What are your favorite winter activities? We are in the heart of wintertime now, so why not talk about some fun winter themed speech therapy activities that you can do with your students? The ideas I’m sharing on today’s episode of SLP Coffee Talk can be used with any age level. These themed activities are created with as many groups as possible in mind so that you can make your planning and prepping super easy. All you’ll need is one book, game, or resource to use with as many groups as needed....
Jan 31, 2022•13 min•Ep. 105
Have you heard of embedded speech in the classroom? Embedded speech is basically when a speech therapist is in the classroom working with the teacher, or special education teacher, to reach student goals together. It’s a slightly more unique approach, but the collaboration is highly beneficial to our speech students. By using this model, you can work together to help your students reach those goals and standards that may have felt unattainable before. Wondering how it works? This episode of SLP ...
Jan 24, 2022•23 min•Ep. 104
Are your students prepared to join the workforce when they leave speech? As SLP’s, we are always thinking of tools and strategies that students can use when they are in the real world outside of the speech classroom. One of the most important things we can do is help prepare students with the skills they need to find jobs and learn to be independent. This means teaching them how to communicate with others, teaching them simple tasks that will help them get hired, and taking them out in the world...
Jan 17, 2022•23 min•Ep. 103
Do you work on character traits during your speech therapy sessions? You may be wondering why this is important in speech since students are already working on this in the classroom. We want the things we are working on in speech to align with what students do in the classroom so that they can keep up with what is expected of them. It isn’t always as easy for our students as it is for other students and that’s where we come in. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I am sharing my tips and strateg...
Jan 10, 2022•13 min•Ep. 102
When most people think of the phrase “compare and contrast,” they think of using it to teach students to recognize the difference in colors and shapes. As students age into upper grades, comparing and contrasting becomes even more important as they generalize the concept and make connections between what they are learning about in school and their own life. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, we are talking all about teaching comparing and contrasting in speech therapy. For students to be able t...
Jan 03, 2022•13 min•Ep. 101
It’s the 100th episode of SLP Coffee Talk! I can’t believe it, but we have officially made it! I never thought when I started this podcast that I would make it this far. You all have shown up every week to hear what I have to say, and I am so grateful for that. I truly love hearing how this podcast has inspired you and how you all use these tips in your therapy practice. That is what gives me the motivation to show up every Monday to provide these tips, tricks, and jolts of inspiration for you! ...
Dec 27, 2021•7 min•Ep. 100
How do we decide what vocabulary words to work on in speech therapy? This is probably the number one question I see asked in SLP Facebook groups, so I wanted to take some time to explain why I don’t rely on vocabulary lists, grade level lists, or classroom curriculum, and explain what I use instead. The truth is that vocabulary lists and grade level lists aren’t perfect. They don’t account for where each individual student might be in the vocabulary learning process. Instead, we need to focus on...
Dec 20, 2021•10 min•Ep. 99
Are you using wordless picture books in your speech therapy sessions? If you have been following me for a while, you probably already know that I absolutely love wordless resources. Wordless videos and picture books make learning so much fun! If you are new to this idea and wondering why you should use wordless picture books, you don’t want to miss this episode of SLP Coffee Talk. I sat down with Hanna Stroud to dive deeper into the topic of wordless picture books and explain how they can take y...
Dec 13, 2021•30 min•Ep. 98
You come here every week to hear my interviews with the experts and my best tips about how to become the best SLP you can be, but have you ever wondered who I really am? If you have ever wanted to learn more about me, you’re in for a treat. In today’s episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I have a special guest- my daughter! Ella is 7 years old and she is joining me on the podcast to interview me in honor of my birthday this week. I have always had a passion for teaching and working with children. In fact...
Dec 06, 2021•9 min•Ep. 97
Executive functioning is an important part of life for our students, but unfortunately, some of them really struggle with it. Understanding what executive functioning really is and how to target it in speech therapy is a crucial step to helping them improve their impulse control and start achieving their goals. In today’s episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Tera Sumpter to learn all about executive functioning and how we can work together with other team members to help our students impr...
Nov 29, 2021•33 min•Ep. 96
Having background knowledge on a topic gives us a significant advantage in mastering unfamiliar tasks. This applies to speech as well. Studies show that when students read, they have greater comprehension if they have background knowledge on the topic. They are better able to use context clues and thus, achieve greater success with comprehension and vocabulary. So how do we target that in our speech practice? In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I am sharing more information on why you should tar...
Nov 22, 2021•12 min•Ep. 95
As SLP’s, we work with students with many different diagnoses and needs educationally. It is important for us to understand those needs so we can best help them. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I sat down with Michael McLeod to discuss all things ADHD and executive functioning, as well as how we can help these students in our therapy practice. Michael McLeod is a Speech-Language Pathologist and ADHD/Executive Function Specialist. He is the owner of GrowNOW Therapy in Philadelphia, PA, and th...
Nov 15, 2021•31 min•Ep. 94
There’s nothing like a fun game to get students relaxed and engaged in learning! Do you play games with your speech therapy students? Playing games in your classroom has many benefits and can really improve social skills as well as executive functioning skills. When you have older students like those in middle school and high school, it can be harder to come up with game ideas that are interesting enough to get them engaged in your lessons. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I am sharing some g...
Nov 08, 2021•14 min•Ep. 93
Are your speech therapy sessions fun? Today on SLP Coffee Talk, we are talking all about having fun with your students by playing games in speech! Speech therapy can be challenging for students and making games out of your lessons can be a great way to boost their morale and increase engagement. I sat down with Maria Kotsonis to chat about creative ways to make your therapy sessions fun and something that your students will look forward to. Maria Kotsonis has been a speech-language pathologist f...
Nov 01, 2021•25 min•Ep. 92
Have you ever wondered why we are working on reading comprehension or the main idea in speech? It is something that many SLPs ask because it seems like it should be taught in the regular classroom, not in our therapy sessions. The truth is that the skills needed to understand the main idea and reading comprehension all fall into our domain. Teachers may work on it in the classroom, but we can teach these skills with a language lens. Students have to understand what they are reading, filter out t...
Oct 25, 2021•14 min•Ep. 91
As SLPs, it’s important for us to work with other professionals and specialists so that we can better understand the bigger picture when it comes to the educational needs of our students. This is how we truly make a difference! In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, we are chatting with Corey Pollard from Ascend Smarter Intervention about how we can work together with structured literacy professionals for middle and high school students to better meet their needs. Corey is a data-driven and analyti...
Oct 18, 2021•34 min•Ep. 90
How do you come up with relevant, functional goals for your speech students? If you are just choosing random goals for your students, you may struggle to see progress. It can be so discouraging! When it comes to determining goals that are actually achievable, it is important to look at the students and evaluate their needs before setting those goals. There are several things you want to consider when it comes to each individual student, but how do you know what to look at? In this episode of SLP...
Oct 11, 2021•16 min•Ep. 89
Are you excited about the thought of IEPs meetings? Today we are talking to Catherine Whitcher, the Master IEP Coach about all things IEP and making sure we are helping students reach their educational goals. Catherine Whitcher, M.ED, founder of the Master IEP Coach® Mentorship + Network, has been building IEPs for the real world for over 20 years. With experience as a special education teacher and a special needs sibling, Catherine knows the importance of helping a child reach their potential b...
Oct 04, 2021•33 min•Ep. 88
As SLP’s, we know that students all develop and think differently. In this episode, we are talking with Danielle Kent about self-regulation, co-regulation, and how to better support our students whose brains work differently. Danielle is a mom, wife, and multi-passionate entrepreneur. She is wild about equipping parents and professionals to confidently teach communication and problem-solving skills. Executive functioning skills matter for the classroom and social interactions. They are so import...
Sep 27, 2021•28 min•Ep. 87
As SLP’s in school settings, we collaborate with many people including teachers, paras, social workers, and parents. Many people forget about the specials teachers, but they are important too! These teachers may not have the background knowledge needed to modify and assist our students, so that is where we come in. In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, we are talking about how to collaborate effectively with the art teacher to increase student success. When working with the art teacher, communicat...
Sep 20, 2021•13 min•Ep. 86
Team collaboration and communication are so important between SLPs and special education teachers. We work with them quite a bit! In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, I am chatting with Heather Cacioppo. Heather is a middle school self-contained life skills special education teacher with a Master’s degree in Teacher Leadership. Heather has spent many years in the middle school special education classroom and has so much valuable information for us on creative ways to increase student engagement a...
Sep 13, 2021•28 min•Ep. 85
Are you wondering what virtual tools you can use to remain contactless or are you looking to incorporate a little more technology into your classroom? In this episode, I am sharing my five favorite virtual tools to use with my students! These tools are incredibly useful, and they will make your planning so much easier. They include interactive games and stories that students will be so engaged in, they won’t even realize they are learning. The best part? They have free options so they won’t cost...
Sep 06, 2021•15 min•Ep. 84
So many of us took on the challenge of teletherapy over the last year… Some of us are even still doing teletherapy! That’s why I am interviewing Kendra Allison in this episode. She is talking to us about how to stay motivated and positive when it comes to teletherapy. Kendra T. Allison is a licensed speech-language pathologist, teletherapist, School SLP coach and course creator, and owner of Speechology communication services PLLC based in Charlotte NC. She has been practicing and contracting sp...
Aug 30, 2021•30 min•Ep. 83
The number one question I get asked is “how do I know what to work on?” when it comes to working with older speech students. Do you ask yourself this question? Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know what to work on! This can be difficult to decide on, but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, I am helping you take a step back and decide how to make your goals and materials more specific and attainable for your older speech students. This will ultimately help you decide what you need to be working ...
Aug 23, 2021•12 min•Ep. 82
Whether we like it or not, a lot of older speech students don’t necessarily like to come to speech... It is super common for older speech students to not be enthusiastic about coming to see us, so this is why it is so important to build rapport with our students. We want our students to feel like they are in a warm and comfortable environment because then they are willing to take more risks, trust us and respect us. This isn’t always easy to do, so I am covering how to build rapport with your ol...
Aug 16, 2021•13 min•Ep. 81
It can be a challenge to find materials that are both at a lower reading level and include age-appropriate language skills and concepts. These materials are so important to find and use though because there is evidence that shows that when we work on age-appropriate language skills with our students, we can boost their reading. If we bring in materials that are too challenging for them, too simple, or not age-appropriate, our students will have a hard time building their confidence and their ski...
Aug 09, 2021•12 min•Ep. 80
Working with older speech students is a challenge. We try our best, but we aren't superheroes, right? It is a lot different than working with younger students, and sometimes we make mistakes. In this episode, I am talking all about mistakes that SLPs tend to make when working with older students. I am sharing the mistakes that I have either made myself or the ones that other SLPs that I know have made. We will learn from each other and hopefully prevent them from happening in the future by talki...
Aug 02, 2021•16 min•Ep. 79
How do you keep your older students motivated? This can be a real challenge, so I am talking all about it in this episode! I am covering three main reasons why older students aren’t motivated in the first place, and then I am getting into what you can do to change that. This is the first episode in a whole series that I am working on about working with older speech students. I know you are going to love these episodes because they will save you tons of time and stress. The tips I am providing in...
Jul 26, 2021•14 min•Ep. 78
There are so many CFs joining the field, and there are also so many brand new SLPs that just finished their CFs! This is such an exciting time for all of you. I remember being there myself, and I have learned so much since then. I have had my fair share of lessons and made so many mistakes, so I am sharing the five tips that I have for brand new CFs in this episode. I know that they will help you feel prepared and ready for your clinical fellowship year. Tune in to hear a little bit more about m...
Jul 19, 2021•15 min•Ep. 77
How do you help your students with their social skills? My guest, Kimberly Delude, and I are talking all about social skills and how to work on social skills through books in this episode. She is the perfect person to be talking to about this because she actually wrote her own books to help promote language growth and social skills. Kimberly Delude is a Speech Pathologist in public schools. By day she enjoys helping her students find their voices, while at night she writes. She is the author of ...
Jul 12, 2021•28 min•Ep. 76
