Super Bowl Giveaway!

I will be giving away 2 of my Organize Your Speech Files packs.  This packet includes

Speech Schedule
Caseload Information Form
Time Log
Student Goal Sheet
IEP At A Glance
2 Different To Do Forms
Articulation Screening
Language Screening
Parent Introduction Letter
Parent Evaluation Letter
Teacher Introduction Letter
4 Sticker Charts
2 Different Homework Holder Pages (Glue onto the front of a folder pocket to collect homework sheets)
12 Different Monthly Calendar Designs (Including holiday colors)
Binder Cover, Binder Dividers (7 Different Designs)
Biweekly Schedule (7 Different Designs)

To enter the giveaway, just
1) Visit my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/speechtherapyfun
2) Like the Super Bowl Giveaway post
3) Comment with who you think will win (Patriots or Seahawks)

I will pick 2 winners from the list of people who picked the winning football team.  Good Luck!

FREE App Review - Palace Pets

Students these days love to play apps on an ipad or iPhone. I have found that it is a good idea to use apps in therapy every so often. My students get really excited to 'play' and never want to leave the therapy room! There are so many apps out there and many tend to be either expensive or free and useless. At least once per month, I will post about an app that I use in therapy and how it is useful to my students.

Today, I have picked the Disney Princess Palace Pets app. It is free, but you can buy certain upgrades. I haven't bought any upgrades and it has still proved to be very useful in therapy. When you open the app, you will see a 'palace pet' named Blossom. If you click on Blossom, a short story about her will automatically begin. If the sound is on, the story will be read to you.

After the story is read, I ask the students yes/no or 'wh' questions for reading comprehension. These questions can be as easy as, 'Was the story about Blossom?' or as hard as, 'What does Blossom love more than eating?'.

Once all of the questions are answered, click on the heart in the upper right hand corner. This will take you to a salon! Students can wash Blossom's fur, dry it, brush it, cut it or add accessories to it. They can also feed blossom and finally see what she looks like at the end. In order to do all of these things, just click on the different circles at the bottom. You can also swipe along the bottom to do different things in the salon. When the students are doing blossoms hair, I work on many different goals. Some of the following goals are below.

Following Directions - I give students 1-2 step directions, such as put soap on Blossom's head and then wash it off. There are so many direction that can be given with this app!
Prepositions - I tell students where to do things. Some examples would be, 'Place a bow on top of Blossom's head' or 'Put a necklace in front of Blossom's neck'.
Antonyms - You can address antonyms by talking about what the students are doing. For example, if the student turns the water on, you can say, 'You turned the water on. What's the opposite of on?'. Antonyms I was able to use include on/off, above/below, small/big, lot/little, wet/dry, cold/hot.
Complete Phrases/Sentences - Have the students narrate what they are doing.
Answering Questions - Ask them about what they are doing.

If you want a different animal, click the heart on the upper left. It will take you back to Blossom. Swipe to the right to find more animals and stories. Any of the animals who are 'awake' are free!

I hope this app review helped!

Hungry For Speech!

Need a fun game to play in therapy?  Try Hungry Hungry Hippos or a cheaper version of this game. I bought Feeding Frenzy from 5 Below which is a dollar store by me.  So, how do I incorporate speech and language into this game?  First, I just play a round of the game which usually only takes a minute or two.  Once all of the balls are 'eaten', I have the kids start their work.

Articulation - If my students are working on articulation, they have to say their sounds a certain amount of time depending on the colors of the balls in their trays.
Red Ball = Say sound in syllables 5X per red ball
Green Ball = Say sound in words 4X per green ball
Blue Ball = Say sound in phrases 3X per blue ball
Yellow Ball = Say sound in sentences 2X per yellow ball

Language - If my students are working on language, they have to say answer a question, name a category, etc. for each different color ball.
Red Ball = Answer 2 'wh' questions
Blue Ball = Name 2 items in a category
Green Ball = Answer a question using a complete sentence
Yellow Ball = Follow 2 different 1-2 step directions
You can address any goals you want!  It's a fun way to interact with your students and keep them excited to learn.

ASHA Community

Every December, I get a notification that it is once again time to pay my ASHA dues. So, I go online and register for another year without paying attention to what ASHA has to offer. Recently, I was looking at their website and stumbled upon ASHA community. Maybe I am the only one that didn't know this, but ASHA Community offers multiple forums with thousands of users! They have a forum for pretty much every topic that a speech therapist would be interested in. Beyond having great topics, it seems as though all questions that are asked on the forum are answered by many fellow speech therapists. All you need to participate is your ASHA log in information. It is a great resource that I will definitely be using in the future! So, if you were like me and just paid your yearly dues without ever knowing what ASHA had to offer, I hope this helps you now and in the future. Click here to read about the ASHA Community.

Daily Social Skills Journal

Social skills are so important, but sometimes are hard to work on during a therapy session.  This journal contains an entire year (200 daily pages) of journal topics to write about, define, problem solve and do.  It is my best selling item and has really helped me in therapy.  I hope it can help you too!

Do You Want To Build A Snowman

Sorry, this activity is no longer available

Here is a fun winter activity.  Make a realistic looking snowman using cotton balls!  I have used this as a motivator for articulation or language therapy.  Each time students answer correctly, use correct sound production, etc., they get to glue a cotton ball onto the snowman.  Either make your own or you can purchase articulation cards and snowman cut outs at my store.  Just click on the picture to see the full product!