Fab Find Friday: 9/27/2013

Anyone feel like this was a slow week?  Last week flew by, this week seemed to drag on and on!  I hope yours was better than mine!   Even though it wasn't the best week, there were some great finds in the blogging world.  Check them out!

1. Jenn at Crazy Speech World posted about pirates and a craftivity! Check out her post here.

2.  Have you seen the Hump Day commercial? You know, the one with the camel?  So great right?  Rose at Cooking Up Good Speech posted about using commercials in therapy! Love her ideas. Check out her post here.   Here's the commercial:



3. Carrie at Carrie's Speech Corner posted about the Expanding Expression Tool (EET).  Check out her introductory post here.

4. Maureen at The Speech Bubble posted about executive functions.  Check out her informative post here.

5. Rachel at The Queen's Speech posted a new product called Word a Day or Week Wall using a pocket chart.  Check out her idea here.

6. Shannon at Speechy Musings posted a new product for adult clients- a memory/orientation book!!  Check it out here.

7.  I guest posted over at Allison's Speech Peeps this week! In case you missed it, check it out here.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend!

Note: All pictures have been used with permission.

Word Vault {app review}

I'm excited to show you a new app today from Home Speech Home!  This app is called Word Vault, and it is exactly what it sounds like! I hope you love it as much as I do!! Check it out:

The basics:
-There are over 30,000 words, phrases, and sentences in this app
-There are over 200 categories
-Words can be sorted by sound, blend, place, syllable, or language content
-Word lists include: 87 articulation lists, 80 language lists, 30 phonology lists, and 26 social lists
-This app is designed for professionals and parents

When you first open the app, you'll be taken to this menu screen.  On the bottom, you will see the navigation bar.  The far left takes you back to this screen.

The second one allows you to switch between lists if you have more than one open.

The envelope (third one) allows you to email the content to yourself or parents.

The fourth one gives information about how the app can be used for specific areas (articulation, apraxia, fluency, voice, phonology, etc).

The question mark (fifth one) displays the button functions.  So if you don't have this review sitting in front of you and forget something, you can click on that and it will remind you what to do!

So basically this app is a HUGE set of word lists organized by categories to make it easy for you.  Pretty awesome, right??  Here are some examples of the word lists for you:

Why I Like This App:
-It is very easy to use and navigate.
-It is full of word lists for the common targets we need words for on a daily basis!
-You are already carrying your iPad around so it is with you at all times!
-You don't need to carry around a bulky book.
-It is extremely comprehensive in terms of content.
-You can email the lists to yourself or to parents.
-These can be used during therapy, as carryover, in the classroom, or as homework activities.
-You can target almost anything with it!  The app has ideas for articulation, apraxia, fluency, voice, phonology, phonological awareness, language, and social concepts.  There may be more!!

This app is available on iTunes for $9.99 at the time of this review!

Would you use this app?? 

Pseudo-Stuttering Reflection

On Friday, I posted on the Facebook page that I had just completed a pseudo-stuttering assignment and that I had had quite the experience.  I also asked if any of you had to do the assignment during graduate school.  A lot of you said yes and shared your experiences.  THANK YOU for doing that! I loved hearing about it, and I'm glad you enjoyed the discussion! I wanted to share with you what my experience was with it, so I'll share my reflection that I wrote for class with you. I've taken out details for privacy purposes.  

Before The Assignment

Leading up to the time that we completed this assignment, I was not thrilled about it. I had already complete this assignment in my very first speech-language pathology class ever (intro), did not really like it then, and was not happy about having to complete it yet another time. I was feeling annoyed and was dreading having to complete it. I feel awkward doing this type of assignment and do not really know that it achieves what every professor hopes it will. I even texted my partner for the project that morning and said, “I don’t want to do this.” We honestly (mostly) put it off to the Friday before the assignment was due. Yes, we were avoiding doing it.

Face-To-Face Experiences

We finally mustered up the courage to do the assignment and told ourselves we just had to do it, even if we did not agree with the assignment. The first place we went for me to stutter was a healthcare fair with potential employers. Perhaps this was a mistake to stutter there, but I wanted to see how someone who hires health care employers would react. I anticipated they would probably be taken aback by it but would not necessarily be discriminatory, since they would be hiring SLPs who work with people who stutter. I was extremely nervous during it, since these are people I would actually want to be by. I think the one employer from a hospital that I will not name for their protection was shocked when I started stuttering with repetitions. He seemed offended that I would talk to him and would not engage in any sort of conversation. I asked him if they accepted CFs (clinical fellows), to which he responded, “Ummmm no.” It was quite rude, and he refused to continue the conversation after that. I just walked away and did not continue talking to employers. I was shocked and honestly disheartened that someone in our field could react that way!!  

A few days later, we set out to complete the rest of the assignment. We went to the coffee shop in the student center so I could order a drink. I chose a “Tall Vanilla Swirl” so that I could use repetitions on the /t/ and /v/. I also did some concomitant behaviors of eye blinking/closing and fist clenching. I again anticipated that the barista would be taken aback but would quickly adjust and continue to serve me as he would any other customer, especially since there were a lot of students behind me in line. My eyes were closed for some of it, as I mentioned above, so I did not fully see his whole reaction. My friend told me that the barista was laughing, smiling, and smirking the whole time I was ordering and he was preparing my drink. He did prepare the drink well and responded to me when I said, “Thank you.” I was disgusted that he was smirking the whole time, especially given how many people were in the room! I am not a person that stutters normally, but it did hurt my feelings. I felt that it was just a “little” thing that was different about me, but his reaction was so big! It made me want to call and talk to the manager about what had happened.

Feeling disheartened, I was really hoping my third experience for face-to-face interaction would be somewhat positive! My friend had to pick up our textbook from the library, so we decided I would ask where the printers are. At this point, it was my third interaction so I was not necessarily nervous to ask. My friend had to give me the idea of what to say, but I was not dreading it or avoiding it per se. I used repetitions and blocks here. I asked her as she was checking out the book, so it again took her aback. However, she was really nice about everything and explained exactly where the printers were. It was not any longer than she would have explained it to anyone else. I was not only feeling relieved that this part of the assignment was over, I was relieved and happy that she was not rude like the others had been!

During these experiences, I felt a little scared at first. I am a people pleaser, so I did not want them to think poorly of me. I needed some motivation from my friend to get started, but once I did, I was just feeling an overwhelming sense of “Just get this over with.” I was motivated to get it done. As I mentioned above, I felt disheartened after the first two, which made me want to quit right then. I was anticipating that everyone would react that way.

Clinical Insights

If there is one thing this assignment taught me, it was that people are way ruder than I ever thought or expected. I knew people would all have different reactions, but I certainly did not expect that someone would outright laugh and smirk at me. It does help me as a clinician to know the spectrum of reactions that could happen, and that spectrum could certainly be bigger than what I even experienced. I think it is important to address those reactions in the clinical setting and help the client understand what those are and how to cope when in those situations. Perhaps they will need different strategies or some form of internal motivation. These are strategies that the clinician will need to develop with the client.

Another big need I saw was for public education on the topic. It did not seem like a lot of the people who we encountered understood what stuttering is, how it affects the person who stutters, how to react properly to the stuttering, and now their reactions affect the person who does stutter. It was frustrating to me that they did not know how to act and were quite rude about it. I am not a person who stutters, but I was offended for the people that stutter. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I actually were a person who stutters! Education on the topic is essential.

I do not want to say that I fully understand how a person who stutters would feel. I do recognize that it was frustrating and that I was offended by the reactions I got. I do not know how it would feel if I were actually interviewing and could not get hired because of stuttering. However, I can be somewhat sympathetic and build that into my therapy plans to help my clients out.
 

Did you have to do this for grad school?  If so, what was your experience with it? 

Fab Find Friday: 9/20/2013

Happy Friday everyone!  For me, the week flew by. For others I know, it dragged on.  Whatever it was for you, I hope it was wonderful or had wonderful moments!

This week FLEW by, like I said.  I've been super busy, so this is going to be short and SWEET. Enjoy :)

1. My friend Shannon at Speechy Musings is hosting a great set of giveaways in celebration of 2000 likes on Facebook.  My Evidence-Based Practice Binder is part of it and you can still enter if you want!!  Check it out here!

2. My friend Lindsey at Word Nerd Speech Teach posted about one of my favorite Smarty Ears apps- Custom Boards.  Check it out here!

3.  My friend Lauren from Busy Bee Speech posted a new Fluency Enhancing Behaviors freebie! Check it out here!

4. My friend Carrie from Carrie's Speech Corner posted Vocabulary Barometers.  Check them out here!

5. Any chocolate chip cookie lovers out there???  Any heath lovers out there??? I made chocolate chip heath cookies last night, and they are AMAZING!!! SO good.  Find the recipe here!

Happy Weekend!


Note: All images were used with permission or taken myself. 

Sunny Articulation and Phonology Test {app review}

Happy Hump Day everyone!!  Today, I have another Smarty Ears app for you to check out.  This one is called the Sunny Articulation and Phonology Test!

The Basics:
-It is a tool for evaluation and screening.
-It is used to identify articulation errors and patterns.
-It is used to supplement/give you more information than a standardized test might give you.
-It is quite easy to use!


Here is the main screen you will see when you first open the app:

You have choices on the main page.  On the left side, you see "Info."  Click on it and this is what you will see for your options:

On the other side, you can click on "Settings:"

You click on "New Student" and will see this screen pop up:

Once you add the student's information, click ok and then "New Test" in the upper right corner.  It will take you to this screen:

Determine which route you want to go- full evaluation or screening.  I chose to go the full evaluation route. It will begin by showing you pictures.  In the upper left corner, click on the red dot to record the child saying the word.  Click on the picture to hear the stimulus word.  

Click on the target phoneme that the child said incorrectly.  This will change that phoneme to red instead of green.  You're also given options as to what exactly the error was.

Click on the little notepad on the right hand side to add your own notes to the test.

Once the test is finished, you will be prompted to give an overall intelligibility rating.

Then, the app does a nice analysis of the errors.  You can see the analysis by position, manner, voicing, words, place, and error.  Click on the plus sign here to email the results, open the results in another app, review the audio recordings, or open in Therapy Report Center.

Then click "Preview report" at the bottom, and a nicely written report will be generated.

What I like:
-You can track students' progress over time.
-It has 2 options for testing (screening and evaluation)
-It analyzes errors by phoneme, manner, place, position in word, voicing, and error type.
-You can mark the errors that they've made on specific phonemes.
-You can record during the test.
-It generates a nice, printable report for you.
-You can add your own notes in.
-Administration of the full evaluation takes 20 minutes or less.
-It is much more portable than a traditional test!

Bottom Line:
This is a great evaluation and assessment app that can give you more information than some standardized tests will give you.  It is not a replacement for standardized tests for those of you who need to report a standardized score. However, I would recommend giving this test to gain additional information, report progress, and add your own notes!  It is quick, too!!

If you would like this app, you can get it on iTunes here.  It is currently $49.99 at the time of this post.

What do you think?  Would you use this app for evaluations, screenings, or both? 


Disclaimer: I was provided a code for this app for my review.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions expressed are mine.

Pirates!! {round-up}

If you don't know already, Thursday is Talk Like a Pirate Day!! So fun, right???   I hope you and your students enjoy this fun day!    Here's a round up of some of my favorite pirate activities for you!

From me:
1.  Pirate High Seas Conjunctions: Activity for Language Therapy

2. Pirate Word Finding Packet

3.  Pirate Quantitative Concepts

4. Pirate Reinforcer Activities

From others:

1. Arghh Pirates! A Thematic Unit from Kristin at Simply Speech

2. Pirate Language Activities! from Jenn at Crazy Speech World

3. Pirate Pragmatic Pack from Miss Speechie at Speech Time Fun

4. Pirates: Basic Concepts from Soraya Cleary

5. Pirate Prepositions from Sharon at Speech with Sharon

6. Pirate Treasure Chest Synonyms from Mrs. Parker

7. How I Became a Pirate {Book Companion} from Jenn at Crazy Speech World

8. A Pirate's Life for Me! Mini Book and Companion Activities from GoldCountySLP

9. Cause and Effect Pirate Island from Kristine at Live Love Speech

10. WH Question Pirates from Lauren at Busy Bee Speech

Have SO much fun with pirate day/week!! :)

Fab Find Friday: 9/13/2013

Today's Fab Find Friday is going to be a little different than usual. I haven't been around much this week, and for that I apologize!   I am working on my thesis and was busy getting it ready to submit my IRB proposal!  It is all submitted and awaiting their approval.  Woo hoo!!

That being said, today is going to be more of a round-up style of some of the fabulous items about one of my favorite topics: FOOTBALL!!

Here are some from me:

1.  Football Categories

2.  Football Pursuit: Auditory Memory 

3.  Football Game Day Grammar

From others:

1. It's Football Time by Jenn at Crazy Speech World

2. Down The Field: Learning Reinforcer by Jenna at Speech Room News

3. Football Buddy: A Craftivity from A Cupcake for the Teacher

4. Football Fluency Games from Lauren at Busy Bee Speech

5. Football Functions from Lindsey at wordnerdspeechteach

6. Football Center Activities for Common Core: ELA from Jessica Tobin

7. Football Listening for Details from Miss Speechie at Speech Time Fun

8. Football Speech Therapy- Reasoning, Language, and Vocabulary from Maggie Lewis

9. Football Listening Comprehension from Maureen at The Speech Bubble

Hope you love these activities!! There are a lot of great ones out there.  Only some are listed above--there are A LOT more on Teachers Pay Teachers!

GO BRONCOS, COLTS, and BEARS!  (Yes, split loyalties!)

Med SLP {app review}

As a graduate student, I am required to log my clinical hours.  My school pays for and uses software to track our hours, but it is nice to see a tracking option as an app! It's a new idea that I haven't seen before.  It's a simple, no frills app for you!

Here's the main page.  You can click on to follow them on FB, view their podcast, or click to view the ASHA standards.

When you enter the app, you are taken to a screen that lists your practicum sites on the left and your client list on the right.  The app comes with a default of "Medical Affiliation," "School Affiliation," and "University Clinic."  It also includes "Undergrad Observations," where you can enter in up to 25 hours (believe me- I tried to see if it would take 400 of them!).   You can edit the list of practicums and add your own, though!  This is important to me, so I added a few of mine. Simply click the + and type it in.

After you have your placements set up on the left side, you can begin entering in client information on the right side.  Just click the little + on that side and type in information.  You can see the default list here:

This list was not as extensive as I need it to be, so I was happy to see the other category.  When you click other, you have the option to type in the name.  I slide the button to the right to "OFF" so that it would show up as "Autism" instead of as "Other."

When you have entered your hours in, you can have the app generate a summary report.  It lists out pie charts for the practicum sites, age (adult/child), session type (treatment, evaluation, IEP meeting, other), and disorder type.

There is a bunch of settings you can play around with, too.  Here's one example:

What I like about this app:
-It is a new idea that I haven't seen before as an app
-It is a practical option for those who have to track hours
-You have the option to add your own practicum sites
-You have the option to add disorders and ages
-You can email the report to yourself or others
-Easy navigation at the bottom (Main, Logs, Settings, Reports)
-It could be used by SLPs who are out of grad school and need to track their hours for whatever reason.  For example, if you want to get your BRS-S certification, then you need to track the number of clients with dysphagia that you see.

What I would like to see in future updates:
-A more extensive disorder list.  You can add your own, but the core list is missing options such as "aphasia" and "social communication," which are two BIG areas in our field.
-A more extensive age breakdown.  You can add your own here, too, but it'd be great if it were included in the list already.  Working with Birth to 3 is very different than working with 5-10 year olds, which is very different than working with 11-18 year olds. Yet, they're all considered "Child."  Same goes for adults.
-A place to add gender
-A place to add notes- for more details about the case or about a strategy that worked or didn't work
-A way to generate a report specific to one practicum site

What do you think- is this something you could use??