SLP Must Have Sale!!!

Tomorrow is the 7th, which means it's time for the monthly SLP Must-Have sale on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Each month, participating SLPs and Teacher Pay Teachers sellers choose one special item and mark it down 50% for one day only.  This month, my Articulation cards BUNDLE is my must have item!  You can't miss this!  Regular price is $7, but tomorrow only it will be ONLY $3.50!!! Visit my store between 7am-10pm central time to snag this great deal!

Freebies!

I have been swamped with grad school projects and report writing, so I haven't had much time to blog or work on new products.

I have created a few items that I've needed for my own students, and I've decided to share them!  You can find these products for FREE in my Teachers Pay Teacher store Beautiful Speech on TpT.

First up: prefix and suffix worksheets

Prefix Worksheet

Suffixes Worksheet

Next: /k,g/ sentences - this product is to use with those articulation kiddos working on /k,g/ in structured sentences.  I've included picture/word cards for initial /k,g/, medial /k,g/ and final /k/.

/k,g/ Sentences

Enjoy!

Speechie Freebies Link Up

Articulation Cards Bundle

These first few weeks of the new school year have been exciting and exhausting!  I'm getting to know a new group of kiddos at a new campus and traveling back and forth between 2 different schools.  I discovered quickly that I did not have articulation cards for all the kiddos on my caseload.  Being a grad student I also do not have tons of extra dough to purchase cards....so I decided to make my own!  The articulation cards in my Teachers Pay Store are cards I made specifically to use with the kiddos on my current caseload.  I plan to add to them and make the sets more complete in the future.  Take advantage of the low prices now.  When I add to or edit a product, anyone who has already purchased it can re-download for FREE!

If you follow my blog and TpT store, you will always be the first to find out when I post new products or have items on sale.  Also, my products will always be on sale (or FREE) the first day I post them, so make sure you follow me so you don't miss out.

I also posted a bundle of all of my current artic cards (plus a few extra sounds).  I am giving away a free copy of that bundle.  Enter my Rafflecopter giveaway below.

Thanks!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Product in TpT! {Wh- Question Cards}

I've been working on a new product for my Teachers Pay Teachers store and it's finally ready!  It is a packet of cards and teaching aides targeting wh- questions.  I spent several evenings working on this and trying to get it just right.  I am learning how to create great looking products to use in my speech therapy room.  It's been fun learning new "techie" things. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting the hang of it.  I am  looking forward to sharing more products in the future.  

 My Wh- Questions Packet can be purchased in my TpT store.  It is listed for $4, but will be on sale during the TpT Boost sale on Wednesday, August 20, 2014.  Use the promo code "BOOST" at checkout to save some $$$.

You can also enter to win a free copy!  Enter below and I'll be choosing 2 winners.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top 5 Favorite Speech Therapy Websites

Summer break is over and it's almost time for students in Texas to return to school.  I started back at work this week and have already gone into school year planning mode.  As I gear up for the start of a new school year, I thought I would share some of my favorite online resources for speech therapy ideas. 

As a new SLP Assistant and graduate student I rely on more experienced professionals for guidance and ideas when I need it.  Most of that I get from my SLP supervisors and faculty at school, but I also frequently use the internet.  I have been known to "Google" a time or two.  My Google searches have led me to some great sites where I have found many fabulous ideas.  I'd like to share a few of my favorites. 

1. ASHA Website: I visit this site frequently.  And by frequently I mean almost daily.  I love the ASHA website because it is full of resources, research, and information on all aspects of speech language pathology, and I know I can trust the source.   Resources are organized by setting type and are easy to locate. I have used this site to find answers to questions I have about best practice, legal information, and as a resource for those fun papers we have to write in grad school. 

2. Teachers Pay Teachers: I love Teachers Pay Teachers!  I have found so many awesome resources at great prices.  Looking for an activity targeting a particular phoneme, irregular nouns, or wh- questions?  Teachers Pay Teachers has it.  The products download straight to your computer and you can print/laminate and use them immediately.  No waiting for shipping and the prices are way better than you would pay using a big name company.  Even better, when you buy a product on Teachers Pay Teachers you're supporting another educator.  I've also started to sell products on this site and love that I can make a little extra money selling my own products. 

3. The Speech Room News: Jenna Rayburn is a Speech Language Pathologist with some fabulous ideas.  I stumbled across her website last summer and am so glad I did.  She has great app reviews, ideas for therapy, and has an awesome Teachers Pay Teachers store.  I have found so many great products that I can use in my therapy sessions.  I also follow The Speech Room News on Facebook and Twitter and this is how I have heard about some free app deals. 

4. Sublime Speech: This is another fantastic speech blog I follow.  I love reading posts by other SLPs and seeing their take on things.  The Sublime Speech website has some great materials, app reviews, and other resources.  She also has a Teachers Pay Teachers Store that I frequent. 

5. Autism Classroom News: I just recently found this site and so far I am pleased with what I have seen.  This is a great resource for working with students with Autism.  I love the daily Twitter updates with ideas that can be used in the classroom and therapy.  I am looking forward to exploring this website more. 

I know there are a ton of websites out there and I have only touched on a few.  These just happen to be the sites I visit most often.  I have found them to be extremely helpful and I hope you do, too.

What speech therapy sites do you love?  You can let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!

Articulation Test Center Review

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write a review of the Articulation Test Center app by Little Bee Speech.  I have seen this app in the App Store but have not been too sure about spending the money to try it out.  One thing I can say for sure is this app is worth every cent!  

Articulation Test Center is an iPad app designed for use by Speech-Language Pathologists, teachers, and parents.  It has two main features: the Quick Test (screener) and the Full Test.

The Quick Test is a great option to use as a beginning of the school year screener, or as an initial articulation screening tool for a child.  It is easy to use, has crisp and clear images, and provides specific data with a report for each student.  The Quick Test option allows users to test specific phonemes based on the child's age. Each age range test targets the phonemes that a child will typically have in their sound repertoire by that age.  

The Full Test is a more in depth option that allows the user to select specific targets to test.  

The Full Test also enables the user to collect and record a speech sample from the child based on a picture scene.  There are three different scenes to select from and all are full of people, animals, and activities to describe.  Language prompts are also provided to help the child continue their description during the speech sample.

Both the Quick Test and the Full Test present the target word with a picture and the word above the picture with the target sounds highlighted in green.  The user is able to quickly and easily mark the sounds as correct, incorrect, or as a close approximation.  The app also allows specific substitutions and phonological processes to be noted for each target sound. 

Once testing is complete, a report is generated with the results.  The report is an easy to read, organized description of words tested, errors, and phonological processes and substitutions marked during testing.  The report feature also provides a written summary of the results that can be emailed or printed for reference.  

What I like the most about this app is how easy it is to learn.  I was able to navigate the app and complete several sample tests after watching two quick tutorials (which are posted on the Little Bee Speech website and within the app itself).  This app has a lot to offer and I was glad to see that accessing all of the features is straightforward and simple.  The tutorials also offer an in depth look into all of the features the app offers, for anyone who may not be sure about whether it will suit their needs.  

Another feature I was glad to see is the descriptions of the phonological processes provided.  As an SLP graduate student I have most of these fresh in my mind from hours of studying for exams and assignments.  However, some of the less common phonological processes may be more difficult to quickly identify and having a description and example handy during the test will be extremely helpful.  This feature will also be helpful for any teachers or parents who want to use the app and are not familiar with phonological processes.  

The only drawback I see to this app is that it is not standardized and may not be sufficient for use in qualifying a child for speech therapy services.  It is a great app to use as an additional, informal assessment and for progress monitoring, but would not be able to be the only assessment used when determining eligibility for services.  

Overall, I am very pleased with this app.  The folks at Little Bee Speech have done an excellent job of creating an app that is useful in a variety of ways and easy to use.  I am exited to have this app as a tool while performing articulation screenings, gathering more information during assessments, and progress monitoring my students during therapy sessions.  I think the kids will love being on an iPad instead of just using drill cards and I see myself using this app a lot this school year.  

If you are interested in purchasing Articulation Test Center or Articulation Station Pro (another app by Little Bee Speech), they can be found in the App Store  for $49.99. Both of these apps will be ON SALE August 12-14, 2014.


 
Note: I was not paid for writing this review.  I was provided with a copy of the Articulation Test Center in order to complete my review, but all opinions contained in this review are my personal opinions.  I do not represent any company, product or school. 

Out of My Comfort Zone!

I am 2 weeks into my summer clinical practicum at a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility) and I am loving it, but I am WAY out of my comfort zone.  I have never worked in a setting like this.  It is EXTREMELY different from the school setting and quite a challenge for me, but I'm always up for an adventure.  In my SNF we work with a lot of residents who have goals for dysphagia and cognitive skills.  Many of the residents I am working with have dementia, some are recovering from strokes, and a few have a variety of other medical diagnoses that have somehow affected their cognition/swallowing.  I have enjoyed getting to know these residents and I really do enjoy our time together. 

What has been a challenge for me this summer is gaining confidence in this setting.  In the school setting, I was more comfortable because I had been a teacher and because I felt like I knew what I was doing (even though I know I still have a lot to learn).  In the medical setting, I find myself struggling to pull the knowledge I gained in my courses into each situation.  Swallowing is such a complicated area to treat because it's not the same for everyone.  Even when two patients have the same dysfuntion in their swallow, the treatment used may be entirely different depending on their situation.  I am learning to apply the knowledge I gained in class to the real world. 

Another challenge I have faced is just learning the lingo.  There are so many abbreviations used in the medical setting, it's almost like learning another language!  I carry around a medical abbreviations list I got from the ASHA website (click here for link), but sometimes it's just faster to ask someone about a specific abbreviation, rather than look it up.  In addition to the vast amount of abbreviations, I'm also learning to write more medically professional sounding session notes.  Using the appropriate medical terms (i.e. "masticate" instead of "chew") is something I am working on. I know the terms, it's just hard for me to remember to use them!

Each day I gain a little more confidence, but it really fluctuates depending on the situation.  The one thing that remains constant is my excitement.  I am learning so much, and I really enjoy seeing this side of the field.  One of the things I love most about the field of speech-language pathology is the variety of settings we can work in.  Each setting (school, hospital, SNF, private clinics, home health, etc.) is so different and has its own challenges and rewards.  I love that I am experiencing a new setting in my SNF this summer, and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity. 

Love My New Career!

Well…it appears that I am not getting off to a great start with this blogging thing.  I planned to post at least once a week and I have clearly missed that goal!  I was just enjoying my break between grad school semesters too much, I guess.  I've still been working and seeing students for therapy, but at home I just enjoyed my family.  It was a nice break.  I say "was" because today is the first day of my summer classes.  One class (statistics) opened a little early and I've already read 2 chapters and completed 2 quizzes.  It's so much nicer to be ahead than it is to be behind.

So this year was my first year as a speech language pathologist assistant.  As I mentioned before, I had been a teacher for 7 years before making the career change.  I have to say, it was a fabulous year!  Even my husband commented on several occasions how much happier I seemed.  So I decided to post today about a few things I love about my new career. 

1.  I get to work with some amazing kiddos. They are all very unique and have their own strengths and struggles, but they are all so fabulous.  This year I worked with a wide variety of students.  Ages ranged from 3 to 18.  Some just needed a little extra help in the language department (using more complex sentences/language) and some were completely non-verbal.  One thing that remains constant with every student I see is the joy we share when they experience success with a goal.  I just love all my kiddos!

2. I get to help people improve their communication skills in so many different ways.  For some, it's improving grammar and overall use of language.  For some, it's working on articulation so they can be better understood.  For some it's working on finding a way for them to communicate at all.  Every student I see has a desire to be heard.  It's my job to help them do that effectively. 

3. This is just the best job ever!  

I am still a student and I have a lot to learn about being a speech language pathologist.  It's not an easy job by any means, and being in grad school has its own challenges and stresses, but boy am I having fun!  

Getting Started

I am so excited to start my new blog!  As a busy graduate student, SLP Assistant, mother, and wife, I don't expect that I'll be posting very often, but I hope to post at least once a week.  I wanted to create a blog where I can share activities that I am using in my therapy sessions and share successes and struggles I have as a graduate student and new SLP.

This year has been an exciting time for me as I learn the ins and outs of my new career.  I am working for a public school special ed coop and I currently serve 2 schools.  I have been overjoyed by the progress my students have made and the moments of success we have shared.  My passion is helping people communicate and I am thrilled to be able to share my experiences with you all.