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Marisha

How to Organize a Book Unit

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If you love literacy-based therapy as much as I do, then you’re probably also on the hunt for a hack to keep your book units organized. The more streamlined you can make managing your caseload, the more fun and productive therapy sessions are for YOU and YOUR students.

My a-ha moment was when I realized how much I could accomplish when I prepped book units up to six months at a time.

Are you thinking this must have taken over my summer? Nope!

Guys, it took just over an hour to organize six months of book units. And the benefit to my sanity? Priceless!

Now, all of my theme-based books are organized along with all the materials that go with the books to make therapy fun for my students. All I need to do is pull them out of their hanging file folder once it’s time for our session.

I developed this plan after my caseload doubled as a school-based SLP. I was drowning, and I knew there had to be a better way. I found the secret to my sanity was to use evidence-based strategies in my therapy sessions. And, I set out to create materials to help me do that.

I have hundreds of materials to support my literacy-based therapy (and those are available as part of the SLP Now membership).

The other key to keeping my head above water was to streamline my processes. THAT’s where my organization skills come in handy.

Categorizing book units by themes is a really great way to keep them organized. It’s important to pick themes that will be addressed in the classroom and that pair with the curriculum.

Finding the Materials

When I’m ready to create a book unit, I just search for a theme on the SLP Now materials page. The website then shows all the activities for that theme, and I can select the activities or support materials I’m interested in. Here’s a peek at what you might see:

It’s an excellent idea for SLPs to use themes to organize book units in speech therapy, but it can feel like a daunting organizational task. This blog post dives into a tutorial about how to organize a book unit using the materials available in the SLP Now membership. Click through to get insight on how to shorten your planning time!

The Theme at a Glance gives you a quick overview of the unit.

Every theme includes at least two books. For the snowman theme, we have Snowmen at Night and Sneezy the Snowman (two of my favorites!).

We have a guide for each book, which I like to refer to as the SLP’s cheat sheet. It breaks down the book for you, so it’s super easy to identify which books are best for your groups and so you have tons of targets right at your fingertips. Whether you’re targeting articulation, grammar, vocabulary, or language, we’ve got you covered!

We also have an activity pack for each book. This includes vocabulary cards, multiple choice WH question cards, and story grammar visuals.

We also round out each theme with supplementary activities, like crafts, reinforcers, and extension activities. The themed reading passages are great for older students.

Planning and Prepping

I favorite all of the materials that I want to use with my groups. (This makes it super easy when I’m actually creating my therapy plans. I can attach the resources to my plans!)

I don’t print a lot of materials, but there’s one big exception… I always print the book activities–the WH question cards, vocabulary cards, and story grammar visuals.

I put a plastic pocket at the end of each book to store the visuals, so I can grab a book and be ready to target and scaffold a variety of skills. I’m still using visuals that I prepped a few years ago! It’s the best feeling ever when I open up a book and find those resources ready to go!

 

 

 

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Check out this video for a closer look at how it all comes together:

Tips just like this will be part of the SLP Summit (a free online conference). I would love to see you there. Sign up today!

What hacks have you used to organize your book units?

How to Get Free Books for Literacy-Based Therapy

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Since books are the key ingredients to literacy-based therapy, I’m always on the hunt for good books that are relevant for my students. Even though I do buy some (HELLO, Amazon Prime!), I love when I can get my hands on them for free! And, since SLPs have a never-ending need to find books that will engage our students so our speech and language therapy supports them in the classroom, FREE is fantastic, right?!

Here are seven of my favorite ways to get books for literacy-based therapy (and many are free!):

1. Library (School and Community)

Who doesn’t love the library? Most of the time, your school or community library will have the books you want, and the librarians are incredible resources to help you find what you need (and are clued into the books kids are excited about!). Many libraries are also connected to larger networks, so you might be able to borrow from other libraries.

And don’t forget about e-books! You can often check out digital books through your library using an app like Overdrive or Libby.

2. Epic

Have you tapped into Epic’s resources yet? It’s one of my favorite apps, and it’s FREE for educators—the perfect digital library for kids! Plus, one of the best features is that you can create a profile for each of your students so they will get personalized book recommendations (and rewards for reading!). Yes, please! With more than 25,000 resources, you can find just about anything you need!

3. YouTube

You can find thousands of books on YouTube for free!

4. Google eBookstore

Another fabulous resource for free (or very low-cost) e-books is the Google eBookstore. Great if you need to book a text in a pinch!

5. Scholastic

If you liked book orders when you were in elementary school, and if you work at a school, then you’re going to really love the program Scholastic has for teachers. Sign up for the Scholastic Reading Club to get really great discounts on books. Don’t forget to sign up to get notified of upcoming warehouse sales, as well, to get some incredible discounts.

And, check in with some of your teacher friends to see if they have any extra Scholastic points to share. When their classroom places a book order, Scholastic gives them points that can be redeemed for books or other supplies. There might be teachers at your school who have points to spare and will let you get free books for your therapy sessions that way.

6. Thrift Stores, Garage Sales, and Used Bookstores

I’m not going to lie: Some days, this can be like finding a needle in a haystack. But, one of my favorite places to find books, often for less than a dollar, is at Goodwill. Some days, I hit the jackpot. Other days, not so much. BUT, if you are patient and keep visiting thrift stores, garage sales, and used bookstores, you will eventually hit the mother lode.

7. Amazon

Yep, as I mentioned, Amazon is a favorite resource of mine, and they also have a great used book section. So, while it might not be free, there are definitely some deals to take advantage of.

No matter where I find my books, I make sure to always follow my top three criteria for selecting books to use in therapy.

I’ll be sharing even more tips and tricks like this at the SLP Summit, a free online conference for SLPs.

Now, it’s your turn! What would you add to my list?

Set Students Up to Win in the Game of Language and Life

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Take a deep breath. What I’m about to tell you will take a leap of faith: It’s time to toss your therapy decks aside in favor of contextualized language intervention.

I can almost hear your gasps of, “But why, Marisha!?”

Stay with me. I’m not saying NEVER use your therapy decks, but it is time for you to loosen your white-knuckle grip on them.

When we only practice skills with our students, we never give them a chance to make the shot (or apply what they learned in a real-life setting). I learned this lesson the hard way when I realized what I was teaching in my speech room with cute games and lots of fun activities stayed in the speech room. While “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” might be good for Vegas, it’s not good for our students when they don’t apply what they learn in a classroom setting.

The basketball analogy that really drove this home for me was shared in a presentation by Dr. Teresa Ukrainetz about contextualized language intervention. Her comparison really resonated with me.

In basketball, there are essential skills players must master to become champions, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. What would it look like if basketball players were relegated to only skills practice?

They’d head to the gym and dribble, pass, and shoot over and over. Dribble. Pass. Shoot. Dribble. Pass. Shoot. They might have different drills to mix it up, but they are always in the gym—dribble, pass, shoot.

While they will likely be able to acquire the skills necessary to dribble, pass, and shoot in the controlled environment of the gym, it’s unclear how they would transfer those skills to an actual basketball game for the win.

In our world, the drills are therapy decks, worksheets, and language activities that teach skills. Yes, some of these are very effective IN OUR SPEECH ROOMS, but what happens when a student goes back to the classroom? Are they set up to win there?

At the opposite end of the spectrum would be basketball players who try to learn the skills JUST by playing games over and over again. Coaches offer some feedback, but there aren’t goals established, or there isn’t a particular focus to help a player improve.

Hmmm, does this sound familiar in our world? Sounds like the enrichment and assistance we give students to help them complete classroom assignments.

What’s a better formula to be a champion?

In basketball, players learn and acquire skills through a combination of coaching, hands-on practice, and real-life application in the games.

At the beginning of the season, a coach assesses individual players in a causal intra-team scrimmage to determine areas of focus for practices. At practices, the team learns and enhances their skills while practicing the fundamentals of the game—dribbling, passing, and shooting.

They then put their skills into action when they step on the court to play in a game. Based on the performance of the game, coaches alter their next practice strategy to focus on skills that need further development. For example, if the team struggled to hit free-throw shots, the coach might implement a special drill to help the team improve. This cycle of learning and testing continues throughout the entire season.

With contextualized language intervention, skills matter but the “game is the aim”! We want our students to integrate their learning within the context of the classroom or in conversations with their peers or parents. Relevancy is key!

In my experience implementing literacy-based (i.e., contextualized) therapy, students were less distracted, I was less overwhelmed, and my students were making MORE progress!

Contextualized language intervention in action

In classrooms across the country, teachers expect students to engage in meaningful discussions related to the curriculum—from reviewing the results of a science experiment to analyzing Number the Stars. So, it’s the perfect example for us to see contextualized language intervention in action.

In this example, participating in a classroom discussion is the GAME for which we are preparing our students.

In order for students to successfully participate in a discussion, they need to be able to comprehend the teacher’s questions, understand the other students’ contributions, and generate their own responses—just to name a few. Skills we might target in the therapy room include answering WH questions, answering inferential questions, identifying relevant/irrelevant details, producing grammatically correct sentences, and speaking clearly.

Check out the video below to dive into more examples!

Are you ready to make the switch?

Yeah! I’m so glad you stuck with me. Here are a few things I learned when I evolved my therapy to a more literacy-based approach:

• It takes time: This transition won’t happen overnight. It’s hard giving up your therapy decks because they are tried and true. Take positive steps in the direction you want to go, and it’s totally doable!

• Communicate with classroom teachers: In order to make sure our work is meaningful and purposeful, the definition of providing contextualized intervention, it’s important to talk to classroom teachers and learn what students are working on in the classroom. This can vary from teacher to teacher in each grade level and from year to year.

• Trust your therapy toolbox and your clinical judgment: The therapy skills you worked so hard to acquire can be used in just about any context. And, there is a time and a place for your therapy deck and board game reinforcer. Your clinical judgment will help you navigate.

Want more tips on how to incorporate contextualized language intervention into your therapy? Pre-register for the SLP Summit today, a free online conference for SLPs!

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Lateral Lisp

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Next up is…Hilary! She’s sharing how she figured out how to help a student with a lateral lisp.

Tell us a little about you! Where are you from?

I am from Southern California, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. I have lived in California all of my life, mostly Southern California.

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work (e.g., setting, quick overview of caseload)?

I am currently in my sixth year as a school-based speech therapist. During the summers and holiday breaks, I have done some per diem work at a local clinic, as well. I attended the University of the Pacific for undergrad and the University of Redlands for graduate school. My current caseload consists of elementary and high school students; however, during my time as a speech therapist, I have worked with ages two through high school with a variety of different levels and abilities.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

Last year at the beginning of the year, while reading over my student goals, I noticed that one of my kindergarteners had a goal for /t/, /d/, and /n/. Upon reading the report and meeting the student, I learned that this student presented with a lateral lisp. I remember learning that lateral lisps were never developmental, but besides that I had never learned how to treat a lateral lisp. I quickly learned that not only were the /s/ and /z/ sounds affected, but the /sh/ and /ch/ sounds were, too.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

I consulted my supervisor, who told me about a trick using a straw and a cotton ball to teach proper airflow. I don’t know if it wasn’t that I wasn’t clear on this technique, but I couldn’t figure out what to do. I searched online on speech therapist blogs and on Teachers Pay Teachers for articles and resources for treating a lateral lisp and read many articles that described different techniques and suggestions. I found a video by Pedi Speechie that I watched and had some great ideas that seemed simple to implement.

What did you try that worked really well?

The technique that worked well for me was practicing a short “t” and then making a long “t” and using the term “long t” instead of “s” when teaching the sound. Initially, I was just creating my own activities using short t, long t, and final ts. I found and created word lists focusing on final ts and used these words in therapy. I found a resource on Teachers Pay Teachers by Pedi Speechie that had handouts and activities to go along with the technique I was using.

What did you try that didn’t work?

It didn’t work to try to teach forward airflow using a straw.

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

When things didn’t go as planned, I continued to do research and ask colleagues and other speech therapists for suggestions as to what may work.

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

Unfortunately, I was just starting to work on this technique in phrases when it was the end of the school year, and I did not return to the school site in the fall. It was very frustrating that after all of my hard work, I wasn’t able to continue with working with this student.

What did you learn?

I was so proud of myself that I conquered this, and my confidence as a speech therapist increased. I am now more comfortable to work with other students with a lateral lisp and excited to assist other therapists in this area, as I have found a technique that worked for me. I learned that there may be many ways to teach a skill and that resources are there to help. I was reminded to ask others for their insight and ideas as to what has worked for them.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Early Intervention

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Next up is… Kayla! She is a school-based SLP who stepped into a new setting–early intervention!

Tell us a little about you! Where are you from?

Western Kentucky

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work (e.g., setting, quick overview of caseload)?

I attended Murray State University for undergrad and graduate school. I am a 5th year SLP working in a very rural elementary school. I am currently serving on the executive council for the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and I have also dabbled in the world of birth-to-3 early intervention.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

I absolutely love working with young children, especially preschoolers. So, naturally, I assumed early intervention (birth to 3 years) would be a natural fit for me. Surprise! It wasn’t. I liked it, but I didn’t LOVE it. As much as I adored the family and the child, I came to realize that early intervention may not be for me. And, of course, I felt guilty! Guilty that I possibly let a family and/or child down. Guilty that I didn’t know everything there is to know about EI. Guilty that I was learning as I went. Guilty that I wasn’t doing enough because I was so out of my comfort zone. Guilty that I didn’t find a way to make myself love early intervention.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

I researched EI, and I researched it well. I became an active participant in early intervention Facebook group discussions, bought all of Laura Mize’s therapy manuals (I highly recommend these, by the way), and took multiple courses on EI through speechpathology.com. I would not have survived a year in early intervention without these resources.

What did you try that worked really well?

Kentucky uses the “Bagless Approach” for EI services, which means that we do not bring materials into the home (that can’t be left there). I really had to push myself to grasp this concept (after all, I do work in a school with tons of awesome supplies), but once I figured it out, I could definitely see the benefits of this approach! Why wouldn’t I want to use the materials that are always available in the child’s home?!

What did you try that didn’t work?

Lots of things! This was a very trial-and-error experience for me. It was the first time I had worked with a child under the age of 3, and it was also my first experience working with a nonverbal child. I tried multiple activities that I thought would be perfect and wonderful, and guess what — they weren’t! Young children do not always want to do what you want them to do, in case you were wondering!

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

Tried and tried again! I went home, planned better activities, asked for parent input, looked up more research — anything I could do to make my therapy services useful and beneficial for this child and this family!

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

I decided early intervention wasn’t for me. I learned to appreciate the EI approach and process, but it wasn’t for me. At least not at this point in my life! Right now, schools are where I belong.

What did you learn?

My biggest suggestion would be to put in the work. Do the research. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t beat yourself up over not knowing it all, and certainly do not beat yourself up if you try something and do not absolutely love it.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Hearing Loss

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Next up is… Karen! She’s sharing her experience with the auditory verbal approach and the hearing-impaired population.

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work (e.g., setting, quick overview of caseload)?

I have been an SLP for 17 years. I got my bachelor’s in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of South Alabama and my master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Alabama A & M University. I have had 200+ hours of training in Auditory Verbal Therapy approaches, including hands-on practicum. I did my CFY in a SNF and have also worked in the hospital and outpatient setting. But, my heart belongs in pediatric speech therapy — specifically, working with the hearing-impaired population. I currently work in the public school setting and teletherapy. My caseload consists of hearing impaired, articulation, autism, and language delays. I love working with preschool and early intervention.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

I was placed at a school that had two children with cochlear implants. I knew how to do language therapy and articulation therapy, but I felt like I didn’t really know what else they needed to succeed. I asked fellow SLPs and noticed that many didn’t have a lot of information about how to work with hearing impaired (HI) students.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

I attended many trainings, conferences, and institutes regarding how to utilize an auditory verbal approach. I also started learning ASL.

What did you try that worked really well?

The auditory verbal techniques that I learned in training produced more progress with the students. I implemented some training with other SLPs, as well.

What did you try that didn’t work?

Trying auditory verbal approaches to profoundly deaf children who also had other disabilities proved to be difficult and challenging with slower progress.

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

I modified my strategy to include a hybrid approach using ASL.

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

The result was less frustration for the student and for myself.

What did you learn?

Sometimes an auditory-only approach isn’t appropriate for a student. It is important to individualize and utilize/modify approaches to achieve maximum progress!

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Parent Meetings

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Next up is…Molly! She’s sharing how she prepared for successful parent communication and how she built rapport with a parent in a challenging situation.

Tell us a little about you! Where are you from?

I am from the Northwestern suburbs of Chicago. I live with my SLP husband and our 18-month-old daughter. It is amazing to watch her language grow! My husband and I nerd out about language milestones together.

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work?

I went to Marquette University in Milwaukee and received a major in history and a minor in speech-language pathology. I went to Northern Illinois University to receive a Bachelors in speech-language pathology. I went to graduate school for my Masters in speech-language pathology at University of Nebraska at Omaha.

I have been an SLP since 2013. I have always worked a full-time position in the school setting. I have worked in two school districts. This is my fifth year at my current school district. The buildings that I have been in have all been Title 1 schools that have preschool to 5th grade. I have done PRN work at a nursing home, but the hours were inconsistent. I now have clients at a private practice that I have been working at since 2015, where I see clients mostly for AAC, social skills, and phonological processes.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

I had a 2nd grade student who moved from another school district. His previous school district had speech goals for articulation. When he came to the school district that I work for, we were able to open up an evaluation because we did not feel as though articulation was the only goal that would benefit this student. The school assessed all areas: academics, fine motor, language, speech, social/emotional, and cognitive.

When I completed my testing, the student obtained standard scores that were 65-70 on the CELF-5. During the initial meeting with mom, she was only concerned with her son’s articulation, but I had overall language concerns. I was concerned that mom would not be receptive to my recommendations of additional therapy minutes, additional language goals, and using visuals in the classroom to aid in production and understanding.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

I looked at my data that I had for this student. I made sure that my evaluation was completed with not only standardized tests but also with informal assessments (e.g., language samples, student work, etc.) and a variety of classroom observations (e.g., small group setting, large group setting, and with peers). Since there were going to be difficult conversations with mom about his progress not being typical, I made sure that I also found a variety of student strengths. I also consulted with my other SLP friends. I asked their opinions about how to explain to a parent that they had higher needs than what was previously stated. Building rapport with the mom at the initial meeting and when she came to drop him off at school was also very helpful. I made sure to do a parent interview to gain input about home life and his language development. At the meeting, I connected what the parent saw at home and what we saw at school to explain how the below average-range standard scores impacted his ability to complete various tasks.

What did you try that worked really well?

I feel that building a rapport with the mom really helped her gain trust in our team and our recommendations.

What did you try that didn’t work?

I was very fortunate in this situation that the mom was very receptive to what the team and I were suggesting. We all wanted what was best for the student: for him to be successful at school and with peers.

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

When a parent, in general, has questions or asks about additional information that I do not know at the time, I let them know that I don’t have the answer at that moment but that I will get back to them. I make sure to get back to them with the additional resources/information that they ask for.

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

The mom in this situation had a better reaction than I anticipated. She was willing to add more therapy time. She was even understanding when I recommended an AAC device due to his highly unintelligible speech.

What did you learn?

I learned that building a relationship with a family helps them gain trust in your recommendations. I feel like making sure to have a variety of examples of how the standard scores impact them within the classroom allows parents to not focus on the low score but on how this skill will increase due to therapy. For example, a low-scaled score on Following Directions can impact a student’s ability to complete classroom tasks, like getting their materials ready for class.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Fluency

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Next up is… Myra! She’s sharing her experience with fluency.

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work?

I received my B.A. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Alabama in 2003. I received my M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Alabama in 2005. I have worked for a contract therapy company (one year), for my own private practice (part-time, three years), and for public schools (13 years). I currently work in an alternative placement public school setting. I serve students ranging in age from kindergarten through 21 years old. I have 21 students on my caseload. Many are on the autism spectrum, and all are in an alternative placement due to significant behavioral needs. This is my first year in this position, but it is my sixth year with Mobile County Public Schools. In the past, I have had as many as 75-80 students on my caseload in regular public elementary schools.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

I have found that therapy for fluency is difficult because fluency disorders themselves are so inconsistent. For example, a student may be perfectly fluent in my office during therapy but have severe primary and secondary characteristics in the classroom or at home. It is also difficult to put environmental modifications in place because the things that parents and other communication partners need to do in order to help are often counterintuitive. Also, the SLP must function as a “communication counselor” at times for both the person who stutters and for their support system. The biggest challenge I have ever faced with a student who stuttered was two years ago. I had a student who exhibited the most severe stuttering behaviors I have ever encountered, AND he was on the autism spectrum. He exhibited the full range of primary stuttering behaviors: initial syllable/sound repetitions, final syllable/sound repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. His blocks were sometimes 3-5 seconds long with overt signs of tension and struggle. He stuttered FREQUENTLY. He had serious secondary behaviors: loss of eye contact, blinking, head bobbing/jerking, and knee slapping. Compounding all of this was the fact that his receptive and expressive language were delayed, AND his ability to understand/express emotions and feelings was limited, as is common to persons with autism. I had NO idea where to begin with planning and executing efficacious therapy for this student.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

I did a lot of reading online. I can’t remember all the sites, but I pretty much Googled “stuttering and autism” or some variation of those keywords and scanned everything that popped up from blog posts to research articles. Ultimately, I decided to begin “at the beginning.” I used a combination of resources, pulling from both the Color Me Fluent and Focus on Fluency programs, as well as relevant children’s books and coordinating materials.

What did you try that worked really well?

First, I taught “speech helpers” until he was able to identify and label each one, as well as to provide a description of what each did (in his words, not mine). Then, we practiced controlled breathing exercises. Surprisingly (to me), this turned out to be a HUGE help for this student. It helped his receptive language skills (following directions, vocabulary), as well as helped him to regulate his rate of speech. Then, we did activities that involved using our voices in different ways. We read books, and I modeled character voices for him to imitate. We worked on basic concepts (loud, soft, high, low, fast, slow, up, down) and descriptive words (angry, spooky, sad, happy, excited, bored) by watching videos (e.g., Winnie the Pooh/Eyore for a sad voice example) and using our voices or saying words in the different ways. Once he was pretty good at controlling his voice, we started working on how to control our stuttering. Portions of Color Me Fluent were very helpful in teaching the techniques because the explanations and use of manipulatives were very concrete ways to teach these abstract concepts (e.g., stretchy speech using a slinky to stretch as you talk). Over the next two years, I saw major improvements in his ability to control his speech, as well as his confidence in speaking (the best part). His parents and teachers saw the change, and they were much more willing to listen to my recommendations because of the progress that they recognized.

What did you try that didn’t work?

Initially, I tried working in a group of four students due to time/caseload size restraints. It just didn’t work. I had to get creative with scheduling and make time individually in the beginning. I was eventually able to work up to a group of two so that we could get some good old-fashioned verbal competition going to practice application of learned skills.

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

I engaged in reflective practice and was honest with myself about what wasn’t working and why. It made me a better clinician to recognize things I needed to change and to seek out evidence-based ways to improve.

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

The end result was gains for my student. His communication disorder was much less severe when he completed 5th grade than when he began 3rd grade. He made more progress than I expected because he was surrounded by a great team!

What did you learn?

I learned that being out of your comfort zone is a GOOD THING. If you approach a challenge with the attitude that you don’t know how you’re going to do this YET, then you can do things you once thought were impossible. Be willing to learn, and let failures motivate you to seek out resources and information to improve your practice.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone with Teacher Collaboration

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I’m so incredibly excited to hear from six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experience when overcoming a challenge. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

First up is… Arianna! She’s sharing how she made teacher collaboration work for her.

Tell us a little about you! Where are you from?

I lived in Florida most of my life and went to college at the University of South Florida. I made Texas home when I decided to attend grad school at University of Texas at Austin. I juggled grad school and planning my wedding within the first year of my program and later graduated while five months pregnant with my perfect son. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of life, but I have also recently begun to appreciate the quiet times with my husband and now 1-year-old.

Tell us about your experience as an SLP! Where did you go to school? How long have you been an SLP? What settings have you worked in? Where do you currently work (e.g., setting, quick overview of caseload)?

I’ve known I wanted to be an SLP since about 10th grade, when I volunteered at a special needs charter school. Since then, I have tried to gain as much knowledge as possible to better serve those I work with. During undergrad, I invested myself in research, and I attended UT specifically for their bilingual training. Now, I am finishing up my CF year at a public bilingual elementary school in the district in which I always dreamed of working. This year, I am heading the Estrellitas program in my district, a 2-hour class designed for our bilingual 3-5 year olds with phonological and language goals. I also really enjoy working with some 4th and 5th graders. It’s a nice balance.

Describe the problem you faced. Tell us a little about the situation and how you felt tackling the problem.

Although I love working with the upper elementary students, I know it is much more challenging when it comes to scheduling, due to many of them receiving other special education services and the academic curriculum. Therefore, there are not many open blocks of time left for speech.

When I went to introduce myself to the upper elementary teachers, I was aware that it would most likely not be easy to schedule and was pretty nervous. However, they were incredibly receptive and willing to work with me to put each student’s needs first.

Which resources did you use when solving the problem?

The teachers! One thing I tend to forget is that I do not have to plan each session by myself! Actually, I feel like I am doing a disservice to my students if I plan my sessions solely based on a theme or an idea that I want to carry out. What they really need, especially my upper elementary students, is some “real-life” application so that they don’t feel completely lost when they’re tasked to do the same assignments their peers are. So, I asked for a copy of their textbooks and started studying what they’re studying.

What did you try that worked really well?

Every few weeks, I stop by during the teachers’ conference time and ask them what ONE concept I can work on with their students. It can be any subject. Surprisingly, it is usually a science or social studies topic. Then, I read up on that subject, find out what they’re expected to know, and start brainstorming ideas on how I can present that in a “speechie” way.

What did you try that didn’t work?

Before I narrowed it down to one concept, I tried to teach them the entire chapter they were working on, and I felt pretty burned out real fast! Honestly, science and social studies have never come easy to me, and it was not fun trying to memorize all that information. I was ready to give up and just go back to picking a random book off the shelf. But, I had to remind myself that I am not a tutor, and I’m definitely not a teacher. It is not my job to teach them everything but to give them the strategies and tools necessary for them to be able to learn.

What did you do when things didn’t go as planned?

I set limits for myself and made it clear to the teachers that I was not a substitute for instruction time or responsible for teaching them all the information. We worked it out so that I only use one concept as a means to guide my sessions.

What was the end result? Was it what you expected?

It was MORE than I expected! The teachers really thought hard of what they wanted me to work on. They often choose more abstract concepts, such as “matter,” which are harder to grasp for my language kiddos. I really feel like we are doing what is best for the students now, and it makes planning a lot easier.

What did you learn?

Where do I start?! I do not have to do it all on my own. The great thing about being a school-based SLP is that there is a whole community of resources right down the hall who have the same goals you do — to see those students succeed. It has also brought me out of my shell and given me the confidence to start conversations with my teachers. Some teachers even approach me and say, “So-and-so is really having a hard time grasping this. Do you have any ideas on how I can make it easier for her?” WHOA! This kind of collaboration makes my heart happy and continues to challenge me, which makes being an SLP so much more enjoyable.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone as an SLP

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We’ve been talking about confidence for several weeks now! You’ve (hopefully!) walked away with some helpful strategies for stepping outside your comfort zone as an SLP.

I’m so incredibly excited to step this up! Six amazing SLPs volunteered to share their experiences. These posts are filled with practical tips and tricks.

Here’s the line-up:

Part 1: Teacher Collaboration

Part 2: Fluency

Part 3: Parent Communication

Part 4: Auditory-Verbal Approach with Hearing Impaired Students

Part 5: Early Intervention

Part 6: Lateral Lisp

(Click here to see all of the posts in the series!)

Have a topic you’d like to address? Or have a topic you’d like to see in the series? E-mail us at [email protected]!

10 Tools for Clinical Problem Solving

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Last week, we talked about strategies to stick with our goals.

One of those strategies was to break our goal down into action steps.

When we’re talking about figuring out how to best treat a student with apraxia of speech or how to implement literacy-based therapy, those action steps can feel a little bit overwhelming. Where in the world do we start?

Here are some of my “go-to” resources when it comes to tackling clinical goals (in no particular order):

1. Research Articles

When I’m looking for information on a specific topic, I do a quick search on ASHA or Google Scholar.

SLP Hack: Many of the articles are paid. It’s not always feasible to spend $25 on ONE journal article, but you can often access the articles for free at your local university’s library.

2. ASHA Evidence Maps

This site includes resources for AAC, Late Language Emergence, and more! This is a great place to check if you want a quick review of the evidence in a particular area.

3. The Informed SLP

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the research, The Informed SLP makes it so much more “digestible.” They review all of the latest (clinically relevant) research on a monthly basis. You can read the summaries on their website on in a PDF format. They also have an audio version (perfect for those of us with long commutes)!

4. Online Courses

There are so many options out there! Here are some of my favorites:

• Leaders Project: The site offers free CEUs, mock evaluations, narrative assessment tools, and so much more.

• SpeechTherapyPD: They have hundreds of courses that you can access for $89 per year!

5. Textbooks

Textbooks are a great way to get an overview of any given topic. Like The Informed SLP, they do some of the digesting for us. Two of my favorites are School-Age Language Intervention and Contextualized Language Intervention.

6. SLP Now Evidence Table

This is still very much a work in progress, but the table includes links to relevant research articles (with a quick synopsis). It also includes links to materials I created based on the research findings.

Whenever a parent or an administrator questions what I’m doing, I know I have evidence to back up my decisions. I don’t necessarily pull out the table (because that might be a little unexpected!), but I’m able to easily share the evidence, if needed. This gives me the boost of confidence that I need in those awkward situations!

If a student isn’t responding well to intervention, then I can also pull up the table for some ideas. Quick and easy (evidence-based) troubleshooting for the win!

7. Colleagues

Reach out to speech-language pathologists that you admire. Just having someone to talk through a problem with can be incredibly helpful. Bonus points if they have suggestions to share!

Don’t have someone to reach out to regarding a specific topic? Consider checking out a Facebook group! Check out this blog post for some group suggestions!

8. Assessments

When given a clinical problem but I’m not sure where to go next, I like to collect data. Stay tuned for some assessment suggestions in the next few weeks.

9. Reach out to the Team

Communicate with the teacher and other service providers. Ask them their perspective on the problem. They may not be an expert in communication, but they may have a unique way of looking at the situation.

10. Use Your Data

You can also use the data that you’ve already collected! Review the students’ past progress and read past reports to make sure you’re not missing anything. Reviewing and organizing the data can help you brainstorm solutions.

Stay tuned for more tips and suggestions from other SLPs. We’ll be interviewing six SLPs over the next several weeks. They’re going to give a “behind the scenes” look at how they tackled specific problems, including more resources and suggestions!

How to Set and Achieve Your SLP Goals

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I’ve been saying this all week, but the best way to build confidence is to set goals! By setting (and achieving) your goals, you’ll become more confident.

If I want to be a confident speaker, then I have to get out there and practice. I might start by speaking to a small group–even if it’s scary! I might speak to a few small groups, getting better every time I go (even if there are some spectacular failures along the way). Pretty soon, the nervous feeling starts to go away. I’m ready to speak to a larger group and/or to tackle a more challenging topic.

Setting goals is like creating a road map to help you get to your “destination.” If I don’t set a goal with specific action steps, then I likely won’t even start–especially for something as scary as speaking! Instead of going to a speaking event, I’ll choose to sleep in or watch Netflix.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to get started, I wrote a blog post with goal setting tips, as well as sample goals and resources.

The focus of this post is what to do once you have your goals. As SLPs, we are pros when it comes to writing SMART goals; however, sticking with the goals is a whole other story!

Here are my top five tips when it comes to sticking with goals:

1. Schedule Time

Break your goal down. Determine action steps and schedule time to make it happen! Yes, actually write it in your planner/calendar!

2. Review Your Goals

I set time to check in every week. I monitor my progress (just like we do for our students!) and make sure I’m doing what I need to do to keep moving forward.

3. Embrace Failure

As Thomas Edison said, “Every failure is a lesson.” It is a stepping stone to something better. If you’re trying to implement curriculum-based therapy at your school, the first teacher you reach out to may completely shut you down. Instead of completely giving up on the goal, look at it as a learning opportunity. What can you do better next time?

If you do this every single time you fail, then you’ll be amazed at how much progress you make!

4. Stay Positive

Even though you may do some things that are uncomfortable in pursuit of your goals, you’re going to stick with it. You care about your students. You want the best for them. You’re willing to get outside your comfort zone to give your students what they need.

Focus on what you will achieve and remember to celebrate failure as a learning opportunity. (You can’t get any more positive than that, can you?!)

5. Don’t Wait for External Validation

Remember your why and don’t let other people–especially those who are negative–take away your confidence and motivation to achieve your goals. You set this goal for a reason, and you’re on your way to achieving it.

Have a tip to share! Let us know in the comments!