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.