HOORAY FOR SUMMER!!

Here comes summer, ready or not! Ok...I'm definitely ready {someone has a wedding to prep for that is just over 2 months away!}, but I also have a lot to wrap up here at school over these next few days. I know my educator friends and colleagues can relate :).

I'm currently working on putting together some packets of home practice materials for the students I worked with this school year and was thinking I should also post a blog update {Blogging is something I wish I could make myself take more time for!} with some summer suggestions. However, a quick Google search gave me a super-awesome find: a blog post "Practical Speech Therapy Activities for Home Practice" (click the link!!). Basically, this great blogger wrote a bajillion ideas...so there is no need for me to re-invent the wheel in an inferior fasion!  Check out her ideas!

As I wrote in the letters I am sending home with my speech kiddos...The biggest tip I can give you regarding summer speech practice is to keep things light-hearted and fun! Practicing clear speech, smooth talking, and all of the other things we worked on this school year is important, but try not to make it feel like intense drilling or work. One suggestion I like to give is to play a favorite game together while taking turns asking or answering questions before each turn while using clear, smooth talking. Or, you can choose one of your child's speech sounds (SH for example!) and take turns prior to each game turn saying a word with that sound in it in a clear manner.

Happy Summer! I am looking forward to hearing about the adventures each of our students has over the next few months when we return in the fall.

Oh....if you haven't heard....I am trading my name in for a new one in August! When we start our new school year, I will be Mrs. Wells! A MUCH easier-to-articulate, shorter name (albeit further down in the alphabet ;)) is more fitting for an SLP, wouldn't you agree?!

Take care,
~Ms. Matyasse-almost-Wells :)

Speech and Language Blogs I Love

I had a great meeting this morning with the mother of a sweet kindergarten student I work with and she asked if I had any favorite speech and language blogs...while there are many blogs that I enjoy perusing for ideas I hadn't ever written a comprehensive list to share when asked.  Being asked for such a list was just the motivation I needed to get in gear and quickly write this up!

The internet can be a fabulous resource...I use it daily to look up treatment suggestions for students I work with.  However, at times I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the beautiful Pinterest boards and blog posts with great, creative ideas for speech/language therapy activities.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is just fine to not have what I feel like are the cutest or most creative games and that sticking with the basics with things like playing a simple game with a tried-and-true deck of articulation cards can be sufficient with proper interaction and instruction!

While I sincerely love to write and have high hopes to one day make more time for blogging...that time is not now and I am instead content to use this space for a few speech/language suggestions here and there as well as to share links to what I believe are helpful resources.

That said...here are some links to a few great speech and language blogs:

1.  Mommy Speech Therapy:  This is one of my favorite blogs!  It is well-written with great advice and suggestions both for practicing SLPs and parents.  The author says,  'The reason I named this blog “Mommy Speech Therapy” is because as parents we have the greatest impact on our children’s language development. No one can make a bigger difference than you!  My goal is to share some tips and techniques I have learned over the years in working with my clients and my own kids, and hopefully give you the information you need to be successful in helping your little ones become the very best communicators they can be."  Beautiful!!

2.   Speech Room News:  This blog has some outstanding posts, including app reviews and some free downloadable activities!

3.  Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton:  This is an awesome blog written by a professional who works with individuals who are deaf/hard of hearing using an auditory verbal (spoken language) approach.  While the blog is written for parents and professionals working with this population, many of the speech and language activities are great for targeting these skills in students who are not deaf/hard of hearing as well.

 4.  Speaking of Speech:  This author shares a plethora of wisdom, from activity suggestions to how to organize materials.  Recent posts include information about stuttering in preschoolers.

5.  Playing with Words 365:  I just LOVE this blog!  The author provides practical suggestions for working speech and language targets into everyday routines.

A simple quick Google search for "speech and language blogs" will show you that my little list is barely scratching the surface of what's available out there on our lovely World Wide Web.  Hopefully, though, my weeding-through process and providing you with these five blogs as a starting place will provide you with some useful resources as you build your own arsenal of materials and suggestions...whether you are a fellow SLP or a parent of littles!

Have a wonderful day :),

~Ms. Matyasse

Free Apps!

My personal favorite therapy tool is the iPad.  I've had mine now for a few years and feel it is invaluable.  While an iPad is NOT a replacement for teaching meaningful communication between people....it is a great teaching tool!  I use apps as visual supports (schedules, timers) and as supports when teaching a variety of concepts, including receptive and expressive language as well as articulation/phonology/speech clarity.  Apps can be great tools for clinicians and parents alike when working with children.

I follow a number of blogs and websites that advertise and write reviews of educational apps...one of my favorites is www.smartappsforkids.com.

I signed up for e-mail updates from this site and on Fridays, I LOVE to peruse their "Free App Friday" selections.  Today's list is great (in my opinion :)).  Check it out HERE. 

I actually downloaded one of the apps on this list earlier this week after a friend told me it was free:  Toca Doctor.  I've used the app in a few lessons already this week...great for targeting direction following, WH questions (both asking and answering), sequencing, retelling, listening skills and also simply used as a reinforcer/reward for hard work at the end of a lesson.

If you are unfamiliar with the Toca Boca apps...do yourself and your students (or children!) a favor and check them out.  They're cute, fun, engaging and educational!

Have fun!

Articulation Practice/Home Project Idea

Good morning!  I hope everyone is staying warm!  These cold Midwest days are starting to wear on all of us, I think.  I know spending so much time inside can make us feel stir-crazy at times...and some of our kiddos (ok, teachers too! ;)) may have a little extra energy to expend.  Why not channel some of that energy into practicing speech sounds?! 

I took the following activity idea and adapted it from a handout that can be downloaded from the Super Duper Publications website....

Fun with a homemade MYSTERY BOX! 

*Make a “mystery box” using common household objects and your child’s toys/items you can find around your home.*

1)  Cut a slot in the top of a good-sized box (maybe a shoe or boot box?). Make sure that your child’s hand plus an object fits through the slot.   

2)  Help your child decorate the box the way he/she wants it to look. This makes the child feel like he/she is participating and provides a great language-building activity.  Get creative and brainstorm things you could use to decorate the box?  Stickers?  Markers?  Paint?  Here is a great recipe I found on Pinterest for homemade puffy paint using items you probably already have in your home.  

3)  Choose a sound that your child has been working on in speech therapy sessions and go on a hunt around your house for items that have that sound in them.  For younger children, it will be easiest to find things that start with that sound.  For older children, you can have them find things that have that target sound anywhere in the word.  You could even make this a "contest" between siblings...for example, who can find the most things that have the S sound in their name in five minutes??

4)  Have your child(ren) tell you about the items he/she found.  You could expand this by having he/she tell you WHERE he/she found it or tell you HOW the item is used.  Place all of the items in the mystery box!   

5)  Let your child choose an object out of the box and say/name it, use it in a phrase, sentence, or ask the child more questions about the item to elicit conversation.  Variation:  Everyone playing the game could close his/her eyes while one person chooses an item.  The person choosing could then describe the item and have the other people guess which item is being described.

6)  Continue until your child sees all objects and completes each task.

7)  For a special treat, secretly put a “surprise” in the box your child can keep or eat!

Let these ideas get you started, but feel free to adapt and shape these ideas into your own fun activities at home with your family!  Practicing articulation can be lots of fun and can be something that is easily incorporated into your daily life at home!  HAVE FUN and enjoy time talking to and playing with your child!

Some ideas for five commonly misarticulated sounds are:

S Initial (at the beginning of words) 
sucker 

cereal 
celery
cent 
seed 
seashell 
salt 
soap 
soup 
softball 
sock 
 

S Medial (in the middle of words) 
bicycle 
dinosaur 
motorcycle 
pencil
receipt 
baseball 
glasses 
icing 
bracelet 
whistle


S Final (at the end of words) 
bus  
dress
shoelace 
horse
dental floss 
lace
purse
ice (in a baggie) 
necklace


SH Initial  (at the beginning of words) 
shoe
shapes
ship 
shirt
shells 
shampoo 
shoelace 
sugar 
shovel 
shark 

SH Medial (in the middle of words) 
horseshoe 
toothbrushes 
tissue 
marshmallows 
nutshells 
washcloth 
dishes 
invitation 
lotion 
flashlight 

SH Final (at the end of words) 
hairbrush 

toothbrush
fish (toy/picture) 
mouthwash
nail polish
dish
leash
paintbrush 
starfish
licorice

R Initial (at the beginning of words) 
rope

rose
ring
rabbit 
robe
rattle 
ribbon 
radio 
rocket 
raisins 
  
R Medial (in the middle of words) 
airplane 
carrots 
earrings 
horse
purse
fork
marbles 
markers
shirt
fire engine

R Final (at the end of words) 
(teddy) bear 
car (toy) 
pear
jar
flower
feather
dollar 
dinosaur
paper
letter

K  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
can  

key

car

comb 

candy 

kite 

carrot

cow

cat

corn

K Medial (in the middle of words) 
chicken (toy or picture)
bacon (toy or picture)
pumpkin 
rocket 
helicopter 
bicycle (toy or picture)
sneaker
napkin 
chocolate 
monkey 

K Final (at the end of words) 
sock
stick
truck 

block
snake 
book
cake
rake 
milk
black (crayon/paper/paint/marker) 

L  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
lamp (toy/picture)
lamb
leaf
ladder
lemon 
letter 
lipstick 
lotion 
lizard

L Medial (in the middle of words) 
balloon
collar
dollar
jelly
necklace
pillow
ruler
elephant 
marshmallows 
helicopter

L Final (at the end of words) 
bell 

doll 
ball 
bowl 
nail 
football 
pencil 
towel 
seashell 
mail

Happy December

I can't believe it...but December is here (ready or not!)...

Here is a great calendar listing a MONTH full of great language activities!  This was put out by the Moog Center in St. Louis.  Have fun checking this out...and why not try some (or all!) of these with your family?  You could print this out and have your child cover the squares with fun winter or Christmas stickers once each activity is completed.  Happy December!