Set up a Folder System for Effortless Speech Therapy Sessions

Your students come into your therapy space and they know what to do.

They grab their speech folders from the bin by the door.

They walk to the table and sit down.

They open their folders and get out their practice page.

And they start practicing their skill quietly to themselves.

While everyone is coming in and getting settled, you have a few minutes to walk around and make sure everyone is practicing correctly.

You give a few redirections and corrections to help them get it right.

Sound like a dream?

Well, today I’m going to show you how to set up speech folders for your own effortless speech therapy sessions!

Listen to the Podcast Here

You can listen to the full podcast episode below:

How do Speech Folders Work?

1. Each student has a folder
2. You drop what they’re working on into the folder
3. When it’s time for speech, they grab the folder
4. They do “drill work” at the beginning by practicing their skill over and over again for as long as you can keep their attention
5. You keep working on that skill while playing games or doing other activities
6. Once they’ve mastered that step, you send that one home as homework (to reinforce) and add something new to their folder

HINT: Our No-Prep Therapy Kits inside The Hub are perfect for this and will allow you to plan once for weeks of therapy!

How to Set Up Speech Folders

1. Get a file box
2. Put hanging folders in to house the students’ individual folders (one per group/class/grade level or one for each student)
3. Label each folder accordingly (student initials or name of grouping)

Need product recommendations? See my recommended files, boxes, carts, etc. inside The Hub.

What if you Only Have a Small Number of Students?

1. Get a 3-ring binder for each child
2. Put a page on the front with the child’s name
3. Put in 15 plastic page protectors plus three divider tabs

How do Speech Folders Work for Teletherapy?

1. Create a folder for each child
2. Save them all in a place you can easily access during sessions
3. Have a folder on your computer for links to their therapy activities

What to Do During your First Session:

1. Show student their speech folder or speech binder, explain this is where their work will be
2. Have them decorate the front with things that are important to them
3. Use this as a bonding time to talk about their interests and strengths
4. Store in the speech box when done

More Info, Training Videos, and Product Suggestions:

Are you ready to set up your speech folders?

I have everything you need inside The Hub:

• Video explanations of how to do this
• Product recommendations with links for folders, boxes, etc.
• No-Prep therapy kits to fill the folders

Click Here to Join The Hub
and Start Today!

Free plans available!

The post Set up a Folder System for Effortless Speech Therapy Sessions appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

The Way of the Unstressed Speechie: Speech Therapy without Tears

If you’re a speech-language pathologist, SLPA, SALT or some other alphabet soup doing speech therapy with kids…

And you’re stressed out…

And overwhelmed…

You are not alone!

There are so many kids right now that need support and not enough of us to go around.

So what’s an SLP to do?

Well don’t worry, I’m Carrie Clark and in this episode of the speech and language kids podcast, I’m going to show you the way to be UNSTRESSED (just like a shwa) and do speech therapy without tears.

And by that I mean your tears. Not the kids. I can’t guarantee the kids won’t cry.

The Way: An easier path for speech therapy

Working as a speech-language pathologist is hard.

And working in a school setting can feel even harder.

But I’ve spent the last 16 years of my career figuring out a better way.

The Way is my streamlined system that allows you to see more students in less time.

And it will help your students make faster progress, too!

Overview of The Way: (Listen to the Podcast)

The Speech and Language Kids Podcast is back!!

Listen to the full podcast episode below to get a full overview of The Way

How to Streamline Speech Therapy Using “The Way”:

1. No Prep Speech Therapy:
   By using child-led therapy, we can practice speech/language skills with little to no prep time on our part.
2. Set Up Therapy Folders:
   Drop no-prep activities into each student’s therapy folder. We can increase retention (with less prep time) by using the same material over and over and changing the fun activity.
3. Plan for a Full Month at Once:
   Most of our students don’t make fast enough progress that they need a new plan each week. Plan once for a full month and use the same stimulus material (worksheet/flashcard/etc.) for the full month.
4. Make Group Sessions Easier:
   Using the folder system, students can come in and practice their skill right away. Then continue to practice during a game, craft, or play activity.
5. Try 5-Minute Sessions:
   Tired of group therapy? Instead of seeing 4 kids in a 30-minute group, try seeing each child individually for 5 minutes. You’ll use up the same amount of time in your schedule but students will make faster progress (more info on the research behind 5-minute sessions here)
6. Collect Full Data only Once Per Month:
   You don’t need to collect data on every repetition a child makes! Collect full data only once per month. During the rest of the month, focus on therapy time and give each session a rating on a scale of 1-5.
7. Streamline Admin Tasks and Systematize Larger Tasks:
   Spend less time on your paperwork and planning by eliminating unnecessary tasks, finding shortcuts, and using checklists for recurring tasks
8. Write Better Goals:
   Learn how to write goals that are easy to measure and make the most impact for the student
9. Organize Your Stuff:
   Declutter and pair down your things. Then, store things in a way that makes them easier to put away.

Learn More about “The Way”:

Are you ready to get started with The Way?

I’ve laid this all out in a video course…

…and the first three modules are free!

Click Here to Join The Hub
and Start The Way

Free plans available!

The post The Way of the Unstressed Speechie: Speech Therapy without Tears appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Why Use AAC for Toddlers or Children?

AAC devices are augmentative/alternative communication systems that allow a person to communicate with those around them without speaking.  There are many different types of AAC but the most common are high-tech AAC Devices that allow a person to push a button to speak a message.  These are helpful for children or adults who have either lost the ability to speak or who are not able to speak well enough to clearly communicate everything that they want to say.

So why would you need to use AAC with a toddler or child and how does it work?

Why to Use AAC Podcast:

Today we’re talking about how, when, and why to use AAC or augmentative-alternative communication devices and systems.  AAC allows children who are not able to talk to use something else to communicate with those around them.  Every child has the right to communication and it is our job as speech-language pathologists to figure out a way for every child to do just that.

This podcast will go over the basics of what is AAC, how to use it to help a child communicate, when it is appropriate to use AAC, and why it should be considered as an option for non-verbal and minimally-verbal children.  Click the play button below to hear the whole podcast, or scroll down to read the quick notes:

AAC Starter Kit

Everything You Need to Trial AAC with a Child

Show Notes:

What is Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC)?

AAC is the term used to describe any form of communication that a person can use that is not speech.  This may include pointing to pictures of what the person wants, using sign language, or using a device that will speak a message when a specific button is pushed.

When Should AAC be Considered for a Child?

AAC should be considered for any child when his/her speech output is not adequate to communicate everything that the child wants/needs to communicate.

Things to consider:

• Child’s frustration levels
• Adult frustration levels
• Access to school curriculum
• Participation in classroom activities
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge to teachers
• Access to home and community environment
• Ability to interact appropriately with family and peers
• Independence in developmentally-appropriate daily activities

 What Prerequisite Skills Does a Child Need Before Trying AAC?

In short, there are no skills that a child MUST have before AAC can be tried.  Though, here are a few of the common misconceptions about this:

These are commonly used as excuses why AAC devices should not be attempted with children but these are WRONG:

• The child must understand cause and effect (AAC teaches cause and effect quite effectively)
• The child must understand that a picture represents an object (again, AAC teaches this)
• Child must have good enough motor skills for AAC (there are lots of alternatives for children who can’t access a device with their hands)
• Child must understand enough language for AAC use (babies don’t have great language before they are introduced to speech)
• Child must be interested in communicating (even inappropriate behaviors can be shaped into intentional communication)

For more information about these “prerequisites”, click the link: http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-using-an-aac-device-augmentativealternative-communication/

Options for AAC devices, methods, and systems

• Gestures/Body Language
• Sign Language
• Object Symbols (objects glued to cards)
• Picture Boards
• Picture Exchange
• Written Messages (paper or typed)
• Single Button Voice-Output Devices
• Multi-Button Voice-Output Devices
• Dynamic-Display Voice-Output Devices

Download the free PDF cheat sheet of the different types of AAC here:

How to Introduce the System:

Make it as natural as possible.  Think of it as similar to how you would encourage a late talker to talk.

1. Get Familiar with the Child’s System
2. Model AAC Use Around the Child
3. Encourage the Child When he Attempts to Use it and Provide Differential Reinforcement
4. Have the Device Present at All Times
5. Set Up Opportunities for the Child to Use the AAC Device (in the classroom, at home, in speech, etc.)
6. Train Other Adults on How to Set Up Opportunities and Provide Differential Reinforcement

For more info on getting started, click the link: http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/help-child-use-aac-home-classroom-hint-easier-think/

AAC Starter Kit

Everything You Need to Trial AAC with a Child

AAC Devices Course

Guide to Using AAC with Non-Speaking Children

Free Therapy Materials for Teaching Words with AAC:

Check out the freebies that we have inside our Free Therapy Material Library!

6 Tips for Encouraging a Child to Use their AAC System

AAC Cheat Sheet

AAC and Autism Handout: Giving a Child a Voice with AAC

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Connect with Me:

The post Why Use AAC for Toddlers or Children? appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

In this episode of the Speech and Language Kids Podcast, speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark discusses the benefits of groups speech therapy for children and why speech therapists group children together.  Carrie also discusses the types of cases that benefit from individual therapy.

Benefits of Group Speech Therapy:

Time Constraints

• Only certain times the child can be out of class
• Only certain times the therapist is available

Peer Support/Normalization

• See that they’re not alone
• See that this is normal
• See that others can overcome it

Increased Awareness of Skills

• Be able to hear the error in someone else’s speech
• Know what the other person should do to fix

Learning Through Teaching

• Teaching a peer can be a very effective way to learn

Benefits of Perspective Taking

• See what it’s like to be on the other side of communication problems

Practice with Peers/Better Generalization

• It’s different to work on new skills with peers than with adults

When Individual Therapy is Needed:

Children with Severely Limited Attention

• If they can’t learn or practice if there are ANY distractions or other people

Children in Certain Stages of Learning with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

• When first learning speech sounds and getting past initial phases, need lots of repetition

Children who aren’t Making Progress with Group Therapy

• Possibly time for a change

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients?  Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals!  Inside the membership, you’ll find:

• Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills
• Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics
• Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems
• Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community
• Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks
• Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

Carrie’s Best Tools to Simplify your Life:

You have a lot on your plate.  Let me help with that!

I’ve put together my best resources here.  Whether you’re streamlining your job as a speech-language professional, helping your child with his communication challenges, or trying to meet the diverse needs of your students, I’ve got you covered.

Choose the resource that you need most right now:

Watch “Quick Tip” Videos on Instagram

Access Carrie’s Free Material Library

Get Materials and Support in The Hub

Grab our Full Language Curriculum

The post Why Do Speech Therapists Group Children Together? appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

In this episode of The Speech and Language Kids Podcast, speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark discusses what speech therapists can do to help with literacy (reading and writing) skills in children and adolescents.

What is Literacy?

• Pre-reading skills like phonological awareness and basic language skills
• Reading skills
• Writing skills

Why do Children with Speech and Language Delays have Trouble with Literacy?

• Children with repaired phonological (speech) problems still have underlying problems that can come back up with literacy skills (more likely to have reading problems later).
• Children with language delays are missing a grasp of how to use their language for a variety of different literacy tasks.

What Does ASHA Say About our Role?

Roles for Speech-Language Pathologists

Prevention—Communicating risk factors to teachers and parents, and working with them to develop programs to help children acquire explicit, age-appropriate knowledge, skills and strategies of the components of language that contribute to reading and writing development.

Identifying At-Risk Children—Assisting in development and implementation of screening (e.g., instruments and teacher observation checklists) and referral procedures for very young children, as well as older school-age children, including modifying procedures to reduce bias (e.g., dynamic assessment techniques and criterion referenced tasks) for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Assessing—Selecting, implementing, adapting, and interpreting assessment tools and methods to evaluate skills in spoken language, reading, writing and spelling.

Providing Intervention—Collaborating with teachers and families to plan intervention goals and activities, as well as modifying curricula to keep students progressing in the general education curriculum.

• Phonological Awareness Skills: https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/ultimate-guide-phonological-awareness-pre-reading-skills/

• Literacy Activities and Guides: https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/literacy-resource-page/

• Reading Comprehension: http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/5-tasks-to-improve-your-childs-reading-comprehension/

• Reading Fluency: https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/tips-for-improving-reading-fluency/

• Writing Narratives: https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/ultimate-guide-to-teaching-written-narratives-by-grade-level/

• Persuasive Writing: http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/how-to-teach-persuasive-writing-for-children

Documenting Outcomes—Establishing a tracking system for identifying new or re-emerging literacy deficits and documenting outcomes of intervention goals and plans.

Program Development—Directing or participating in teams to develop school or system-wide strategic approaches to early identification and intervention for children with reading deficits.

Advocating for Effective Literacy Practices—Providing information about literacy development to state and local agencies that plan and evaluate curricula, establish comprehensive assessments and set related policies; educating them about relationships between spoken language and written language (i.e., reading, writing and spelling) and the benefits of collaborative instructional approaches.

Advancing the Knowledge Base—Conducting scientifically-based research on early literacy development.

Free Pre-Writing Organizers:

Need more resources for helping children with literacy?  Check out our free pre-writing organizers here:

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients?  Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals!  Inside the membership, you’ll find:

• Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills
• Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics
• Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems
• Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community
• Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks
• Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

Carrie’s Best Tools to Simplify your Life:

You have a lot on your plate.  Let me help with that!

I’ve put together my best resources here.  Whether you’re streamlining your job as a speech-language professional, helping your child with his communication challenges, or trying to meet the diverse needs of your students, I’ve got you covered.

Choose the resource that you need most right now:

Watch “Quick Tip” Videos on Instagram

Access Carrie’s Free Material Library

Get Materials and Support in The Hub

Grab our Full Language Curriculum

The post The Speech Therapist’s Role in Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Hypernasality Speech Therapy: Treatment Ideas for Hypernasal Speech

Hypernasality occurs when a child speaks with too much nasal resonance.  Airflow tends to be directed up into the nasal cavity during speech instead of primarily through the oral cavity.  Nasal emission is when that air comes all the way out through the nose.  This can make a puffing or noisy sound in the nose during speech.  Here are the steps for therapy for both hypernasality and nasal emission.

Listen to the Podcast on Hypernasality Speech Therapy:

Hypernasality Therapy Kit

Worksheets for Reducing Nasal Emission and Hypernasality

Hypernasality Speech Therapy Goals:

Check out this sample goal for hypernasality speech therapy!  Keep in mind, you should modify this goal to meet the needs of each individual client or patient that you’re working with:

The patient will demonstrate appropriate oral and nasal resonance during a 30 minute unstructured conversation in 2 speaking settings with no more than 2 instances of hypernasality.

Therapy Phases for Hypernasality Speech Therapy:

1. Refer to ENT: All clients who exhibit voice issues should be referred to an ENT first to check the structures and functions and be cleared for therapy. If hypernasality is present, it may be secondary to a cleft palate and would need to be addressed first.
2.  Discriminate Between Oral Vs. Hypernasal: The client will be able to discriminate between appropriate oral resonance and hypernasality during speech after listening to a speaker (live or recorded) 85% of the time independently on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
3. Technique Practice: After the effective technique has been identified in therapy, the client will practice that  technique.
4. Oral Resonance in Vowels: The client will use oral resonance when saying vowels  80% of the time with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
5. Oral Resonance in Words: The client will use oral resonance in words  80% of the time with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
6. Oral Resonance in Phrases : The client will use oral resonance in phrases  80% of the time with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days
7. Oral Resonance in Sentences: The client will use oral resonance in sentences 80% of the time with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
8. Oral Resonance when Reading: The client will use oral resonance when reading aloud independently 80% of the time with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
9. Oral Resonance in Conversation: The client will independently use oral resonance during conversation in the therapy setting with no more than 2 cues on 3 out of 4 data collection days.
10. Generalize Oral Air Flow to Other Environments: Student will use correct oral airflow in a variety of situations and environments.

*** Discontinue Therapy if Not Making Progress: If no progress is made after 6 weeks, client should be re-evaluated by ENT.

Therapy Activities and Techniques for Hypernasality

• Stimulability probe: Try to get the child to imitate oral resonance
• Altering Tongue Position: Try for a lower, posterior tongue placement
• Open Mouth: Have the child speak with his mouth more open
• Change Volume: Try different volumes to see which has less nasality
• Change Pitch: Try different pitches to see which has less nasality
• Auditory Feedback: Teach the child to hear the difference between nasal and oral resonance in himself and others
• Feedback: Tell the child if productions are oral or nasal so he can learn to feel the difference
• Focus on the Facial Mask Area: Have the child draw his focus and attention to the eyes/nose area of his face
• Bio-feedback: Give the child immediate feedback on if air is coming out of the nose like placing a mirror right below nose or using a See Scape

Source:

The Voice and Voice Therapy, Seventh Edition: By Boone, McFarlane, and Von Berg

Additional Resources for Nasal Emission:

Hypernasality Therapy Kit

Worksheets for Reducing Nasal Emission and Hypernasality

Speech Therapy for Cleft Palate

Cheat Sheet

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Connect with Me:

The post Hypernasality Speech Therapy: Treatment Activities appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Stuttering Therapy Techniques:

The purpose of speech therapy for children who stutter is to help them learn how to communicate effectively and easily.  Sometimes that means eliminating the stutter all together, such as with preschoolers experiencing developmental disfluencies.  But often, especially for our older clients, the stuttering may never fully go away.  Our job then is to help them communicate to their best ability and to help them learn how to handle stuttering and disfluencies when they arise.

Take a look at our therapy ideas below.  Scroll down to the age group that you are working with and see what we recommend at each of these ages.  Or, check out our awareness and emotions therapy kit here.

Dealing with Emotions in Stuttering

Workbook to Deal with Negative Emotions

Jump to an Age Group:

Preschoolers

Elementary School

Middle School/High School

Stuttering Therapy Techniques for Preschoolers:

Many preschoolers go through periods of dysfluency where they will stutter off and on for a while.  This happens as their mouths are struggling to keep up with all of the things that their developing minds want to say.  For many children, this stuttering goes away on its own.  For others, they will develop persistent stuttering that will require more therapy.

Here are the “red flags” or warning signs that may indicate that a child is more likely to have persistent stuttering that will require therapy:

• A parent, sibling, or other family member who still stutters
• Stuttering starts after age 3 ½
• Stuttering has been occurring for at least 6 months
• Preschooler is a male
• The child has other speech sound errors or trouble being understood
• The child’s language skills are advanced, delayed, or disordered

Source: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/risk-factors

Stuttering Therapy Activities for Preschoolers

For preschoolers, it’s usually a good idea to begin with indirect therapy as this will promote smoother speech without directly talking about the stutter (which can sometimes upset a child or cause more pressure).  If indirect therapy doesn’t work, or if the child is already upset by his/her stuttering, we can move to direct therapy activities.

Indirect Therapy:

• Identify fast vs. slow speech from the therapist
• Practice using fast and slow speech for the child
• Practice slow, smooth, exaggerated speech

Direct Therapy:

• Identify bumpy vs. smooth in the therapist’s speech
• Practice bumpy and smooth speech for the child
• Identify the child’s speech as bumpy or smooth during play
• Ask the child if his speech was bumpy or smooth
• Response Contingency: Praise/Reinforce smooth speech and provide immediate, direct corrective feedback for disfluent speech (“Oops, that was bumpy, let’s try it again)

Stuttering Therapy Techniques for Elementary Age Children:

Once children enter school, if they are still stuttering then we are ready to start addressing the stuttering directly.  The stuttering therapy techniques you use at this age will depend on what each child needs.  But here are some simple stuttering therapy activities you can use to help children who stutter communicate more easily:

Stuttering Therapy Activities for Elementary School Aged Children:

1. Learn About the Respiratory System

Start by doing a lesson all about the respiratory system.  Use pictures, charts, models, or whatever you have available to you.  Practice inhalation and exhalation, as well as deep and shallow breathing with the students.  Talk about how we speak on exhalations and practice taking a deep breath in and then slowly exhaling while saying a single word.  Gradually increase to speaking in longer phrases and sentences while using gentle exhalations.  Talk about breathing timing during conversations (when to take a breath).

2. Practice Smooth, Prolonged Speech while Playing Games

Take whatever games you have available and practice using smooth, prolonged speech during those games.  For example, you can have children play “Go Fish” and make sure they slow down and elongate their words when asking “Do you have a…”.  Or, you can have them take a turn in a board game and use their slow, smooth speech to describe what happened (ex: “I rolled a four.  I’m going to move four spaces”).

3. Learn About the Types of Stuttering

Help students learn about the different types of stuttering and which ones they do.  Help them identify when they have stuttered and what type it was. Practice the different types of stutters to desensitize them to it.

4. Practice Fluency Shaping Techniques

Practice different techniques that help a child speak fluently for a period of time.  These include slow/stretchy speech, easy onset, yawn-sigh, etc.

4. Teach the Students Stuttering Modification Techniques

Help the students learn the different techniques they can use if they anticipate a stutter (preparatory set), are in the middle of a stutter (pull-out), or have stuttered and can’t move on (cancellations).  Practice demonstrating these while playing games (pretend to stutter so you can use a technique).

Stuttering Therapy Techniques for Middle School/High School Clients:

Now we’re ready to dive deeper. Older clients who stutter can benefit from learning these stuttering therapy techniques and practicing with these stuttering therapy activities:

Speech Modification (Fluency Shaping) Techniques:

Speech modification (including fluency shaping) strategies (Bothe, 2002; Guitar, 1982, 2013) include a variety of techniques that aim to make changes to the timing and tension of speech production or that alter the timing of pauses between syllables and words. These modifications are used regardless of whether a particular word is expected to be produced fluently. Strategies associated with speech modification include:

• rate control,
• continuous phonation,
• prolonged syllables,
• easy onset,
• light articulatory contact.

Other speech modification strategies, including appropriate use of pausing, are used not only to increase the likelihood of fluent speech production but also to improve overall communication skills (e.g., intelligibility, message clarity, etc.). In addition to being used for improving communication skills, pausing is also an effective method of rate control.

Keep in mind the child may be self-conscious about using these techniques.

Stuttering Modification Strategies (Reducing Physical Tension/Struggle)

• Identify where in the speech mechanism physical tension is and release it.
• Traditional stuttering modification strategies include preparatory set, pull-out, and cancellation and require a child to identify a moment of disfluency before, during, or after it occurs, making adjustments to reduce tension and struggle. The specific strategy that is selected will depend on when the client “catches” the disfluency, whether it be following a moment, in the moment, or in anticipation of the moment of disfluency (Van Riper, 1973).
• These strategies, like speech modification strategies, are introduced along a hierarchy of speaking situations that varies both with linguistic demands and with the stressors of the environment.

Strategies For Reducing Negative Reactions (Personal And Environmental Context)

• Desensitization
• Cognitive Restructuring
• Self-Disclosure
• Support Group (grouping your kiddos who stutter)

Click here to access our guided program for addressing negative emotions for clients who stutter (Inside The Hub)

Awareness and Emotions in Stuttering Therapy Kit:

Dealing with Emotions in Stuttering

Workbook to Deal with Negative Emotions

Listen to this as a podcast:

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Fun Fact: I have a son with sensory seeking and some sensory avoiding behaviors.  As I type this, he is on my lap while I bounce him up and down on my knees because we are waiting for his brother to be done in a class.  We’ve found that giving him deep pressure is the best way to help his sensory needs.  We do big squeezes, wrap him in blankets, and push down on his head.  That one was the weirdest for me because I don’t enjoy that type of sensory but he LOVES it.  I just push on his head and he calms right down!

Connect with Me:

Carrie’s Best Tools to Simplify your Life:

You have a lot on your plate.  Let me help with that!

I’ve put together my best resources here.  Whether you’re streamlining your job as a speech-language professional, helping your child with his communication challenges, or trying to meet the diverse needs of your students, I’ve got you covered.

Choose the resource that you need most right now:

Watch “Quick Tip” Videos on Instagram

Access Carrie’s Free Material Library

Get Materials and Support in The Hub

Grab our Full Language Curriculum

The post Stuttering Therapy Techniques | Exercises and Activities appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech: How to Do Speech Therapy for CAS

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a rare, neurologically-based speech disorder where the child knows what he wants to say but the message gets mixed up in the motor-planning and execution phase so the sounds come out all wrong.

What are the Symptoms of Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Though the diagnosis of CAS is relatively new, experts have agreed that CAS usually includes these 3 generally-agreed upon components:

• Inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels in repeated productions of syllables or words(meaning that if the child says the same word many times, it may sound differently each time)
• Lengthened and disrupted coarticulatory transitions (meaning that the child’s speech sounds choppy or disconnected due to trouble transitioning between sounds or between words in older children)
• Inappropriate prosody, especially in the realization of lexical or phrasal stress between sounds and syllables (meaning that the rhythm, intonation, and stress of speech may sound off, the child may sound robotic, have incorrect phrasing, or stress the wrong words or syllables)

No-Prep Therapy Kit for Apraxia

Teach CV, VC, and CVC Words to Children with Apraxia

Listen to the Podcast on Childhood Apraxia of Speech:

Sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly what you should be working on with your children with childhood apraxia of speech.  In this podcast episode, I break down speech sound learning in different levels.  Then, I give practical therapy activities that can be used for each level.  Click the play button below to listen to the entire episode.  Or, scroll down to see the notes below.

Free Therapy Levels Chart:

To get started, download the free PDF of the Skill Set Charts for Childhood Apraxia of Speech.  This will break down a nice order to help you determine what speech skill to work on next with a child with CAS:

Phases of Speech Therapy for Apraxia of Speech:

Apraxia of Speech Level 1:
Imitating Actions

Start Here For…

• Children who are unable to imitate speech sounds
• Children who are not tuned in enough to work on anything during sessions
• Children who have emotional issues and are not willing to work with you on their speech during sessions

Therapy Activities

• Do a reinforcer probe and offer those preferred reinforcers if the child imitates a basic action like clapping hands, stomping feet, raising hands, etc.
• Take pictures that represent the actions you want the child to do and print them on cards.  Have the child draw one card from a bag and do that action.
• Make a movie on your phone where the child is your shadow and imitates what you do (do it in reverse as well).

Apraxia of Speech Level 2:
Functional Sounds, Sound Effects, Vocalizations

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to imitate actions but unable to imitate or produce sound combinations (like CV, VC)
• Children who need a little confidence boost before working on sound combinations (this could be mixed in)

Therapy Activities

• Play with vehicles and make engine sounds (or sirens).
• Feed puppets or stuffed animals and have them make exaggerated “mmmm” noises.
• Have the child request pieces to an animal puzzle by making that animal’s noise (reduce complex noises down to one sound, like “eee” for monkey).

Apraxia of Speech Level 3:
Sound Combinations (CV, VC)

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to imitate or produce some sounds but are not yet spontaneously combining 2 sounds, like consonant- vowel or vowel-consonant
• Children who are doing some sound combinations on their own but can’t say very many (or enough to communicate much)

Therapy Activities

• Get some sort of a riding toy like a bike or a swing and stop the child until he says “go” again.
• Throw small objects up onto a higher surface (like a table), each time, have the child say “up” to indicate he wants another thing to throw up.
• Put coins in a piggy bank and have the child say “in” to get each coin to indicate he wants to put it in.

Apraxia of Speech Level 4:
Repeated Strings of CV or VC

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to combine a vowel and consonant together but are not yet producing longer utterances
• Children who are doing some CV, VC, and CVCV combinations on their own but can’t say very many (or enough to communicate much)

Therapy Activities

• Sequence words that the child can do together to work on articulatory transitions (the same word repeatedly or alternating two words together).
• String together several of a word that the child can say and then add a word that the child can’t say to the end that only varies by one sound (bow, bow, bow, boy).

Apraxia of Speech Level 5:
Add a Structure, Add a Sound

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to say some limited structures (like CV, VC, and CVCV) but struggles to say longer or more complex words
• Children who are able to use some sounds in CV, VC, and CVCV structures but not very many

Therapy Activities

• Increase vowels by sequencing pictures together that start with the same consonant and change the vowel, like “boy, bee, bay, bow, bow”, etc. Lay the cards in a row and have the student say the sequence.
• Increase consonants by using the same vowel and changing the consonant, like “me, tea, key, pea, we, see”.
• Increase structures by taking a known word and adding a sound like, “key…keep, pea…peep, we…weep”.

Apraxia of Speech Level 6:
Sound Accuracy in Phrases and Sentences

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to produce single words of many structures with good speech sound accuracy but intelligibility decreases in phrases and sentences

Therapy Activities

• Create worksheets similar to the previous section where you provide the pictures and they glue them on, but this time, build sentences, like “see..(next line)..I see…I see cat…I see the cat”.
• Use one carrier phrase and fill it with different words that the child has mastered, like “I see bat, I see cat, I see hat, I see mat”.  Use flip books if you have them or make your own.

Apraxia of Speech Level 7:
Sound Accuracy in Connected Speech

Start Here For…

• Children who are able to produce sounds correctly in simple sentences and phrases but intelligibility decreases in connected speech

Therapy Activities (work on speaking clearly in tasks with increasing complexity, don’t move on until the previous level is clear)

1. Have the child describe pictures using full sentences (“the girl is walking her dog in the park”).
2. Have the child complete automatic speech tasks like saying the pledge of allegiance or the months of the year.
3. Have the child answer open-ended questions like “tell me about your last birthday party”.
4. Have the child read a short paragraph.
5. Have a conversation with the child about a specific topic with the expectation that you will be listening for his speech sounds.
6. Listen for correct speech sounds in conversational speech and correct using feedback as needed.

No-Prep Therapy Kit for Apraxia

Teach CV, VC, and CVC Words to Children with Apraxia

Childhood Apraxia of Speech Course

2-Hour Course on How to Help Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Connect with Me:

The post Apraxia of Speech: Speech Therapy Activities for CAS appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Therapy for Non-Speaking Children: How to Boost Functional Communication Skills

Do you know a child with autism who isn’t able to communicate basic wants and needs?  Does the child lack the social skills to participate in social interactions?  Do you need a guide for how to improve functional communication in a young child with autism?

Well don’t you worry, you’ve come to the right place!  I’m going to show you the top four skills to start targeting to improve functional communication in a young children with autism or suspected autism.  Let me show you what those four skills are and how to work on them.  Click “play” on the player below to hear the entire episode, or scroll down to get the show notes below.

Therapy Kits for Non-Speaking Children

No-Prep Activities and Resources for Helping Non-Speaking Children Learn to Speak

Non-Speaking Therapy 1:
Establishing a Functional Communication System

All children have the right to communicate.  No disorder, disease, or physical limitation should be able to take that right away from them.  For that reason, it is our obligation to make sure that all children with autism have SOME way to communicate with us.  Speaking may be too hard for them so sometimes we need to come up with other ways of helping them communicate.  Here’s how we can do that:

Step One: Will Speech Work?

The first thing that we need to consider for a non-verbal or minimally-verbal child with autism is whether or not speaking is real option for them.  We can do this by asking the child to imitate basic speech tasks, like saying words or making sounds.  If the child is able to say words or make sounds in order to get something that he or she really wants, then we can say that speaking is definitely the best way to go to help that child communicate with us.  Speech is always the first option and we would love for all of our students with autism to speak to us.  However, some children simply aren’t able to talk right now, but that doesn’t mean that we give up on them and don’t provide them with an alternative.  If speech isn’t a viable option for the child you’re working with, move on to step two:

Step Two: Find an Alternative Means

Options for AAC Devices, Methods,
and Systems:

• Gestures/Body Language
  When the child uses natural gestures or body language to communicate with those around him. This often happens naturally but may need to be taught if the child isn’t even doing this.
• Sign Language
  A formal sign language is used where the child forms signs with his hands that convey meaning. These signs are used by the child as well as by the adults who are
  communicating with the child.
• Object Symbols
  Simple objects or small 3D models of objects are glued to cards or a board. The child then touches the object that represents what he wants.  This is ideal for children with vision or cognitive problems.
• Picture Boards
  The child is given a simple board with a selection of pictures. The child touches the picture that represents what he wants.
• Picture Exchange
  The child hands a picture that represents what he wants to the communication partner.

• Written Messages:
  The child writes or types a message on paper or on a computer/screen.
• Single Button Voice-Output Devices
  The child is presented with a single button. When the button is pushed, a single message is spoken out loud (pre-recorded).
• Multi-Button Voice-Output Devices
  The child is presented with a device that contains several buttons. Each button represents a different communication intent and the student pushes the button to hear the message.
• Dynamic-Display Voice-Output Devices
  The child is presented with a device that has a touch screen full of buttons. When the child pushes a button, a message is spoken or the entire screen changes to present different buttons based on the one pushed.

Step Three: Teach the AAC Method

Once you’ve found what works, use these steps to teach it:

How to Help a Child Use AAC at Home or in the Classroom (Hint: It’s easier than you think!)

1. Get Familiar with the Child’s Device
2. Model use of the device around the child
3. Encourage the child’s exploration of and attempts to use the AAC
4. Have the device present at all times
5. Set up opportunities for the child to use the device
6. Get all adults on board

Non-Speaking Therapy Part Two:
Following Simple Directions

Click Here to Learn More about Teaching Following Directions

1. Make a list of common directions given to the child throughout the day
2. Take/Make pictures of those directions
3. Teach each direction individually
4. Work those directions into daily routines using picture cues
5. Fade the picture cues
6. Work on following directions with more than one step

Non-Speaking Therapy Part Three:
Improving Imitation Skills

1. Start with imitation of easy, whole-body actions.  Reinforce with highly preferred objects or activities
2. Work on more complex actions like fine motor, speech/communication, or play (depending on what the child needs to work on)
3. Work imitation into daily, functional activities

Non-Speaking Therapy Part Four:
Basic Turn-Taking and Requesting

1. Help the child take turns with adults by helping the child say or use AAC to communicate “my turn” when it’s the child’s turn
2. Increase the amount of time that the child will tolerate the adult having the item and get the child to communicate “my turn” independently
3. Introduce turn-taking with another child including handing it over when the other child says “my turn” (or saying “in a minute” for older children)
4. Work on games that require each player to wait for a turn and work on knowing whose turn it is

Therapy Kits for Non-Speaking Children

No-Prep Activities and Resources for Helping Non-Speaking Children Learn to Speak

AAC Starter Kit

Everything You Need to Trial AAC with a Child

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Connect with Me:

The post Speech Therapy for Non-Verbal Children: Building Functional Communication appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

How to Help a Child Repair Communication Breakdown

“Communication Breakdown” is what we call it when something goes wrong in a conversation and there is a misunderstanding.  Our communication can break down for a number of reasons but most of the time, we are able to clarify the confusion and keep going.

Children with communication challenges or social interaction difficulties may have trouble with this.  They may not recognize that the communication has broken down.  Or they may not know how to get it back on track once they’ve lost the thread.

We can help children learn to recognize and repair the communication by teaching them this skill directly.

Listen to the Podcast Version Here:

Repairing Communication Breakdowns Kit

Training Video and Kit for Teaching a Child to Recognize and Repair Communication Breakdowns

Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Activity One: Introduction

• Ask students what “communication breakdown” means and what they normally do when it happens.  Ask for some common reasons that communication breakdowns happen.

Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Activity Two: Outline Rules for Standard Behavior

• Students talk first about how to recognize when a communication breakdown has occurred.  List out the signs that someone is confused.
• Next, outline several strategies that the students can use when a breakdown occurs.  Have the students come up with as many ideas as they can and then add your own (see above)

Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Activity Three: Practice

• Start with recognizing pictures of people as confused or not.  When the students are able to do this in pictures, give them a buzzer (or the buzzer app on your smart phone or tablet) and tell them to buzz in whenever they notice that you look confused.  Hold a small conversation and unexpectedly look confused to help them recognize it.  Stay on this step until they can do it (may be several sessions)
• Analyze social scenarios to determine when a communication breakdown has occurred.  Use activities that target topic maintenance to identify when someone says something that doesn’t make sense with what was already said.  Once the student can do this with given situations, hold a conversation with the student and unexpectedly say something completely off topic to indicate the communication breakdown and have the students buzz in to indicate they heard it.  Stay on this step until able to do this.
• Have students purposefully practice each communication breakdown strategy in a staged conversation (use scripts if needed).
• During normal conversation, stop students when you didn’t understand something and ask them which strategy would be best to try to fix the breakdown.
• Once the student can demonstrate all strategies on command and can list of the strategies on command, start pointing out opportunities in normal conversation when a breakdown occurred and help the student repair it.

Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Activity Four: Assign Homework

• At the end of each session, assign the student to write one journal entry explaining a time that he practiced the skill from that day or a time that communication broke down and he wasn’t able to fix it.

Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Activity Five: Review During Next Session

• During the next session, have the students read their journal entries and discuss what went well and troubleshoot what went wrong as a group.

Additional Resources for Teaching a Child to Repair Communication Breakdowns:

Repairing Communication Breakdowns Kit

Training Video and Kit for Teaching a Child to Recognize and Repair Communication Breakdowns

Social Skills Therapy Course

How to Teach Social Communication Skills to Children and Teens

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Fun Fact: I sunburn very easily, it’s kind of ridiculous.  I have to be very careful when out in the sun, especially if we travel South at all.

Connect with Me:

The post Teaching Children to Repair Communication Breakdowns appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Today, speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark explains how to help a child learn to summarize an event or story through the use of literacy activities.  Listen below!

Show Notes:

Step One: Teach Main Idea

• Click Here to See How to Teach Main Idea

Step Two: Sequencing Two Events from a Picture Book

• Get a simple children’s book that has pictures and at least two main events
• Read the story to the child
• Give the child two events to choose from and ask which happened first and which happened last (which happened first?  Did she vacuum the floor or go to the store first?  Ok, so which one happened last)
• Have the child retell the two events in order
• If the child is able to write, have him write the main idea as a single sentence and then write two more sentences, one for each of those two events.  Help the child use transition words like “first” and “last”.

Step Three: Sequencing Pictures of 3-5 Events from a Picture Book

• Get a picture book that has at least 3-5 events (depending on the difficulty level the child is ready for)
• Take pictures of 3-5 events from that book and print them out so you can show the child the pictures individually
• Read the book to the child
• Bring out the pictures and mix them up.  See if the child can put them in the correct order based on how they happened in the story
• Have the student verbally tell you the events in order while looking at the pictures

**For younger children, work on taking the pictures out and summarizing the story without seeing the pictures.  This is a good place to stop for younger children.

Step Four: Pulling Important Details from a Story and Sequencing Them

• Get a developmentally-appropriate story (maybe a bit on the easy side) and a piece of paper
• Read the story with the child
• Have the child identify the main idea and write it at the top of the paper
• Have the child recall important details from the story and write them on the paper in circles or bubbles.  They don’t need to be in order at this time.
• Once he has all of the important details written down, have him number them in the order they occurred.  Have the child use the book as a guide if needed.
• Pull out another piece of paper and have the student write one sentence that includes the main idea.  Then, have the student write sentences to summarize all of the main details from the story (in order)

Step Five: Is it Too Long?

• Pull out the child’s final piece of work from the last step.  Ask the child if the summary is too long.  If the summary is close to the length of the original story, it’s definitely too long.  Otherwise, it’s really a judgement call.
• If the story is too long, have the student go through and cross out less important details or combine details where possible to make the story shorter
• Have the student re-write the story

**At this point, you can work on having the student summarize events and stories verbally since he knows the entire process now (if that’s one of his goals)

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients?  Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals!  Inside the membership, you’ll find:

• Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills
• Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics
• Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems
• Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community
• Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks
• Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

Carrie’s Best Tools to Simplify your Life:

You have a lot on your plate.  Let me help with that!

I’ve put together my best resources here.  Whether you’re streamlining your job as a speech-language professional, helping your child with his communication challenges, or trying to meet the diverse needs of your students, I’ve got you covered.

Choose the resource that you need most right now:

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The post Improving Summarizing Skills in Children Through Literacy appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.