story Comprehension. Four, Focused Skill [00:18:00] Activities, and five is the Parallel Story. And again, this covers [00:18:05] about a month of therapy, and that is what a unit [00:18:10] looks like.

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How to Teach Compound Sentences: 5 SLP Strategies (+ IEP Goals)

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In this week’s episode of the SLP Now Podcast, Marisha shares five practical, evidence-backed strategies to help students learn, practice, and generalize compound sentences. She also shares strategies to help make it easier for students to understand those abstract conjunctions!

👉 Prefer to listen? Check out the full podcast episode above for a quick blitz through all five strategies.

1️⃣ Start with clear visuals.

Give students an intro visual that defines a compound sentence and shows the FANBOYS conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Then, build on that with:
– A “recipe card” showing sentence + comma + conjunction + sentence
– Symbol cards for conjunction meanings

These concrete visuals help students internalize the function of conjunctions, not just the form.

Visual and multimodal supports strengthen students’ metalinguistic awareness and retention (Cook, Mitchell, & Goldin-Meadow, 2008).

Click here to download the visuals for compound sentences.

2️⃣ Teach sentence combining explicitly.

Give students two short sentences and model joining them with a target conjunction.

Cued combining: Provide the sentences and the conjunction.

Open combining: Remove supports as students gain independence.

Sentence-combining instruction reliably improves syntactic maturity and writing quality when scaffolded and faded over time (Strong, 1986).

3️⃣ Use sentence expansion and reduction.

Encourage flexibility by asking students to expand simple sentences into compound ones or reduce compound sentences into shorter forms.

This back-and-forth manipulation builds syntactic control and comprehension.

Alternating expansion and reduction helps students generalize grammar goals across tasks (Fey et al., 1997).

4️⃣ Add movement for meaning.

Make conjunctions physical!

Assign one student per clause and another as the conjunction.

The “conjunction student” can hold or act out the joining symbol (like a plus sign for and).

Movement helps learners encode meaning through multiple modalities.

Gesture and embodied practice make abstract grammar concepts more memorable (Cook et al., 2008).

5️⃣ Plan for generalization.

Don’t let the skill stay in the speech room!

Collaborate with classroom teachers so students can:
– Use mini visual reminders at their desks
– Identify compound sentences in reading passages
– Apply conjunctions in writing assignments

Integrated service delivery—where SLPs and teachers align targets—leads to stronger transfer of language skills (Cirrin et al., 2010).

Setting IEP Goals for Compound Sentences

Once your students have some exposure to the strategies above, here’s how that translates into measurable goals.

Goal Example 1 (Identification): Given a set of sentences, student will identify compound sentences versus simple sentences with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 2 (Combining): Given two simple sentences and a target conjunction, student will combine them into a compound sentence with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 3 (Independent Production): Given a writing or speaking task, student will independently produce compound sentences using at least 2 different FANBOYS conjunctions, in 4/5 opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 4 (Expansion and Reduction): Given a simple sentence, student will expand it into a compound sentence, and given a compound sentence, student will reduce it into its component simple sentences, with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

As students progress, shift from cued combining (where you provide the sentences and conjunction) toward open combining, where they’re generating compound sentences with less support. That progression is a natural way to track mastery over time.

Looking for more grammar goal examples? Check out the full SLP Now goal bank.

Why Conjunctions Are So Tricky for Students

It’s worth pausing on why this skill is hard, since it shapes how you’ll want to scaffold it. Conjunctions are abstract. A student can understand two individual sentences perfectly and still struggle to grasp what “but” or “so” is actually doing to connect them. That’s why the visual and movement-based strategies in this episode matter so much, they give students something concrete to anchor an otherwise invisible relationship between ideas.

This also explains why compound sentences are a natural bridge into more complex syntax work, once a student can reliably combine and separate ideas with a conjunction, concepts like relative clauses and passive voice become a lot more approachable.

FAQ: Teaching Compound Sentences

What age or grade level is appropriate for compound sentence goals? Most students start working on compound sentences in early elementary once simple sentence structure is solid, though the right timing depends on individual language development, not just grade level.

Do I need to teach all 7 FANBOYS conjunctions at once? No. Introduce one conjunction at a time so students can build a clear, concrete understanding of what each one means before adding more.

How is a compound sentence goal different from a complex sentence goal? Compound sentences join two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS). Complex sentences join an independent and a dependent clause with a subordinating conjunction (because, although, since). They’re related but distinct goals, and students often need compound sentence mastery as a foundation before complex sentences click.

Ready-Made Compound Sentence Materials

The Compound Sentences Skill Pack mentioned in the episode includes the intro visuals, recipe cards, and conjunction symbol cards used in all 5 strategies above.

Click here to access the Compound Sentences Skill Pack (free trial) →

References

[Preserve the existing reference list from the current post exactly as-is: Cirrin et al. (2010), Cook, Mitchell, & Goldin-Meadow (2008), Fey et al. (1993), Myhill (2012), Scott & Balthazar (2013), Strong (1986).]

Transcript

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Hello there. I hope you are having a fabulous week, and ready to dive into some practical evidence backed strategies that you can use when working on compound sentences with your students. So I have five tips for you today.

The first tip is to actually teach what a compound sentence is.

This is the first step with any of our skills but we wanna make sure that we provide our students with an initial explanation, but then also some visuals that they can use to understand what we're asking them to do. And then also to help with that generalization.

Some examples of visuals that I like to use. I have a intro little one pager that says what a compound sentence is, and it includes the conjunctions, the fanboy acronym.

That helps them know what a compound sentence is, and we're on the same page, I also have a little recipe card, that students can use when they are working on building sentences. It shows a visual of the sentence, the comma, the coordinating conjunction and the sentence, just a little graphic.

We have different versions of that. We have bigger sentence maps they can use with interactive cards and sentence starters to help them implement the strategies we're going to talk about. The visuals that I shared so far are just that introduction visual, different visuals to show the sentence structure.

I like to introduce specific conjunctions, because each conjunction has a different meaning. And, this can get really confusing for students. These conjunctions are a little bit more abstract, so I wanna make sure that I'm scaffolding that and helping them learn the different meanings of those conjunctions.

So we have little cards that include an icon to help them visualize the meaning of the conjunction. For "and" we would have a plus sign, for "but" we would have a lightning bolt. Each conjunction has a symbol that goes with it. And we have examples of sentences being used.

We also show the meaning of the conjunction. This is a really great way to introduce the conjunction. Like I said, the little icon cards and sheets for each conjunction with different examples, and it has all the visuals to help understand what that conjunction means.

That is strategy one. Having visuals to help break down complex concepts for students, especially the abstractness of the conjunctions. It really helps have some visuals for that. And then if you want access to these visuals, you can totally create your own. But if you want ready-made visuals, you can sign up for a free trial of SLP Now.

It's totally free. Just go to SLPnow.com/trial. And then you can create your free account. Go type in compound sentences on the materials page, and you'll have access to all of these visuals and other materials as well. Now let's move on to strategy number two, which is to teach sentence combining.

So we would start by giving students two independent classes or two simple sentences, and then model joining them with our target conjunctionI like to start with one conjunction, just so they get the hang of it, and then we might add in another one.

We do wanna give students opportunity to practice combining two simple sentences and getting a feel for how that works. There's different types of combining you can do.

You can do cued combining, where you give the students the two sentences and the, conjunction and they just have to literally put them together, or you can make it more complex where you just give them two sentences and they have to do that. Definitely check out the Strong article for more detail on the protocol for that.

On to strategy number three, we can also do sentence expansion and reduction. We can have students expand simple sentences, so we can give them one sentence and encourage them to make it into a compound sentence. Or we can identify compound sentences in our reading and break them down into the individual sentences.

And so that's just practicing breaking and putting sentences together, expanding them and reducing them is the technical term that, also has some evidence to support using that as a strategy.

Then strategy number four is to incorporate movement. If you have multiple students in your group, this is super fun.

in SLP Now our compound sentences skill pack has sentences or students can come up with their own. Let's say you have three students in the group. One of the students can act out the first sentence, and then the other student can act out the second sentence. And the third student can be the conjunction. They can choose the conjunction if you're giving them a field of conjunctions to choose from, or if you're just practicing with one, the student would hold that conjunction.

And maybe they can come up with a gesture. If it's "and" then maybe they just put their hands out and connect the idea between the two students.

So all three students are acting it out It really shows the meaning change and the power of conjunctions, and it gives that really meaningful practice, in that they're visualizing it, acting it out, their whole body is engaged in the activity.

The fifth strategy I want to leave you with is to collaborate with classroom teachers and think about generalization from the start.

Maybe you make a tiny version of the visual and put it on the student's desk or whatever the conjunction of the week is, you put that on the student's desk or binder and then they get extra exposure. You encourage them to use that in their writing or in classroom discussions.

So bringing the visuals into the classroom is an easy thing to do. You can also use text from the classroom as you're doing these activities, as inspiration for your sentence combining and sentence expansion and reduction activities.

So those were our five strategies starting with teaching and using visuals to break down the skill. Then we talked about strategy two sentence combining. Strategy three is sentence expansion and reduction. Strategy four was to incorporate movement and act out the sentences in conjunctions.

And then strategy five is to think about generalization. I'd love to hear which strategies you are using in your speech room. If you have any favorites, that I missed or if I shared your favorite or if there's a new one that you're trying, reach out to us on Instagram. We'd love to hear what you're up to.

That's a wrap. We'll continue this series and talk about more skills on the podcast going forward. I hope this was super helpful and that you have some new inspiration for how to target compound sentences with your students, or at least a boost of confidence, based on what you're doing already.

And then again, we have all of these visuals and practice activities and tools inside SLP Now. When you sign up for a free trial, you can download this skill pack and a few others completely free. I just want to help set you up for success and make your job as easy as possible.

Thanks for joining me, and we'll see you next time.

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How to Write IEP Goals for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (+ Goal Examples)

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Writing goals for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) trips up a lot of SLPs, not because the goal-writing format is different, but because the thinking behind CAS goals has to be different. If you’re used to writing articulation goals around specific sounds, CAS asks you to shift toward syllable shapes and motor sequences instead.

Here’s how to think about it, plus goal examples you can adapt.

How to Write Goals for Childhood Apraxia of Speech as a Speech Language Pathologist

What Is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

CAS is a motor speech disorder under the speech sound disorder umbrella. It happens when motor movement and planning are impaired, which results in speech sound errors, but the errors themselves aren’t the core problem. The core problem is inconsistent motor planning (ASHA, 2007).

Core Characteristics of CAS

ASHA identifies three characteristics broadly agreed upon across the research:

  1. Inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels in repeated productions of syllables and words
  2. Lengthened or disrupted transitions between sounds and syllables
  3. Inappropriate prosody

You’ll also commonly see articulatory groping, more difficulty with longer or more complex words, and vowel errors.

CAS vs. Phonological Disorder: Quick Differential

CAS and phonological disorders can look similar on the surface, and students can present with features of both, which is exactly why differential assessment matters.

More consistent with CAS:

  • Restricted sound repertoire
  • Poor vowel differentiation
  • Few or simple syllable shapes
  • Atypical error patterns (initial consonant deletion, voicing errors, epenthesis)

More consistent with a phonological disorder:

  • Consistent, rule-based error patterns (fronting, stopping, etc.)
  • Intact prosody
  • Intact vowels

Given how often the two co-occur, a thorough evaluation matters more than a quick sort into one category or the other (Lewis et al., 2004).

What NOT to Target

Before writing goals, it’s worth naming what to leave out: non-speech oral motor exercises, like tongue strengthening, isolated tongue movements, or blowing exercises. CAS is a planning disorder, not a strength disorder, so these exercises don’t transfer to speech production gains (McCauley et al., 2009). If a goal in front of you targets oral motor strength rather than movement sequencing, that’s worth flagging.

How to Choose CAS Goal Targets

When selecting goals and objectives, consider three things (Stoeckel, 2018):

  1. The student’s current inventory: Single syllables, syllable shapes already mastered, syllable sequences, and sound development so far.
  2. Functional vocabulary needs: Compare what the student needs to communicate against what they can currently produce.
  3. Typical speech sound development: Even with CAS, developmental norms still inform target selection.

As always, pay close attention to which cueing types actually produce success for this specific student. CAS goals are rarely one-size-fits-all.

Need a refresher on the goal-writing basics first? Here’s a quick guide to writing SMART goals.

CAS Goal Examples

Goal Example 1: Producing Syllable Shapes

Given a direct model, student will produce CVC and CVCV syllable shapes using existing and emerging sound inventory, given visual and tactile prompts, with 70% accuracy.

Example in practice: If a student has /m/ in their inventory but hasn’t mastered CVC or CVCV shapes yet, “mom” or “mommy” is a functional, motivating target. Don’t forget to factor in vowel inventory when picking words, vowel accuracy matters just as much as consonants here.

Goal Example 2: Increasing Syllable Shape Repertoire

Given visual, verbal, and tactile models, student will increase syllable shape repertoire by producing 5 new CV and CVC words using acquired consonants and vowels, with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Example in practice: If a student has /m, p, d/ in their inventory, targets might include “ma,” “mom,” “dad,” and “pa.”

Goal Example 3: Combining Existing Syllable Shapes

Student will combine 2 existing syllable shapes that include existing sound inventory, given no more than 1 visual and verbal model, in 8/10 opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

Example in practice: If a student can already say “my” and “mom,” the next step is prompting “my mom,” combining two known shapes into a longer, functional utterance.

Looking for more goal examples across other skill areas? Check out the full SLP Now goal bank.

From Goal to Treatment

Writing the goal is step one. Here’s the short version of what comes next:

  • Dynamic assessment to figure out which stimulus set to start with
  • Choosing an initial stimulus set based on what the assessment reveals about where the motor breakdown happens
  • Selecting a treatment method (DTTC, ReSt/TEMPO, and Integrated Phonological Awareness Training are all well-supported starting points)

Get the full walkthrough of treating CAS in session, including method selection and session ideas →

“When I am looking for a new activity or lesson, the materials are already designed and ready for me to print and implement.”

— School-Based SLP, Alabama

FAQ: Writing CAS Goals

Should CAS goals target sounds or syllable shapes? Syllable shapes and movement sequences, not individual sounds in isolation. Targeting “the /k/ sound” the way you might for an articulation goal misses what’s actually breaking down for a student with CAS.

How do I know if a goal is too ambitious or not ambitious enough? Your dynamic assessment data should tell you. If a student can’t yet produce a CV shape reliably, jumping to CVC combinations sets them up to struggle unnecessarily. Start where the data says to start.

Can a student have both a CAS goal and an articulation goal? Yes. Co-occurring speech sound disorders are common with CAS, and a thorough evaluation may justify goals in both categories, as long as each goal is targeting something distinct.

Materials to Support CAS Goal Writing and Treatment

SLP Now has research-backed materials built specifically around CAS treatment principles, so you’re not building assessment tools or stimulus lists from scratch.

Start your free trial to access CAS-specific materials →

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2007). Childhood apraxia of speech [Technical report]. https://www.asha.org/policy/

Lewis, B. A., Freebairn, L. A., Hansen, A. J., Iyengar, S. K., & Taylor, H. G. (2004). School-age follow-up of children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35, 122-140.

McCauley, R. J., Strand, E. A., Lof, G. L., Schooling, T., & Frymark, T. (2009). Evidence-based systematic review: Effects of nonspeech oral motor exercises on speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 343-360.

Stoeckel, R. (2018). Building and expanding your CAS toolkit. ASHA Learning Center.

Treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Practical Guide for SLPs

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Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) can feel like one of the more intimidating diagnoses on your caseload. There’s a lot to know, and a lot of it doesn’t work the way typical articulation therapy does. Here’s the good news: once you understand the shift in thinking CAS requires, the actual session-to-session work becomes a lot more manageable.

CAS is a motor speech disorder that falls under the umbrella of speech sound disorders, but it’s fundamentally different from a typical articulation or phonological disorder. The breakdown isn’t in an individual “speech sound.” It’s in motor planning, the ability to plan and sequence the movements needed to produce speech. That means your thinking has to shift from working on sounds to working on movements.

This is a simplified overview to help you get oriented. If you’re actively treating a student with CAS, additional training (there are several free options linked below) is well worth the time.

Start With Dynamic Assessment

Dynamic assessment is the first real step, because it tells you two things: which stimulus set to start with, and what kind of cueing and feedback actually helps this specific student.

During assessment, you’ll have the student attempt a range of syllable shapes, CV, VC, CVC, CVCV, and multisyllabic words, to see where the motor breakdown happens. The point isn’t which sounds are wrong. It’s where the plan falls apart. A student might nail a CV shape but fall apart the moment you add a second consonant. That’s your signal.

Apraxia Assessment

While you’re assessing, you’re also watching for the core characteristics of CAS. Strand and McCauley (2018) note that four or more of the following across three assessment tasks is a strong indicator:

  • Inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels across repeated productions
  • Lengthened or disrupted transitions between sounds and syllables
  • Inappropriate prosody
  • Vowel errors
  • Increasing difficulty with longer or more complex words
  • Articulatory groping

Choosing Your Initial Stimulus Set

There’s no ready-made stimulus list here, targets need to be individualized for each student based on what the dynamic assessment showed you.

For students with more severe CAS, start small. Choose a limited set of difficult-but-achievable movements, and give frequent, specific feedback about how to make the movement (this is called knowledge of performance). As students gain success, you’ll expand the set and shift toward knowledge of results, feedback about whether the production was correct, with less frequent feedback overall.

One thing that matters more than people expect: choose words that are meaningful to the student and their family. Early wins on functional words build buy-in fast.

Choosing a Treatment Method

A few well-supported, evidence-based options, most with free training available:

Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC): Developed by Edythe Strand, appropriate for moderate to severe CAS, ages 2+. Free training is available through the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at UT Dallas.

ReSt / TEMPO: Developed at the University of Sydney, appropriate for CAS and ataxic dysarthria, ages 4-12.

Integrated Phonological Awareness Training (Moriarty & Gillon, 2006): Appropriate for speech-language impairment, ages 4-12.

NDP3 Program (Williams & Stephens, 2004): Evidence-backed, not free. Requires the student to have solid attention skills, imitation ability, and readiness for cueing before starting.

DTTC tends to be the most widely used of these because it leans on core principles of motor learning that generalize well across speech sound disorders, not just CAS. One caveat: DTTC asks students to attend closely to the clinician’s face, which can be a barrier for some autistic students. It’s worth having a workaround in your back pocket, or considering a different method if sustained face-gaze isn’t realistic for a given student.

Principles of Motor Learning

Whatever method you choose, these principles show up across all of them, and they’re worth knowing cold:

  1. Practice as much as possible. Repetition is the engine of motor learning.
  2. Build a relationship with the student. Trust affects effort and attention.
  3. Give clear instructions. The student should always know what’s expected.
  4. Vary the distribution of practice based on progress and severity.
  5. Attend to prosody, not just segmental accuracy.
  6. Slow the rate down to support motor planning.
  7. Vary feedback type and frequency based on performance.

Session Ideas That Don’t Require Anything Fancy

CAS treatment lives and dies on trial volume, not materials complexity. A few low-prep ways to rack up repetitions:

  • A racetrack where a car moves forward after every 10 trials
  • Mystery bags that open after 10 trials
  • Plastic eggs that pop open after 10 trials

Dr. Strand also recommends avoiding pictures or cards early in treatment, since you want the student’s visual attention on your face for motor-planning input, not split between your face and a card.

What About Non-Speech Oral Motor Exercises?

Skip them. CAS is a planning disorder, not a strength or muscle-weakness disorder, so exercises like tongue strengthening don’t transfer to speech production (McCauley et al., 2009). Time spent there is time not spent on the actual motor planning work that moves the needle.

“My life wouldn’t be the same without SLP Now! The live data collection has changed everything for me in terms of progress notes and IEP updates.”

— School-Based SLP

FAQ: Treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech

How is CAS different from a phonological disorder? CAS is a motor planning disorder, errors are inconsistent, and prosody is often affected. Phonological disorders tend to show consistent, rule-based error patterns with intact prosody. A student can present with features of both, which is part of why dynamic assessment matters so much.

How many trials does a CAS session actually need? More than most other speech sound disorders. High-repetition practice (aim for as many trials as the session structure allows) is one of the most consistent findings across CAS treatment research.

Do I need specialized training to treat CAS? You don’t need a certification to start, but additional training meaningfully improves outcomes given how different CAS treatment is from standard articulation therapy. Free training options are linked below.

Resources for Further Learning

Free Training: Presented by Edythe Strand, Callier Center for Communication Disorders, UT Dallas

Free Resources: Apraxia Kids · Child Apraxia Treatment · ASHA Evidence Map for CAS

SLP Now members get access to a full CAS skill pack, including a dynamic assessment tool, do’s-and-don’ts reference, and session materials built around these principles.

Start your free trial to access the CAS skill pack →

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Childhood apraxia of speech [Evidence map]. https://www2.asha.org/EvidenceMapLanding.aspx?id=8589936369

McCauley, R. J., Strand, E. A., Lof, G. L., Schooling, T., & Frymark, T. (2009). Evidence-based systematic review: Effects of nonspeech oral motor exercises on speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 343-360.

Moriarty, B. C., & Gillon, G. T. (2006). Phonological awareness intervention for children with childhood apraxia of speech. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 41(6), 713-734.

Murray, E., McCabe, P., & Ballard, K. J. (2015). A randomized controlled trial for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Comparing Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58(3), 669-686.

Strand, E. A. (2020). Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing: A treatment strategy for childhood apraxia of speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(1), 30-48.

Strand, E. A., & McCauley, R. J. (2018). Differential diagnosis of severe speech impairment in young children. The ASHA Leader.

Williams, P., & Stephens, H. (2004). Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Windsor, England: The Miracle Factory.

An SLP’s Guide to Writing Expressive Language Goals for School Age IEPs + Expressive Language Goal Bank

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If you’ve ever stared at a blank IEP goal box trying to figure out how to turn “the student has trouble expressing himself” into something specific and measurable, this one’s for you.

Expressive language is how our students share their thoughts, needs, and ideas, in the classroom, at home, and everywhere in between. When a student struggles here, it shows up everywhere. Writing a goal that’s actually specific enough to guide your therapy (and vague enough to survive real classroom variability) takes some thought. Let’s make it easier.

What Is Expressive Language?

According to ASHA, expressive language is a person’s ability to communicate thoughts and feelings through verbal or nonverbal communication. It’s the “output” side of language, as opposed to receptive language, which is comprehension.

Expressive language breaks down into 5 domains:

  • Phonology: Using speech sound patterns while communicating
  • Morphology: Using correct word forms and endings
  • Syntax: Using correct sentence structure
  • Semantics: Using words in a meaningful way
  • Pragmatics: Using language socially

Those 5 domains group into 3 bigger categories: form (phonology, morphology, syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics). Most goal-writing confusion comes from mixing these up, so it’s worth keeping that framework in your back pocket when you’re deciding what to target.

Expressive vs. Receptive Language (Quick Refresher)

Expressive language is a student’s ability to produce language. 

Receptive language is a student’s ability to understand language.

A student can have strong receptive skills and still struggle expressively, or the reverse. That’s why goal writing has to be domain-specific, not just “language” in general.

How to Write Expressive Language Goals (By Domain)

Below are goal examples across the domains you’ll write for most often. All of these are also available (along with hundreds more) in the SLP Now goal bank, so you don’t have to build every goal from scratch.

Morphology Goals

Morphology is the system that governs word structure, things like verb tense, plurals, and possessives. Strong morphology skills depend on understanding root words and how affixes change meaning.

Goal Example 1: Given an image of an action being completed, student will produce regular past tense verbs (-ed), given 1 verbal model, with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 2: Given items or an image, student will produce irregular plural nouns at the word level independently, in the speech classroom, with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 3: Given an image of a person completing an action, student will produce present progressive (-ing) in sentences, given no more than 1 model, in 4/5 opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

Grammatical Morpheme Example
· Present progressive (-ing) Dog barking.
· in Water in cup.
· on Toy on table.
· Plural regular (-s) My toys.
· Past irregular I ate food.
· Possessive (‘s) Mommy’s book.
· Uncontractible copula  (uses as main verb) This is Daddy’s.
· Articles (a, the) A toy.
· Past regular (-ed) I looked.
· Third person (-s) She runs.
· Third person irregular Dog has a bone.
· Uncontractible auxiliary He was talking.
· Contractible copula It’s Tuesday.
· Contractible auxiliary Sister’s laughing.

A quick note on sequencing: morpheme acquisition follows a fairly predictable order (present progressive and prepositions tend to emerge before third-person singular and irregular past tense, for example). If a student is struggling with a later-developing morpheme, it’s worth checking whether the earlier ones are solid first.

Syntax Goals

Syntax governs word order and sentence structure. When a student has syntactic deficits, you’ll often see words out of order, omitted words, or oversimplified sentences.

Goal Example 1: By the end of the IEP, student will produce complex sentences using conjunctions (e.g., because, before), given 1 example, in 7/10 opportunities, in the speech room, across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 2: Given images, student will produce complex sentences containing causal conjunctions (e.g., because, yet, so), independently, in 4/5 opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 3: Given two simple sentences, student will combine them using conjunctions (e.g., and, but, so), independently, in the speech classroom, with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.

Semantics Goals

Semantics is about meaning, specifically, whether a student has the vocabulary depth to express themselves clearly and precisely.

Goal Example 1: Given an item or image, student will expand their vocabulary by describing the item with 3 descriptors (e.g., category, function, appearance, parts, location), in 4/5 opportunities, in the speech classroom, across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 2: Given 2 items, student will state 2 differences between the items, given no more than 1 verbal model, in 7/10 opportunities, in the speech classroom, across three consecutive sessions.

Goal Example 3: Given a vocabulary word, student will provide a synonym for the word independently, with 80% accuracy, in the speech classroom, across three consecutive sessions.

Phonology Goals

Phonology goals target a student’s use of sound patterns, which shows up expressively when a student’s phonological system affects their intelligibility or word structure (distinct from a standalone articulation or phonological disorder, which gets its own IEP goal category).

Goal Example: Given a target word list, student will produce final consonants in single words with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions, in the speech classroom.

Pragmatics Goals

Pragmatics is the social use of language, reading the room, taking turns, adjusting tone for the audience.

Goal Example: During structured conversation with a peer or adult, student will maintain a topic for 3 conversational turns, given no more than 1 verbal prompt, in 4/5 opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

Writing Goals for Students Who Use AAC

If your student uses an AAC device, the goals above still apply. You’re still referencing typical expressive language development when choosing targets. The main shift is in your intervention approach, using guided language stimulation (modeling on the device) rather than verbal modeling alone.

From Goal to Therapy: Where to Start

Once you’ve got the goal, the real work is targeting it consistently without reinventing your session plans every week. A few starting points:

  • Morphology: Sentence frames and repeated exposure to target morphemes in meaningful context work better than isolated drill.
  • Syntax: Sentence combining and expansion/reduction activities (take a compound sentence apart, then put it back together) build flexibility.
  • Semantics: Context-first instruction, teaching a word inside a sentence rather than as an isolated definition, holds up better over time.

“It’s been a one-stop shop for me. I’ve been able to gather my materials, collect my data live, and then have a graph to show how the students are making progress or what goals I didn’t target in a previous session.”

— Courtney Tomberlain, SLP at Cobb County School District (20 yrs experience)

FAQ: Expressive Language Goals

What’s the difference between expressive and receptive language goals? Expressive goals target what a student produces. Receptive goals target what a student understands. A student can need both, but they’re written and tracked separately.

Do I need a separate goal for every domain? Not necessarily. Prioritize the domain(s) where the student’s needs are most functionally significant, and where you have solid baseline data. Writing 5 goals across all domains for every student usually isn’t realistic or necessary.

How do I choose which domain to target first? Start with whichever domain is most limiting the student’s ability to communicate functionally in the classroom. If you’re not sure, a quick language sample usually makes the priority obvious.

Ready-Made Materials for Every Domain

SLP Now has thousands of ready-to-use materials and a full goal bank covering all 5 expressive language domains, so you’re not starting from a blank page every time you sit down to write goals or plan therapy.

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References

Berko Gleason, J. (2005). The development of language (6th ed.). Pearson Education.

Brown, R. (1973). A first language: The early stages. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Language in brief. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/spoken-language-disorders/language-in-brief/

This article contains everything you need to know to write expressive language goals for speech students, and an expressive language goal bank! Expressive language is how our speech students can share their thoughts, feelings, needs, and ideas in and out of the classroom.