Transitions are a part of everyday life at home and school. However, they can be challenging for children and adults alike, and the demands can be complex! During transitions, the sensory environment is more stimulating, and expectations are often higher than during lessons or structured activities. Often there is more noise in the room, lots of movement, and visual distractions. We expect students to follow multiple-step directions and navigate their bodies through the room while their peers do the same. The following strategies offer ideas to support our students during this frequent occurrence in the school day.
Younger classrooms often have a visual schedule, but older kiddos can benefit too! Offer a written plan for students who can read. When a child asks what is next, refer them to the schedule to teach them to use it. As adults, we often use our planners or apps to keep track of our days. Learning to check a calendar is a tool that kids can use in their childhood and beyond. Be sure to keep your schedule updated to prevent unexpected changes.
Unexpected transitions are more challenging. Think of the last time you experienced a surprise fire drill. It feels alarming and dysregulating! Many children feel this way during routine changes. A simple way to prevent this is by giving the group advance notice of the upcoming transition. You can direct this by announcing how much time they have left or making it more concrete. For example, let them know they can color one more shape, and then they will wash their hands.
We have children with a variety of needs in our classrooms. It can be challenging to develop a transition routine when you have students who need different supports. Some children will complete the transition quickly and become impatient or unsure of what to do while waiting for the next direction. Offer an activity to keep the structure going. For example, when children complete an art project, they can grab a book and return to their seats. When they finish lunch, they can pick a center.
An efficient strategy for younger ones, singing provides a constant familiar activity while students complete their transition. You can use the same songs for daily changes to give an extra level of consistency. Similarly, offering a movement activity can provide a motor break and support the flow of the transition. Try marching to the bathroom, tip-toeing to cubbies, or walking heel-to-toe to another room.
Transitions are a complex routine to learn for young children. Provide plenty of praise for students who follow directions and stay regulated. Providing positive reinforcement helps students understand what expected behavior looks like by observing what their peers are doing well.
CBS Therapy is passionate about helping children with special needs and serving the schools, therapists, and families who support them. New England’s premier provider of school-based and special education staffing services in the Northeast, CBS Therapy also has therapy clinics that offer speech-language, occupational and physical therapy services.
Anxiety disorders occur on a spectrum and can impact children in a variety of ways. Some children may deal with low levels of apprehension, while other children develop severe and intense anxiety. While students with anxiety will benefit from the following recommendations, consider implementing them in larger groups such as classrooms or group therapy. This promotes an inclusive environment from which all learners can benefit.
Incorporate daily and weekly routines to help children learn what to expect. Post schedules in a visible area. This is especially important for older children who have rotating or complex schedules. If there are any upcoming changes in routines (such as a substitute or a fire drill), give children advance notice whenever possible.
Allow students to learn and grow while building their self-confidence. Grade your activities so that they are just challenging enough to stretch the child’s learning.
By using a topic, subject, or medium that is exciting to students, they will naturally gravitate toward engagement. Especially when an assignment or activity is new and daunting, a small piece of choice can motivate children toinitiate the task. This could include anything from designing a math problem based on their favorite sports team to giving a book report on their favorite classic.
Positive reinforcement signals to children that they are doing what is expected and can be a great way to boost the confidence of children who have anxiety. Feedback can be in the form of a token system, a smile, nod, or words of affirmation.
Sometimes, learners need extra direction. Direct instruction can be a great way to improve skills and, therefore, confidence for activities with a physical component, such as writing or playing a sport. Break down tasks into smaller chunks, demonstrate skills to your students, and practice.
Letting students know exactly what you expect is a great way to communicate mutual respect. Particularly when a project or activity is brand new, knowing the outcome will be helpful to children with anxiety.
Try making group participation optional. Let students know that they can contribute to the conversation when they are ready and that you will not call on them.
A child working on fractions does not need to complete 100 problems to master the skill and demonstrate competence. If a worksheet looks overwhelming or visually ‘busy ,’ it could likely benefit from being revised or broken up into smaller assignments.
Use one-on-one time to reflect on past successes, strengths, passions, and skills. If you want to use an example in a group setting to provide an example of problem-solving skills, ask for student permission beforehand.
Another strategy that students with and without anxiety disorders can benefit from is self-management skills. Talk about self-regulation, brainstorm symptoms of being dysregulated, develop language, and teach strategies. Use examples from your personal life to connect with students and demonstrate the importance of this life skill.
Documentation for therapy services can be a time-consuming yet essential component of service delivery. Many practitioners and clinicians attempt to streamline their daily note process. Some critical details should not be overlooked, though it is still possible to create a concise note while including everything that reimbursement experts need to see.
Many professions, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, ABA therapists, and others, use SOAP notes for their daily sessions. SOAP is an acronym that stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. SOAP notes are valuable because they provide information about different therapy components, and since therapists use them widely, the interdisciplinary team can use them as a means of timely communication.
Subjective information may include reports of pain, challenges since the last session, or what the client shares they can or cannot do. You may record behavior during the session for pediatric clients, including arousal level and engagement in therapy. You can also include reports from the client’s family or teachers.
Include any compensatory strategies your client uses, physical or cognitive strategies for participation, and data you collect. The objective section could include the percentage of trials completed correctly and the client’s level of support needed to perform the activity. If your client needed any adaptive equipment, assistive technology, or modification of a task, include that information here as well. It is vital to make sure that you focus on the active experience of the client rather than the therapist. For example, note that the “Client needed moderate physical assistance for bathroom mobility” rather than “Provided moderate physical assistance to the client.”
Consider what you wrote in the subjective and objective categories. What does this mean? You’ll use your clinical expertise to interpret the information into an analysis of the client’s performance. Note any improvement, regression, or progress toward your client’s goals. Refer back to the subjective and objective categories to support your assessment.
Include the frequency, duration, and location of recommended services. If you are recommending discharge, include specific information about recommendations for follow-up. Otherwise, include detailed information about your intervention plan and how you will use it to address the problems noted in this session. Daily documentation and SOAP notes are a tool that are essential to all parties involved in therapy:
CBS Therapy is the premier provider of school-based and pediatric special education staffing services in the Northeast.
Now more than ever, children with special needs benefit from effective collaboration by their interdisciplinary providers. On a given IEP team, a child may have special education, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, applied behavior analysis, and more. In many cases, several of these practitioners may see the child only one time per week. So, what about the rest of the time when the specialists are not in? It is our responsibility to collaborate to provide the child with as much carryover as possible.
References:
Hart Barnett, J. E., & O’Shaughnessy, K. (2015). Enhancing collaboration between occupational therapists and early childhood educators working with children on the autism spectrum. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43, 467-472.
Huang, Y., Peyton, C. G., Hoffman, M., & Pascua, M. (2011). Teacher perspectives on collaboration with occupational therapists in inclusive classroom pilot study. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 4(1), 71-89.
Suc, L., Bukovec, B., & Karpljuk, D. (2017). The role of inter-professional collaboration in developing inclusive education: Experiences of teachers and occupational therapists in Slovenia. International Journal of Inclusive Education 21(9), 938-955.
You’ve worked hard in school and reached the point where it is time to put your new knowledge into practice. Moving from the university classroom into a clinical fellowship is an exciting transition – giving you hands-on experience that will prepare you to start your new career.
Not only is choosing the right CFY program critical to your success, but also consider how your intention and efforts will affect your results in the future. As you step into this new chapter, hold onto clear goals so you can gain the best knowledge and skills during your fellowship year.
This 36-week program prepares students to move into real-life career opportunities, with ongoing application and training that will support their future. This fellowship is required to achieve your Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP) through ASHA, the American Speech and Hearing Association.
While it’s essential to complete the requirements to gain certification, there are other goals you will achieve through this program:
Our team at CBS Therapy is committed to providing an optimal experience for Clinical Fellows. As you learn more about our program, you will see that our SLPs are working hard to provide the most comprehensive CFY program available in the industry.
We are proud to offer more than 13 years of experience supervising Clinical Fellows. Through every stage of your 36-week program, we provide ongoing support to help you build confidence through your training. In-depth training paired with personalized mentoring helps you apply your academic education to a clinical training environment. If you are interested in more information about this program, then we invite you to reach out to our team with your questions.
Many SLPs had to turn their practices upside down this past year, with a majority of students learning from home instead of in person. One silver lining from this pandemic was discovering how beneficial technology can be to teaching speech therapy. Even with students back in the classroom, there are so many resources that can’t be left behind.
Technology isn’t a thing that was magnified during Covid and will dissipate. Online resources and live or asynchronous virtual classes are here to stay. They are convenient, accessible, and efficient. Use technology in your classroom in order to optimize your speech therapy practices.
Now is the time to embrace technology and implement it into your lessons with virtual and in-classroom students. Every child will be thrilled with the variety and familiarity. Take a look at some of these ideas:
It doesn’t matter whether you are teaching your students virtually or are able to meet face to face, switch things up with technology. You can personalize each lesson to their preferences. And most importantly, make the student look forward to speech therapy.
Technology can be a great support in SLP, but there is a balance to ensure the child isn’t in front of a screen too much. Research shows that too much screen time for younger children can potentially play a role in speech and language delays.
Don’t let technology or apps disrupt daily routines. Instead, use them as a supplement to enhance communication. With the right integration, technology encourages an interactive learning environment, supporting the needs of the child and their family.
Ideally, technology should supplement an overall speech-language therapy program – digital tools shouldn’t be the only activities to support speech and language development. In addition to apps and technology, also look for ways to integrate screen-free activities to support the child’s growth and learning.
Whether it be talking with co-workers around the water cooler, saying “I love you” to your spouse, sharing a joke with your neighbor, texting your brother, or sending an email to your boss, people love to communicate, it’s what we do. Communication, in all its forms, is what creates and maintains the bonds and relationships in our lives, and the ability to communicate is what defines us as being human.
Communication can be divided into three main categories: comprehension, expression, and production. Comprehension or receptive language is the ability to receive a message from someone and understand the meaning of that message whether it be spoken, written, or via gestures such as American Sign Language (ASL). Expression or expressive language is the ability to send a meaningful message to someone verbally, in writing, or by using gestures. An additional goal of expressive language is that it is socially appropriate, which means knowing what and how to say something in a given circumstance. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) refer to the social part of language as pragmatic language. Production is how the message is created. With speech, we can think about fluency, speech sounds, and their sound quality or intelligibility. With writing, we can look at legibility, and with signs, you can think of well-formed readable signs. The goal of production is that the person you are trying to communicate with can understand your message. When something interferes with somebody’s receptive language, expressive language, pragmatic language, articulation, fluency, voice quality, or even swallowing, speech therapy can help a person to improve both communication and swallowing.
Speech therapy aims to improve a person’s communication. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are professionals who specialize in speech-language therapy. They must go through a rigorous university program, get a master’s degree, complete a 9-month clinical fellowship year (CFY) where they are under the supervision of a senior speech-language pathologist (SLP), get credentialed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and then get their state license to practice. If you or a loved one is seeking speech therapy please make sure that the person you are considering has ASHA certification and state licensure for the state you live in.
A speech-language pathologist (SLP) will first conduct a speech-language evaluation for the client to identify how to best address the complaint. Once the evaluation is completed, the SLP will explain the results to the client or caregiver and develop a treatment plan. A treatment plan will contain goals and objectives that are created specifically for the client, explaining exactly what the client and SLP will be working on.
By completing a thorough speech-language evaluation the SLP determines what kind of speech-language difficulty the client has and the best treatment method to address it. SLPs work in a variety of settings including schools, clinics, and hospitals. In schools, SLPs work with children mostly in small groups or the classroom. In clinic and hospital settings, speech-language therapy is usually provided by the speech-language pathologist (SLP) to one client at a time.
The first goal of every speech-language pathologist (SLP) is to create a relationship or “build rapport” with the client. It’s essential that the SLP has patience, empathy, and caring for the client they are working with to help the client make the most progress possible. Most oftentimes speech-language goals are not achieved overnight, therefore the SLP needs to be respected by the client to get through the tough work that is speech-language therapy.
Practice is the ultimate treatment for speech and language disorders. If a child has difficulty with articulation, the speech-language pathologist (SLP) will spend time teaching them how to produce the correct sounds. The speech therapist will make the sounds and encourage the child to learn to imitate them.
That entails mimicking the speech therapist’s (SLP) movements of the lips, mouth, and tongue to produce the desired sound. Mirrors can be useful in this situation. The SLP can instruct a child to make these speech sounds when looking in the mirror. Speech therapists find this process more enjoyable when using games.
SLPs employ techniques that are adapted to the specific needs of each child. Some of the techniques are:
Speech and language are essential to the human experience. Speech therapy can help people improve their communication skills which will improve their overall life experience. While speech-language therapy typically is not a “quick fix”, through consistent speech therapy sessions with an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist, amazing, life-changing progress can be made.
This past year has changed the way many educators are teaching in the classroom. Along with the conventional teacher, Speech-Language Pathologists have also learned to adjust to teaching online. While the change can be frustrating at times, it is a method that is convenient for many – and online speech therapy is here to stay.
If you are pushing to make it through until this virtual learning period passes, it might be time for a change in mindset. The convenience that comes from setting your child up for speech therapy without getting a babysitter for other kids or sitting through traffic on the way to an appointment has value and might be the preference of some of your patients going forward.
4 Tips to Set Yourself Up for Success in Teaching Online Speech Therapy
Online speech therapy is an excellent resource for those choosing to stay home and navigate all aspects of their lives virtually. It is vital to continually improve your online speech therapy sessions and provide the best possible teachings to your students.
Be willing to learn from your students and change your methods to fit their needs best. You’ll find that each student is unique, which is why it’s helpful to have multiple tools and strategies to customize the plan as needed.
When schools shut down, and lockdowns became the “normal” around the world, it altered education opportunities for children of all ages. Most children experienced a change in routines as their daily learning shifted from classroom experiences to remote learning. While all students struggled through the changes, the most notable disruption is in the way special needs students were affected.
Amplifying the Inadequacies of the System
Pandemic life is stressful for all families, but the highest levels of stress are noted in families with special needs students. These children and their families depend on unique services and care to support daily needs. Not only are parents struggling with lost employment and lockdown-related challenges, but they also must supervise the child’s online school, therapies, and more.
When schools closed in the spring of 2020, the federal government required schools to maintain regulations, services, and timelines within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Even though there were no special education waivers, schools were unequipped to provide remote learning services for special needs students. As a result, many families received very little in terms of services and special education support.
Compounding Results for Special Needs Families
The challenges faced by the population as a whole were compounded for special needs students and their families. The longer education and medical services are limited, the more of an effect it has on the growth and well-being of the students.
Students continue to miss essential medical appointments and services due to limited resources and support. Canceled therapy sessions are more than an inconvenience – the lack of support starts a domino effect that causes students to lose skills and fall behind even more than before. Some families are working through the consequences of reduced care, resulting in medical complications that require more treatments and surgeries.
Special Needs Students Thrive in Routine
Another notable impact the pandemic had on special needs students is how the lockdowns affected daily schedules. Previously, school attendance created the structure for daily routine. But the pandemic shifted more of the responsibility to parents, who found themselves struggling through the trial-and-error of finding what works at home.
In the past, parents could send their children to school and benefit from the ongoing supervision from teachers, school administrators, lunch and recess monitors, and more. COVID-19 moved these tasks back to the home, causing parents to wear more hats throughout the day. It goes without saying that working parents find it challenging to juggle employment, school, and the specialized physical/emotional care required for the child.
Backlog of Need in Special Education
By law, students with an IEP must have a newly written education plan each year. Additionally, each student is reevaluated every three years to determine eligibility in the special education program. But the COVID-19 quarantine resulted in little or no testing. This means that schools are now facing an unprecedented backlog in services and meetings. Schools are continuing to face the challenges of maintaining health and safety for students. Children with special needs are experiencing the consequences of not having access to free and appropriate public education.
There’s no question that the pandemic is tough for parents, teachers, and students with special needs. As we see the impact the pandemic is having on special needs students, it has become obvious that better solutions must be implemented as soon as possible.
As the end of the school year approaches, parents, teachers, and therapists are reflecting on challenges and successes in this once-in-a-lifetime year. Summer is approaching and for many families that means yet another significant transition in their daily lives. The ‘summer slide’ is a decline in the educational and functional skills that students learn during the academic school year. Unfortunately, children with special education services are often especially vulnerable to losing skills over the summer. The following are strategies to keep your child engaged over the summer in order to prevent the summer slide.
Routine
It is incredibly helpful to create a routine right from the start. Children benefit from structure and this gives you an opportunity to establish what you want or need your daily routine to look like. Use pictures or simply draw what you will be doing in your day to allow your child to understand what is coming next.
Consider Natural Learning Moments
There are many learning opportunities built into an average summer day. Allow your child to work on functional skills by assisting with chores, practicing their manners, helping to get dressed, washing fruit to prepare for a meal, and more. Ask open-ended questions like “What do we need to do next?” when washing hands, or “What do we need to get ready to go outside?”
Collaborate With Your Team
Parents, teachers, and therapists should all consult to discuss specific strategies to support a child’s specific needs during the summer. For example, an occupational therapist may recommend swimming lessons as a way to get regulating sensory input, or a speech-language pathologist may recommend specific speech sounds you can practice when reading together. Touch base prior to the end of the year and let them know that you are interested in supporting your child in this area over the summer.
Open-Ended Play
Providing your child with opportunities for open-ended play allows them to work on several different skills including executive functioning, independence, building confidence, creativity, and more. Open-ended play also allows your child to follow their own interests, invoking their curiosity for learning and playing.
Opportunities for Social Participation
Select activities for your child that allow them to practice the social skills that they are able to work on throughout the academic year. Meet a friend at the playground for a playdate or for more structured support, check in with your child’s providers to see if they can recommend a social group.
Outpatient services
While some children receive Extended School Year services (ESY), many do not qualify. If your child is receiving services, consider continuing them privately through the summer. Though it is important to check with your carrier, often if a child has an IEP, insurance will pay for private services. This is particularly helpful for children who receive speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, and more.
Enriching Environments
If possible, expose your child to new environments to invoke their curiosity and love of learning. This can be as simple as taking a nature walk in your backyard or a wagon ride through the city. You can even check out local child-friendly destinations such as the library, farmer’s market, zoo, or children’s museum. Afterwards, reflect on the experience together. By following your child’s interests and engaging them you are creating opportunities for your child to grow outside of the academic year.
CBS Therapy is the premier provider of school-based and pediatric special education staffing services in the northeast.
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