I wanted to share this video to show you how you c I wanted to share this video to show you how you can break up minimal pairs therapy with a meaningful and fun activity!

We are working on /s/ cluster reduction, and took a break from “the cards” to work on nap vs. snap using an iPad game (we also practiced no vs. snow).

We pretended our hands were the machine and said “snap” and then the reinforcer is to tap the screen and pick up (or “snap”) the snow.

I find that kids really respond to these meaningful tasks as it emphasises how our words have meaning, and you can get a lot of organic practice trials in 💪🏻

BTW... I just ❤️ my kids!!!

#speechtherapy #speechpathology #slp #slpeeps #minimalpairs #speechdevelopment #privatepracticeslp #preschoolslp
I am just LOVING this prosody cues deck! I’ve g I am just LOVING this prosody cues deck!

I’ve got three on my caseload at the moment who respond so well to the emotion visuals, and it’s so lovely to hear some change in their voice vs. a monotone, robot-like voice!!

CARDS: @bjoremspeech @iowaspeechie @bjoremspeechpublications

#apraxiaofspeech #slpeeps #childhoodapraxiaofspeech #speechtherapy
Binding. It’s a simple little joy that makes my Binding.

It’s a simple little joy that makes my SLP life easier.

And no, I don’t have a binding machine... I take it to my local office shop and it costs me around $5 to do!!!

Any other binding fans out there???

#binding #slpsofinstagram #slplife #slpeeps #slpsontpt #speechies #slporganization
Just because you are contrasting /t/ vs. /k/ words Just because you are contrasting /t/ vs. /k/ words using minimal pairs, DOESN’T mean that you are forbidden from using any other cues!

Many times, my kids need some additional types of cues, whether it be gestures (point to the throat), a mirror (to see the tongue go back), metaphors (front vs. back sounds), or placement cues (move your tongue back) to help them be accurate so that they aren’t frustrated.

Many times those cues get dropped pretty quickly... but I still use a pragmatic cue where I question what the child means (did you mean tea or key?).

And yes, I used fronting as my example because GOSH IT’S A STUBBORN PATTERN sometimes. And I need aaaaaalllll the cues 🤣 do you agree??

#adventuresinspeechpathology #speechpathology #slpsofinstagram #slpeeps #slp #speechtherapy #speechdelay #preschoolslp
Have you ever felt like you don’t know what you Have you ever felt like you don’t know what you NEED to know when implementing a new therapy approach?

I made this Minimal Pairs Therapy plan to help make sure you have thought of, and planned, the elements to implement the approach.

This means choosing the approach, picking the patterns and sounds that will make the most impact, completing generalization probes, and REALLY thinking about your treatment intensity.

So many times I have people say the child isn’t generalizing, and I wonder if they have planned for all of these elements?

Is it really the child, or has the SLP not planned the therapy correctly????

TAKEN FROM: the Minimal Pairs Handbook

#Adventuresinspeechpathology #minimalpairshandbook #phonology #slp2b #slpgradstudent #speechdelay #slpeeps #preschoolslp #ebpslp #speechtherapy #speechpathologist
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You don’t need fancy toys to do minimal pair tasks!

I upload minimal pair resources to my iPad so I can bring them up when I’m on my school visits.

We literally put animal figurines in the sections, and then after we “earned” them all, we picked them up and tried to throw them back in the container.

Also.... love how this little one correctly said “go” after we had that communication breakdown. The POWER of minimal pairs therapy 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

#minimalpairs #speechdelay #speechpathology #speechtherapy #preschoolslp #schoolslp #privatepracticeslp #adventuresinspeechpathology
I pulled out this shopping game (again) today for I pulled out this shopping game (again) today for minimal pairs!

We practice our pairs, then flip a picture over to see what the item is, and who’s list it belongs to.

Simple, but very motivating for Miss 4 today!!!

#minimalpairs #speechtherapy #slp #speechdelay #speechpathologist #Adventuresinspeechpathology #preschoolslp
Here are some truths: 1. I always wanted to be a p Here are some truths:
1. I always wanted to be a psychologist
2. I never wanted to work with kids

Then I changed degrees and
3. I thought I’d be a medical SLP

Then I realised I didn’t like dysphagia and brain stuff as much as I thought so
4. I thought I’d enjoy working with complex communication needs

Then I really found a love for:
5. Social communication ❤️ I still enjoy everything I learned, and gosh did I do a lot of PD. But I felt like my kids never moved off my caseload.

Then I realised
6. I get A LOT of joy assessing and figuring out speech patterns and seeing kids make fast progress week-to-week targeting their speech sounds.

So here I am!

It’s definitely NOT the place I thought I’d be, but sometimes you have to try different things to know what’s right for you!

#adventuresinspeechpathology #slplife #slpsofinstagram
Nothing gets me up at 5:45am on a Saturday morning Nothing gets me up at 5:45am on a Saturday morning like the excitement of a new resource.

Seriously.

I’m a morning bird and do my best work when the whole house is asleep.

I don’t even have a coffee 😲😲😲

Sooooo..... I’m still taking requests for my next set of minimal pair toolkit resources. Drop them below 👇🏻

#adventuresinspeechpathology #minimalpairs #speechtherapy #slpeeps #slpsontpt #slpsofinstagram #preschoolslp
I have been hearing this phrase OVER and OVER agai I have been hearing this phrase OVER and OVER again lately!!

Many of you have been trying minimal pairs therapy either for the 1st time, or you’re implementing it differently...

... and the amount of times that I read a DM or feedback on TpT saying that things literally just “clicked” in a session was high enough that it warrants its own IG post 😂

See, THIS is why I love treating SSD, and I love the minimal pairs approach. Your child can make HUGE LEAPS within one session.

It’s amazing! It’s encouraging. And gosh it makes your job satisfaction high!

Do you know what I’m taking about? Have you ever seen things “click” with a child?
Tell me how 👇🏻

#speechtherapy #speechdelay #slpeeps #slp #slp2b #speechpathology #slpsofinstagram #phonology #ebpslp #schoolslp #privatepracticeslp
I wanted to share this video to show you how you c I wanted to share this video to show you how you can break up minimal pairs therapy with a meaningful and fun activity!

We are working on /s/ cluster reduction, and took a break from “the cards” to work on nap vs. snap using an iPad game (we also practiced no vs. snow).

We pretended our hands were the machine and said “snap” and then the reinforcer is to tap the screen and pick up (or “snap”) the snow.

I find that kids really respond to these meaningful tasks as it emphasises how our words have meaning, and you can get a lot of organic practice trials in 💪🏻

BTW... I just ❤️ my kids!!!

#speechtherapy #speechpathology #slp #slpeeps #minimalpairs #speechdevelopment #privatepracticeslp #preschoolslp
I am just LOVING this prosody cues deck! I’ve g I am just LOVING this prosody cues deck!

I’ve got three on my caseload at the moment who respond so well to the emotion visuals, and it’s so lovely to hear some change in their voice vs. a monotone, robot-like voice!!

CARDS: @bjoremspeech @iowaspeechie @bjoremspeechpublications

#apraxiaofspeech #slpeeps #childhoodapraxiaofspeech #speechtherapy
Binding. It’s a simple little joy that makes my Binding.

It’s a simple little joy that makes my SLP life easier.

And no, I don’t have a binding machine... I take it to my local office shop and it costs me around $5 to do!!!

Any other binding fans out there???

#binding #slpsofinstagram #slplife #slpeeps #slpsontpt #speechies #slporganization
Just because you are contrasting /t/ vs. /k/ words Just because you are contrasting /t/ vs. /k/ words using minimal pairs, DOESN’T mean that you are forbidden from using any other cues!

Many times, my kids need some additional types of cues, whether it be gestures (point to the throat), a mirror (to see the tongue go back), metaphors (front vs. back sounds), or placement cues (move your tongue back) to help them be accurate so that they aren’t frustrated.

Many times those cues get dropped pretty quickly... but I still use a pragmatic cue where I question what the child means (did you mean tea or key?).

And yes, I used fronting as my example because GOSH IT’S A STUBBORN PATTERN sometimes. And I need aaaaaalllll the cues 🤣 do you agree??

#adventuresinspeechpathology #speechpathology #slpsofinstagram #slpeeps #slp #speechtherapy #speechdelay #preschoolslp
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Adventures in Speech Pathology

Feel confident treating speech sound disorders

Social Communication · January 27, 2017

Lessons I’ve learned dabbling in Social Thinking®

Social kids. What do you do with them? I always felt like I was missing something when I saw my “Social Kids”. Yes, I could pinpoint obvious areas of difficulty such as not making much eye contact and having one-sided conversations. I wrote social story after social story but always felt in the back of my mind…. “I don’t really know where to start or what I’m doing”.

That was me five years ago, when I first started working in America and had a lot of students with an Autism Spectrum diagnosis. Today, I am confident. I have a framework (I really needed a framework) and things makes sense to me. And if they make sense to me, then I can teach those concepts so that it makes sense to the kids, families and teachers who I support.

I’ve been dabbling in Social Thinking® for the last five years and like with any journey, I’ve been reflecting on what my 32-year-old SLP self would tell my 27-year-old self when I first came across this teaching methodology by Michelle Garcia Winner.

LESSON #1 Go to a Social Thinking® conference

We all know that buzz you get when you go to a conference and you hear and see a real-life SLP actually telling you things that just ‘click’ for you as a therapist. I waited waaaay too long to go to my first conference, but I really should have attended first because the whole time I kept thinking “ohh…. that’s a good way to say that”, or “ahh… that makes more sense now!”. So if this is an area that interests you, get your theory straight from the beginning.

LESSON #2 There is a difference between social skills and social thinking

Once I heard this short article explained in person, I had a big ‘aha’ moment. Read this and it will CHANGE how you approach therapy. And if you want to hear it in person… follow my Lesson #1.

LESSON #3 You don’t need TONS of therapy materials

This is my admission: While I make resources for TpT, I am quite selective about what TpT materials I’ll use for my social kids, and it’s quite limited. Why? Because I want to ‘teach social’ while ‘being social’. So what are my go-to tools?

  • Lots of thought bubbles and speaking bubbles. I have them on hand-held sticks, on portable whiteboards and in sticker form.
  • I use these visuals EVERY session to represent different thoughts and feelings as I feel that it really helps my student’s to identify what they or I am thinking.
  • My playlist on YouTube is always a hit! It engages and there is SO MUCH non-verbal communication happening that I can turn a 3 minute clip into a 30 minute therapy session.
  • Story books from the We Thinkers! Volume 1 Social Explorers Deluxe Package. These are amazing because they teach Social Thinking concepts in story form and have great illustrations to help consolidate the ideas. Your kids can look + listen + think about the ideas at the same time.

LESSON #4 Know what you’re teaching

I have jumped all over the place using Social Thinking® resources aimed at different age groups, starting back with Superflex, but I realised that it could have been better. This is what I wish I knew and had read when I first started dabbling:

Social Thinking® provide a handy ‘Getting Started’ page, that can be used as a reference to their different resources, particularly if you are working with a specific age group. It’s great to see the scope of products and teaching methodologies. Because I’ve been a big thought/speech bubble fan right from the start, I’d definitely read how Michelle Garcia Winner teaches using them so that you get the best ideas. If you love a good framework to help you understand the ‘big picture’ then look at the ILAUGH model which is simply explained in the link provided. This model really helps guide my dynamic assessment and therapy goals. Or, if you are a visual learner and like to ‘see’ things mapped out, then the Social Thinking-Social Learning Tree is the way to go. Finally, check to see if Social Thinking have included a fidelity checklist  for any of the programs or resources that you might already own. These checklists will help to guide and self-monitor how you use Social Thinking® materials.

Please note that while I received a copy of We Thinkers! Volume 1, I attended the conference on my own accord and all thoughts and opinions are mine and what has personally helped my Social Thinking® journey.

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Comments

  1. Rebecca Reinking says

    January 29, 2017 at 11:07 am

    What do you wish you know now that you didn’t back then?

    Reply
  2. Jessica Sager says

    December 18, 2017 at 1:24 pm

    I love Social Thinking, it makes so much sense. We’re lucky to have an SLP at my son’s school that is an ST enthusiast and utilized lots of their products and concepts. My son has HF ASD and I think the majority of his behavioral “problems” are speech deficits: he either doesn’t understand the unstated (or understated, unclear language) or doesn’t know he should be telling someone that something is bothering him, or that he doesn’t understand, etc. On that last point, he often doesn’t recognize that there even IS a problem. I’m grateful that he has a team of people that understand how crucial those skills are.

    (Love your TpT store and have several of your products!)

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Rebecca.
I encourage SLPs to feel more confident treating speech sound disorders, and make faster progress with their students.

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