Comics

Most educators I know have access to a computer and the internet in their classrooms. These resources open up loads of possibilities for speech/language therapy, without having to purchase anything extra.

One of my favorite free websites is Make Beliefs Comix Comic Creator! The website allows users to make their own comics using a variety of characters, backgrounds, and props. Two of my favorite features are the speech and thought bubbles and the fact that many characters are available showing more than one emotion. While you could certainly use this activity with students with articulation, receptive/expressive language, or fluency needs, I have used it primarily with students with pragmatic language or social skills needs. Here are two examples of comics I created for one of my students:

This particular student was making inappropriate comments in class like "Is that necessary?" or "I don't think so," when teachers asked him to do something. I made these comics to encourage him to take the perspectives of other people around him by adding blank thought bubbles. I also intentionally left the last comic frame blank so he could predict the consequences of positive versus negative actions. I printed the comics out and had him fill in the blank thought bubbles and events and we had a discussion about Froggy's choice-making.

The other nice thing about targeting inappropriate behaviors via comics is that the student does not feel like you are saying HE or SHE did something wrong. You are talking about the behavior through a character, so the student tends to be less defensive. Later, after discussing the behavior, I might say something like, "How does this story relate to your school day?" or "Tell me about a time you could have made a different choice."

If you do not have access to a computer, printer, or internet, you could still have students create their own comics by drawing. You could even create some of  your own if you are feeling artistic!

Have you ever used comics or Make Beliefs Comix in therapy? How have you addressed socially inappropriate behaviors?

DIY Puzzle

The Do-It-Yourself Puzzle is another activity I learned by observing someone else.  Once I saw it, I knew I had to use it in my own practice!

The speech-language pathologist I observed printed a picture that related to season. Then she cut up the puzzle into six pieces and wrote a number on the back of each. Here is an example below:

  

After the student completed a task (said a target word five times, said a sentence, answered a question, followed a direction, etc.), he/she rolled a die. The student then earned the puzzle piece that corresponded to the number on the die. The goal is to complete the puzzle! If you are working with small groups, have a puzzle for each student. If possible, I recommend printing each puzzle on a different colored paper to avoid confusion.

If you don't have a printer in your building, have the students draw their own pictures and make their own puzzles!

Don't have a die? Don't put numbers on the pieces and have the student select randomly.

I work in an elementary school and even my older students liked this! They were excited to figure out what the puzzle picture was and made guesses with each piece they earned.

This activity also works well with students with behavioral needs, since they can visually see how many turns are left before the activity ends. You can also choose any picture you want to increase student motivation. For example, use a racetrack scene for a student who loves cars.

Have you used DIY Puzzles before? If not, I hope you'll give it a try and let me know how it goes!

I Spy

I Spy with my little eye... an activity that does not require any extra materials or toys!

I think the I Spy game is one of those go-to activities for many therapists. It requires minimal preparation, can be done almost anywhere, and most elementary age students can play it! It can also be a short warm-up, cool-down, or "break" activity. What I want to share today is how to specifically tailor this oldie but goodie to meet the needs of various students.

Articulation - I often use this game with students who are working on initial /s/ blends. The words "I spy..." come up over and over again, making it perfect for repeated /s/ blend practice at the sentence level! You can also purposely "spy" items that include the student's target sound. For example, if working on the /r/ sound, you might spy a chair, computer, eraser, ruler, and so on.

Basic Concepts - Incorporate basic concepts into your clues. I spy something that is under the table. I spy something that is not red. I spy something that is small. You get the idea!

Defining and Describing - Similar to basic concepts, incorporate descriptive definitions and encourage the student to do the same. For example, I spy something you use to write. I spy something that is round. I spy an appliance.

Fluency - Use this game as a way to practice using fluency-enhancing or stuttering modification strategies. For example, if targeting the "easing in" strategy, the student may specifically practice gently producing the "I" sound at the beginning of the sentence "I spy..." If working on the phrasing strategy (what my students and I refer to as "scooping" a few words at a time), the student may focus on briefly pausing at natural places. For example: I spy // something red.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication - I do not currently have any students on my caseload who use AAC, but I imagine you could adapt this activity to meet their needs as well. Perhaps the student could generate the sentence I + spy + something + (color) and give yes/no responses using his/her communication device.

Generating and Answering Yes/No Questions - Is it a shirt? Is it a clock? Pretty self-explanatory!

Nonverbal Language/Social Skills - Michelle Garcia-Winner's Social Thinking concepts (e.g., thinking with eyes, social detective, etc.) could easily be part of this game. In addition to providing a verbal clue, provide a visual clue by physically looking at the object. Encourage students to follow your eye gaze to help figure out what you are thinking about. If they do well with that, see if you can fade the verbal clues completely!

I am sure there are many other great ways to adapt I Spy. Please comment and share the ways you have used it with your students!

Treasure Hunt

I stole borrowed this idea from a colleague. One of her young clients was having trouble attending to one of our many diagnostic tests featuring a flip book (think the CELF-5, PSL-4, EVT-2, etc.). So she tore up a few yellow Post-It notes and stuck small pieces of "gold" randomly throughout the test.

Let me tell you, I was shocked at how motivating "finding treasure" was for this client! She attended to the stimuli and responded to prompts more readily in order to see if there was more "gold" on the next page. Brilliant!

Have you used Post-It notes in other ways during assessments or therapy?

Swiss Cheese Cards

The other day, I was in a meeting and a general education teacher shared her student's "Swiss cheese cards."

The teacher had handful of cards attached by a ring. On each card, she had written one letter. During practice, the student had to name the letter before turning to the next card. If he/she labeled it correctly, the teacher put one hole punch in that card. After practicing for several days and getting more and more correct answers, one would expect the cards to look like Swiss cheese with so many holes!

Unfortunately, in this particular meeting, she was showing us how most of the cards had very few holes, thus why the team was meeting to brainstorm some new ideas for this student.

After the meeting, I thought of all the ways I could adapt this simple activity for speech/language therapy. Here are some ideas I came up with...

• articulation (e.g., five words that all start with the /r/ sound)
• language (i.e., synonyms, antonyms, irregular plural nouns, irregular past verbs, etc.)
• fluency (e.g., describing fluency strategies or parts of the "speech machine")

I especially like the idea for articulation, because it easily allows for independent practice as well. I sometimes do this with my larger groups. For example, I may have two or three students practice independently or with a partner while I work with one student; then I rotate the students through the session so everyone gets at least a few minutes of one-on-one instruction.

Have you ever used Swiss cheese cards? In what ways would you use them? I would love to hear your ideas!

Differentiated... Blogs?

Differentiated instruction is a must. It is even more crucial when working with students with learning differences and needs.

Even in the business world, brands for products and services look to differentiate themselves. Where do they fit into the huge marketplace?

After starting this blog last evening and a good night's sleep, I woke up and thought to myself, "But there are already so many good speech and language blogs out there... what makes mine different? Where is my niche?"

Some excellent blogs focus on a specific area, like Jill Kuzma's Social & Emotional Skill Sharing Site.

Others share ideas through their products, like the ever-creative Jenna Rayburn of The Speech Room News.

Still others focus on certain audience, like Mommy Speech Therapy.

All of these blogs are run by incredibly talented speech-language pathologists. I love following their sites and learning from them. But what can I contribute that is unique?

Then I thought about pie... a good pie is made from the basics. Flour, sugar, salt, eggs, fruit...

So on my blog, Speech Pie, I have decided that my twist is going to be about getting "back to basics." While I think products and programs absolutely have their place in the speech-language world, I also believe effective therapy can be conducted using whatever is already in your room and some imagination. Sometimes my best sessions are those that use less "stuff."

I hope you find my ideas useful! Please feel free to comment and share your ideas as well!

Calling for Recipes!

As a Speech and Language Pathologist in an elementary school, I am constantly trying to think of new and engaging therapy activities for my students.

I mean, really, the S sound and irregular plural nouns aren't THAT interesting on their own.

So I am challenged to keep these concepts exciting, even after repeated practice... and I know I'm not the only educator facing this difficult task.

On lucky days, a great activity just comes to me... sometimes even as the student is walking through the door. On not-so-creative days, I look to other educators and therapists for inspiration.

I am starting this blog to share tried and true therapy activities - the ones the students actually request to "play" and consistently result in student learning! I welcome and encourage you to share your tricks as well.

Please share your very best "Speech Pie" recipes! I know I will be posting mine!