What SEL Looks Like in Our Schools

Today, many of our schools utilize evidence-based programs that focus on teaching specific competencies. These programs, which are often integrated into morning meetings, counseling sessions, or even academic subjects, focus on five core areas. These are defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

1. Self-Awareness: Identifying one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values.
2. Self-Management: Regulating one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations (e.g., managing stress, self-motivation).
3. Social Awareness: Taking the perspective of and empathizing with others.
4. Relationship Skills: Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships (e.g., communicating clearly, resolving conflict).
5. Responsible Decision-Making: Making constructive choices about behavior and social interactions.

These structured programs are essential for teaching children the explicit skills they need to navigate school and peer relationships. They are designed to support all students and provide critical intervention for those who are struggling.

But here is the truth that often goes unsaid: This is often an intervention that starts years too late.

We need to stop asking schools to re-wire behavior that was already cemented in the foundational years. The most powerful SEL curriculum a child will ever receive isn’t in a classroom; it’s in the co-regulation of their home environment.

The Myth of Self-Soothing: Why Child Emotional Regulation Starts with the Parent 🧠

For decades, many parents were encouraged to “let babies self-soothe.” We now know this concept is a biological impossibility for a young child.

A baby’s pre-frontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for self-control and emotional management—is highly immature. They are born requiring an external regulator to help them manage stress. That external regulator is you.

This scientific concept is called co-regulation. When your child is distressed, they are sending out a nervous system alarm. If you respond from a place of calm, your regulated state literally helps sync their nervous system back to a quiet, safe baseline. You are teaching their brain, through repeated experience, how to calm down.

When we react to a child’s meltdown with our own uncontrolled frustration or anger (i.e., parental dysregulation), we are not teaching regulation. Instead, we are modeling and transmitting escalation. Research consistently links high parental stress and non-adaptive emotion regulation with higher rates of social, behavioral, and mental health issues in youth.

The Prenatal SEL Curriculum: It Starts with the Parent 🧘

If co-regulation is the lesson, then the prerequisite must be the parent’s own self-regulation for child SEL. This is why our focus needs to shift, starting before a child is even born:

💡 Parental Self-Awareness: Identifying the Real Emotion

Before we teach a child to recognize their “big feelings,” we need to teach parents to recognize theirs. This means identifying internal stress cues—the tight jaw, the hot chest, the impulse to yell—before they erupt into a reaction. Crucially, this training must help parents understand that anger is very often a symptom of suppressing another, more vulnerable emotion, such as fear, overwhelm, inadequacy, or grief. If a parent can recognize that their rising anger is actually a mask for deep anxiety about being a “good parent,” they can address the true need instead of reacting punitively.

🎯 The Circle of Control

Prenatal and early-parenting training needs to equip adults with strategies like understanding what they can and cannot control. You can control your response and your effort. However, you cannot control the duration of a tantrum or a baby’s need to cry. Reducing this anxiety is foundational self-care.

⚓ The Calming Anchor

Every parent needs a rapid, go-to self-regulation strategy, like Square Breathing or a quick grounding exercise. This allows a parent to down-regulate their own system in seconds. Thus, they can approach their child with calm instead of conflict.

🚶 When to Walk Away: The Ultimate Self-Regulation Skill

All of these skills culminate in the powerful knowledge of when walking away is the kindest, safest response. If you cannot find your calming anchor, the most responsible action is to temporarily exit the situation. This means placing your child in a safe space (like a crib or playpen) and giving yourself a few moments, or even a minute, to calm down completely—even mommies need time-outs!

Taking a break is firmly identified as responsible, proactive parenting—not neglect or “giving up.” Walking away when you are dysregulated prevents you from passing on that distress or reacting in a way you will regret. By doing this, you model the highest level of self-control for your child.

We must recognize that a parent who is emotionally supported and regulated is the most effective preventative measure against future maladaptive behavior. The early investment in parental self-regulation for child SEL is far more cost-effective than the long-term societal cost of special education, behavioral intervention, and juvenile justice.

📢 An Urgent Call to Action: Advocate for prenatal SEL

We are asking parents to teach a skill they were often never taught. This is not about blame; it is about providing the missing instruction manual. Parental self-regulation is the prerequisite for child SEL.

I am asking you, my fellow SLPs, educators, and concerned parents, to use your voice to advocate for this foundational shift.

The Ask: Contact your State Representatives and State Department of Health officials to urge them to mandate and fund the inclusion of an evidence-based Parental Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation Module as a standard component of all state-funded prenatal and early postnatal care programs.

We are not asking for a new program; we are asking for essential SEL skills to be taught at the right time, to the right person.

Here is a template email you can adapt and send to your elected officials today. Let’s make parental self-regulation a public health imperative.

Subject: Urgent: Fund Foundational Parental Self-Regulation Training for Child Health & Preventative Care

Dear [Representative/Senator/Official Name, or State Department of Health Leadership],

I am writing to you today as [Your Title/Profession: e.g., a School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist and concerned resident of District X]. My work with children in schools across [Your County/Region] consistently reveals that the most effective interventions for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges begin not in the classroom, but with the parent.

The Foundational Challenge: Current efforts in school-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) are essential but often start too late. The true foundation for a child’s ability to self-regulate is built through co-regulation—the consistent, calm response of a regulated adult. When parents lack the skills to manage their own stress and emotional triggers, they are inadvertently modeling and transmitting dysregulation to their children, leading to long-term issues.

The Preventative Solution: I urge you to mandate and fund the inclusion of an evidence-based Parental Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation Module as a standard, reimbursable component of all state-funded prenatal and early postnatal care programs.

This funding is not for generic parenting classes. It is an investment in specific, psychoeducational training that teaches parents:

1. Self-Awareness: How to recognize their own internal stress cues (e.g., anxiety, overwhelm) before they escalate into frustration or anger.
2. Calming Anchors: Rapid self-regulation techniques (like deep breathing or grounding) to stabilize their nervous system under pressure.
3. Proactive Parenting: The necessary skill of safely walking away to self-calm when feeling dysregulated, which models the highest level of emotional control for the child.

Cost-Effectiveness: Investing in parental self-regulation is the most powerful preventative measure available. Research consistently shows that early family interventions are dramatically more cost-effective than later remediation efforts (such as special education services, extensive behavioral interventions, or juvenile justice system involvement).

I ask that you prioritize this foundational SEL training. By supporting the mental and emotional health of parents, we are proactively building resilient children and stronger communities.

Thank you for your time and commitment to the health of our state’s families.

Sincerely,

[Your Name] [Your City/Town] [Your Contact Email or Phone Number]

Social Media Icons: designed by rawpixel.com – Freepik.com

The post 🛑 The Foundation is Missing: Why Parental Self-Regulation for child SEL is the Most Crucial Skill appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

As an SLP, I see these struggles firsthand. It’s easy to feel like we’re fighting a losing battle against screens, instant gratification, and a perceived societal slide. But what if these feelings, while valid, aren’t actually new? What if the “kids these days” lament is as old as the institution of schooling itself?

This question sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole into the history of education, specifically the turn of the 20th century (roughly 1890-1920). It was an era of immense change: industrialization, urbanization, mass immigration, and the rapid expansion of public schooling. And guess what? Teachers then were airing strikingly similar grievances.

Far from a silent golden age of respectful, diligent students, historical records reveal a different picture. Teachers, often young women, were facing packed classrooms of diverse learners. They battled daily with issues that sound eerily familiar. Our panic about generational language issues is definitely not new.

Generational Decline Then vs. Now: Specific Examples:

Let’s break down some of those “turn of the century” complaints and see how they mirror our present-day struggles. You might be surprised by how little the core issues have changed, proving that today’s “brain rot” in youth is not new:

The Loss of Conversation: From “Cheap Novels” to Cellphones

• Then (c. 1900): Teachers and parents feared students were wasting their minds on the era’s new, pervasive, and easily accessible media: cheap fiction novels and sensational newspapers. They worried these “over-stimulating” print materials were corrupting the youth, pulling their focus from family interaction, academic study, and proper social conversation. The concern was that constant private reading would lead to social isolation.
• Now (c. 2020): We lament that cellphones, social media, and gaming have captured student attention, leading to a decline in face-to-face social skills, difficulty maintaining eye contact, and a loss of focused conversation. The fear is that the screen is isolating students and killing their ability to communicate in depth.
• The Constant: The Loss of the Shared Social Space. Adults worry when youth attention is captured by a new, easily accessible, and unsupervised medium that pulls them away from traditional, adult-sanctioned interaction. The anxiety is identical: a new technology is diverting youth attention and killing conversation and focused thought.

The Scourge of Slang: Language Decay Myth

• Then (c. 1900): Educators constantly fought against the “corruption” of the English language through slang and regional vernacular. This informal street language and emerging youth culture were viewed as a sign of poor intellectual discipline, illiteracy, and a direct threat to proper grammar and vocabulary in the classroom.
• Now (c. 2020): We worry about “brain rot” manifested as students using acronyms, “text-speak,” and minimalist language. We view the over-reliance on AI for writing and shorthand communication as proof of intellectual laziness and a devastating decline in the ability to construct a coherent, sophisticated sentence.
• The Constant: The Linguistic Turf War. The older generation, which defines the “rules” of language, feels threatened by the rapid, creative, and efficient linguistic innovations of the youth. What one generation views as degradation, the younger often sees as efficiency, social belonging, and evolution. The adult disapproval of the change is a constant fixture of the generational divide.

The Battle for Attention: “Unruly” vs. “Distracted”

• Then (c. 1900): Teachers complained vociferously about “unruly” and defiant older boys, especially in mixed-grade rural schools, who would openly challenge authority, flirt, or cause general disruption. Maintaining order often required corporal punishment. Students struggled with the monotonous rote memorization that defined much of the curriculum.
• Now (c. 2020): We lament short attention spans, the constant pull of phones, and students who seem unable to focus on a single task for more than a few minutes. Teachers battle apathy and a perceived lack of respect.
• The Constant: The younger generation naturally resists methods and structures they find unengaging or authoritarian. Their attention is drawn to dynamic, personally relevant stimuli – whether that was pushing boundaries with a teacher or scrolling through TikTok. The expression of disengagement changes, but the root of it often remains the same: a mismatch between intrinsic motivation and imposed task. Analyzing the history of social change shows the fundamental challenge remains the same: engaging the student.

Competing Demands: “Farm Work” vs. “Side Hustles”

• Then (c. 1900): A major headache for teachers was chronic absenteeism due to child labor. Kids were pulled from school for weeks at a time to work on farms during planting/harvesting seasons or to contribute to family income in factories. Their primary focus was often outside the classroom.
• Now (c. 2020): While child labor is (thankfully) not the same issue, teachers still face students who prioritize outside commitments – part-time jobs, demanding sports schedules, extensive extracurriculars, or even gaming – over schoolwork. Their energy and focus are split.
• The Constant: Life outside school has always competed fiercely for students’ time and mental energy. The “teacher’s priority” is often just one of many, and not always the dominant one, in a young person’s life.

The “Degradation” of Language & Skills: From “Rote” to “Rot”

• Then (c. 1900): Progressive educators and frustrated teachers argued vehemently against the prevailing rote memorization model, believing it failed to teach students practical skills, critical thinking, or genuine understanding. They believed students weren’t truly learning what they needed for the modern world.
• Now (c. 2020): This is where the “brain rot” and language degradation arguments truly hit home. We worry about students’ inability to write coherently, their reliance on text-speak, AI for essays, or their struggles with complex reasoning. We hear, “They just can’t think anymore!”
• The Constant: Every generation defines “essential skills” and “proper language” by its own standards. What one era sees as practical, another sees as outdated. What one generation considers a conversational shortcut (e.g., shorthand in the early 1900s, texting abbreviations today), another deems a symptom of intellectual decay. The anxiety around changing communication styles and perceived declining rigor is a generational echo.

The Original Brain Rot: Luxury and Contempt for Authority

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

• Then (c. 4th Century BC): The greatest thinkers of Ancient Greece—Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—complained extensively about the youth. While this famous viral quote is often misattributed (it was actually penned in 1907), the sentiment of generational language panic is real. Scholars even then complained about the decay of the youth. Critically, Socrates was famously executed, in part, for the crime of “corrupting the youth” by teaching them to question their elders and the established order.
• Now (c. 2020): These are nearly verbatim the complaints you hear today. Students are seen as entitled, unwilling to follow rules, glued to their phones (chatter), and disrespecting traditional structures. The modern equivalent of “corrupting the youth” is the anxiety over teaching critical race theory or complex social justice issues—anything that encourages students to question and critique the beliefs of the previous generation.
• The Constant: The Fear of the Successor. The oldest generation’s deepest fear is that the rising generation will reject the hard-won values, discipline, and institutions they built. In every era, teaching youth to think differently than the previous generation is perceived by some established adults as the ultimate act of “corruption.”

The Underlying Force behind “Brain Rot” Myth: Generational Tension

What these historical parallels underscore is not a continuous, linear decline in human intellect or student quality. Instead, they point to a fundamental, ever-present phenomenon: generational tension.

This tension isn’t about one generation being inherently “better” or “worse” than another. It’s about:

• Different Lived Experiences: Each generation grows up in a unique technological, social, and economic landscape, shaping their worldviews, priorities, and learning styles.
• Mismatched Expectations: Educators, as members of an older generation, naturally teach and assess based on the norms, skills, and values they were taught. Students, operating within their own contemporary reality, respond differently.
• The Nature of Youth: Youth, by its very nature, involves questioning, exploring, and pushing boundaries. This manifests as “unruly” behavior or “distracted” minds, depending on the era’s context.

Adapt instead of panic: Generational Language

So, the next time you feel that pang of despair about supposed “brain rot” or the state of modern education, take a deep breath. Acknowledge the very real challenges we face today – screens are powerful distractors, and mental health is a major concern. But also, take solace in knowing that you’re part of a long, distinguished lineage of educators who have felt similar frustrations.

Our job isn’t to bemoan the “decline,” but to understand the nature of this perennial generational tension. By doing so, we can shift our focus from complaining about what students aren’t to creatively finding ways to meet them where they are. We should adapt our strategies, and leverage their unique generational strengths to foster true learning.

For us as SLPs and educators, this historical context shifts our job description. Instead of fighting text-speak, we can view it as a linguistic window. We can use our expertise to bridge the gap between efficient social language and sophisticated academic language. Our goal remains the same: fostering effective communication across all contexts.

The kids aren’t “brain rotted”; they’re just kids, living in their time, and challenging us to evolve, just as kids have always done.

Want to learn more? See these posts:

• Middle School Language Development: What They Don’t Know May Surprise you!
• Beyond “Spill the Beans”: Why Teaching Idioms Needs a Modern Glow-Up

Leave your thoughts!

What historical or modern “kid complaints” resonate most with you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Further Reading:

• https://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/timeline.html
• https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1910s-education-topics-news
• https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93442.pdf
• https://www.rd.com/list/what-school-was-like-100-years-ago/
• https://historyhustle.com/2500-years-of-people-complaining-about-the-younger-generation/
• https://slate.com/technology/2017/08/the-19th-century-moral-panic-over-paper-technology.html

The post The Generational Language Panic: Why ‘Brain Rot’ is as Old as Education appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

In Post 4, we saw how AI can be your clinical sidekick—sparking lesson ideas, streamlining documentation, and tackling admin tasks. SLP AI prompt writing is essential for maximizing these benefits. But here’s the truth: AI is only as good as the conversation you start. The magic isn’t in its existence; it’s in how you wield it.

Think of AI as an incredibly intelligent, but frustratingly literal, intern. It operates on your instructions. This is where AI prompt engineering for SLPs comes in—the art and science of communicating effectively with large language models (LLMs). The better your prompt, the more tailored, useful, and relevant the AI’s output will be.

🛑 STOP! The Golden Rule: PHI and AI (Crucial Disclaimer)

Before we dive into prompt perfection, let’s firmly reiterate the absolute necessity: NEVER, EVER input Protected Health Information (PHI) or any client-specific identifying data (such as names, baselines, unique characteristics, or highly specific details that could lead to identification) into general-purpose AI models like CoPilot, ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini’s public interfaces, or similar tools that do not have a specific Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with your organization covering PHI.

Your company’s specific guidance on compliant AI use (especially for integrated tools like Google Workspace’s Gemini) is paramount. Always, always, always prioritize client privacy and confidentiality.

Ready to unlock AI’s full potential? Let’s refine your prompting skills!

6 Principles for Mastering AI Prompts for Speech Therapy

To get the most out of AI, keep these essential principles in mind:

1. Clarity, Conciseness, & Specificity

Vague input equals generic output. The more targeted your request, the more tailored and useful the AI’s response.

• Vague: “Give me therapy ideas.”
• Specific: “Generate 5 engaging speech therapy activities for 7-year-olds working on initial /s/ blends, suitable for a 30-minute session, using a ‘superhero’ theme. List required materials for each.”

2. Assign a Persona (Role & Context)

Tell the AI who it is (e.g., “Act as an experienced pediatric SLP”) and provide relevant background. This is arguably the most crucial step! By assigning a role, you’re pulling from a specialized language subset, which drastically improves the quality and relevance of the output. This is key to effective SLP AI promts.

• Generic: “Write a lesson plan.”
• Contextualized: “Act as an experienced pediatric SLP working in a school setting. Create a 45-minute lesson plan for a small group of 2nd graders targeting narrative language skills, focusing on sequencing events and character emotions. Include a clear objective, suggested materials, step-by-step activities, and differentiation ideas.”

3. Define Output Format & Length

Don’t leave the output format to chance. Tell the AI exactly how you want the information organized (e.g., bullet points, table, short paragraph, email draft).

• Unspecified: “Tell me about dysphagia.”
• Formatted: “Summarize key differences between oral phase and pharyngeal phase dysphagia in a bulleted list, suitable for a 1-page handout for speech therapy graduate students.”

4. Specify Constraints & Exclusions

Tell the AI what not to include, or what limitations to follow. This helps filter out irrelevant or inappropriate information for your client’s needs.

• General: “Give me articulation sentences for /l/.”
• Constrained: “Generate 10 articulation drill sentences for initial /l/ sounds for a 4-year-old, but exclude any words related to food or animals, and ensure sentences are no more than 5 words long.”

5. Iterate & Refine (It’s a Conversation)

Prompting is rarely a one-shot deal. Think of it as a Socratic dialogue—start with a broader request, then refine the AI’s initial response with follow-up instructions until you hit perfection. This process of refining AI prompts for SLP output is essential.

• Iteration Example:
  • You: “Give me goals for preschoolers.”
  • AI: (Provides very general goals)
  • You: “Okay, now make those goals SMART goals for receptive language, focusing on following 2-step directions.”
  • AI: (Provides more specific, measurable goals)

✨ Pro-Tip: Meta-Prompting (Make AI Write Your SLP Prompts)

If you are struggling to craft a detailed prompt, turn the tables and ask the AI to help you! This is a fast track to using all the principles above without having to think of every detail yourself.

• Prompt to Refine Your Prompt (Ask for Clarification): Use this when you have a good idea, but aren’t sure what specific details the AI needs, or are unsure if you’ve thought of everything.
  • “You are an expert prompt engineer for speech-language pathology. I want to create a 30-minute therapy plan for a 5th grader working on figurative language. Based on this goal, ask me 5 questions to clarify what you need to write the perfect, detailed prompt.”
• Prompt to Generate a Prompt: Use this to ensure your request includes all the necessary components (role, format, constraints).
  • “Act as an AI prompt expert. Write a detailed, effective prompt that will generate a handout for parents explaining the difference between an articulation disorder and a phonological disorder. The final prompt must include a specific role, a format, and a suggested reading level.”

6. Consider Tone & Audience

If you’re drafting communication for others, specify the desired tone and intended audience.

• Prompt Example: “Draft a short email to a general education teacher explaining the process of a speech-language screening, using a friendly and informative tone, and inviting them to share any initial concerns.”

Applied Prompt Engineering: AI Strategies for Common SLP Tasks

Let’s apply these principles to the types of tasks that eat up your time, including those that help you build materials! These strategies lead to time-saving AI prompts for SLPs.

Therapy Ideas & Lesson Plans:

• Include: Client age/grade, specific speech/language goal, preferred theme, session length, group size, required materials you have on hand.
  • Example: “Act as an experienced SLP. Create a 30-minute narrative therapy session for a group of three 3rd graders working on story grammar (characters, setting, problem, solution). Use a ‘detective’ theme. Include warm-up, main activity, and cool-down. Suggest print-and-go materials and a simple data collection sheet format.”

Goal Wording:

• Specify: Skill area, target population, desired components (e.g., SMART goals, specific measurable elements), context.
  • Example: “Generate 3 measurable, long-term speech therapy goals for an elementary student working on pragmatic language skills, focusing on initiating conversations and turn-taking, suitable for an IEP. Then, critique each goal for measurability and compliance.”

Content Adaptation & Materials Creation:

• Key Components: Original content (paste or summarize), target audience, desired reading level, specific language features to focus on.
  • Example (Great for TPT!): “Generate a simple 4-page articulation resource for initial /k/, suitable for a third-grade reading level. Format the content as three short reading passages followed by comprehension questions.”

Task Analysis / Prompt Hierarchies:

• Clearly define: The skill to be broken down, the target age/developmental level, the desired number of steps, and the type of prompting.
  • Example: “Provide a detailed task analysis for teaching a 5-year-old to correctly produce 3-4 word sentences using correct subject-verb agreement. Include 5-7 steps and suggest different levels of verbal and gestural prompts for each step.”

Administrative Tasks:

• Be precise about: The type of document, the data you’re working with, the desired function, and the output format.
  • Example: “I need an Excel formula. I have a list of dates in Column A and attendance marked ‘P’ or ‘A’ in Column B. Give me a formula to count the total number of ‘P’s for the month of March in Column C.”

⚠️ The Guardrails: Where AI Falls Short for SLPs

While AI is a powerful assistant, it’s crucial to understand where its current capabilities fall short. Remember that even with the most effective SLP AI prompts, your clinical judgment is irreplaceable.

• Phonetics and Articulation Nuance: AI operates on text strings, not the underlying speech sounds, articulatory placements, or distinctive features. It can’t “hear” a velar fronting error. This means word lists for specific phonetic contexts (e.g., specific minimal pairs, /r/ contexts) often miss the mark. Always check its work!
• Age/Grade Level Nuance for Language/Vocabulary: While AI can attempt to “simplify” language, its understanding of developmental language milestones, typical vocabulary acquisition, and the subtle nuances of age-appropriate content, syntax and semantics can be limited. Always review carefully for true developmental appropriateness.
• Clinical Judgment Remains Yours: AI lacks clinical reasoning, empathy, and the ability to interpret non-verbal cues or individual client needs. Its output is based on patterns in the data it was trained on, not genuine understanding of a client. Your license, and your client’s well-being, is your responsibility.

The Empowered SLP: An AI Prompting Pro

Mastering prompt engineering is the final step in turning AI from a simple chatbot into your powerful, personalized SLP assistant. This skill won’t replace your expertise, but it will save you time, spark creativity, and allow you to dedicate more of your precious energy to what matters most: the art and science of speech-language pathology. Start experimenting with SLP AI prompt engineering today!

Want a quick reference to help you on your AI prompting journey? This visual provides a 6-step, hierarchical template that teaches SLPs how to define the role, constraints, and format needed to get accurate, clinically relevant output from AI. Only available to Subscribers!

In Post 6, we’ll explore specific AI tools and platforms that SLPs can safely and effectively integrate into their workflow (always with the BAA and privacy rules in mind!).

Next in the Series

• Part 1: AI & Clinical Data Privacy
  • This foundational post explores AI training data, client privacy, and HIPAA compliance for SLPs, including the non-negotiable role of BAAs.
• Part 2: Separating AI Truth vs Myth 
  • We debunk common AI myths in SLP practice. Get a realistic understanding of AI’s true role and capabilities.
• Part 3: How AI Tools Work 
  • Get a clear, jargon-free explanation of how large language models function. Understand their capabilities and limitations.
• Part 4: AI for Clinical Spark & Efficiency
  • Discover ethical ways to use AI. Brainstorm, overcome planning hurdles, and refine non-clinical communications.
• Part 5: Mastering AI Prompts (this post!)
  • Learn prompt engineering. Communicate effectively with AI models to get tailored, useful results for SLP needs.
• Part 6: Compliant AI Platforms & Tools
  • This post guides you through AI tools. Learn key factors for ethically and compliantly selecting platforms for your SLP practice.
• Part 7: Ethical & Responsible AI Use
  • This crucial post delves into broader ethical responsibilities for SLPs using AI. It covers principles beyond data privacy.
• Part 8: The Future of AI
  • This concluding post explores emerging AI trends and future possibilities in Speech-Language Pathology. Prepare to adapt, innovate, and lead responsible AI integration.

The post Mastering SLP AI Prompt Writing (AI & SLPs: Part 5) appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

We’ve discussed privacy in Part 1, fact and myth in Part 2, and how AI works in Part 3. This post will give you some ideas on how to use AI to increase your productivity as an SLP. This isn’t about replacing your clinical expertise; it’s about equipping you with a powerful, ethical tool to turbocharge your efficiency and creativity.

Crucial Disclaimer: The Golden Rule of AI for SLPs

Before we dive into the practical applications, let’s establish the absolute, non-negotiable rule:

NEVER input Protected Health Information (PHI) or any client-specific identifying data (such as names, baselines, unique characteristics, or highly specific details that could lead to identification) into general-purpose AI models like ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini’s public interfaces, or similar tools that do not have a specific Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with your organization covering PHI.

Your company’s specific guidance on compliant AI use (especially for integrated tools like Google Workspace’s Gemini) is paramount. Always, always, always prioritize client privacy and confidentiality.

With that vital principle in mind, let’s explore ethical and compliant ways AI can become your new favorite clinical assistant.

1. AI Can Supercharge Your Planning

The blank page for a lesson plan or a new therapy goal can be daunting. AI in your SLP practice can be a brilliant brainstorming partner that helps you escape “therapy fatigue.”

• Creating Lesson Plans & Activity Ideas: Need a therapy session around a specific theme (e.g., “outer space” for articulation, “community helpers” for social language)? Ask AI to brainstorm age-appropriate activities, vocabulary lists, or a rough session flow.
  • Prompt Example: “Brainstorm 5 engaging speech therapy activities for 7-year-olds working on /r/ production using an ‘ocean adventure’ theme.”
• Developing Task Analyses: For complex skills (like tying shoes, ordering food, or writing a sentence), AI can help you break them down into discrete, manageable steps, providing a valuable framework for intervention.
• Structuring Prompt Hierarchies: Design effective scaffolding for various tasks. AI can help you think through different levels of prompting from maximum to minimum support.
• Generating Diverse Goal Wording Templates: Crafting clear, measurable, and relevant IEP or treatment goals is time-consuming. AI can provide various wording options for specific skill areas, which you can then adapt with your client’s unique, non-identifying data.
  • Prompt Example: “Provide 5 different ways to word a long-term goal for improving expressive vocabulary in a preschooler with language delay, focusing on measurable outcomes.”

2. Content Creation & Adaptation Made Easy with AI

Need to adjust existing materials or create new ones quickly? AI helps you differentiate and tailor content in seconds.

• Adapting Existing Materials: Take a classic short story, news article, or educational text and ask AI to simplify it for a specific reading level (e.g., 3rd-grade equivalent) or to focus on particular concepts.
  • Prompt Example: “Simplify the plot of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ into language appropriate for a 1st-grade reading level, focusing on story elements.”
• Generating Practice Items: Create endless lists of words, sentences, or short paragraphs targeting specific phonemes, grammatical structures, or vocabulary themes.

3. AI Documentation & Communication Shortcuts

While you should never input PHI into general AI, you can use it to polish and streamline all other written communications.

• Proofreading and Grammar Checks: Use AI to review emails (that don’t contain PHI), general announcements, or non-confidential sections of reports for clarity and error reduction.
• Summarizing Long Texts (General): Need to quickly grasp the main points of a professional article, a school policy document (without student info), or a long email thread? AI can provide a concise summary.
• Rephrasing for Clarity: If you’re struggling to articulate a general idea or want to make instructions more straightforward for colleagues, AI can offer alternative, punchier phrasings.

4. Using AI in Empowering Families & Caregivers

As your assistant in your SLP practice, AI can help you create effective, accessible resources that boost generalization outside the clinic room.

• Brainstorming Client Education Materials & Handouts: Get ideas for home carryover activities related to a specific skill or for parent education on a general topic (e.g., language stimulation, feeding strategies).
  • Prompt Example: “List 7 practical, easy-to-implement home activities for parents to support a toddler’s expressive language development.”
• Translating General Advice: Rephrase clinical concepts into parent-friendly, jargon-free language for handouts or general communication.

5. Boosting Your Professional Growth

AI is a powerful tool for SLPs in continuous learning and career advancement.

• Summarizing Research Articles & Clinical Guidelines: Quickly extract key findings, methodologies, and conclusions from non-confidential research papers to stay updated in your field.
• Brainstorming Presentation Topics & Outlines: If you need to give a presentation for a staff meeting or a conference, AI can help you brainstorm ideas and structure your talking points.
• Creating Study Guides: Generate practice questions or summaries for certification exams, specialization tests, or continuing education courses.

The Responsible SLP’s AI Ethic: A Final Word

AI is a revolutionary SLP tool, but it’s just that—a tool. Your clinical judgment, ethical compass, and human connection remain irreplaceable.

Always remember:

• Verify, Verify, Verify: AI output can contain “hallucinations” or inaccuracies. Always critically review and fact-check any information generated by AI before using it.
  • To succeed in an AI-driven future, SLPs must focus on critical appraisal of these emerging tools, as discussed in the ASHA journal LSHSS (Equipping Clinicians for Critical Appraisal of AI).
• Privacy is Paramount: Reiterate the NO PHI rule. This protects your clients, yourself, and your license. Understand and adhere strictly to your company’s and district’s policies on AI use.
• It’s an Assistant, Not a Replacement: AI should augment your skills, not diminish your critical thinking or clinical reasoning.

Start experimenting responsibly. Begin with low-stakes tasks and see how AI can transform your productivity as an SLP, allowing you to dedicate more of your precious time and energy to the art and science of speech-language pathology.

Next in the Series: In Post 5, we’ll delve deeper into crafting effective AI prompts to get the best possible results for your specific SLP needs.

The AI & SLPs Series: Your Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to the AI & SLPs Series! Over the next eight weeks, we’ll delve deep into how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the world of speech-language pathology. Here’s what you can expect:

• Part 1: AI & Clinical Data Privacy
  • This foundational post explores AI training data, client privacy, and HIPAA compliance for SLPs, including the non-negotiable role of BAAs.
• Part 2: Separating Truth vs Myth 
  • We debunk common AI myths in SLP practice. Get a realistic understanding of AI’s true role and capabilities.
• Part 3: How AI Tools Work 
  • Get a clear, jargon-free explanation of how large language models function. Understand their capabilities and limitations.
• Part 4: AI for Clinical Spark & Efficiency (This post!)
  • Discover ethical ways to use AI. Brainstorm, overcome planning hurdles, and refine non-clinical communications.
• Part 5: Mastering Prompts 
  • Learn prompt engineering. Communicate effectively with AI models to get tailored, useful results for SLP needs.
• Part 6: Compliant Platforms & Tools
  • This post guides you through AI tools. Learn key factors for ethically and compliantly selecting platforms for your SLP practice.
• Part 7: Ethical & Responsible Use
  • This crucial post delves into broader ethical responsibilities for SLPs using AI. It covers principles beyond data privacy.
• Part 8: The Future of AI
  • This concluding post explores emerging AI trends and future possibilities in Speech-Language Pathology. Prepare to adapt, innovate, and lead responsible AI integration.

The post Part 4: AI for Clinical Spark & Efficiency: An SLP’s Practical Guide appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

Welcome back, fellow SLPs! In our last two posts, we tackled the crucial topic of AI and Clinical Data, as well as AI Truths & Myths. We learned that responsible AI use starts with safeguarding our clients’ privacy and understanding how AI works in practice.

We’ve debunked some common myths and explored the complex questions surrounding AI and data security. Now, let’s pull back the curtain and take a look at the mechanics room. In this post, we’ll demystify how AI tools actually work, providing a clear and simple explanation for SLPs.

Artificial intelligence can sometimes feel like magic, especially when it comes to generating coherent text for notes, therapy ideas, or reports. You type in a prompt, and seemingly out of nowhere, clinically relevant content appears. But behind this impressive capability lies a fascinating, albeit complex, system built on specific AI principles.

As SLPs, understanding the basics of how AI tools function is essential. It can not only alleviate some of the mystery, but also empower us to use these tools more effectively and with realistic expectations. So, let’s peek under the hood and demystify the mechanics of AI.

The Foundation: Large Language Models (LLMs)

To truly understand how AI works, you must first understand its base. At the heart of most AI tools you encounter that generate text are Large Language Models (LLMs). Think of these LLMs as incredibly advanced prediction machines for language.

They’re not thinking, feeling beings; instead, they are sophisticated algorithms. They are often built on a “transformer” architecture, that have learned to predict what word or sequence of words is most likely to come next. This ability to predict is the foundation of how they generate paragraphs, articles, notes, and even initial drafts of reports.

The Training Process: Learning from Text Patterns

The secret to this predictive power lies in the training process. LLMs are trained on truly massive amounts of text data – billions upon billions of words scraped from books, articles, websites, code, and just about any other digital text you can imagine. For models used in healthcare or clinical research, this could also include vast quantities of de-identified research papers, medical journals, and clinical guidelines.

During this training, the AI doesn’t process this raw text directly. Instead, it goes through a crucial step called tokenization.

What is Tokenization?

Tokenization is the process of breaking down the text into smaller, manageable units called tokens. These tokens can be whole words (“the,” “client”), parts of words (“-ing,” “re-“), or even individual characters or punctuation marks. The way text is tokenized can vary between different AI models, but the fundamental idea is to convert human language into a numerical format that the AI can process.

Think of tokenization like the raw data stream in the movie The Matrix. Instead of seeing words and sentences, the AI sees a constant flow of these individual numerical tokens. This numerical representation is the fundamental language that the AI understands and manipulates.

Each unique token in the AI’s vast vocabulary is then assigned a numerical ID. Therefore, AI operates at this granular level of tokens and learns statistical relationships between them. It doesn’t typically “hold” or store entire books, articles, or clinical records as copies. Instead, it retains the learned patterns and probabilities of token sequences.

How is Tokenization Used?

Once the text is tokenized and converted into these numerical representations, the AI analyzes this vast ocean of language, identifying patterns. It learns the statistical probability of certain tokens appearing together. This includes the common structures of sentences and paragraphs, and typical ways humans express different ideas in various contexts (e.g., academic writing, informal speech, or clinical documentation).

For example, the AI learns that after the tokens “Client” followed by “demonstrated,” the token “progress” has a very high probability of appearing next in a clinical note. It learns the statistical relationships between diagnostic terms and common intervention strategies.

It’s all about recognizing these statistical relationships between these numerical tokens. It’s crucial to remember that the AI doesn’t “understand” these relationships in the way a human clinician does. It doesn’t grasp the clinical meaning, the client’s emotional state, or the unique context of a therapy session. It simply recognizes that, based on the numerical sequences it has processed, certain token sequences are more probable than others.

Mechanics of AI Text Generation: Prediction in Action

So, how does this learned knowledge translate into generated text that can assist an SLP? Let’s discuss the AI principles at work. First, you give an AI a prompt – a request, a question, or even just a few keywords (e.g., “Draft a SOAP note for a 5-year-old with articulation goals for /r/”). Then, the AI first tokenizes your input.

After that, it processes its learned patterns and the numerical IDs of these tokens. It then predicts the most likely next token (represented by its numerical ID). This prediction is heavily influenced by the parameters of the LLM. Think of these parameters, often billions or even trillions, as the internal “knobs and dials”, like the Oz Wizard. The AI adjusts these during its training to learn the strength of the statistical relationships between tokens. The more parameters an AI has, generally the more nuanced and sophisticated its predictions can be.

The Output of the AI Machine

The AI takes that newly predicted token. It compares the original prompt and the token it just produced. Then it predicts the next most likely token, again relying on its vast network of parameters. This process continues, token by token, until the AI determines it has reached a stopping point. Finally, these numerical tokens are converted back into human-readable text.

Think of it like a super-powered version of the autocomplete feature you might use when typing. However, it operates at the level of fundamental text units, and is guided by an incredibly complex web of learned relationships stored within its parameters. The “creativity” or “clinical relevance” we sometimes see in AI-generated text isn’t true clinical reasoning in the human sense. Rather, it is the result of the sheer vastness of the data it has been trained on. It has learned the intricate statistical relationships between these tokens. It is all governed by its numerous parameters.

What AI Isn’t: Understanding the Clinical Limitations

Finally, it’s vital to reiterate what AI isn’t, especially from an SLP perspective. Even understanding the mechanics of AI, its human-like responses can often muddy the waters.

• It isn’t conscious. It doesn’t have emotions, personal experiences, or clinical judgment to draw upon.
• It cannot understand or provide the nuances of human communication. Sarcasm, irony, or the subtle emotional context of a client’s utterance are often difficult for AI to understand. They are even harder for AI to create (don’t ask it to generate jokes).
• It is limited in understanding highly nuanced linguistic elements like prosody, intonation, or specific phonetic realizations (e.g., truly hearing and analyzing a distorted /s/ or a lateral lisp). These areas are critical for SLP assessment and intervention, but challenging for current AI to grasp fully and accurately.
• It cannot build genuine therapeutic rapport or provide the empathetic connection essential for effective therapy.
• It cannot make a differential diagnosis or independently formulate a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan based on dynamic clinical interactions.
• AI can’t handle very large chunks of information. This is a significant limitation to remember, especially when working with long documents. More advanced and often paid AI versions, which are hopefully HIPAA-compliant, can process larger numbers of tokens.

Its output, however impressive, is ultimately based on the patterns it has learned from the text it has been trained on. You must remember that it is processed at the level of tokens and statistical probabilities, not genuine clinical understanding. You MUST always double-check output for accuracy, completeness, and bias!

Looking Ahead: Understanding AI as Your SLP’s Toolbox

Understanding the core mechanics of AI—that it’s a sophisticated text prediction machine built on statistical patterns—is the key to unlocking its potential without falling for the hype. This knowledge empowers us to see AI not as a magical entity, but as a powerful tool in our clinical process. It’s an assistant that can handle routine tasks, potentially allowing us to save precious time and redirect our energy to where it matters most: our clients.

Now that we’ve peeked under the hood, what are your initial reactions? Has demystifying AI’s inner workings changed your perception of its potential uses (or limitations) in SLP? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and then weigh in with your perspective in our quick poll! Results will be shared at the end of the series.

AI & SLPs Poll 3

I’d love to hear your thoughts after reading this post! Please answer these 4 questions; your valuable input will help shape my series’ final insights. To keep the poll fair and ensure unique responses, a Google account sign-in is required. Be assured, your email address is neither collected nor visible to me.

The AI & SLPs Series: Your Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to the AI & SLPs Series! Over the next eight weeks, we’ll delve deep into how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the world of speech-language pathology. Here’s what you can expect:

• Part 1: AI & Clinical Data Privacy
  • This foundational post explores AI training data, client privacy, and HIPAA compliance for SLPs, including the non-negotiable role of BAAs.
• Part 2: Separating Truth vs Myth 
  • We debunk common AI myths in SLP practice. Get a realistic understanding of AI’s true role and capabilities.
• Part 3: How AI Tools Work (current post)
  • Get a clear, jargon-free explanation of how large language models function. Understand their capabilities and limitations.
• Part 4: AI for Clinical Spark & Efficiency
  • Discover ethical ways to use AI. Brainstorm, overcome planning hurdles, and refine non-clinical communications.
• Part 5: Mastering Prompts 
  • Learn prompt engineering. Communicate effectively with AI models to get tailored, useful results for SLP needs.
• Part 6: Compliant Platforms & Tools
  • This post guides you through AI tools. Learn key factors for ethically and compliantly selecting platforms for your SLP practice.
• Part 7: Ethical & Responsible Use
  • This crucial post delves into broader ethical responsibilities for SLPs using AI. It covers principles beyond data privacy.
• Part 8: The Future of AI
  • This concluding post explores emerging AI trends and future possibilities in Speech-Language Pathology. Prepare to adapt, innovate, and lead responsible AI integration.

Stick around as we keep figuring out this whole thing together, giving SLPs the knowledge they need and helping us all find a balanced way to think about AI in the future of speech-language pathology. There is a lot of gray area and strong opinions, and I hope I can provide some facts to help you make informed choices that correspond with your own values.

Keep on clickin’!

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The post AI & SLPs Series, Part 3: How These Tools Actually Work appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “We’ve all used YouTube with kids before.” But bear with me, because there’s more to it than just plopping them in front of the screen while we sip our coffee (although, let’s be honest, sometimes that’s exactly what we need).

Here’s some of the things I’ve found out there in the big wide ‘Tube.

So…while nothing I share here is exactly news-breaking, I hope I have some ideas and links that give you a bit of a boost to your everyday!

Youtube for motivation

First off, there’s the motivator videos, the ones we can offer as rewards or to have kids request. We all know the kids love the great fun stuff out there, and it can be tricky finding what catches each kid’s attention – and it can change rapidly (because nothing is easy!). Depending on what each student likes or needs, it can range from the catchy, energetic songs…

…to repetitive, predictable, calming sensory videos (seriously, I sit back and watch these and am surprised when I look back at the clock at how much time has passed)…

YouTube for concept teaching

Then we have the fun concept teaching videos. These teach concepts in an enjoyable, engaging way that kids don’t realize they are learning. The repetition of each concept is what makes it beautiful, and more often than not, the children will be imitating by the end of the song.  We have core vocabulary songs…

More and All Done Sign Song

…body part songs…

FUN parts of your body song

…Farm animal songs…

Old MacDonald | Real Animals | Jack Hartmann (Love this one, because so many of our kids haven’t actually seen a real pig, let alone heard one)

…Action word songs…

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Story Videos

But what I like best are the story videos, that offer a treasure-trove of language-rich content.  Some of them are musical, like Pete the Cat and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom…

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

…And others are simply retold with animation. I love the learning English videos, like the ones from English SingSing…

The Three Little Pigs

I find that switching between all of these, and using a mix of planning and using my super SLP thinking skills (because we all know how these best laid plans often go, especially with kids involved), I can hit so many emerging language goals like attending, labelling, requesting and commenting. 

Pro tips for YouTube in therapy

Interactive Viewing

You can pause the video and talk about it, or wait for a request. Or you can watch the whole thing at one time, then use the precise seeking (or link at different times in the video) to go back to different moments to talk about.

Slow it down

Another great thing about many of the English learning videos is that they are told at a slightly slower rate of speech.  But if they aren’t, experiment with using the speed setting.  I find that going to 75% doesn’t usually affect the quality of the speech, but allows the listener more time to process. 

Split your screen 

Divide your screen into two, as to display two different videos side by side, as seen in the first screenshot at the top of this post. This gives. kids a visual choice so they can see what you are offering and point. You can find screen split options by hovering over the square next to the close window ‘x’, as seen in the partial screenshot to the side.  

Theatre Mode

And if you’re worried about distractions, try Theater Mode view to help keep things focused.  It presents the video screen the entire width of the window, so it squeezes out the ads on the side.  

So if I’m able to to have a few moments to reset things before a session, I have the screen split to show two videos side by side in Theater Mode so the child can make a choice.  

If you select full screen, it will fill the entire screen, regardless of whether it is split or not.  So I use that after the child has chosen.  Then I hit escape when we are ready for another choice, to return back to the split screen.

Reduce Inappropriate Ads

Create a separate “school” YouTube account to help reduce the number of inappropriate ads and video suggestions.  

Advertising Hacks

Now, there are some tricks for eliminating ads from YouTube videos, like adding a dash to the url or using a website or browser extension.  Unfortunately, I’ve found that they either don’t work with the Kids videos or they are so unwieldy to use with the short attention spans that it isn’t worth it.  Not to mention YouTube is actively working to block the adblockers.  But you can definitely try them if you’d like!

Update 12/24

I recently found the free internet browser Brave and have been using it the past couple of weeks. It was simple to move my Google bookmarks into Brave, and I am using it solely for use with the kids, so it streamlines my therapy sessions too. I haven’t had a single YouTube ad, and I haven’t noticed other ads popping up on websites.

I will say that, while it does block the ad on a website, there is often still the space where the ad would be. Often, a reader extension like ReadBee will remove those spaces and focus on the text.

Turn Autoplay Off

You don’t want your videos moving on without you.  Go to the settings icon to turn autoplay off.

Organization Tips for Therapy Videos

Now, I know what you’re thinking: how do I keep track of all these fantastic videos? 

Playlists

Yes, YouTube has playlists, and those are great, if you can use them.  Unfortunately, most of these videos are considered YouTube Kids videos, which means you can’t save them to a playlist.

Quick-Access Links – Essential Hack for YouTube in Therapy

Well, fear not! While you can’t save kid videos to your YouTube playlists, you can easily share them, copy the link, and paste it into a handy document for future reference. Don’t forget to set the start time for an even more streamlined list.

I have a document for my Emerging Language Classes that I keep on Outline Mode, and each of the above videos are under their own headings, so they are easy to find while I’m in a session.  It’s a simple trick that keeps everything organized and ready to roll whenever you need it.   

Want to see my list?  Subscribe below for my Early Learning Links and other exclusive freebies.  

Oh, and here’s a bonus hack: before you share and copy the link, set the video to start at exactly the right second to skip any unnecessary chatter at the beginning. Efficiency at its finest!

Want more Youtube resources for therapy?

Visit my Mrs. Speech Youtube Channel for playlists, or check out my next article: YouTube in Therapy for Older Students.

So, there you have it—YouTube isn’t just a time-sucking vortex; it’s a valuable tool for nurturing language development in our young ones. So go ahead, dive into the ‘Tube, and let the learning—and the fun—begin!

Until next time, my e-speechies,

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The post Unlocking Language Learning with YouTube: A Speech Therapist’s Guide appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

In the realm of speech-language therapy, engaging clients in meaningful activities that foster communication skills is paramount. However, maintaining motivation and enthusiasm throughout therapy sessions can sometimes be challenging. By infusing elements of play and competition into therapy activities, gamification not only makes learning more enjoyable but also enhances participation and accelerates progress. 

This is where gamification comes in as a powerful tool, a new term for something that most therapists have been using for decades.  Just about every pediatric therapist uses games like Bingo, “Feed the Monster”, and various board games to help motivate students.  But let’s really delve into how gamification can transform speech-language therapy into a dynamic and effective journey towards improved communication skills.

Goal of the Game

Before diving into gamification strategies, it’s crucial to establish the goal of the game in the therapy session.  Are we wanting to use the games to simply keep the student(s) motivated and engaged during the session, as a reward at the end of the session, or to help them take responsibility for their learning by tracking their correct vs their incorrect answers?  

Motivation and Engagement

For many of our kids, the games are simply a way to keep them motivated and engaged. These may be a range of various board games or free online games like four-in-a-row or snakes and ladders. These can be found at various websites such as calculators.org or coolmathgames.com. abcya.com is a favorite for younger games like making a cookie (following directions or using adjectives) or saving chicks (following/using positional words).

There are some modestly priced subscription sites as well, such as pinkcatgames.com, or ultimateslp.com. These are nice because the speech and language stimulus materials are integrated with the games.  You can make your own Jeopardy style game on Bamboozle for just about any subject (check out my growing collection), or use one of the many pre-made ones.  Educaplay also has many styles of games under the free tier that you can make or search for.  Genially is another platform that has many free game and lesson templates and is FERPA compliant.  Even simple push-button buzzers that kids can use when they know the answer makes question and answer activities more “gamey”.

Self-monitoring or effort

However, some students do really well with a bit more of a “push” in which they are given both positive and negative points (or teacher gets points).  Jeopardy-style, tally score, or scoreboards might be best for these students.  These work amazingly for those kids who are working on self-monitoring skills, or who are not giving thoughtful answers.

Additional Benefits

The beauty of gamification lies in its versatility. You can create a custom folder game based on student interests, if you are working in-person, or you can find free games online easily.  Open-ended games such as snakes and ladders can be used with mixed groups and create friendly competition.

Gamification can also promote collaboration and healthy competition among students. Group activities such as word games, role-playing scenarios, or collaborative storytelling encourage peer interaction and communication exchanges. Additionally, friendly competitions, whether in the form of timed challenges or team-based quizzes, inject an element of excitement and camaraderie into therapy sessions, and great opportunities for practice of social skills.

Gamification holds immense potential to make learning enjoyable, engaging, and effective.

Happy playing!

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The post Elevating Speech-Language Therapy Through Gamification: A Playful Path to Progress appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

The Myth of Having All the Answers

And if I didn’t have all the answers, well, by no means let the kids know, right?!!  Because then they’d take advantage.  They would run amok!  Gone would be any control I’d have over therapy sessions.

It’s been 24 years, ya’ll.  I don’t have all the answers.  Sorry to disappoint.  LOL.  Seems I’ve got fewer answers each year!  And you know what else?  Not only am I not a failure, not only do the kids not run amok. It seems to increase our rapport when I admit I don’t know something or show them a flaw.

Lessons in Vulnerability: My Stutter and More

For example, I have more stutterers this year than I’ve ever had before.  I also have recently suffered Post Concussive Disorder, which seems to have increased my “normal” stuttering.  So I have gotten into the habit of pointing out my repeated sounds and words to my students. 

I just shrug and say, “Look, there I stuttered again.” As if it was a hiccup.  Because, really, that pretty much describes what it feels like for me.  Take a moment and imagine how that would affect a middle school stutterer. Perhaps you could show them this TedxTalk video, about “The Power of a Stutter.”

Or maybe I have a question that they don’t answer correctly.  Sometimes I realize I didn’t ask it well – and I tell them that.  Sure, I’m an adult, and I may know more than they do, but I’m not infallible. They need to see me admit that with grace and humor. Have you ever tried to work with someone who can’t admit they were wrong?  Or tried to have a relationship with one?  I’m showing these kids they can admit they made an error with no judgement.

Beyond Perfection: Growth, Resilience, and Acceptance

This goes far beyond the concept of ableism.  This is the idea of teaching children that it is ok not to be perfect.  Some may call it Growth Mindset, some may call it resilience. There are many names for it.   It’s been recycled through the years.  Why?  Because we have tried to reach perfection from the dawn of history.

For years, I chased the elusive notion of perfection as an SLP, only to realize it hindered my connection with my students. I was so preoccupied with trying to be flawless that I forgot to truly engage during out sessions.  If I wasn’t engaged, then my students sure weren’t!  And what life lessons were they learning?  That they weren’t good enough the way they were?  That mistakes were bad?

Teaching Embracing Imperfection By Modeling

Each time I make a mistake, and show my students how to accept it with grace, I am teaching them that they don’t have to be perfect.  Giving them resilience so that their inevitable mistakes don’t push them down. They can work to be better. Yet, they are wonderful the way they are.  You know why AI generated people always look weird – it’s because they are too perfect!  We need our little idiosyncrasies!

So, forget about achieving 100 speech goals. What truly matters is nurturing a culture of acceptance and growth—one mistake at a time. After all, isn’t that the greatest lesson of all?

Love yourselves, my e-speechies!  ‘Till next time,

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The post Embracing Imperfection: Lessons Learned from 24 Years as an SLP appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

Hey there, fellow data crunchers! Let’s talk about that rollercoaster ride we all know too well: student progress graphs. You know, the ones that seem to have a mind of their own, going up, down, and sometimes just chilling in the middle? Yeah, those.

As a therapist, I’ve had my fair share of moments where I’ve stared at those graphs and wondered, “Am I actually making a difference here?” It’s like a never-ending game of second-guessing ourselves. And certainly, the system is set up to tell us that graphs like these say “Yes, you are doing it wrong.”  But here’s the thing: those graphs don’t tell the whole story.

Mood

Behind every data point is a whole bunch of stuff happening in our students’ lives. Take mood, for example. Ever had a session where your student seemed off, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on why? Mood plays a big role in how our students engage with therapy and how they tackle the material we throw their way.  And there are SOOOO many things that can affect our students’ moods…especially those of us that are working with secondary students.  Am I right?!!!

Check-Ins

That’s why I started thinking about doing a quick vibe check at the start of each session. Just a simple “How are you feeling today?” can give us a lot of insight into what might be going on behind the scenes.  Sometimes, those kids that don’t like to answer “How are you?” will respond to “What’s the best thing about today?” 

Or, maybe for those students who are more up and down than others, a more formal scaled check-in for you to track and see if your data matches with their mood. It’s all about acknowledging the human side of therapy and recognizing that emotions matter just as much as data points.  And truly, it can affect rapport and make therapy more effective in the long term.

Background Knowledge

And let’s not forget about background knowledge and interest levels. Some students might be struggling because they’re missing some basic building blocks.  Background knowledge that
we used to be able to assume is no longer universal, especially with this generation of kids affected by COVID and the increase of screen time, who may have missed out on those activities such as birthday parties and camping.  

Interest Level

As far as interest level, well, we all know how that goes!  And once they can’t be kept interested by a game while they work, it can be quite a struggle to keep the eye rolls down.  I try to keep interest level higher by giving students choices, even if it is in which activity we will do first.  My secondary students are almost all reading short stories that they have picked out from several choices that I have curated for them from genres they have requested.  This has really seemed to help keep their interest levels up, and I am able to address nearly every goal with these stories.

Speech-Language Artists

So here’s the deal: therapy is equal parts science and art. Sure, data is important, but it’s not the whole story. We’ve gotta cut ourselves some slack and remember that progress isn’t always a straight line. It’s more like a crazy zigzag with a few loops thrown in for good measure.  And we are the artists!  There’s a reason we have that Master’s degree and a triple of C’s behind our names.

At the end of the day, what really matters is the impact we have on our students’ lives. It’s about creating a space where they feel supported, valued, and understood. So let’s keep doing what we do best, knowing that our efforts extend far beyond those pesky progress graphs. After all, it’s the human connections that truly make a difference.  As Maya Angelou said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  

So give your kids that kind of memory, and work on the goals in the meantime. 

Here’s to you, my word artists! 

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The post Beyond the Numbers: Interpreting Progress with Heart appeared first on Mrs. Speech Online.

Then life threw a curveball, and I resigned from the schools.  I ended up taking a position with a teletherapy company and providing services to various schools.  I was hesitant at first, but after working as a teletherapist for six months, I can say I completely LOVE it!

Comfort

Need I say it? Yoga pants!!!  Business on top, (slumber) party on bottom, am I right?!!  I had a 40 minute, each way, commute before, now I walk down the hall to my office.  I can run to the bathroom or to get a coffee refill or a snack whenever I need.  And have I mentioned no boogers on my stuff?!  I haven’t had a sick day from any child-borne illnesses so far!

Variety

Not all teletherapists have the variety I do, but I have students ranging from mild middle school students to non-verbal kindergarteners.  I enjoy the different caseloads, although it does mean a bit more prep as there is more diversity in goals and materials.  In the morning I get to talk about animal sounds, and in the afternoon I get to teach /r/, and the next day I’m teaching a great short story to work on language skills.

Use of Time

When I worked in the schools, a good part of my time was spent doing duty, attending teacher meetings, filling out paperwork required by the district, completing screenings I was unable to take any action on, performing before or after school requirements such as parent-teacher meetings whether or not I actually had any parents wishing to meet.  Since I was on a contract, I was paid by year, and these times were all under a blanket “duties of the position” statement.

As a teletherapist, I am paid for indirect time as well as direct time.  This differs somewhat from one teletherapy company from another, but from my, admittedly limited, experience, this is typical.  I only attend meetings that directly affect my students.  I feel like I am able to return back to my actual occupation!

Freedom of Scheduling

Along the same lines, I get to draw the lines of my schedule.  I don’t want to work past three?  Then I say I’m not willing to.  I only want to work 30 hours a week?  Then that’s what we shoot for.  I’ve also found that the schools that I work with are more willing to work with me as far as scheduling than I experienced when I worked in a district.  Perhaps I’m just in a sweet spot?  Time will tell.  But I’m loving it right now!

Less Drama

All those powerplays that you couldn’t keep out of in the schools are far less apparent as a teletherapist.  Because we aren’t physically there, we don’t hear the conversations in the halls or the teacher’s lounge. It’s much the same as being at a school part time, where you see your handful of kids and leave.  This, for me, was a fantastic load off my shoulders, because that kind of conflict stresses me out – and there was always someone who was running to me complaining about something.  Now, this can be a drawback as well, especially if you thrive on those connections.  But you can also make connections with your team of teletherapists.

Efficacy of Therapy

Now, do I think I can do therapy as well through a computer as I can in-person?  Yes!  Now, that being said, there are, of course, some caveats.  The method of therapy should be considered for each client just as the time, length and frequency of therapy should be considered.  Often, as my younger students have, a facilitator may be present to aid the client in attention and accessing the technology. 

Other clients may need a different service model that is more of a parent training model.  A setup that includes a separate camera that shows the student’s AAC device so you can see their key presses, or other modifications might be necessary.  With flexibility and creativity, there really is a lot more you can do in teletherapy than you ever thought!

Drawbacks

Ok, yes, I miss the goodies in the teachers’ lounge.  And I REALLY miss the hugs and actually seeing my kiddos.  Sometimes, it is challenging when I have a student that just can’t get a specific speech sound…but I’m not sure being in person would help that either.  Tech issues can be frustrating, when the microphone isn’t catching a nuance of sound or the connection isn’t good.  But there were also times when the hallway outside my room, or the room beside my room, or the restroom beside my room, were so loud that I had trouble then too.  So I might be comparing apples and oranges there.

I’m not necessarily writing this to convert any of ya’ll from in-person therapists to teletherapists, but definitely, should it come to you, don’t be afraid of it.  It could be your next great thing!

If you want to know more about teletherapy, or the company I contract with (starting on my third year with them), feel free to reach out!

If you are interested in the topic of teletherapy, you might also be interested in my comprehensive guide, “So You Want to Be a Teletherapist.” It covers all these topics and more, including setting up your workspace, navigating legal documents like BAAs, and building a secure and efficient digital practice from the ground up!

Want a taste? Subscribe to my newsletter today to get the entire Chapter 3! This 26-page guide walks you through setting up your home office with the right hardware and peripherals to optimize your virtual practice while staying HIPAA-compliant.

Until next time, keep on clicking, my e-speechies!

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