Language

The above pictures is of eggs or other capsules filled with different objects.  Use the sound of each object to play a memory game.  The user, adult or child, can verbally describe the sound challenge his/her recall of each sound. 

Preschool language activity

Can you think of all the things you can discuss with this activity?  Shapes, size, amount, texture (toothpick vs marshmallow).  The possibilities are endless!

Another funny one

Lego Literacy

Have you seen Pinterest? It's an amazing website that can provide you with plenty of activities for your clients.

For example- check out the literacy options above. By using legos, potentially color coded, you provide a cue to assist in sentence development.

Preschool ideas

Looking for ideas to assist you in developing activies for you preschool clients?  I like this blog, the author was a teacher before she became a mother.  She has some great thematic ideas.

How to select a book for a session

Below are some links that will assist you selecting books for younger language clients.
Recommended reading from infancy to 12 years old
Books for 3 year old children
Age appropriate children's books.  The link is to the last portion of a 3 part series

Adult vs Child

Several students have expressed worry and fear about creating a child-like therapy session for their adult client. You might have the same goals for an adult client as you would have for a pediatric client, so how do you modify the session? This can be easily remedied when you think about how differently YOU act around the 2 different groups.

When interacting with a child, you tend to use mother-ese or at least a more animated voice. You maintain your client's attention with TV characters, games and toys with movement. 

When interacting with an adult, you use less prosody in your speech and have a more direct attitude. The majority of the session is focused on the task at hand and minimal time spent maintaining client's attention with external reinforcements. 

Simply put, think about how you would speak to your mother or father, what is a common item in his/her day? I highly doubt that it is a sippy cup, a Dora sticker or a stroller.  Nor would you do cartwheels to keep their attention!  Modify what you do to make your session appropriate for an adult client.

Rote Repetition

We want to teach our clients skills that become second nature or rote (think sight words or social scripts.) When working with adults, this can be an area in which he/she can be very successful since this skill is ingrained.  This is a good starting point with a client with sever speech impairment. Let's brainstorm together, what are rote speech tasks? 
Here are some I have used with my clients. 

• Counting: 1-5 then 1-10....
• Days of the week (DOW): Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...  I typically start with Monday because the phoneme /m/ is typically easier for clients than /s/ for Sunday.
• Months of the year (MOY):  January, February, March....
• ABCs (ok to sing)
• Songs:  Happy Birthday, hymns (for clients that would be familiar with these)
• Poems and/or nursery rhymes can be used, but this is very client specific.

Now it's your turn--what are other speech tasks that are a rote skill?

Supported Communication

It may be obvious that a communication deficit reaches beyond the person with the deficit, but as a clinician, how are you addressing these far-reaching issues?  One way to assist your client is to provide instruction to his/her primary communication partner.  Teach the partner what you are doing in therapy; what a cue is, when to provide it, what cues are beneficial for your client? Within your session, have the communication partner work on speaking slowly, speaking in simple and short phrases, using gestures, and allowing time for the client to process information.  By allowing the communication partner learn these skills as you are working with the client, you are empowering both individuals and allowing for more independent communication.
Here is a link to a book that provides more information on supported communication. 

3 y/o story retell

Here is a link to a story retell by a 3.10 year old female.  The story is The Three Little Pigs with a little Gingerbread Man mixed in.  Take note of her imitation of stories read to her, including print awareness, prosody, rate of speech, volume and animation.  In the background you can hear her 18 month old sister imitating parts of the story.

And the winner is...

The random winner is... Betsy V.  Come pick up your prize!
To provide feedback to a request: I can not post any information that is protected by copy right.  If I can't provide you a link to the information, then I can not post it on the blog. 

concrete categories

When targeting category generation, there are two types of categories; concrete and abstract.  A concrete category could be described as being "black and white", meaning it either is in the category, or it is not in the category (e.g., car types = Toyota).  An abstract category is more ambiguous, it may be in the category, but it may not (e.g., things that are blue = a shirt.  It may be blue, but it might be red).  Concrete vs. abstract is different when sorting items, so keep that in mind.

I frequently use the following concrete categories when working with adults:
foods- hamburger, hot dog, apple....
drinks- milk, apple juice, grape juice...
animals- cow, horse, pig...
items in a kitchen- sink, knife, cups...
items in a garage- car, rake, boxes...

The Ross Information Processing Assessment (Ross-Swain, 1996) requires the client to generate 15 items within 1 minute. The above categories allow for 15+ items per task.

GIVEAWAY

It is the 1st giveaway of the year! Don't get too excited, it is a small giveaway :)  One lucky winner will receive an oral mechanism kit that includes: a mirror, small light, 1 glove (not 2, just 1!), a grape flavored tongue depressor and other trinkets.  This package was given by Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinic. 


How to win: enter a suggestion for the site under the comments section.  Each suggestion is an entry, so provide me lots of suggestions.

*Comments section will close February 9th at 8:00am.  Random winner will be selected at that time. 

Looking for some simple tasks?

There are free printable tasks at Practical Ausitsm Resource. You can print some category tasks, BINGO  games, and noun cards. Be sure to look at the entire website, they have a variety of links and activities.

Word lists

Learning Fundamentals has a website that provides word lists of common speech sounds including /r/. Looking for allophonic /r/? Scroll down for vowel + /r/ lists.
?? Reminder-- what is an allophone? An allophone is a phonetic variation of a phoneme.

Have an iPhone or iTouch?

Go here to see a list of apps that are great for AAC uses.  If you don't see something you like, search the app store for special education or autism, you will get some great results.

You Might Be a Student If...

Cafepress has some great gifts for Speech Language Patholgists (and other therapists too). Here is a funny one for students-

Phonology reminders and "No-Nos"

Generated by Barbara Hodson, PhD

1. Choose target words carefully. Do NOT choose words containing phonemes at same place of articulation as the Substitute during beginning cycles (e.g., not leaf or lip for child who substitutes /w/ for /l/).

2. Remember to review home production-practice cards at beginning of each session [but do not use these cards during the session unless they are for the same PATTERN (e.g., /s/ clusters last week and a different /s/ cluster this week. In this case, use only the new cards for Activity #1; then add in prior /s/ cluster cards for remaining activities, unless child becomes “overloaded.”)

3. Have Listening List [approximately 20 words that need not be carefully selected] on a large card or a separate paper BEFORE the session; then give the listening list to the parent at end of session with instructions for home practice.

4. Microphone MUST be near SPEAKER’S mouth (i.e., move microphone to child’s mouth when he/she is speaking and back to your mouth when you speak).

5. Aim for 100% correct production of the target [not the entire word].
Use models, tactile cues, amplifier, (i.e., whatever assists are necessary and then “fade” these as child gains facility). Do NOT allow child to repeatedly say the targets incorrectly. Each wrong production reinforces the old inaccurate kinesthetic image. If any words seem exceptionally difficult for a child—pull the card(s) and file away until a later time.

6. Do not allow “down time” even while child is coloring a card. Reminder: limit the time for the listening and coloring at the beginning of session.

7. During production-practice activities—child must say the target [once] before “taking a turn” for an activity (i.e., one for one). Reminder: change activities every 8-10 minutes; can use same activities every week.

8. Also good plan is alternating “active” away-from-table activity and quieter (sometimes at table).

9. Probing to determine specific target for next session must be done before child goes home.

10. Remember to incorporate a metaphonological activity.

11. Repeat Listening activity at very end of each session (good to have parent/caregiver read list this time.)

12. Reminder: Model the softest possible /s/. Practice this /s/ yourself before targeting /s/ clusters. “Back up” your production as much as needed until the child’s production sounds appropriate.

13. When targeting /r/, remember to prolong and exaggerate the vowel (rather than the /r/) and not to blend prematurely. Thus model /r/ (and perhaps pause if needed) –then open your mouth as wide as possible and prolong and emphasize the vowel. [During initial attempts, have child open mouth wide and avoid lip rounding.}

14. When targeting /l/ clusters—include a schwa initially between the first consonant and the /l/ (e.g., “kuhlay” [for clay]); For /r/ clusters, model /kr/ then say the vowel and rest of word (e.g., “krr . . ack” for crack.

Pediatric Swallowing Treament Coverage: Issues and Advocacy

The October ASHA LEADER had a nice article by Janet McCarty and Amy Hasselkus on dysphagia reimbursement.
Notable information:

• More information on the effects of oral-motor exercises on dysphagia in pediatrics will be available in Dec.
• A remind of documents on ASHA's website such as treatment efficacy and preferred practice patterns.
• In reference to denied reimbursement, "the inability to manage age-appropriate food textures is defined as oral stage dysphagia (ICD-9 code 787.21)"
• Suggestion to document "the oral-motor issues and the nutrient deficiencies  of the child's food, which put the child at risk for malnutrition and related growth and developmental problems."

If you are working with pediatric feeding issues I recommend reading the article and following up on the recommended links.

KSHA weekend

I have been inspired! After spending the weekend at the KSHA convention, I decided to take a leap from personal blogging to a blog related to speech pathology. I don't know if this will be a success, but it's worth trying. I personally would love a place I could go to search for basic information that I need in my job. I also would love an outlet that would allow me to ask questions of other SLPs in my community, so that is what I want to offer here. I will encourage my students to peruse the blog to assist them in session planning, so there will be some beginning information posted, but sometimes we all need some reminders. I guess this is the end of post #1! Now it is time to go to bed so I can attend the Saturday portion of KSHA!!