Let's talk about the benefits of using lift-a-flap and interactive books for our little learners! Engaging Sensory Experience: Lift-a-flap books provide a multi-sensory experience that captivates young minds. The tactile interaction of lifting flaps sparks curiosity and keeps kids actively engaged in the story. Building Fine Motor Skills: As children use their fingers to lift the flaps and to manipulate interactive pieces, they refine their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, setting the stage for future writing and drawing abilities. Enhancing Vocabulary: Interactive books introduce ..read more

I started out my career in 2009 working for a pediatric outpatient clinic. That clinic also contracted me to public schools, so I was a part of both realms right from the start. I spent six years proving both models of therapy simultaneously and then six years providing school based services only. I often get many questions from parents about the difference between school based services and clinic/medical based services. One of the biggest questions I get: Why did my child qualify at the clinic but not at school? I recently created a handout for one of my schools and I wanted to share this inf ..read more

I really didn't get good guidance on this in graduate school. The supervisors I had in my clinical placements all did it differently, so I felt like I didn't get a good grasp on it when I graduated. I thought I needed data on every kid after every session. I remember feeling like I couldn't really teach because I was worried about my data sheet. Of course we alld have activities to work on each student's goals, but focus on the data instead of the student, are you really able to give quality instruction? Data is important and we must take it, but what really is the best way? After twelve year ..read more

Do you remember graduate school when your supervisors made your write out detailed lesson plans for every student? It was a pain but such a valuable learning tool (at least for me). It allowed me to really look at all of my students and plan activities to target their unique goals while also being engaging and fun. When I became a full time SLP in the schools, I definitely didn't have time to continue that (nor did I want to LOL). I do think it is important to have a therapy plan "outline" Here are some tips to make your planning easier: Plan by themes: This is the easiest way to organize you ..read more

It is always fun to incorporate Valentine's Day in therapy. I always teach it as a day of friendship and love. I do themed lessons during the week of the holiday and I wanted to share a few of my favorites. I also wanted to share some freebies for you to use with your students. Valentine's Day Quick No Prep Language pack. This pack is handy for all elementary caseloads. It has everything from categories to story comprehension! It also comes with a FREE Google Slides version for a digital option. ,Double Dotting Speech Valentine ! I created these art activity pages for speech therapy to keep ..read more

Updated 01/01/2022 When I return to work after winter break I like to do reflection activities with my students to promote positive thinking. I use a couple (free) resources that help students look back on the positive things that happened in the past year and make goals and aspirations for the next. 1. The first resource I use is my New Years Freebie that can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers. This can be used with any aged student but works best with 2nd grade and up. The student will write and draw about his/her favorite things from the past year (favorite color, favorite movie, favorite fo ..read more

I have to admit something, I am not a good interior designer. I can create a resource for days, but give me empty wall space.... I decided that I was not going to stress about decorating my new (large) speech room, so I searched TPT & Pinterest for functional speech room decor. I also decided that if I am going to have this wonderful stuff on my wall, I wanted some of it to be removable! I wanted to be able to take it down and use it with students at the table or on the carpet. So after hours of searching, printing, laminating, velcro-ing, and magnet-taping; my room is ready! ARTICULATIO ..read more

Did you know that visual session schedules can benefit almost ANY young student (neurotypical or neurodiverse). I use visual session schedules with almost all of my students in speech therapy (please note: a session schedule has images that represent the activities on your lesson plan for the day in therapy, this is different from the students' visual schedules they would use in the classroom). Please note: it is important to support your nuerodiverse student's needs, please consider this when using any visual support system (some therapists are too rigid and withhold desired objects to try t ..read more

Need a fun game to use with almost any student?? One of my clinical graduate supervisors (Lisa Holland..shout out) introduced me to a simple, yet genius game called Mystery Garden by Ravensburger. I just love when I find a game that I can adapt to almost any speech and language objective. I have had this game for over 7 years and I keep pulling it off my shelf from time to time! Here is the premise of the game: There is a board that has a magical garden scene on it with princesses, knights, giants, castles, dragons, and more (what kid doesn’t like all of that!). There are also secret tiles w ..read more

I shared a post on my Instagram celebrating the end of my student loans. The best part was that I was in Hawaii when I found out the good news, which made it even sweeter. I received the Public Student Loan Forgiveness after 10 years of paying on my loans. I truly didn't think it was ever going to happen. A quick summary of the PSLF program: The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. In a nut shell it is for people who work in the pu ..read more