Freebie Friday: Monkeying Around!

Its Freebie Friday, so I thought I'd share a freebie of my own!  I found this super cute monkey clip art from Goodness & Fun on mygraphico.com and I thought it would be fun to make a little reinforcer game.  So here it is!  Help the cute little monkey get to the banana tree forest by using the game cards!

Grab your freebie here!

Enjoy!  Happy Talking!!!

Tip Tuesday! The Nonverbal Child Part 4: Techniques to Elicit Language!

This is the last installment of my Nonverbal child series!  Thanks so much to all of you who stuck with it this month and checked out my presentations.  I hope they helped in some way.

Please note that in this presentation a number of language facilitation techniques will be discussed.  I have written about each one as a culmination of things I have learned over the years via research and my own personal clinical experience.  I cannot pinpoint the exact places these pieces of information have come from since I created this series of PPTs using just my old brain.

Disclaimer:  These presentations are based on my clinical experience and should be used as a guide only.  I understand there are many ways to perform evaluations and therapy and I am just sharing how I do it.  These presentations are not comprehensive in nature and you may add or use different testing materials, strategies or techniques.  Feel free to share your experiences below.  However, when commenting please do so with respect and common courtesy.  Thank you.

This presentation has been removed from this post.  You can find Parts 1-4 of this series here!

Happy Talking!!!

FREEBIE Friday: Goals and Objectives for Nonverbal PK children!

This freebie goes along with my Tip Tuesday post this week (Part 3 of this series) on how to create a treatment plan for nonverbal PK children with typical hearing and vision.
Below I created a quick guide on how I write goals and objectives using the child's functional communication system.  I have a list of several skills I attempt to teach with regard to social skills (including play) as well as receptive and expressive language skills.  

This is by NO MEANS a comprehensive list, just a glimpse of some of the more common goals I write for the child while they are using their functional communication system (whatever that may be).  This information is meant as guide only!

When writing goals I use this equation:

Skill + Setting + Context + Cuing/Assistance + Measurement+ Data Collection + Duration = Measurable Goal

Grab a clear copy of this download here!

So a few completed examples of a short term objective I would write would be (using the format above):

Johnny will use total communication (i.e. picture exchange system, gestures, vocalizations, sign language, etc.) when responding to peers' greetings in the classroom setting with minimal or no cues (0-25% OTT) 1 time during arrival and departure of the school day as recorded by teacher data collection/report for 3 consecutive data collection days.

OR

Johnny will demonstrate an increase in receptive vocabulary by pointing/reaching/choosing the correct object/photograph/picture of objects and/or actions in response to directions given by the SLP in a one-on-one or small group therapy setting during structured therapy tasks with moderate cues (~25-50% OTT) with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive data collection days.

So that's how I do it?  How about you?  What is your process or goal writing lingo?  Feel free to share below!

     

Enjoy and Happy Talking!

Tip Tuesday! The Nonverbal Child Part 3: Creating a Treatment Plan

Here is the 3rd installment in my Nonverbal Child series, discussing how to create a treatment plan.  Treatment plans in the academic environment versus private practice will undoubtedly be a different process.  However, this presentation includes the basic way in which I create a treatment plan.  Many times I find parents do not understand the process of IEPs or treatment plans and what goes into them.  So I hope this presentation will be able to shed some light on the complexity of the process.

On Friday I will share with you how I write goals and objects when creating treatment plans for these nonverbal kiddos using the functional communication system I determine at the time of assessment!

Disclaimer:  These presentations are based on my clinical experience and should be used as a guide only.  I understand there are many ways to perform evaluations and therapy and I am just sharing how I do it.  These presentations are not comprehensive in nature and you may add or use different testing materials, strategies or techniques.  Feel free to share your experiences below.  However, when commenting please do so with respect and common courtesy.  Thank you.

This presentation has been removed from this post!  You can find Parts 1-4 of this series here!

Looking for the Play ages and stages form I reference in the presentation?  If you've missed it when I posted it back in February, don't worry.  Go here and grab your copy!



Enjoy and happy talking!

May's BSHM Link up!

Oh, how Pintearesting! is hosting a blog link up for BSHM!  Want to know what your favorite bloggers are up to this May?  Check out her blog to find all the link ups!  Here's what I'm into this May!!!

Buying:  So anyone else stumped on what to get their hubby for Father's day?  My husband is a wonderful, hands on, very involved dad who unfortunately loves anything electronic/technology based.  As I have no idea about technology I never know what to buy him.  Do you have any ideas?  If so, please, please, PLEASE share your great ideas by commenting below.

Hearting:  In the fall, my son and one of his friends were playing in my car (while I was standing there talking to his friend's mom) and somehow ejected the CD in my car stereo.  Since then it has stopped working.  BUT...my son and husband gave me a new car stereo for Mother's day and now that it is installed I am loving that I can listen to CDs once again!

One more thing I'm Hearting:  I just learned about this awesome 42 page FREE presentation on the Warning Signs of EBD in Toddlers and PK kiddos with LI  by Smart Speech Therapy, LLC.  Go to this link, like her FB page and you will have access to this PPT!  It's AWESOME!  EVERYONE NEEDS IT IN THEIR ARSENAL OF THERAPY GOODIES!!!

Sharing:  If you are coming late to my BSHM party this month, every Tuesday, I am sharing another installment of my 4 part presentation series on the Nonverbal Child.  I explain how I perform the assessment, determine a functional communication system, determine goals and objects, and use treatment to move a child from nonverbal to verbal communication.

Making:  I am in the midst of getting some arts and crafts together for my therapy sessions.  Now that we are moving from spring to summer very shortly, I have to get my summer crafts ready to go.  How about you.  Do you provide therapy over the summer?  If so, what's your favorite arts/crafts activity to do with your clients?  Please share.  I need more ideas!!!

Freebie Friday: K and G CVC, CVCC, CVCV word building!

It's FREEBIE FRIDAY so you know what that means...a freebie for you!  This is from me personally.

I am working on K and G so I thought I'd make a word building activity to support phonological awareness while working on articulation.  So...of course, if I make it, you get it!  That's how it works!  Anyway, check out the pages and grab your freebie at the bottom of this blog!  

You will notice, I didn't like many 3 letter initial /g/ words for initial so I created an final /g/ page for 3 letter words and initial /g/ for 4 letter words.  It still achieves the velar practice I'm going for so there you have it!

Also on 3 letter words I did put a line next to the flowers, the child could attempt to write out the word after pasting the letters in the flowers.  For my final consonant deleters (ha!) I'm actually going to have all the other letters BUT the final consonant glued on, and when they say the final consonant they will get to glue on that final letter.  Just a fun way to incorporate literacy into articulation therapy :)

Enjoy!  Grab your free copy at the bottom of this blog!

Grab your freebie by clicking below:

K and G Syllable Word Building

Happy talking!

Tip Tuesday! The Nonverbal Child Part 2: Determining a Functional Communication System

This is the second installment in my Nonverbal Child series.  Remember this series focuses on the Nonverbal child under 5 years old with typical hearing and vision.  With that said I have used the same techniques for older children with age-appropriate toys and activities.  So some of these techniques can be generalized to other ages with appropriate modifications.

These presentations are based on my own clinical experience with evidence-based research I've read over the years and are meant as a guide.  The definitions in this presentation are my own and the process to determine a functional communication system is one I have trialed over the years and have come to conclude works best for my clients.  Again this is to be used as a guide!

Also take note of the additional information I add between a few slides below.  This is information I felt was important to explain but not necessarily within the presentation itself.

Disclaimer:  These presentations are based on my clinical experience and should be used as a guide only.  I understand there are many ways to perform evaluations and therapy and I am just sharing how I do it.  These presentations are not comprehensive in nature and you may add or use different testing materials, strategies or techniques.  Feel free to share your experiences below.  However, when commenting please do so with respect and common courtesy.  Thank you.

This presentation has been removed from this site! You can find Parts 1-4 of this series here!

Happy Talking!

Giveaway: No Tresspassing: This is My Body!

 

I am super excited to announce that Pattie Fitzgerald, child safety advocate and founder of Safely Ever After, Inc. has given me a signed copy of her book NO Trespassing-This is MY Body! for this giveaway to celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month.

This book is GREAT for parents, educators and SLPs when talking about child safety for children 3 years and up!

Want to know why I LOVE Pattie Fitzgerald's information so much?  Check out my May's Kid Confidential ASHAspere article to find out.  Oh and make sure you check out Safely Ever After, Inc.'s website for more great information.

The winner will be announced this Friday so enter today! Reminder:  The winner will have to privately share their mailing address with me (via email) so I can mail this book to them.  Entries from continental US only please.  


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Freebie Friday: Palm Tree Match Up!

 It's that time again!  Freebie Friday brings us to another fun language activity with my cute monkey clip are I got at www.graphico.com.  Check it out!

Palm Tree Match Up is a match up game between objects and their attributes.  I also added some blank trees and bunches of bananas so you can make your own if you want!

Grab your freebie here!

Happy talking!

Tip Tuesday! The Nonverbal Child Part 1: Assessment!

I have been performing early childhood assessments for the last decade and particularly over the last 5 years have encountered more nonverbal children between the ages of 3-5 than I have in my previous 5 years of therapy.  I wonder if there is a trend in the severity of disabilities we are able to diagnose at earlier ages or if parents are just being referred more often.  Maybe it is a little bit of both.

Since I've had quite a bit of experience with nonverbal children, I thought I'd put together some presentations and share some things that have worked in the past and continue to work for me and how I move that child from nonverbal to verbal communication.  

Disclaimer:  These presentations are based on my clinical experience and should be used as a guide only.  I understand there are many ways to perform evaluations and therapy and I am just sharing how I do it.  These presentations are not comprehensive in nature and you may add or use different testing materials, strategies or techniques.  Feel free to share your experiences below.  However, when commenting please do so with respect and common courtesy.  Thank you.

This presentation has been removed from this site.  You can find Parts 1-4 of this series here!

Happy talking :)

FREEBIE Friday! I Live on a Farm: An interactive book!

I saw this cute clip art from Lilly Bimble Digitals and knew I had to make some farm themed activity for my PK and K kiddos.  So I made this interactive book about living on a farm.  

It targets several things:

• expressive vocabulary,
• discussion of a single category (farm animals),
• rhyming,
• making predictions to fill in the blank, etc.

It is made to be printed front to back so you can save paper or you can cut the pages and order them as you wish.  

Check it out and see for yourself!

Grab your FREE copy here!

Enjoy and happy talking!

Wild Wednesday! ASD: STOP TALKING!

Today I'm writing about something one of my ASD kiddos taught me.  I had been working with a client who was nonverbal for quiet a while with very little progress despite using every trick of the trade and every fun toy I had up my "speech sleeve".  I had tried EVERY reinforcer known to man when one day I just threw many hands up in the air and decided I needed a break.  So I sat back, watched quietly, and did absolutely nothing.

For 5 LONG minutes I watched as my client sat on the floor in the W position playing with the same sensory toy when it happened.  A miracle!  A wonder of wonders!  Speech therapy magic!  The most beautiful word  I had every heard came out of his mouth and floated ever so slowly to my ears, "This".  That was it.  "This".  Was there every a more beautiful word heard in your life?  At that moment I didn't think so.

I slipped out of my seat and joined my newly verbal friend on the floor playing with toys.  It didn't matter what I was doing really, it just mattered that I was on the sidelines.  I commented on what the child was doing and waited.  Waited.  And waited some more.  Then a second word, "On".  YES!  That toy was turned on! You know got it buddy! 

I realized at that moment that the reason my client wasn't "talking" was because I was doing too much of it already.  Why did he even have to?  And how could he possibly think with me throwing one comment after another at him?  Sometimes we are just giving our clients TOO much auditory stimulation and we need to just zip our lips!  

Our therapy sessions continued like this week after week and those verbalizations began to occur more and more often, until he was speaking in phrases and sentences!

I think of that day often when I feel like I am getting in a rut and I remember the best lesson that student ever taught me...sometimes I need to just STOP TALKING!

Happy (in this case) NOT talking!