"Hoppy" Spring! Holidays and seasonal activities provide great opportunities to address your child's goals from speech therapy, whether you are working on articulation/producing speech sounds or understanding & using language to communicate. This article will review ideas for language goals. One example of a common spring material you can utilize is Plastic Easter eggs! Easter eggs offer endless possibilities when it comes to targeting goals in therapy or working on carryover/generalization of skills at home in natural settings. Easter eggs can be purchased in the spring at most retailers, especially dollar stores! Below are a few ideas to help you get started on using your Easter eggs, starting with language. Enjoy! Language If your child is working on imitating actions, gestures, and/or sign language: Scatter/hide eggs and go on an egg hunt. Model using an index finger point and clapping when you find and egg. Create a requesting opportunity by placing eggs in sight but slightly out of reach. Model actions easy for child to imitate: shaking the egg, opening the egg, putting it in a basket. Use core sign language: HELP open the egg, request MORE eggs, and be ALL DONE as you put each egg in the basket. Try simple, 1-step directions: PUT IN the basket, GIVE ME the egg, PICK UP the egg. If your child is working on using first words: Hide small objects in the eggs. You can then work on comprehension by having your child point or grab a named object, or label what you find inside! Continue creating requesting opportunities by hiding eggs in sight but out of reach and modeling core words. Use predictable verbal routines! You can utilize games such as an egg toss, egg race on a spoon, or a treasure hunt and model single words and phrases of both nouns and words. E.g., ready, set, GO! when throwing an egg! Let your child pick which egg they want to get next by requesting specific colors of eggs or small toys to put in the eggs. If your child is working on expanding their sentences: Expand every word or phrase your child says. "Found it," can become, "Look, I found the green egg!" Model basic vocabulary concepts such as location, colors, numbers, and size. For example, "The big egg is UNDER the table!" Create challenges with egg hiding by giving directions: "Put the 2 small eggs next to the TV!" Act out silly actions and pretend play with the eggs to model action words to increase verb usage. For example, "I am cracking my egg to cook! Now I am feeding baby the egg!" Enjoy! Sarah Larsen, M.S., CCC-SLP
"Hoppy" Spring! Holidays and seasonal activities provide great opportunities to address your child's goals from speech therapy, whether you are working on articulation/producing speech sounds or understanding & using language to communicate. This article will review ideas for speech goals. One example of a common spring material you can utilize is Plastic Easter eggs! Easter eggs offer endless possibilities when it comes to targeting goals in therapy or working on carryover/generalization of skills at home in natural settings. Easter eggs can be purchased in the spring at most retailers, especially dollar stores! Below are a few ideas to help you get started on using your Easter eggs, starting with speech. Enjoy! Speech These ideas can be adjusted to fit your child's individual needs. Some children may be working on their sounds in one word at a time, while others may be working on saying them in a few words, sentences, or in conversation. They may be working on a specific sound in a particular part of the word (beginning, middle, or end) or all parts of a word. Place picture cards containing your child's target sound in the eggs. Help your child name each picture and produce their target sound. Conduct an Easter egg hunt in your home or outside. Place a few small toys or candies in random eggs. Prompt your child to work on their sounds with each egg, keeping them motivated to find new treats! Create a "treasure map," with hidden Easter eggs. Before your child can get the next step/clue for their map, they must first use their targeted speech sounds. Play "egg toss," challenging your child to catch eggs with you or into an Easter basket. After each turn, create an opportunity to produce the target sound. Sarah Larsen, M.S., CCC-SLP
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is a term that many of us thought a lot about during our time as students, but how about now as practicing clinicians? It can be far too easy to let research slip away from the forefront of our minds and settle into comfortable routines of clinical practice. It is crucial that we remain plugged into the latest research to make sure that what we are doing is aligned with evidence-based practice. As defined by ASHA, EBP includes clinical expertise, internal and external evidence, and client perspectives. Here are a few ways to stay connected to high quality evidence while juggling all the other responsibilities of being an SLP: Collect sources that are applicable to the caseload that you serve. There are many wonderful resources available to us through the ASHA practice portal. Spend some time searching through the latest journals to find information that could benefit your students. Additionally, SIGs and organizations such as The Informed SLP take away some of the heavy lifting and create digestible forums already prepared. Keep a "practice bank." It is a great start to be sifting through evidence and articles galore, but what do we do with them afterwards? Transform your application of evidence by creating a system that works for you. Save journals in an organized fashion with notes that include assessment and treatment ideas, tools, and resources. Connect with SLP communities. Having a growth mindset means continual dedication and devotion to learning. Learning with others can make evidence feel transformative and "alive" instead of theoretical. Find professional virtual groups, local meet-ups, or communities of practice where evidence can become tangible. EBP doesn't have to be intimating or all-consuming. With a few intentional habits, you can stay plugged in to the latest research and be confident in clinical decisions. Hannah Collie, M.S., CCC-SLP
