Region 10 SLP Shout Out!

I have an easy articulation activity to share with you. I find this activity great for running out of a long ARD meeting to pull students for a session, with no time to prepare. You will need a dry erase board or paper and markers, that's it!

First, have the students think of 10 words that start with their sound. Draw pictures of the ten words on the board or paper. Easy-peasy! As you're drawing the pictures, discuss the objects or actions you are drawing. Have students practice the sound in sentences as they are coloring, or use auditory bombardment for a student that is not ready to practice sentences yet. For example, if we are working on /l/, include language such as "Lobsters have 8 legs and 6 claws," or "I like eating sandwiches for lunch." In the picture you will see we were targeting /r/. We talked about if we had a robot we would want it to clean our rooms, and about how rabbits run really fast, but we weren't sure if they run as fast as Rudolph can fly! This activity is so much fun for the students, and it stimulates a lot of language.

After you draw the pictures, draw circles or boxes under the pictures. For this example, I chose five. Have the student say the word 5 times, or use the word in a sentence five times, and check off the boxes. The students tend to think of words they use often, versus words that are on articulation cards or apps. You will get many productions of the targeted sound in functional words!

If you have the option, I recommend using a dry erase board. One, it allows for students to stand and get a bit of movement during the session, and two, you can leave the activity up for a week and other students working on the chosen sound can use it as a warm up. You'll get 50 productions of the sound in the first two minutes of therapy! This activity can be used to target sounds in words and sentences, and it leads to great conversations about the words. It's also great for introducing sounds in isolation to students as it increases their awareness of the sounds in words while practicing the sound. Another plus, most of my Kindergarten and 1st grade students love to draw and color, so this activity is highly motivating. Once the student feels comfortable with their sound in sentences, this is also a great activity to share with parents.

Another one of my go-to activities this semester has been taking my students to our sensory room to get their wiggles out while practicing their sounds! These activities can be completed in your speech room if you do not have access to a sensory room. I teach the students the activities, then let them move around the room like stations.

• Jump three times on the trampoline (or do a jumping jack on a duct tape X in your room) while saying your word three times.
• With each step you walk on the balance beam (or duct tape line in your room), say a word in a sentence. For example, "I like lions," equals 3 steps. Have the students say two or three sentences to get them across the balance beam.
• 5 roly poly sit ups on a mat (or sit in the duct tape square). Sit on your bottom, wrap your arms around bent legs, and roll back then up. Say your word after you roll back up.
• 5 wall push-ups, and say your word each time you push up.
• 5 stars (stand with legs apart and arms out in a T, then reach for opposite foot with opposite arm) and say your word each time you touch your foot.

I typically sit at the balance beam station to help the students with their sentences and to take data. This activity doesn't create the best data taking sessions, but it does allow you to elicit many productions of the targeted sound in a short amount of time. I always end with something calming and organizing, like group yoga poses or a breathing ball, without targeting the speech sounds. This activity takes about ten minutes, and can be used at the beginning or end of your session, depending on your students' needs. It's great for your students that are close to mastery at the word level, and still need cues at the sentence level. Have fun!

Languages across the world have unique phonemic systems. For individuals learning English as a second language, it is common for the phonemic system of their first language to influence the production of sounds in English.

Please remember that dialectal differences exist for each language and should be considered when using the phonemic charts.

How Can I Use This Information?

• Identify sounds in a client's phonological system for languages other than English.
• Determine phonemic influences of a client's native language on English.
• Identify sounds from the client's first language that may not exist in English or identify sounds in English that do not exist in someone's native language.
• Recognize that even if there are similar sounds across two languages, they may not be used the same way. For example, in some languages a sound may only be used at the ends of words and not as a word-initial sound.

Free resources from Scott Yaruss and Nina Reeves

Practical Tips and Video Trainings are short, focused tutorials and overviews designed to provide quick, practical information about helping people who stutter.

Resources also include handouts for minimizing bullying, working with teachers, and developing treatment goals.

Handouts can be found in English, Spanish, and Arabic.

The Difference Between Making Inferences & Predictions

Inferring is kind of like the big umbrella and predicting fits neatly under it. But what’s the difference between them?

While it is subtle, I like to start with predicting because it’s a little more concrete. Predicting is when you use your schema + clues the author gives you to make an “educated” guess. A prediction can usually be confirmed or denied through further reading. {Example: I predict that the family will adopt the dog. I turn the pages and they do. My prediction was confirmed.}

Making inferences also requires your schema + clues the author gives you to make a guess, but inferences are not clearly confirmed or denied through reading. {Example: I think that Alexander just woke up in a bad mood and is looking for all the bad things that could go wrong.}