As a speech therapist working with people of all ages and cognitive levels, it has been difficult to find pre-made materials for a broad range of clients. I found fun, creative activities online- but it seemed they catered to a younger crowd (and I desperately wanted something more universal).
We aren’t always given ample planning time based on our caseloads (actually, we are NEVER given enough planning time). Because of this, I have spent countless hours of my ‘free’ time over the last few years creating PowerPoints and printables based on the very individualized goals I was addressing at the time. Now, I have a respectable library of materials I can grab and adjust as needed based on what the student, client, or patient is working on. This has allowed me to dedicate my work day to actual therapy (who would have thought?), assessment writing, and unavoidable meetings without the extreme anxiety of feeling unprepared.
I started sharing some of my materials with other SLP’s at work who I knew were feeling overwhelmed with the daily duties of our job. Then I thought, Why not share this with all speech therapists?
The Materials
Some speech and language deficits can be difficult to explain without pictures present (i.e. irregular plurals- darn you words that don’t change!). The Speech Release materials are meant to serve as visuals while you (the speech pathologist) teach the skill.
The materials are purposefully designed to be simple with pictures of real objects as to not overwhelm or distract from the topic. But most importantly, these are materials that can be manipulated based on the individual’s specific needs and interests. The printables can be used during fun activities (like board games) as well as for practice at home. Meanwhile, the PowerPoints serve as visuals to help engage certain types of clients (and can be printed and laminated into a book when a laptop isn’t present). These are great tools to use in therapy settings including hospitals, schools, outpatient facilities or at home- for various clients such as those with TBI, strokes, autism, ED, pragmatic deficits, articulation errors, etc…
I truly hope you find these items to be as beneficial and easy to use as I have!