The Cheapest Voice Output!

I showed you before how to use powerpoint for simple augmentative communication boards. But check these powerpoints out which add voice to the communication board!

Art Choices with shapes

Art Choice with photos 

All done with Powerpoint!

Prerequisite skills include use of a mouse/trackpad (or access to a touch screen) and some understanding of symbols (photos or Boardmaker pictures). Use this form of AAC to have your student/child make art choices and add voice to their choices! This can be expanded to become as many boards as you'd like.

If this works (and people can successfully download it), let me know. I will follow up with a tutorial if it is desired.

Communication Specialist

That's it. I'm changing my title. I want no longer to called Super Woman CCC (Certificate of Clinical Competence)-SLP (Speech Language Pathologist). I don't just do speech therapy. I don't just help students speak.

And I have one parent in particular that I absolutely cannot convince that doing basic sign language and low tech Augmentative Communication is helping his non-verbal son with Autism. I received a note recently on "homework" saying that, "my son is not deaf so I certainly won't be practicing sign with him."

I help people communicate. By whatever means that I can. For most of my students, that is with their voice. But for some, using their voice just isn't happening and these kids need a way to communicate other than through extreme behaviors (grabbing, pulling, biting, spitting, etc.).  Even for students who have verbal skills, I spend much of my time working on non-verbal communication: body language, eye gaze, social cues, social routines.

In spite of what this parent says, I can't make a child speak. But I'd like to think that I can really help them communicate by some means.

If he'd ever be willing to read these, here are a few articles I'd like this parent to consider:
Autism and ASL
Using Sign Language to Help People with Autism Communicate
Alternative Augmentative Communication for Children with Autism: PECS and Sign
AAC and Autism
Faced with the Communication Challenges of Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders and AAC

If you have any other articles or stories for me to share, please leave them for me in the comments. Because this is one less critical person that I'd like to be dealing with right now...

Need reminders?

Edited: I read that the google docs were not working for some. I have changed the link. Please let me know if you can open the google docs to download these visuals.


Do you know a child who needs frequent reminders for transitions?

Ha! Ha! That was a rhetorical question!

After repeatedly asking teachers to use visuals with my students with auditory processing difficulties, I realized that they too needed reminders. Visual reminders. So I gave up and made the reminders myself.

These are easy enough just to write down on file cards and hold up when needed, but I decided to get all colored and fancy.

So, I've decided to share with you as well. Cuz I'm nice like that.

You can use these any way, but I suggest laminating and then placing on a ring for easy flipping. Use before transitioning to a new activity within the classroom/home and (this one is key) when transitioning from the playground to lining up.

Hope these printables are helpful!

10 minutes
5 minutes
1 minute
Time is up

Famous again?!

I began blogging in 2008 with the novel idea to be the "first and best" Speech Pathology blog on the internet. I may or may not have been the first, but I couldn't find any others on the internet at that time (and I searched and searched)! I'm sure I'm not the best, but I have been around a long time....

As fun as it is to get awesome ideas for my therapy from other speech blogs, I can't help but think, "Hey! I was doing this first!" ;) And maybe it's the lack of positive reinforcement that can account for my blogging frequency decreasing dramatically over the last 4 years.

Regardless, however, I have been honored twice in the last year. The first was begin listed amongst the 20 Best Speech Therapy Blogs.

Most recently, however, this blog was named as one of the 50 Best Blogs for Communications Majors.

I'm honored! And if things get less crazy at work, my husband's health improves, and my kids get involved in less extra curricular activities, I will thank you all by blogging more! ;)

No Boardmaker? No problem!

Due to a nasty combination of old laptops in our district, plus old Boardmaker CDs that are somewhat incompatible with said laptops, many special educators in my district have given up on trying to use Boardmaker.

Don't get me wrong, I love Boardmaker and use it almost every day, but truthfully that is mostly out of habit. Everything (almost) I do on Boardmaker I could do without it. Possibly with even nicer results.

Seriously.

How? By using tools you probably already have access to in addition to google images or digital photos.


Here's a little tutorial I just put together on Powerpoint:

Communication boards sans Boardmaker

1. Open Powerpoint, could also be done with Microsoft word, but Powerpoint gives you the incredible option to add voice and make this a voice output device! (if anyone knows how I can share a powerpoint on this blog, I would be glad to share what I've made!)

 2. Choose a table. I like the 9 square table.

3. Here's the best part...find an awesome image on google images and right click and "copy".

 3. Paste the images onto your Powerpoint table. Size them to fit in the boxes. Lay them out however you'd like (easily moveable later).

 4. Add text to go with the images (important step as the goal of literacy is always important!)

5. Ta da! Even better than a Boardmaker board because of the realistic pictures!

(This process is even better if you can take digital pictures of items within your classroom/home and of the individual doing tasks.)

6. Make sure to print and laminate (or put in a plastic sleeve). You can also cut the pictures up individually for PECS and/or sentence strips.




Great process for anyone without Boardmaker (or anyone that wants to add voice to their communication boards)! Make something awesome and share it with me!

Books read in 2011

I have to give myself a major high 5. Unlike last year, I rocked my reading this year. 63 books.


63!


I'm listing my favorites by category, with the entire list at the bottom. And out of laziness simplicity, I have only summarized my 2 favorite books of the year. All others you can follow the links to read about on Amazon.

Books related to special needs, Speech Pathology, etc The Brain that Changes Itself- Tied for all time favorite book of the year! Story after story about the plasticity of the brain and ways that we and others can change our brains!

Knowing Jesse Mockingbird Schuyler's Monster

Non-fiction (historical)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Blink What the Dog Saw Non-fiction (inspiring) Unbroken-Tied as best book of the year for me. The true and amazing story of a man ready to give up time after time with his horrid life circumstances (shot down during WWII, prisoner in Japanense internment camp, etc.), yet ends up as a changed man and evangelist. Half the Sky Born to Run The Year of Living Biblically Fiction Cutting for Stone Bel Canto The Girl Who Played with Fire The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Alas, Babylon Room The Forgotten Garden Shantaram How did I read so many books? Mostly, this accomplishment was from the shocking realization that I can listen to an audiobook while doing P90X.  ((Gasp!)) Half the Sky***** Girl Meets God**** Room***** Born to Run***** The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks**** The Forgotten Garden**** The Worst Hard Time**** Born to Run***** The Paris Wife*** Shantaram**** In the Garden of Beasts**** A Dog's Purpose*** Alas, Babylon***** State of Wonder**** The Lacuna*** Unbroken***** Bel Canto***** Mathilda**** Sang Spell*** All Quiet on the Western Front**** The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest***** The Girl Who Played with Fire***** Blindness**** The Little Stranger** From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler*** The Miserable Mill**** We Need to Talk About Kevin***** The Evoluation of Calpurnia Tate*** Matched**** Bad Mother*** The Lotus Eaters**** Speak*** Incendiary** Cutting for Stone***** The Little Prince*** Bunnicula**** The Pleasure of My Company** Chocolate and Vicodin**** Poppy*** Half Broke Horses**** The Wide Window**** Knowing Jesse***** Blink***** Weird Sisters*** What the Dog Saw***** A Girl From Yamhill*** Mockingbird***** One Thousand White Women** Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing*** The Trumpet of the Swan***** The Year of Living Biblically ***** The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ** Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen ** A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents ** Hoot **** The Brain that Changes Itself ***** A Nest for Celeste **** The Other Wes Moore **** The Incredible Journey **** The BFG **** The Housekeeper and the Professor ***** The Pact *** Stones Into Schools *** To Kill a Mockingbird ***** Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ***** Schuyler's Monster *****

Confessions

Photo by Chris Nixon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sansbury/6112158484/

Sometimes I get tired of telling kids to stop picking their nose/teeth/private parts and just try to look the other way.

I fast forward through the slow bits of p90x to get it done with sooner.

I count audio books listened to as books I've read.

I drink a Diet Coke everyday and begin to panic when I'm running low and there are no sales (cuz I will NEVER pay grocery store normal price for soda!)

I "accidentally" forget to look under my kids' beds and dressers when inspecting their clean up job.

Sometimes... Rice is a veggie at dinner time.

I bought the kids almost nothing for Christmas and really hope the extended family got them a few fun gifts.

I almost never clean the bathroom. I keep hoping someone will surprise me with some free maid service and I wouldn't want to clean right before the maid came. ;)

I go to sleep before my kids do on most nights.

The only background music I can stand is Christmas music.

Clutter stresses me out more than deadlines.

I screen 99% of all phone calls, and the 1% of the time that I pick up, there us a 100% chance it's a telemarketer.

I have possibly taken perfectly good zip lick bags out of the trash in my classroom so that I can wash and re-use at home.


Spill it... what do you have to confess?

How to "transform" my pathetic year into glittery goo.

As much as I'd love to create a sappy, woe-is-me post, I've decided to stick my chin up, put on a fake smile, and throw glitter obnoxiously around until everything looks pretty. Cuz I really like sparkles.

Goo: Professor X had a $70,000 surgery that led to no pain relief and increased pain for several months following the surgery as he recovered.
Glittery goo: We had a $100 co-pay for a medical procedure that cost 7000x that much! And he now has some cool scars that make him look "dangerous". ;)

Goo: I lost 11 hours/week of assistant time (over 50%) at work.
Glittery goo: I now have a great excuse as to why I don't have time to Medicaid bill!

Goo: The kids minds rotted substantially on screen time.
Glittery goo: I had much more time to read and listen to audio books!

Goo: My couponing endeavors have gone caput since the airing of that ridiculous show "Extreme Couponing" and the frenzy it created. I can no longer collect items for our holiday boxes for needy families or give away freebies to co-workers.
Glittery goo: I spend less time at stores and arguing with cashiers.

Goo: I have daily Kindergarten lunch/cafeteria duty... Something I've avoided for 9 years.
Glittery goo: I've actually bonded with some of these kiddos. Even ones that I will never service for therapy.

Goo: I have been publicly critisized by co-workers and parents for things I felt were completely unjustified.
Glittery goo: My new principal has been awesome at helping quell these storms and decrease tension.

Goo: The education system budget cuts have devisitated our ability to adequately provide assistants and services to kids that really need more help.
Glittery goo: I get to run around the school with my super powered "siren hat" putting out kid fires instead of actually doing therapy.

Goo: Professor X has had no improvements and is doing quite badly.
Glittery goo: He has applied for Social Security Disability and in a mere 36-96 months may get some money to help pay for all the things that would help him (and the family)!


Well, there you have it. The end of a cruddy year (almost). I look forward to even more crud next year as the school budget decreases even more (!!), parents and co-workers become even more upset, and Professor X gets even more frustrated at his constant pain.

The end. Poof! (and I vanish into sparkly fairy dust)

Speech & Language Homework

I know there are multiple free download for speech homework, but none have satisfactorily met my needs. For the last 2 years I have been custom writing my own speech HW during every. single. treatment. session. (And I know this for a fact, because I've been taking data on my HW assignments and return rates.)  This, of course, is difficult when I have less than 30 minutes to do therapy, behavior management, and transition the students back to class. Plus, my assistant is having a very difficult time with writing homework.

So... at least for this week and next month I have developed some speech homework that can be generically applied to many of my students.

You can download for free a generic articulation homework, December homework, and 3 weeks worth of January homeworks (leveled).

Hope you find these free printables useful!

Year-round Articulation HW

Level 1 December HW
Level 2 December HW

Level 1 January HW 1
Level 1 January HW 2
Level 1 January HW 3

Level 2 January HW 1
Level 2 January HW 2
Level 3 January HW 3

On and Off

I had a lot of fun today working on the /f/ sound, the concept of on/off, and turn taking with two Kindergarten students.

We made "presents" (and discussed shapes, colors, sizes) and "bows" and practiced taking them "on" and "off". The boys then had to request what color marker they would like and if they wanted it handed to them with the cap "on" or "off".

Hee hee! I wish more of my therapy time could be this spontaneous and play-like!