Monday, February 24, 2014

What's In Your Cart? {linky party}

It's that time of year again! I just love TpT sales! It's time to stock up on some great new items for your speech rooms! Remember: TpT stores will be up to 28% off!  The code will be posted soon, so be on the look out!!

Jenna over at Speech Room News is hosting a new linky party for all of the bloggers to show you what is in their carts!!  You can start here!



First, here are some of my resources that might be helpful to you in the coming months:

1. My Springtime Preschool Pack


2.  St. Patrick's Day Materials









3. SLP Student Teaching Binder- for all of you who are supervising graduate students!




Here's what's in my cart:

1. Articulation Progress Monitoring Tool for Speech Language Therapy by Natalie Snyders



2. Ultimate Data Collection Binder for Speech and Language by Nicole Allison



3. Behavior Contingency Maps by Sasha Hallagan



4. A Colorful You: Book and Book Companion by The Speech Bubble




These are just a few things that are in my cart that I cannot wait to have!!

What's in YOUR cart?? 


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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Language Trainer {app review}

I'm always excited to see Smarty Ears apps and was definitely excited to see this Language Trainer be released!   I was also very excited when they asked me to review it as well.  Take a look.



This app targets many different areas, such as language, vocabulary, and word finding!  It would be appropriate for both adults and children!  

To get started, just add your students as users.  Select which user you would like for that session and get started!


There are four activities:



-Picture Identification- The app will give a word for the student to identify.  The student will then select the named picture on the screen.



-Picture Naming- The app provides a picture, and the student will name the picture.  This activity allows for SLP to record whether the answer was correct, incorrect, or cued.



-Divergent Naming- The student will name items in a category given by the app.



-Sentence Completion- The student is provided with a phrase to complete.  He/she will then fill in the phrase with the appropriate word.  This activity allows for SLP to record whether the answer was correct, incorrect, or cued.



One of my favorite features about this app is the report.  Not only can you look at each session on its own, you can look at all of the sessions over time.  This allows for quick comparison and the ability to see improvement over time!  



Things I love about this app:
-It's for both adults and children! Not many apps are and I love that it is!
-It is simple and easy to use.
-It could be used for assessment or intervention.
-There is a record button so that my students can hear themselves--a feature they love!
-It collects data for you!
-It is easy to see their progress over time with the report section.
-The reports are easy to share.
-You can add your own notes to reports.
-You have access to great tech support, as always, from Smarty Ears!

What I would love to see in an update:
-Two of the sections have a place for "cued" under the data.  I would love it if all four sections had this option!

If you would like this app, you can find it in iTunes for $14.99 (as of 2/20/2014)!

Note: A copy of this app was provided for my review.  No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are mine. 

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

SLP Medical Internship Experience

When I was applying for graduate school, one of my requirements was that it was possible to have a pediatric medical placement.  I knew I wanted to work in a pediatric setting and was leaning towards pediatric medical.  So when some of my potential schools said, "No," I told them that I appreciated the offer, but I had to politely decline.  The school I chose told me there was a possibility but that it was not guaranteed.  I gladly took their offer and vowed to do everything I could to get a pediatric medical internship.

Flash forward to the fall when we were all sitting in a meeting to discuss possible internship placements. We were told they had lost several pediatric placements, so to plan on not getting one and to plan on a nursing home or rehab center with adults.  As you can probably imagine, I was devastated.

Well a few weeks later, I found out I had indeed gotten a pediatric medical placement at one of the top children's hospitals in the nation!  I was so excited!! My school had listened and given me my dream placement!!

I'm about halfway through my placement now, and I just thought I would share a few things I've learned.

1.  Outpatient versus Inpatient
We serve both outpatients and inpatients.  Generally speaking, you are either an outpatient therapist or an inpatient therapist.  Sometimes there is crossover, but most are one or the other.

2.  Specialty
Most of the therapists at the hospital have a specialty.  Maybe it's feeding/swallowing.  Maybe it's AAC.  Maybe it's developmental.  

3. Cancellations
I'm sure this goes for most places, but when the weather is bad, or a child is sick, the patient ends up cancelling.  This is fine until they cancel for 6 weeks in a row.  There is a cancellation policy in place for this reason, and it is extremely important for helping keep productivity.

4.  Productivity
As with most medical placements, the therapists have a productivity standard.  But instead of everyone having a standard of 80%, every therapist has his or her own standard.  Some have 50%; others have 60%.  These standards are also a lot lower than other places.

5. Part-Time versus Full-Time
There are both part-time and full-time therapists.  Some of the therapists work 3-4 days at the hospital and then the other days at another place.

6. Hours
Most of the therapists work long days.  My Mondays and Tuesdays are 9-10 hours long.  Other therapists work more of a standard 8:30/9 to 5 job.  For the most part, their hours are tailored to their own situation/patients.

7. Multiple Disciplines
Most of my patients are seen by all three disciplines.  Most of the time, they are seen by those disciplines separately.  Sometimes, you have to co-treat.  Working closely with the OTs and PTs is extremely important!  Have good relationships with them.

8. Soak it all In
There is so much to learn and enjoy!  I try not to take it for granted and learn as much as I possibly can!

9.  Resources
There are seemingly tons of resources available.  We have a "speech closet" as well as closets in individual treatment rooms.  Not to mention, there is a whole therapy gym full of toys and games.

10.  Unique Patients
I have seen many complex medical cases, which is one of the aspects I love the most.  No patient is the same!  They keep me on my toes and make me keep my research current.  I absolutely love it.


I could go on and on...I will be adding to the list, but I thought I would share some of my experiences so far!

What did you learn from your medical placement?

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Monday, February 10, 2014

We're Engaged!

You may have noticed a lack of posts recently. Here's why!!

I'm so very excited to share our happy news with you...we're engaged!!


Here's the story:
He found out that the Botanical Gardens were hosting a orchid show, and I love orchids.  He suggested we go, even though it was raining and cold out.  By the way--we both love rain, so it didn't both us one bit.  We walked around the show and then walked around outside.  We walked to each pavilion in the gardens, and at the very last pavilion he asked me!  It was perfect and so us.  I absolutely loved it!

We're so happy and excited!


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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Let's Be Social {app review}

As an SLP working with children who love using iPads, I'm always looking for high quality apps that are engaging at the same time as targeting goals well!  I was so excited when I heard about Let's Be Social by Everyday Speech!



There are five pre-set categories: Personal Interactions, Navigating the Community, Social Behavior, Handling Change, and Social Relationships.



The Personal Interactions category has five pre-set lesson plans/stories: Making Eye Contact, Greeting Friends, Keeping Personal Space, Taking Turns in Conversation, and Joining a Group.



Navigating the Community has four lessons: Going to the Doctor's, Playing on the Playground, Eating at a Restaurant, and Going to the Movies.



School Behavior has six pre-set lessons: Sitting in Class, Making Inappropriate Noises, Waiting in Line, Eating in the Cafeteria, Respecting Teachers, and Reading in Front of the Class.



Handling Change has three lessons: Transitioning at School, Dealing with Disappointment, and Going to a New School.



Social Relationships has seven pre-set lessons: Apologizing, Making Friends, Hurting a Friend's Feelings, Playing at a Friend's House, Being Teased, Helping a Friend, and Understanding Jokes.



Once you've selected your category, click on your lesson of choice.  On the first page will be a summary/lesson.  This is a story to accompany the lesson.



Then, hit start to view the questions.  The student will select the answer he/she thinks is correct.  The app provides immediate feedback by saying "Incorrect" or "That's right!"





You also have the option to create your own category/skill set or lessons.



What I Love:
-This app was developed by SLPs.
-There are 25 different lessons!
-You can create your own lessons!
-Good variety of lessons/topics
-Great story examples (just a little long-see below).
-I can use this with so many different patients on my caseload right now!!

What I'd Love to See:
-A method to collect data.  This isn't necessary, but it would save SLPs time.
-I'd love to see visuals for each answer choice in the questions.  My patients who cannot read would still be able to participate without models and lots of cueing.

Currently, this app is listed at $14.99 in the iTunes App Store.  Be sure to check it out!

Note: A copy of this app was provided to me in exchange for my review.  No compensation was received.  All opinions expressed are mine.  

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