Cozy chats about speech, language and learning

speech and language pathologists

Teaching Tier Two Words

Teaching Tier Two Words

Common Core curriculum recognizes the importance of vocabulary in learning.  Refer to this blog to learn about the three tiers Blog on three tiers of vocabulary. Background knowledge of the topic being taught in the classroom is a key component of learning. It becomes the foundation…

Using Therapy Materials that Match a Student’s Age or Abilities

Using Therapy Materials that Match a Student’s Age or Abilities

You have the goals you want your student to achieve. You have the research-based approach to use in treatment. What may be more difficult is matching the student’s age and abilities to the appropriate materials. A common mistake that  a newbie clinician or a student clinician…

Keeping Pace in a therapy session.

Keeping Pace in a therapy session.

Pacing during a treatment session can be crucial in maintaining a child’s attention and focus. The easiest way to do this is using a schedule and a pattern of an opening and closing activity. Using a timer to go off five minutes before the end…

How do you determine a student’s reading level?

How do you determine a student’s reading level?

When we are working with a child it is important that we are working at their appropriate reading level. How do we determine this?

Should eye contact be a goal?

Should eye contact be a goal?

  In working with teachers or student speech and language therapist I often find that one of the goals that they want to work on is ‘eye contact’. At first glance, this might make sense as how do we know if a child is listening…

It Takes a Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher book companion

It Takes a Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher book companion

I love using literature to teach. It gives me a jumping off point to teach vocabulary and story grammar.   It Takes A Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher Book Companion is a great story that is set in an African village.  Yemi is given the responsibility…

Articulation Ideas

Articulation Ideas

In the schools, for the most part, I use the 5 Minute Articulation treatment approach, 5-minute kids.  This was developed by Susan Sexton to maximize the treatment time and minimize the time out of the class. A research paper can be found here.5-minute kid ResearchArticle…

The Care and Feeding of Your Supervisor!

The Care and Feeding of Your Supervisor!

How to make a good impression on your clinicial supervisor Be a nice human: Remember your supervisor is also a human we exist beyond the clinic. Be on time: When you are late this causes stress. Things happen just make sure that you call or…

Supporting the clinician that comes after you.

Supporting the clinician that comes after you.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a blueprint that helped to spell out how to work with a child?  There are times that you need more than reading reports or IEP documents but hands on advice from someone who has seen the student…

Organization tips School SLPs

Organization tips School SLPs

I have been a speech and language pathologist for 37 years (YIKES!).  Each year I think I think of a different way to better organize my data, my materials and how to stay on top of each of my student’s goals.  This is part of…