overwhlemed

This job can be overwhelming. I need to remember that being overwhelmed does not mean I am doing a bad job. 

bulletin boards

Bulletin boards can be an extra chore unless you use it to display student work. 

With this board, we imagined we were super heroes and drew ourselves as super heroes in a comic book panel. We cut that panel out and stapeled it to the bulletin board. We used our imaginations to take a picture in our head and put it on paper. And then we used attributes to describe our super hero. 

The kids seemed to really enjoy this activity and hopefully they were able to see that they were superheroes!

comic book reading activities

It's no secret that students with speech-language disorders may struggle with reading skills. We know all the theoretical reasons why but sometimes we struggle with the solutions. Between large caseloads and stacks of paperwork, sometimes our creativity suffers and we are left struggling for therapy activities.

Let me introduce you to the comic book:

Comic books have changed drastically in recent years. With the popularity of comic book movies, more universes have stories told in graphic novel format. More age-appropriate stories are being told through comic books.

Comic books offer stories with pictures... For our articulation kids, we can practice target sounds in sentences and conversation.

For our stutterers, we can practice "smooth" speech and other techniques to produce more fluent speech (as well as the confidence to speak).

For our language kids, we can work on defining words, retelling a story with good syntax and morphology and whatever else comes up!

And with this, students can gain strategies of mapping visual images with the words they read while enjoying a story without the pressure to read. 

So I have a new stack of comic books this week and we'll take some time to read them during speech therapy this week!

I'll let y'all know how we progress!

where's the beef?

So since I'm one of the Lead SLPs in my school district, I've been back at work for a while.

But my SLPs just finished their second week of work.

We've all been hustlin' like we have to hustle the first few weeks of school.... oh, who am I kidding? We hustle all year long!

So I've been eating out a lot and need to get some healthy food choices that I can bring to school with me...

This week, I'm making home made brocoli salad and homemade chicken salad.
I've got a large glass bottle for water (gotta stay hydrated since we talk all day long), kombucha and coffee.

[I know coffee contradicts the large water.... but y'all know... no coffee, no Speechie]

So I need your help.... what are some good lunch and snack choices for the school-based- multiple- sites-a-day SLP?

[thanks in advance for your help!]

Uno

Uno is a magical magical game. Since I've been working with more upper elementary, middle school and high school students, I had to find something that would create a face-to-face interaction while giving us a reinforcer for the stagnant (but important) drill work.

Enter Uno - down from Heaven on a unicorn.

So here's how I use Uno so my kids don't think speech is lame-

*for my artic kids: say three target words; take a turn

*for my language kids: answer three questions; take a turn

*for fluency kids: say three sentences using fluent speech; take a turn

(you get the idea)

But there's something extra magical when we SLPs stumble upon something that can work for ANY kid on our caseload- this is where you'll need a parking space for the unicorn because Uno comes to the rescue again!

I have some kiddos who KNOW what to do during social situations but struggle to implement said skills when they are in the heat of the moment. Uno sets up those situations and moments of frustration, need, disappontment and excitement. Especially good for practicing turn taking! All you have to do is talk the kids through it and help them role-play.

Uno's not expensive and I have a stack at every site I serve-

So get a deck and let me know what language and speech treasures you stumble on!

to the mommas and daddies of kiddos with special needs

I see you.

I see you lean against the waiting room wall- sighing as your child and I go to the speech therapy room- sighing for the 30 minutes that might be your respite for the day.

I see you across the table at the initial IEP meeting nervously twisting the tissue trying not to cry.

I see you - so stressed that you lash out in exhaustion.

I see you - and your marriage strained because your attention is required by your special needs child.

I see you- tear up as I say "it's not your fault- let's talk solutions."

I see you- mourning missed milestones; missed play dates; missed interactions.

I see you.

I see you.

I stand by you. For a short amount of time. But I am cheering for you.

I see you- smile as we talk about his progress.

I see you- comment about how her grandparents say they understand her more.

I see you- as you tell me about his report card...

I see you.

You were made for this.

So was I.

what do you call your speech therapy room at school?