Everyday Speech Blog
Social Skill Lesson Plans and Articles
Adaptive Games for Kids with Disabilities
I’m always on the hunt for new fun activities to do with my students. I came across an awesome tool to help facilitate games for students who are cognitively or physically impaired. The tool is a spinner made by Ablenet, a company that makes many assistive technology...
Fun Accessible Arts and Crafts
This year I started working in a group home for people who have multiple disabilities. Working with this new population who are more physically handicapped has forced me to adapt my usual activities and lessons. I want to share some of these fun ideas! These...
New Technology in the Classroom: TAPit
Staying up to date on the newest technological resources in education can be overwhelming! Blogs and Pinterest can be great sources of information to stay in the loop. I recently started using a new piece of equipment, the TAPit. TAPit (Touch Accessible Platform for...
How to Turn Awkward Moments into Teachable Moments
Working with the population of young adults who have disabilities there are bound to be times when awkward moments pop up. Over the past two years, I’ve had to learn how to handle these moments. Early on I learned that lessons rarely go the way you planned and its...
A Magical SLP Moment: Why I Love Communication Notebooks
This week I had one of those magical speech therapist moments, when you see your student succeeding in using something that you’ve taught them and you remember how awesome your job is. That moment is my inspiration for this blog post. It all happened because of a tool...
A Speech Pathologist’s New Year’s Resolutions
As we move into January, I want to write down my resolutions for 2014. I’m not usually big into setting resolutions, but re-evaluating your clinical skills is part of growing into a better clinician. For me, it’s important to be challenged and to keep increasing my...
10 Repurposed Therapy Materials
As an SLP, I often struggle to come up with new materials to use in my lessons. I don’t want things to get stale from overuse, but I also don’t have the time to be constantly creating materials. So, in an effort to be more green (and also try to save money before the...
Parents – Work on Social Skills at Home!
I am often asked what parents can do at home to help their child work on social skills. Many parents don’t know what skills to work on or how to work on them. I think you’ll find that by adjusting your mindset a little, the process becomes a lot easier. Social...
Finding EBP: It’s Easier than you Think!
I must admit I am not always the best at using Evidence Based Practice (EBP), but it’s a personal goal of mine to become better. It’s hard enough to take the time to reflect on sessions (or eat lunch), never mind find the time to read through research papers. I’ve...
No-Prep Activities
Understanding Consequences and Accepting Them: A Guide for Kindergarten Educators
Introduction Consequences are an integral part of life, and learning to understand and accept them is a crucial skill for young students. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of consequences, both positive and negative, and provide educators with an easy,...
Helping Kindergarten Students Cope with Overwhelming Situations
Introduction Children in kindergarten may sometimes find themselves in situations where they feel overwhelmed or anxious, such as when they are exposed to loud noises, bright lights, or new smells. As educators, it's important to teach students how to identify their...
Teaching PreK Students to Express Feelings Through Tone of Voice
Introduction Understanding and expressing emotions are essential aspects of social-emotional learning. For young children, learning to express their feelings through words, actions, and tone of voice can be challenging. By helping PreK students recognize the...
Effective Decision-Making Strategies for Special Education Students
It is estimated that the average person makes close to one million decisions in their lifetime! That's a lot of decisions. As we get older, we are faced with bigger, more complex decisions. This includes decisions that involve: our relationships with others, our...
Teaching the Value of Asking Questions in the Classroom
Introduction Asking questions is a crucial skill that students need to develop, as it helps them to clarify information, deepen their understanding, and build confidence. In the classroom, students may sometimes be hesitant to ask questions due to fear of being judged...
Humor in PreK Friendships: Activities and Tips for Educators
Humor plays a crucial role in the development of friendships and social connections among PreK students. As educators, it's important to teach our young students the appropriate use of humor and help them navigate different social situations with ease. In this blog...
Teaching Humor Skills in Social-Emotional Learning: Activities and Tips
Introduction Humor plays a significant role in forming friendships and maintaining relationships. It helps us connect with others, lighten the mood, and spread joy. Understanding different types of humor and using it appropriately can be challenging, but essential in...
Teaching Tone of Voice Recognition to Kindergarten Students
Introduction Teaching Kindergarten students to recognize and understand the tone of voice is a crucial aspect of their social-emotional development. This skill helps children identify emotions, communicate effectively, and respond appropriately in social situations....
Changing the Channel on Strong Emotions: Strategies for High School Students
Introduction Strong emotions like anger, frustration, or sadness can sometimes cloud our judgment and hinder our decision-making abilities. In order to make better decisions, it is crucial to learn how to manage these emotions and shift our focus to positive thoughts....
Teaching Kindergarten Students the Art of Greeting: A No-Prep Activity and Discussion Guide
Introduction As educators, it's our responsibility to help young learners develop essential social-emotional skills that will serve them throughout their lives. One such critical skill is the art of greeting, which helps foster positive relationships and effective...
Hygiene Matters: Fostering Good Hygiene Habits for Students in Special Education
Introduction Hygiene is an essential aspect of our daily lives, playing a crucial role in maintaining our health and social interactions. For students in Special Education, understanding and practicing good hygiene is an important skill to develop. In this blog post,...
Building Friendships in Kindergarten: A Guide for Educators
Introduction Friendship is an essential aspect of social-emotional learning for kindergarten students. A friend is someone who cares about your feelings, makes you feel comfortable, and is someone you can trust. Building friendships involves learning about others,...
Teaching Empathy to High School Students: Activities and Discussions
Introduction Empathy is a critical skill for high school students to develop. It enables them to understand and share the feelings of others, fostering positive relationships and social interactions. By teaching students to put themselves in someone else's shoes,...
Understanding Oversharing: A Guide for Educators
As educators, we play an essential role in teaching students the importance of maintaining appropriate boundaries in their interpersonal relationships. In this blog post, we will discuss the concept of oversharing and offer a no-prep activity, discussion questions,...
Teaching Students the Consequences of Actions and Accepting Them Positively
Introduction As educators, especially those working with students in Special Education, it's important to teach the concept that actions have consequences. These consequences can be either positive or negative, depending on the action taken. It's normal for students...