Do you love file folder activities? I do- I love their portability, effectiveness, and re-useability! However, I made the mistake of buying a 9-inch laminator instead of a 13-inch laminator, so until this one breaks, I can't laminate my file folder activities. And an un-laminated file-folder activity is basically just some disorganized worksheets. 

But wait! I recently discovered a hack to get use out of my file folder activities without having to laminate the folders themselves! 
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I love Christmas and Hanukkah- themed activities, but in many settings, they are not appropriate or allowed. So how to continue using relevant themes? Enter the Winter theme! Up here in PA, I can use winter activities from December through February, or March on a bad year. I've made a list of my favorite go-to activities to help you get through the post-break slump!

Are you an SLP or special educator who works with kindergarten through middle school-aged students? Are you looking for evidence-based activities that will work for language, articulation, fluency, and social skills goals? What if I told you that such activities exist, and better yet, that they are FREE? The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) has developed activities geared for students in kindergarten through 5th grade, although I have successfully modified them to work with preschoolers through 8th graders.

If you're like me, you might love the *idea* of continuing education, but finding the time and money for it is the hard part! In my state (PA), SLP's have historically been required to have a Teaching Certificate, which mandates 180 hours of continuing education every 5 years (that's 36 hours per year), along with the hours we need for ASHA and our state licenses. It can be a headache trying to figure out what counts for which license! Thankfully, I have found some great sites that offer online webinars and courses for free. 

It's almost that wonderful time of year again- Back to School time, when the new school supplies are wafting their irresistible scent from the Target aisles and school employees everywhere are doing our best to enjoy these last few days of summer. It's also almost time to start seeing Speech Room Style pics all over social media, with amazing rooms/closets/offices decorated by creative SLP's from around the world. I love to see their creativity in action, but as an itinerant SLP, I can never really join in. For most of my career, my car trunk has been my office, and I didn't even have a permanent desk spot until last year. I know I'm not the only one, so I wanted to give some tips that have helped me stay organized on the road. Amazon and TPT links included for your convenience. 

It's only July, but many parents are already thinking (dreaming? ) about their children going back to school. The districts near me start back the last week of August, which is only 8 weeks away! As a speech therapist, parents often ask me if their preschooler is ready for kindergarten. In my district, children must be 5 years old by September 30th in order to enter Kindergarten each fall. When I was growing up, the cut-off date was in October, but there was more leeway and I was able to start as a 4 year old with a November birthday. My mom said that I nagged her to go to kindergarten, so off I went! Back then, I remember learning some letters, doing a lot of crafts, and finally mastering how to tie my shoes that year, but the expectations for current kindergarten students are much higher.

So school has been in session for a little while. Things are going well- your child is having a good time, you haven't forgotten anyone's lunch, and you've gotten them to school (mostly) on time every day! Then one day your child comes home with a form that says they failed their speech and language screening. It hits you out of the blue- your child isn't doing as well in school as you'd hoped. You have so many questions- Does this mean they are dumb? Did I do something wrong in raising them? Where do I go from here? 

Don't worry, I am here to explain the process of speech and language screening in schools. I have worked in schools for many years, and the screening process is similar across most districts.

Back-to-school time: when the  smell of new crayons, paper, and books fills the air, and parents and kids are counting down the days (for different reasons).  Back-to-school sales are in full swing and kids need the latest and trendiest school supplies. I have worked at least partly in schools for my entire career, so I have never had to miss the thrill of excitement I get from shopping for new pens, paper, and other school supplies. As each year gets in to gear, however, I have noticed that a lot of kiddos start the year thinking they have everything they need for school, but end up needing my speech services as the year progresses. According to ASHA, speech and language impairments can negatively affect child's school work in the following ways: 

If you follow my Facebook page, you have probably seen a lot of links that have to do with AAC. You may be wondering, "What is AAC? Is she just saying the ABC's wrong?" Well, AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. According to ASHA,  it " includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. We all use AAC when we make facial expressions or gestures, use symbols or pictures, or write." So, AAC is basically using any method other than speaking to communicate. If you sent a text today, you used AAC!