The following SLP CHAT questions have been answered by YOU during Facebook discussions. To submit your own SLP CHAT question send me a Facebook Message!
Assessment:
Q: What tests do you use with your D/HH students? The one I have is at least 30 years old! But, when I look around for other tests that are available I’m not finding anything more recent. Can you use norms that are 30 years old? Other language tests are revised and re-normed regularly, but these don’t seem to be.
Q: Looking at buying a comprehensive language test for school age population. What is your favorite and why?
Q: What screener do you use to screen students? And whats a good assessment to use throughout the year to assess progress? I know these are loaded questions but any responses (links and materials a plus) would be really appreciated.
Q:I was hoping someone would be able to suggest a screening assessment for 5 year olds. The school wants language, articulation and phonological awareness assessed. I considered the CELF screener, Goldman and Fristoe. What are your suggestions?
Q: Does anyone have a good test formal or informal for school age kiddos that are lower functioning? I have been trying to find something formal and also some kind of checklist.
Q: I have a questions for your followers regarding progress monitoring. In Iowa, we are required to enter a data point onto a graph that’s part of the IEP system every 2 weeks. Is that standard practice across the board? How often do others formally take goal data and monitor that?
Q: The district I work for requires a test score of 77.5 or below to qualify a student for services. My question is: what test do you go to for those kids with horrendous grammar skills? The only test we have is the SPELT, and I find that even kids with really poor grammar won’t get them a low enough score to qualify. I was just looking for another measure. Do you have a great resource you go to for your grammar students?
Q: I work in a private pediatric clinic and I have NO budget. We just got hired to ST and OT screenings at a Montessori school for kids 2 and up. I have no materials and cannot afford to buy a standardized screening tool. I have been searching online and am coming up short. I am wondering if any SLPs have suggestions or materials they would be willing to share.
Q: A question came up at our school-based speech meeting last month regarding establishing criteria for enrollment or dismissal of school-aged children who stutter; and, what test protocols are best to use to determine enrollment/dismissal. Our small county does not have guidelines in place. I wondered if you or other speech therapists could provide insight as to what criteria their districts use?
AAC
Q: I am working in an elementary school with moderate to severely handicapped students. I have quite a few non-verbal students who use an iPad (proloque & touch chat) to communicate. Most of them have mastered manding/requesting. I’m looking for some kind of programming guide to help me expand their iPad usage (i.e. requesting, answering personal questions, etc.). Any suggestions??
Q: I have a ASD/JH student who moved to our school. Although for the most part this student is non verbal, he is responding to therapy with some verbal skills. He is functioning in some of the regular classrooms with support, can read, and is beginning to write some sentences. There are still many attempts at verbal communication, although many are unintelligible. We have use tap to talk, and other devices. Unfortunately these have been allowed to become stemming devices at times by previous support staff. We need to introduce a new AAC app on his iPad, any suggestions?
Articulation:
Q: So my question is about articulation and justifying services. I have a 4th grade student who is currently seen 40 minutes a week for /r/. She has made great progress and met almost all of her objectives. She requires minimal prompting / reminders to use the correct sound (especially when excited to talk about something). Her IEP review is coming up and I was looking at exiting her from services due to the fact that her minimal errors do not impact her educational performance. Thoughts on articulation students, services, therapy minutes, etc? Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Q: I have a first grader male who is 7. He has errors with the /j/ sound but only when it ends in a back sound. Some examples are “yolk,” “yak,” “young.” He omits the /j/ sound, so it would be oak/yolk, ak/yak, and oung/young. Any suggestions to improve this? Or should I focus on his other sound errors?
Q: I’m a CF and I screened a 3rd grader who was referred for articulation. When he says his /l/ , his mouth goes to the side(groping), kind of like someone who had a stroke. He can say all other age appropriate sounds. Do you think something else is going on here?
Looking for therapy strategies to treat lateral productions of: S, Z, SH, CH, J. I have several students on my caseload, grades K-2, with these artic errors. I’ve run out of ideas… Please help my kiddos!
Q: Hey Jenna was curious if you could post: any tips/suggestions for targeting phono or artic in children with dx such as autism and/or developmental delay…
Q: I am in my CF year and having a difficult time getting a 3 year old produce p/b sounds, even in isolation. He either produces a t/d or h sound. We tried tactile cues, blowing exercises to improve lip rounding, blowing feathers/tissue to gain feedback on plosive productions etc. I am having a really difficult time, especially since he is resisting therapy and becoming a bit behavioral/rebellious even with Mom. He has very little tolerance for anything. He is so unintelligible that I do not want to start working on language goals because he can barely be understood at the word level, and he’s beginning to independently combine 2-4 words together! I don’t want to work on language more until we stabilize intelligibility to some extent. Any tried & true strategies for teaching p/b sounds with a child who uses t/d/h substitutions?
Q:I have recently assessed a 3 yr old boy who is demonstrating the following processes:
velar fronting 57% occurrence
palatal fronting 87% occurrence
stopping 73% occurrence
strident deletion 100% occurrence
gliding 36% occurrence
cluster reduction 100% occurrence
I recommended my Phonological group (2×90 sessions weekly). Mom is resistant to the phonological approach and wants me to target each erred ‘sound’ until mastery. I have described the phonological approach and the benefits to overall speech intelligibility. I have stated that research supports this approach. I am looking for specific & clear statements to make to mom to support my treatment approach. Any thoughts or help is most appreciated!
Q: I was hoping you and others could give me some ideas for a 3 year old who has numerous medical issues including a cleft palate repair. He is extremely hypernasal and came to me with goals such as producing words with nasals such as no-no, mama and producing /h/ in syllables. He also had goals to use a whisper for these words, which I am not sure of the significance of that, maybe you can fill me in. I have been using VC (Kaufman Cards) words, and attempted CVC words to try to get a final consonant of /p/ or /b/ but not sure how to teach it. He tries so hard, but lots of nasal emissions and no pressure build up. I have also tried blowing feathers, whistles and tissues just to have him feel air through his mouth. I am a first year and feel very unsure about where to start with this little guy. I really want to know what a hierarchy therapy plan would look like for someone this young. He is mostly unintelligible because of it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Q: I’m having trouble eliciting /g,k/ from a student. I’ve tried having him lean back or lie down. I’ve used a tongue blade, a lollipop, and his own finger to hold the front of his tongue down and push the back farther back. We have moved from a /d,t/ substitution to a ‘j,ch’ substitution. He cannot seem to isolate the back of his tongue from the front and also cannot keep his mouth open while trying to produce the sound. (He also does not have /r/.) Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Q: I’m stumped! I have a 13 year old male client I just evaluated today. He has a severe articulation disorder in single words and 15% intelligible. No final sounds on GFTA, lots of substitutions, and medial deletions 75% of the time. He also is reading on pre primer words. He is homeschooled. Mom taught to sound words out phonetically. He will sound them out correctly 50% time and when he does sound them out correctly he can’t put the sounds together to form a word. He also has phonemic Awareness difficulty which makes the sounding out really difficult. He also has slow slow slow recall on rapid naming activities. Maybe auditory processing disorder? How should I approach this guy? Start at the bottom with letter sound associations? Do whole word reading with mom later?
Q: I just began seeing a student who adds an /a/ sound with a rising intonation at the end of phrases and sentences. He is a 6th grader who is aware that he does this and is even able to self correct independently about 40% of the time (within our session anyway). I have tried having him read scripts, ask questions and make statements – all with some success. However, I am not sure how to proceed.
Q: I am looking for opinions on the value of PROMPT training from anyone who is certified. I have been going back and forth all summer on this and can’t decide..it seems great but is so expensive. Would love to hear from anyone who’s been trained!
Q: I am evaluating an 11 year-old girl born with a submucous cleft. She just had pharyngeal flap surgery and will be starting speech to address her severe hyper nasality. One of the things I plan on doing is an artic test but I’m not sure which one, given her age. The GFTA-2 seems too young for her, even know I know the age range goes far beyond 11 year olds. Are there any better tests to give?
Q: When targeting consonant clusters, all stimuli I find tends to be in ONLY the IWP. I search for other resources, but don’t really find anything for MWP or FWP (in terms of flashcards/photos/etc). When you guys write your goals, do you specify (like I typically do with any other consonant target) “will produce cons clusters in all word positions in sentences/phrases/etc” or do you just say “will produce cons clusters in words/phrases/etc..”? I remember hearing dr. Hodson say that it wasn’t a true cluster if the two consonants occurred in different syllables (e.g., “baseball” isn’t an /sb/ cluster). Can anyone think of real medial clusters? Is “extra” a final cluster of /ks/ and an initial cluster of /tr/ or is it a long cluster of /kstr/??
Q: I am looking for some kind of systematic approach that I can use with my students to target the /r/ sounds (particularly the vocalic /r/). What programs/materials have you found to be successful?
Q: We need your help. I have a small clinic background and am familiar with Beckman Oral Motor exercises. I work in the schools now and was discussing B.O.M for a couple of students. Are there any school SLP’s or school districts that have formally trained their SLP’s with B.O.M? If so, did the district pay? I know it’s expensive and we wanted to know what others were doing before we approached anyone about going to a workshop. Thank you!
Fluency:
Q: Has anyone ever had a student that stutters exclusively in the middle/ends of words? Sounds like this: “On Monday ay ay ay I went ent to the store and got ot ot some mi-ilk.” The repetitions are quite slow when compared to a typical stutterer, and they are often accompanied by quick inhalations (but not always). I currently have two such students on my caseload and was just approached by a teacher today about a potential third one. It’s hard to know how to treat since easy onsets and light contacts seem counterintuitive! So far I have worked on phrasing/chunking/pausing with limited success in structured activities, but wondered if anyone else had any insight or ideas. Thanks!
Q: I have a student who displays oral fluency behaviors characterized by broken words (i.e. when = wh-en, person = per-son). Typical dysfluencies (repetitions, prolongations, and blocks) are not observed. She is a deep thinker and her language skills are well within the average range. She does have slow processing skills. She is diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type and is taking medication. She is totally unaware of her oral fluency difficulties and it does not impact her participation within the classroom. It does however, impact her communication partners ability to follow her message with ease.
I am wondering if it will potentially make it worse if I call it to her attention and practice strategies for smooth speech. Or is it best just to leave it alone until if/when she or her parents think that it is a concern.
Q: I have a student who stutters. Her dysfluencies are characterized by sound prolongations and blocks. Her blocks are often 2 seconds long and very frequent (just about every utterance over 1 word). She speaks in 1-5 word utterances depending on the activity. I have gotten a lot of speech out of her during preferred activities (where she gets to bring something from home i.e., photo albums from a trip, a fun game). I have had success letting her choose the task and creating a fun environment (lots of joking and laughing). In these circumstances, she opens up. When I begin to work on fluency strategies she often shuts down, so I have weaned away from that type of therapy. My question is, what goals should I write for her IEP that are MEASURABLE? She is getting better, but I am struggling to write a goal that measures her progress functionally and effectively.
Q: I am a first year SLP in the school system. I have a fluency client that is COMPLETELY fluent in therapy. She does great on all fluency activities. She only is disfluent when she really wants to tell me a story. Her mom is very concerned that she is still disfluent at times. I believe she thinks speech therapy will “cure” her daughters stuttering. What therapy activities would you suggest? I’m not exactly sure how to go about doing fluency therapy when she is completely fluent in the sessions.
Q: I have an upcoming evaluation from a parent referral of her child having a ‘stuttering’ problem. I plan on doing an extensive case history, but what are some ideas to evaluate their dysfluencies? I don’t want to put the child under lots of pressure during the eval, but you want an all inclusive idea of her errors.
Q: I screened a 4 year, 0 month old for fluency. She exhibits dysfluencies in at least 5% of spoken words, but it’s only whole word reps, and sometimes single sound reps at initial word position. She has no secondary behaviors. She also speaks with a very fast rate. At this point, I feel it’s developmental, and I don’t plan on doing a full eval at this time. Fluency is not my forfeit, so any advice would be great! You think developmental? Should I being doing a full eval? Isn’t 4 young to teach strategies to!? Oh, and the mom says she has been doing this since she started talking.
Language:
Q: I work in a public school and currently have a 7 year old female with severe CP on my caseload. She is wheelchair bound, NPO, has very little purposeful movement, no vocalizations (other than crying), poor eye contact, and sleeps for the majority of the day. I wrote very basic goals for her IEP, and even then, she is making little progress because she sleeps for the majority of the day and cries when awake. At the request of the IEP team at the time of her initial meeting (came from out of state this year) I have her on my schedule for 60 minutes per week. I feel like I’m getting no where with the goals I have so I’m wondering whether I should talk to her parents about discontinuing speech services or continue on with the same goals next year and hope for the best. Any ideas?
Q: I’m a second year grad student doing a clinical practicum at a maximum security juvenile facility. I am also doing a capstone course in which I have the freedom to research any topic using the PICO format. I was wondering if you, or anyone else had any information about language interventions for this population and if there were any resources that I could reference? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Q:I am working with a 3 1/2 year old preschool child. His goals include engaging in conversation for 2 minutes & expanding utterances/answering wh questions.
Any strategies for teaching a very active preschooler how to 1) use new morphemes (plurals, ed ending for verbs) 2) he/she 3) keep “is” in a sentence like “he IS running” and how to 4) participate in conversation/learn conversational rules?
Q: I need some help! I work with a 19 year old homebound young lady with a degenerative disease. She is nonverbal, but will occasionally vocalize. Her motor skills are inconsistent as far as reaching or touching a button/switch, mouth is always in an open posture. We have tried eye gaze to have her identify objects and/or indicate yes/no (tried cards with words/faces to indicate yes/no). She does not follow any simple directions. Her mom does not feel that there is anything purposeful about her responses and that she is too cognitively impaired to learn how to communicate at this point. I see flickers of light in this young lady, but it may be wishful thinking–I just don’t know. Any other suggestions of things to try with her? Thanks!
Q: I am a SLP working with CPSE kids through an agency. I am in the process of writing an annual review for a child who is very active and will participate in artic/lang therapy for maybe 3 minutes then refuses to participate in therapy tasks (varies day to day, but generally speaking, he refuses). I can get him to participate for another two words if I remind him that he can have iPad time. Also, he cries if he doesn’t get his way or if he doesn’t want to participate. He says “No thank you!” “Not now!!” or “Wait wait wait!” with his hand in my face if he doesn’t want to do work. He is supposed to receive speech 3×30, but is absent often, which means he ends up at like 2×30….ALL of these factors impact upon his rate of progress.SO….my question: How do I kindly word a statement in my annual review re: absences & behavior negatively impacting rate of progress?
Q: I have seen references to cooking with life skills classes in many blogs and Facebook posts. I would love to do more if this. Does anyone have simple recipes that don’t require a lot of equipment they would be willing to share?
Q: I recently started seeing a 3.5 year old. Parents are asking for his speech to increase and improve clarity. When he is with me and his daycare providers he barely speaks. I observed him with mom in session tonight for a quick 5 minutes and actually got some speech out of him. Is it possible that he is just painfully shy? Selective mutism? The speech his does have is pretty unintelligible, but he is only 3.5. General delay? I’m not even sure what to do to engage him. He spends the whole half hour saying “momma pick me up” if he speaks at all. Parents were offered a weekly consultation where I could observe and help them with techniques to help him, but they want direct therapy 2-3 times a week! Parents are taking my recommendation to have his hearing checked by ENT.
Q: Is there a way to do an MLU on a child who is non verbal? He is using pecs with an I want strip for primary reinforcers mainly. Then a few signs.
Q: I have a 7th grade student diagnosed with ADHD, and has been on medication for it. She is in resource for reading comprehension/math, and I see her for receptive/expressive language disorder. At her IEP today, we noticed that she is impulsive with answering questions/writing assignments, and she is in a rush to get her work done. As a result, she does poorly on assignments. With me, as soon as I pull away some support, she goes back to not thinking things through and writing/answering questions without putting much thought into it. From my observations, she wants to get things over and done with, and she wants to fit in with her peers and not stand out for being the last one to complete things. Any resources or advice on how to help her become more aware of what she is doing and reduce the impulsivity?
Q: Has anyone worked with a child with echolalia to help her say her name when asked? This is extremely important to a couple of my parents… Right now it’s “What’s your name?” Child: “What’s your name?” I have an idea of how I’ll start to approach this, but would be grateful for any input.
Q: Kindergarten 5 year old girl with autism she occasionally will say bubbles toothbrush (really into toothbrushes) and tickle….but not when asked never on command just sporadically when that item is present. How do you get her to say it when asked to start labeling? How do you use these three words to get her to say more vocabulary words?
Q: I was hoping you could post this to your followers. I am a new therapist in the early intervention world. I was wondering if there were any tips/tricks/strategies that other SLPs could share? Also, if any home program ideas? I have no budget (and sadly can’t afford to print off work sheets for all of my families weekly–plus, how functional/motivating would that be??). Any input/advice would be MUCH appreciated.
Q: I would love to know if anyone has any suggestions for improving verbal initiation in a 4 year old who has very little in the way of independent vocabulary but imitates everything (up to 2 words) I say.
Q: I have a question regarding a very low functioning student. His diagnosis is cerebral palsy and cortical blindness. He is 4 years old, but the size of a 10 month old. He has no verbal skills, unable to intentionally activate a switch, due to extreme muscle tone, his movements appear to be completely involuntary. His only communication is crying or unintelligible noises. He does not respond to commands, questions or any verbal communication. His skills are very much like a one or two month old infant. He also still has a very strong startle response to noises, conversational voices and touch.
Mom is young, overwhelmed, unrealistic, defensive about feeding/swallowing and pregnant. I see him in conjunction with the OT. We are out of ideas of how to establish any communication or intentional interactions. Both of us have been doing therapy for a number of years and this one has us stumped. Does anyone have any suggestions or do we give Mom maintenance activities and go to a consultive intervention?
Q: Basically I am starting as a middle-high school slp coming right from my cfy working at a private practice with all pre-k. I am super overwhelmed and feeling intimidated as I have no experience with this age and feel there was little focus on it in grad school. I would love to hear of resources to help me with this population whether it be websites, materials to buy/use, Norm references for this age etc. and just hear from anyone who has experience and insight!
Q: I was wondering if you could ask your followers what their top 10-20 go-to therapy books for toddlers to school age kids are. Books like the, “There was an Old Lady” series and what not. It would be very helpful.
Q: I had a question for the group. I’m in my cfy year at an elementary school providing services to gen ed and sdc classes. I am wondering if there are any good resources or activities for teaching story retell. I’m finding it really tricky for my kids with autism.
Q: I have a question if anyone can help me find an answer…Is there a website or resource where I can find out the developmental order for different kinds of directions (i.e. sequential 2-step directions, temporal directions, quantitative/spatial directions etc.)? I am working with a preschooler on 2-step directions and I want to figure out which I should focus on based on his age. Would appreciate any pointers!
Q: I have 19 years experience. I got a transfer student in today that has been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and selective mutism. He has been placed in speech since k and is now in 4th grade. He has repeated 1st already and came in with failing grades now. I honestly have no idea what to do for him. I have never had a student with this. The IEPs from past all seem to say the same year after year (very little progress ).
Q: What are some responses to answer teachers and principals when asked ‘what do u do differently than ELA/SETSS teachers?
Q: I have a student who has had an iPad (Go Talk app) for a few years. He is in high school and knows how to use it, but will not use it functionally and pretty much refuses to use it for what it is intended for (instead usually repeating someone’s names over and over). I’ve witnessed him utilize the carrier phrases and make sentences when HE WANTS to do so during speech time, but I have no idea how to make it meaningful for him otherwise…. Any clues on how to do this besides the typical response rewards, etc.?
Q: I am looking for ideas for working on attention in a child (5 years) with CP. Cognitive skills are generally pretty good, but the child’s sustained attention lasts no more than a few seconds. This is affecting reading in particular, because the child is usually not able to attend long enough to sound out a CVC word without getting distracted. Does anyone have suggestions?
Q: I have a different type of caseload this year and It’s giving me a run for my money. I have children, in K-2 who have autism and have emerging language, phonics, social skills. No AAC but visuals are important. MLU is 3.0. I need help in knowing what to do for a 30 minute session. My kiddos scream, push work away and throw. It’s not too aggressive just a refusal of activities. It’s even for preferred activities, i.e. IPAD!! Any ideas for therapy activities or how to run therapy?? I”m trying to increase language, requesting, denying, commenting, waiting, taking turns in group of 2, but I’m getting discouraged.
Q: My question is regarding choosing the vocabulary for building language. How do we decide which vocabulary to be targeted first for a child with autism and why we begin with that. Although I do therapy, I feel I am inadequate without concrete information regarding how to decide on the right category to teach language.
Q: I am looking for an App or online computer program to replace Earobics. Our school district has moved away from CD format programs and has yet to find a replacement that focuses on speech sound discrimination or letter sound discrimination. This would be used primarily with pre-k through 1st grade.
Q: I’m looking for some ideas/help with the AAC crowd. What do you do when the teacher keeps the device up out of reach out of fear the child will toss it across the room? They can’t learn how to use it if they never have it!
Q: I was wondering if anyone uses a hierarchy or some sort of curriculum when working w students coming into kindergarten ( or any grade) w poor overall language skills. Limited vocabulary limited linguistic concepts- spatial temporal quantitative… Limited comprehension Etc. I know there are tons of materials but I’m looking for a hierarchy ( just like there is a hierarchy for artic). And of course each student is different and things will need to be modified for their individual needs
Q: I was wondering if anyone could help. I am going to start home visits for a 2 year old with cochlear implants. She is language age 2-8 but hearing age 1. Any goal suggestions for this little one would be greatly appreciated!
Q: How do you teach prepositions to children with Autism?
Q: I’m a recent grad and CF; and am just now starting First Steps, and have realized how little “real-life” advice I have for it! I would appreciate any and all input about Birth-3/In-Home Early Intervention therapy, toys, eliciting speech in little ones, and especially (specifically) input on providing speech services to a kiddo who lives in an entirely Spanish speaking household. How will carryover be done when I’m not there if there is a language barrier? What do other therapists do? I’m worried about meeting outcomes if I’m providing services in English only. I’m so new at this, please help!p.s. My CF supervisor is bilingual English/Spanish so I’ve already exhausted her!
Voice:
Q: I have an 11 year old student with Autism (not high functioning, is verbal, understands simple language, takes part in ABA programs throughout his day). He chews with his mouth open and although this is not something I consider to be top on the list of things to work on, it has become something his parents are concerned about. He breathes with his mouth open at times but is able to breath through his nose. I have informally addressed it (closing his lips while eating) using visual cues/mirror. Unfortunately, when I attempt to work on it, he becomes upset and it brings on some self injurious behaviors. His parents are looking for suggestions and I am kind of at a loss. Thanks!
Q: I have a 6th grade student receiving services for vocal nodules. I have zero voice resources and do not have budget at the moment to spend. What free resources do you recommend for vocal hygiene, awareness activities, strategies, etc?
Social:
Q: I am a school based SLP and would like some ideas for a lunch time therapy. I have a student in K that was recently diagnosed with Autism. He is very verbal, however doesn’t initiate interaction with others. He lacks a lot of social skills and needs basic turn taking, reciprocal conversation skills. Does anyone have any ideas of games possibly or other activities that can be used at lunch. I am thinking of trying a ” lunch buddies” approach.
Q: I was in an IEP meeting last week on a student who is in 3rd grade; we just certified him under autism (he was receiving services under “Developmentally Delayed”). While listening to his mom & the other team members talking, I had the brilliant idea to write an objective to help him with the difference between real & fiction. He has older brothers who play video games, and there’s a concern that he may become violent because he can’t distinguish between the 2. Also, he is telling his mom that he hates her; he’s never told her that he loves her. As a mom, that really pulls at the heartstrings!
Do you have any suggestions about how to get a baseline and work on this objective? Or, any materials that can be used? I’m trying to rack my brains to come up with ways to work on this.
Q: Do you have any good ideas for social skills materials for students with low cognitive skills? I have lots of great stuff for students who have average to above average cognition but nothing for my students with lower cognitive skills.
Q: I have another high school student who was identified as Aspergers/Pervasive Developmental Disorder/ADHD at the age of 4. When he was 6, the elementary school qualified him as language impaired. His cognitive score was 118 and his language score was 98. The issue that impact his educational performance at present is his ADHD. I would have recommended the young man be qualified as OHI (Other Health Impaired) due to the ADHD and being on the autism spectrum. I’m amazed that he has been continually passed along as a student with a language impairment when his scores were in the average range. Are other SLPs coming across issues such as these?
SLP Issues:
Q: Our district SLP’s are required to write two SGO’s beginning this year. Can you or your bloggers give me some samples? My caseload is first through third grades, mostly language and artic.
Q: I was wondering if you could post a question for me to your facebook page. Our school district has recently passed a levy to build a new building, which will house k-8 grades. There will be 3 SLPs under one roof in the new building. My question is for those of you who have been through the process of getting a new school building. What sorts of features do you love about your building/office space/conference rooms, and what things do you wish would have been incorporated or changed during the building process?
Q: I have a six year old student who has severe verbal, oral and motor apraxia. He is able to use a few verbal words to communicate. He does well with minimal pairs and can imitate sounds better than expected. I got the school to order him an ipad with the proloquo program. I believe he will do well with it, but I want to keep encouraging oral speech. We have a behavior therapist that comes twice a month from the Center for Autism to work with him. She has told our sped director and the student’s para, that once he begins using the ipad, he can no longer use oral speech. I have used augmentative devices in the past to help facilitate speech. I realize this student may need to always use a communication device to help communicate to some extent, but I have never heard of saying no oral communication because of a communication device.
Q: What do you think about the proposed change in the ASHA code of ethics.
Next month, ASHA’s Board of Directors (BOD) will be considering a resolution from the BOE to approve the removal of Rule A to Principle II from the current Code. Rule A states, “[I]ndividuals shall engage in the provision of clinical services only when they hold the appropriate Certificate of Clinical Competence or when they are in the certification process and are supervised by an individual who holds the appropriate Certificate of Clinical Competence.”
It has come to the BOE and BOD’s attention that Rule A can, and in fact has been, interpreted in multiple ways by members as well as the BOE in its complaint adjudications. The resulting confusion has been sufficiently significant that the BOE is asking for approval to delete Rule A immediately. https://www.facebook.com/SpeechRoomNews/posts/690514130961462 Q: I would love to know how other SLPs are handling RTI specifically with regard to language. When it comes to artic, fluency, and voice it seems more clear what our role would be. When it comes to language however, I would like to know what other SLPs are using to determine whether or not intervention from an SLP is necessary. What documentation/other interventions from the classroom teacher/etc. are required in your district before a child would be looked at more formally by the SLP for language related intervention?
Q: As the new school year is quickly approaching I am starting to think about setting up my new speech room. I know I should be thinking about organizing my caseload, but all I can think of is decorating. Does anyone have any fantastic ideas for speech bulletin boards?
Q: I was wondering if you could post a question to your blog. I currently work in the school system and a lot of the students I see are in groups of 3. I would like for you to ask other SLPs what activities do they use or provide to students in a group session while they are working with one student addressing their objectives.
Q: If you could help me out. I am graduating this month and plan to obtain my clinical fellowship in a school district. I’ve received a job offer, yet this is the first time the school is hiring within the district (they’ve previously contracted out). I would be the only speech therapist there, and my CF supervisor would be from another district. To make things more complicated, I would basically have to create the speech program from scratch (ordering materials, assessments, etc). My question is do you think this is too advanced of a position for a recent grad to take on? I feel like I would have no idea how to begin. Should I look for jobs with better on site supervision and a program in place since I am so new to the field?
Q: Looking for info on daily notes. I work in pediatrics birth-3. Looking at how other SLP’s are doing and writing up daily notes. My clinic is currently revising how we write them up to lessen our paperwork load, it was just thrown out that we do a SOAP note- I feel that is narrative and can become lengthy. Looking for other ideas, forms etc. message me any useful ideas ( I do not want my paperwork load increased.
Q: What are some other materials on your list that you recommend for new SLPs and clinical fellows my school has given me some money to order supplies and I was looking for a good comprehensive list.
Q: I’m a bilingual SLP working at two Texas public schools. My caseload is exclusively bilingual. I find it difficult to find good Spanish therapy materials–and end up spending a lot of time making my own (which means I always have to take work home…and let’s not even mention Medicaid billing!). Does anybody have any good Spanish therapy materials/tools/resources? Your input is much appreciated!
Q: What are your thoughts on teletherapy being used in the schools? Which students are the best candidates for this? Any other suggestions on how to serve outlying areas where it is difficult to find SLP’s to fill positions?!
Q: Can anyone give me some information on loan forgiveness for speech therapists/teachers working in a low income school? What I understand is that if I have any federal loans and work in a title school for 5 years at full time, I can get up to 17,500 of my loans paid off. Is that right? What I don’t know is if speech therapist are considered teachers. I’ve called multiple times and I can’t seem to get a straight answer. Also, do I need to have a specific kind of loan. I’ve heard that loans has to be a Perkins loans. Has anyone been through this process?
Q: I am wondering if anyone working as a speech therapist in a school district receives bonuses for turning in Medicaid billing monthly. My district has done this in the past and said they would this year. But after the October 23rd count, decided not to provide this bonus. The work required to complete billing, see students, and complete evaluations, meetings, enrollments required working at nights and weekends. The district now says that no other districts offer bonuses for these duties and they are part of a speech therapist’s responsibilities. I am wondering if this is true. Does anyone receive incentives? If not, as a new therapist, I would appreciate advice on how to effectively complete job requirements & have a life too. I know this is the million dollar question with our profession, but I just wonder if any of your creative followers have any ideas/suggestions.
Q: Hi Jenna! I have a topic to discuss. I’m at a new school this year and have noticed that many students who are getting services from Special Education teachers have Speech/Language listed as the primary disability with no secondary disability. The problem is that many of the areas that the IEP says are being impacted by Speech/Language are inappropriate. I can’t tell you how many IEPs I have seen with Math Calculation listed as being impacted by a Speech/Language Disorder. My question for everyone is, what are the typical areas if impact seen with a Speech/Language Disorder that might require services from a Special Education teacher?
Q: I am a CF this year and gradually building up my supplies. I was wondering how you store all of your materials? I have been putting them in zip lock baggies and then a large envelope to sort by theme (book companions, holidays, etc), but I was wondering if you had any suggestions? This method hasn’t been the most organized or visually appealing in my speech room. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Q: Do any of you earn your CEUs online? If so, what sites do you recommend?
Q: I’m trying to figure out how to store my speech notebooks in my classroom so that they are organized by group or day and don’t take up to much space. Sometimes I see a child in a different group the 2nd time. I was wondering how to organize them. Should I do it based on day or group? How do the other super organized slp’s do it?
Q: I just began my CF and would like to know what seminars/workshops are beneficial and worthwhile. I’m currently working at a private practice and see several kids in their school. I plan to stay in this type of setting for the time being. My caseload is currently made up of children ages 2-13. I have a good variety of articulation and language goals, some fluency, a good number of kiddos working on pragmatics. I’m working with several kids with developmental delays, ASD, and Down syndrome. Any insight on worthwhile workshops would be wonderful. I love being in a field where there’s so much knowledge to learn and such a wide variety of experiences to have.
Q: I have a question for you and for you to post for other SLPs to answer. In an outpatient/clinic/private practice setting how many visits do other full time therapists have per week and for what length sessions? Also how does documentation time/planning time fit into their schedules.
Q: When you write goals to say will do X with 80% accuracy in 3/4 trials” What do you report as progress? Do you report the % correct or the amount of trials out of 4 that they reached the criteria? I hope this question makes sense but, even after 13 years in the field, I have difficulty wrapping my head around this concept and what to report as progress.
Q: I am doing research for our district on educationally relevant therapy- for example, the kiddo who cannot say his /r/, has been in tx a few years, is making minimal, if any progress and has outstanding grades and state test scores. There just isn’t an impact, academically.
Or the child who is served in a self contained setting -for ex:autism or moderate intellectual impaired… So is getting immersion in a language based setting all day/every day. These students probably don’t need additional direct service either.
Either student would “qualify” in a medical model. We have a strong position statement for school based OT/PT… But not speech (yet).I’d love to learn how other districts handle/”justify” services for these kiddos. This model/mindset is often very difficult to explain to parents. I welcome direct contact or a discussion on your page and hope to understand how these services are offered/explained in other places.
Q: I am renewing my ASHA certification and was wondering if most people pay for the CE Registry Fee? I have not in the past but was wondering if others find it useful/helpful.
Q: I am looking for recommendations for a great ipad stand to go on a wheelchair tray. It needs to be sturdy, yet easy to make adjustments in the ipad orientation. I’m not sure I am looking for anything that is permanently attached to the child’s tray at this time.
Q: I’ve been in a high priority, low income district for six years. I sadly resigned in October. I am starting a new full time birth to three job in less that a month. My question is about everyone’s favorite toddler toys and books. What do SLPs like the most? I can’t wait to start my new job.
Q: Does anyone have excellent resources for Rett Syndrome, IEPs for Rett Syndrome, developmental scales, assessments appropriate for Rett Syndrome, and everything else Rett from A-Z.
Q: Does anyone work for a great Healthcare agency? Like EBS, therapy 2000, Cobb Pediatric? What are your thoughts? Likes/Dislikes? Advantages/Disadvantages?
Q: I am working with a Kindergartener who has autism. He recently got an iPad, & his mom is asking if we might be able to use it to assess his academic performance at the school. Are there any apps that we might be able to use for this purpose, or maybe as a supplemental assessment? We have adopted common core. Thanks!
Q: I am working in the schools but am considering offering private summer services to a few students. There are students who are blossoming in their speech and language skills right now. Many of our outpatient providers have an extensive waiting list. Who do I contact, what do I need to do to legally and ethically provide private services?
Q: To those of you who contract with a school district: I am wondering whether you are paid only for the direct services you provide to students or whether you are also paid for hours spent on any workload responsibilities (i.e. writing eligibilities, IEPs, Medicaid documentation, teacher/parent consults and meetings, etc.) If you are not paid for any time outside of working with the students, are these other responsibilities still expected to be completed on your own time?
Q: What do you carry in your speech treasure box ?. I personally don’t like any cheap plastic materials but prefer items that have a value and is useful to the students. Please share your suggestions. Thanks’
Q: How are SLP’s around the country involved in Rti in their school districts? Is anyone using any “screening measures” within the Rti initiative to narrow down language issues to target, and if so what are they using? Also is anyone correcting articulation errors solely within Rti and how are they justifying it?
Q: For providers who do fee for service (for multiple companies) how do they schedule without making themselves crazy ( parents not being home when they said they would be/ not returning calls/constantly canceling). And how do they bill efficiently? How do they keep track of payments received? Do they create their own invoices?I need a much more efficient way to deal with the non therapy side of the job.
Q: I have a question for the SLP chat. I have about $120 to spend on games and apps and I’m wondering what recommendations people have for expressive/receptive language and social skills games for grades 4-8.
Q: I have a client in 5th grade with developmental dyslexia. Previous goals focused on mastery of sight words, increasing oral reading fluency, and some phonics instruction. Reassessment revealed a need to prioritize a writing goal- he needs help forming letters automatically and accurately, writing conventions like capitalization and punctuation and using appropriate spacing. I don’t know where to start! Any suggestions about beginning writing instruction and dev dyslexia? This is my first one!
Q: Can you please post asking for any suggestions for feeding therapy for a 20 month old who gags just looking at food. He is fine with thin liquids and puree consistency, but nothing more.
Q: I have a question for bilingual SLPs. I’m new to early intervention and have a bilingual child on my caseload. He’s two and a half, at this point we have maybe 25 words, limited phonological inventory, mostly alveolars and we’ve gotten a few bilabials. Mom speaks Spanish, dad English. The boy has great understanding in both languages.
I wondered if anyone had information I could provide mom on bilingual language development. She needs some support to continue using Spanish with him. There are very few Spanish SLPs in the area I’m in in Australia so I’m doing my best. Any help would be much appreciated.
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