The ABA Speech Podcast - Easy Strategies For Parents and Professionals

I first found Calonda Henry on TikTok, where she shares tons of great tips and information for parents and professionals. Calonda is a Florida based SLP where she owns a certified Woman and Minority owned practice, Broad Horizons Speech Therapy. With summer here, many learners are not receiving their school based speech and language services and parents may want to know how to help. As parents, we want to do the very best for our child and it can feel overwhelming and intimidating to need to "carryover therapy" on your own in the summer. Calonda reminds families that speech and language practice can be generalized in your everyday environment, and can be free, easy and very natural. You don't have to plan the perfect table activity to get really enriching practice for your child. In everyday activities and simple interactions, there are so many opportunities to practice general or specific speech goals. Scavenger Hunt: Are you taking a walk outside? Are you going to the grocery store? Look for items that start with certain letter sounds, practice and emphasize this sound as you find items.Categories: Find items in your house that only fit into certain categories or belong in a certain room, label them, ask questions, and practice them.Movement: practice sounds and vocabulary in isolation by making up movements and dances while saying the sounds or words.Car rides: Play car games like I Spy or ask WH questionsHeadbands: This is a great family game you can purchase or DIY that works on a variety of skills like vocabulary, attributes, asking questions, and yes/no responses.Screen time: For many families, screen time and technology use is bound to happen, create conversation and ask questions around the game your child is playing or download a fun educational app that can build in practiceGames: Family game time uses and practices many fundamental skills such as executive functioning, planning, social, NS back and forth communicationThe most important tip: Interact together, at the end of the day interaction with your child is so powerful for practicing all of their speech and language goals. Play games, ask questions, read books, talk about your activities or meals. This creates a low demand setting where your child can generalize their speech and language goals while having fun.#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:How to support speech, language, and social goals in the summer.Games and simple ideas for speech practice this summer.How parents can generalize speech practice into their everyday environment.Why practicing speech and language goals can be simple and low demand activities.Mentioned In This Episode:Broad Horizons Speech Therapy (@broadhorizonsspeech) TikTokBroad Horizons Speech Therapy - InstagramBroad Horizons Speech Therapy Speech, Language, and Education Parent Support Group of FloridaMeet Calonda Henry of Broad Horizons Speech TherapyABA Speech: Home

Dr. Trina Spencer has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for the last 21 years and is currently a Fulbright Scholar at the Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in South Africa. Today, she shares about her career journey, and all of the incredible and inspiring work she is doing in the field. Dr. Spencer's goal is to encourage research-practitioner partnerships, interprofessional collaboration, and anti-ableist practices. On the day of our recording, Dr. Spencer was celebrating the launch of ECHO Autism - South Africa. ECHO Autism is a virtual learning network of providers offering real-time access to autism and behavioral experts. This advisory board of Echo Autism is the first on the continent of Africa.Among her research and fascinating work, she has designed instructional tools. Story Champs is a multi-tiered system of language instruction used in a variety of educational settings across several countries. This structured program provides robust teaching procedures that allow for use in one on one settings as well as small or large groups. Story Champs includes 65 lessons that scale from preschool to 3rd grade. Goals in this system include story retelling, personal stories, fictional stories, writing personal stories, and answering WH questions but the scope and skills included with this instruction are vast! Social academic language is promoted throughout the instruction as well as in use in the reading opportunities taken straight from the learner's social studies and science curriculum. The CUBED Assessment is a free downloadable comprehensive assessment that works great with story champs but can also be used and accessed independently of that program as well.  "The CUBED is a family of screening and progress monitoring tools that accurately, reliably, and efficiently measure decoding, language comprehension, and their product, reading. There are two main subtests of the CUBED – The Dynamic Decoding Measures and the Narrative Language Measures, which together measure 18 targets." - Language Dynamics GroupI am so excited to follow along with all the AMAZING work Dr. Spencer is doing and will continue to do in the field. Be sure to check out all the amazing linked resources she shared today to purchase Story Champs, download CUBED, and so many more freebies!#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:How Dr. Trina Spencer is bringing interprofessional collaboration and anti-ableist practices to South Africa.What is Echo Autism?What is Story Champs?All about a multi-tiered system of language instruction.Cubed: A free comprehensive assessment.How to find Dr. Trina Spencer’s plethora of resources.Mentioned In This Episode: Trina’s Tool BoxLanguage Dynamics GroupNorthern Speech ServicesABA Speech: Home

With the traditional school year coming to an end, SLPs and parents may be wondering how you can support your learners' communication throughout the summer months. I was so excited when I happened upon Bridget’s, from Speech Therapy Talk, blog post all about summer speech activities! She is on today’s episode to share 11 fun, easy, and affordable ways to get outside, enjoy the summer, AND practice communication skills. Whether you’re continuing speech therapy through the summer in a private setting, a school SLP looking for ideas to share with families, or a parent ready to continue the work from speech therapy at home this summer, these are GREAT tips that both you and your learner will be sure to enjoy!Water - Fill up a rain barrel or other water-holding receptacle and PLAY. There are opportunities for concepts like wet and dry, vocabularies like fill or dump, requesting tools as well as articulation.Bubbles - Store-bought or try to make your own giant bubbles. Practice early words like open and pop, concepts like big and small, and articulation.Sand - Kids get excited with sand. This is a great sensory activity and super engaging. Try hiding objects in the sand and labeling them when finding them, as well as trying sensory and action words.Hula Hoop - Sound of shaking them, rolling the hoop, jumping into the middle, or using as a target, hula hoops can be used as a very active tool in a diverse way to sprinkle in whatever goals you’re working on. Skill ideas: imitation, colors, action words, joint activity.Chalk - Drawing pictures, roads for toy cars or bikes, and writing words, this is an easily diversified and engaging activity that can cue any skill.Flower Walk - Walk around town or your neighborhood and look for flowers! You can count, identify colors, label, and work on articulation. Use it as a scavenger hunt with a very specific purpose!Follow the Leader - *With a Twist* - Take turns hiding items outside and give directions to find it. Skills: Prepositions and giving and understanding directions.Explorers - Go exploring, try going to a new place and use “explorer” vocabulary: Find, Discover, Look, See, etc. A great space for spontaneous communication!Nature - Collect nature items and create scenes and stories. Skills: Who/Where/Why questions, setting, imaginative play, etc. Balls - Use all different types and sizes. Roll, throw, toss, etc. This is an active and engaging activity that can be used for whatever goal you’re working on. Find an Item - Go outside and look for something specific. Skill: Thinking and reasoning. These are activities that just SCREAM summer to me. Many of these tools are free, lying around your therapy room or house, or very affordable! The great thing about these activities is the scope for practicing varying skills is huge, you can apply almost any skill or goal to these activities and have fun doing it! If you want to learn more about Bridget, her ideas, and resources, you can visit the Speech Therapy Talk website!#speechtherapy #autismWhat’s Inside:Ideas for working on communication during the summer.11 ways to support your client’s or child’s communication during the summer months.How to make working on communication FUN!Creating natural, functional practice opportunities for home.Easy, accessible, affordable activities for summer communication practice.How to get outside and practice communication.How to turn common family activities into communication practice.Mentioned In This Episode: Speech Therapy TalkSpeech Therapy Talk MembershipABA Speech: Home

It can often be intimidating to get started and understand working with students with complex communication needs. Dr. David Rehfeld is a dual certified, SLP and BCBA and an assistant professor who joins me today to discuss the importance of support to students using AAC and their caregivers.The individuals who spend the most time with a client need to have the most buy-in when it comes to effectively using AAC. Dr. Rehfeld encourages this support with Caregiver Coaching. Caregivers are any of the people your client spends more time with than you, parents, guardians, teachers, and one on one support staff. The goal of Caregiver Coaching is to minimize perceived effort to make the most impact. Providers working with caregivers often have ideas of “easy” ways to integrate the AAC device into routines but should consider unique needs and preferences that assimilate into their existing life. Caregiver Coaching is provided using the Behavior Skills Training Model. BST is evidence based practice to provide instruction to facilitate success of skill mastery. Dr. Rehfeld explains it in four phases.Phase One - Understand: What are we working on? Why is it important?Phase Two - Model: Show and demonstrate the skill. Phase Three - Observe: Encourage and provide opportunities to practice.Phase Four - Feedback: What are you doing well? What can you improve on?When you’re helping someone with AAC, you’re not just helping one student but you’re helping all of the future AAC users this person works with in the future. Keep in mind the importance of rapport, and positive reinforcement by providing praise when you see caregivers doing the right things!Dr. Rehfeld is active in working with students aspiring to work in the speech pathology field. You can find him at the many conferences he attends or speaks at. Dr. Rehfeld encourages others in the field to attend conferences, seek out resources, and keep adding as many tools to their belt to help their clients as they can.#speechtheraphy #autism What’s Inside:Helping students with complex communication needs.Supporting students with AAC.How to support teachers and providers who are working with students using AAC.Why is caregiver coaching important?What is Behavior Skills Training (BST)?What are the four phases of BST?Mentioned In This Episode: Start Communicating Today Live - ABA SpeechABA Speech: Home

Many times, assessments and standardized tests don’t tell the whole story of the learner. So, what do you do when you’re overwhelmed with where to start with a younger nonspeaking or autistic learner. When I first started my career I remember being discouraged at times and with a lack of the resources available unlike what we have today, I had to find the information myself and blaze that trail. Today I want to share how I get started with these learners, to help them find their voice and start communicating today. Top 8 Foundational skills for young autistic learners: 1. Joint Attention - There is power in shared activities, a time that generates spontaneous communication. Both the therapist and the learner in an activity surrounding Literacy, Music, or Play. Check out the episode for my list of favorites!2. Imitation - Keep it fun and functional by practicing during play. The key is playing with similar items in a way that the child will want to repeat. For example, role-play with a baby doll.3. Requesting - Work on meaningful words that can make communication powerful for a student's real life. Specific requesting skills teach students that communicating can get them something!4. Matching - There are so many great skills that come along with matching like scanning and engagement. I share a bit about how I use my favorite resource and modify matching games to work with the students' level.5. Play - Play routines and leisure skills are SO important. Work on playing with fun games, shape sorting, and building around their language level.6. Following One-Step Directions - This is critical not only in school but at home. Be sure to think about your kids and how their communication impacts their day outside of the therapy room. Examples: “Put your coat on” “Stand by the door” etc.7. Labeling - Students should be comfortable talking about things in their environment. Be aware of your students' level and chronological age, is it appropriate to use flashcards? Or is it important to work on it during play?8. Fill in the Blank - “Ready…Set….___” This skill starts with, “I say something, you say something”, which opens the door for so much communication, like asking and answering questions!All of my advice today comes from my experience in private practice, where I am afforded the opportunity to work one on one. Be sure to take into account all of your circumstances, therapy opportunities, and resources when planning to individualize these skills to your students. If you have questions or want to know more about my favorite resources discussed in today’s episode, you can always contact me at ABA Speech.#ABASpeechTherapy #AutismWhat’s Inside:How to know where to start in intervention?What to do when assessments don’t deliver clear results.Helping students find their voice and start communicating today.Real Foundational Skills that can be individualized to your students.Mentioned In This Episode: Start Communicating Today Live - ABA SpeechABA Speech: Home

I think it’s so important to think outside of the box when engaging our students in therapy. Today I am talking with Kim and Amy from Talk Yoga, two SLP friends who met at work and combined their passion for speech and yoga to help their clients grow.Not only is Yoga a fun, engaging activity in itself but as a trained yoga instructor, Amy has adapted poses for her clients into what she calls Articulation Poses. Talk Yoga really believes in the whole body of the child and how all of their physical movements inform the movements inside the mouth. Articulation poses are modified versions that connect to oral motor skills for articulation and connect the body to the mouth. Another use for yoga that Amy and Kim embed into their practice is teaching vocabulary using alliteration associated with movements. For younger students, skills like labeling, imitation, and even imagination work can be really engaging through yoga. Yoga is a shared activity and leisure skill that can be benefited from across the lifespan, Amy and Kim emphasize that their work can be applied to any age range. As a therapist, it can be difficult to find shared activities that generalize into the community or home, but yoga is perfect for this. Yoga is accessible to anyone and families can enjoy yoga together as a connecting activity. One tool Amy and Kim use is allowing the student to become the teacher, having students dictate and verbalize the poses creates so many language opportunities!Yoga is a practice grounded in breathwork, calm, and mindfulness. Amy and Kim embed this into each and every one of their sessions, starting with breathwork. The best part of this is it not only calms and prepares your client, but you as the therapist can enter the best headspace to be there with your client. I know firsthand that I see spontaneous communication explode in shared activities like Yoga. Amy and Kim provide so many tips and ideas for embedding yoga into your therapy sessions, I can’t wait for you to try them!#autism #speechtheraphyWhat’s Inside:How to incorporate yoga in speech therapy.What skills can you work on with yoga in speech therapy?How to engage students and have fun in speech therapy?Embedding yoga into daily work with communication.How starting sessions with breathing exercises can benefit the therapist and the client.The importance of shared activity and leisure skills across the lifespan. Mentioned In This Episode: Start Communicating Today Live - ABA SpeechABA Speech: HomeTalk YogaTalk Yoga SLP Podcast

In my 20 years of experience, I have divided my time between school-based and private setting therapy. I have dedicated my career to autistic learners and today I want to share my TOP TEN tips on developing an IEP and conducting a successful smooth IEP meeting. These tips will ensure you are prepared, remain calm, and work to the benefit of the student, especially when working on more difficult cases for students who are non-typical or non-speaking.Record Review - The last comprehensive evaluation is very important. Has your student had an evaluation from an outside provider? What has the student previously worked on? Do they have prior IEPs and what do they look like?New Evaluations - What is the right evaluation for the student? My personal favorite is the VB-MAPP, I love the way it looks at language and communication. I also recommend the Functional Communication Profile - Revised, and the Assessment of Functional Living Skills is great for older students. Additionally, there are Speech Therapy Tests such as the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, The Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals. Communicate with ALL Members of the Team - This includes teachers, parents, school-based providers, and any outside providers.Questions for Developing Goals - Do the targets take the learner's chronological age into account? Are the goals informed by typical development? Are these goals ambitious enough? How will achieving these goals improve the learner's quality of life? Are major barriers to progress considered? Are safety risks addressed?Shared Goals - The speech therapist collaborates with the teacher on speech goals. The goal is developed together and practice is embedded throughout the learner's day. For example, A Cooperative Leisure goal worked on across both spaces, in therapy, and in the general classroom. Specific, Measurable, and Consistent Goals - Ask yourself if the goals are specific? Are they measurable? And if another teacher, parent, or professional read them, would they make sense? Foundational Skills are important for younger, nonspeaking learners. These can include joint attention, imitation, requesting, and matching. For older students, ask can goals be tied to leisure and vocation.Data Collection - Consider how you're going to take data while you're writing the goals.Baseline Data - For autistic learners especially, be sure to include baseline data in the present section of the IEP. Baseline data is crucial to inform goals and to show progress.Send a Draft Home - Get Feedback! Some parents may have lawyers, advocates, outside providers, etc. It is important to make sure all members of the team are aware of the IEP goals and incorporate and embed the feedback that you can.Hold the Meeting, Work with the Team, and Create an Amazing Plan for your Students!#austism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:Top 10 Tips for a successful IEP Process.Helpful tips and strategies to use today.All about school-based IEP development for autistic learners.Working on an IEP with a large team.How to handle non-typical or difficult situations in an IEP meeting.Mentioned In This Episode: ABA Speech: HomeStart Communicating Today Live

Are you feeling stressed? Are you feeling like you just can’t achieve that work-life balance? May tends to be a tough time for many providers, educators, and even parents. Today I talk with Marie Muratalla, SLP, Podcaster, Mindset Coach, and creator of the Say Thanks More Gratitude Journal.Like many of us, in 2020 when the COVID shutdown began, Marie struggled to bear the weight of her job. In a time when her job was no longer what it was, she battled her personal identity and where that separated from her work identity. This began her business, grounded in the practice of gratitude which she was always passionate about, Marie created Thanks More Gratitude Journals and advocated for the use of mindful habits to set boundaries and create joy.Marie’s Mindful Habits1. Daily Gratitude Practice: Try journaling or starting small by writing down one thing you’re thankful for. It can be at any part of your day and can be as simple as a dedicated 5 minutes during your morning coffee or before bed. 2. Morning Meditation: Marie practices 3 minutes of meditation each morning, it doesn’t have to be the same amount of time. It can be whatever works for you. But locking that time in to ground yourself and let go of all other thoughts for just a moment is so important.3. Bring Presence into your Routine: Whether it's even yoga, affirmations, journaling, meditation….Set intentions and a time to be present for yourself. Marie shared some great apps that she uses to build these routines into her day. Something so many struggle with is work-life balance. Marie’s number one solution to this is setting boundaries. It can be hard but try to focus on where you are at the moment, and not bring thoughts about work home or into your weekend. For Marie, this means removing her work email from her phone and being firm with colleagues when they ask her questions outside of work. Mindfulness and gratitude practices are research-based and are proven to reduce stress and increase joy and productivity. Studies have shown that by participating in a gratitude practice, like journaling, you are increasing serotonin levels and decreasing cortisol levels. This practice reduces stress because you are able to take ownership of your emotions and feelings and you are putting it into a safe place.  The more you practice these, the more you bring yourself to that balance present place.Try these tips yourself by introducing these positive habits one small step at a time. If you’d like to learn more about Marie Muratalla or the Say Thanks More Community, you can find her on her website or on social media.#autism #speechtheraphyWhat’s Inside:How can a daily gratitude practice benefit your mindset?How can you shift your mindset to create balance with work?Tips for creating mindful habits in your daily life.How burnout can create stress in work and life.How a mind-shift set can effectively reduce burnout and benefit mental health.Why it is important to set boundaries to create a work-life balance.Mentioned In This Episode: Thanks MorrisMarie on (@thanksmorris) • Instagram photos and videosMarie on (@thanksmorris) TikTokDown DogI am - Daily Affirmations on the App StoreAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad OnesABA Speech: HomeStart Communicating Today

I have been following Theresa Richard’s business journey for a while and when I recently learned about her son’s autism diagnosis, I had to learn more about her. Theresa is an SLP, Board Certified Specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders, Business owner, Podcaster, Author,  and creator of the MedSLP Collective. She started her business in 2013, began blogging in 2014, and moved into the podcast world in 2017. I have really enjoyed following her work and Theresa does an excellent job disseminating information in a lesser-known field.Theresa proclaims that she has such a passion for helping children with special needs. She recently sold one of her mobile FEES businesses and donated all proceeds to the foundation, set up in her son’s honor.  Theresa’s son was born with an extremely rare chromosomal abnormality. There was no concrete syndrome which was extremely lonely to not be able to find a support group or community. Her journey brought her family on a big move from New York to Florida to seek out therapy for her son at age 5. During the assessments to receive a therapy placement, her son received the shocking diagnosis of Autism.  While this knowledge was surprising and unexpected, it affected their lives in a positive way. This diagnosis opened the door to a whole new world of support. In Florida, under this diagnosis, Theresa has been able to find the perfect school and specialized therapists that see him at school. A team working toward the benefit of your child is so important, and Theresa speaks out to families to let them know that facilities and schools, and therapists who are ready to work toward that are out there. Theresa on her journey has had a variety of experiences and she shares her advice for providers from a parent's perspective: open-ended, nonjudgmental communication is vital. She makes these conversations, questions, and discussions an important part of her son’s therapy plans. Theresa’s parting words for parents new to the journey of autism, is to not be afraid to reach out. Social media and groups can be a negative place but don’t go there, surround yourself in the positive groups and the positive voices. As an autism mother it can be scary and lonely but there are people out there who want to help and support you!You can follow Theresa Richard and her journey by checking out her website or following her on social media!#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:Theresa Richards's business journey as an SLP.How to find the school right for your child's needs?Utilizing external therapists in a school setting?Parent advice for SLPs and therapists.A family's unique autism journey.Parent to parent advice on a diagnosis of autism. The importance of support in handling a diagnosis.Mentioned In This Episode:Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Mightier. We make video games that help kids build their emotional strength. Learn how to #beMightier at www.mightier.com— MedSLP Collective— Theresa Richard Medical SLP— TheresaRichardSLP on Instragram— Theresa Richard on Facebook— So You're Having Trouble Swallowing Paperback – August 11, 2021— ABA Speech: Home 

I am always interested in learning more about the variety of students I can help. Today I am interviewing Annie DiVello, an SLP who specializes in Selective Mutism. At the time Annie was in grad school, it was believed that selective mutism was more of a mental health disorder and that SLPs were not involved, but even now there is still a real lack of information or resources both in school and in private practice.What is Selective Mutism?Selective Mutism (SM)  is essentially a phobia of speaking, along with comorbidities. This fear of speaking can be attached to a singular person, people, or places, during certain activities. Selective Mutism often occurs along with anxiety disorders or other speech disorders.Supporting Learners with Selective Mutism:Annie discusses the importance of a ‘Round Table’ of support for students with Selective Mutism. These learners cannot be worked with in isolation and should be supported by a variety of professionals that are experts in the complex variety of needs of students with selective mutism. When it comes to assessment, Annie directs the question about performance vs. skills and ability. A student's performance is not always indicative of their skills, especially in the case of Selective Mutism. Annie provides some tips for SLPs to collect this information, including parent interviews and respectful videoing. Selective Mutism can be effectively diagnosed with a multidisciplinary team at the age of 30 months. Getting started with therapy for students with Selective Mutism:Who is the student and what are their needsBring in Selective Mutism expertsImplement a comprehensive plan with monthly progress monitoringWork on communication confidence: one on one work with a key workerUtilize an integrated team approachSmall steps programming, beware of rapid exposure As a school-based clinician, you may not come across students with Selective Mutism,  but working with experts like Annie DiVello is such a key piece in developing a framework for your therapy with students with more complex needs. This episode is packed with great tips for SLPs working with learners of all ages. Annie is an ASHA-approved CEU trainer, you can find out more about her and her work on her website, AnnieDiVello.com.#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:What is Selective Mutism?How to build a roundtable of support for learners with selective mutism.Being a ‘Brave Voice Coach’ for learners with selective mutism.Strategies for younger and older learners with selective mutism.Mentioned In This Episode: Annie DiVello Consulting ABA Speech: Home