I’ve been hearing some crazy stories from SLPs lately. The other day, an SLP shared that one of her private clients decided to stop coming because her mom couldn’t afford speech AND dance classes. So she decided to do JUST the dance classes and drop the speech therapy. Ouch. Then there was the SLP in…
Author: DrKaren
What’s your syntax IQ? Part 3: Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
“Never start a sentence with a conjunction!” Have you ever heard this mantra? Or have you ever said it yourself? I confess I’m guilty as charged. There were times I’d try ANYTHING to get my students to understand something in the moment. But…the problem with that little conjunctions jingle I just mentioned is that it’s about…
What’s your syntax IQ? Part 2: Simple, compound, and complex sentences
Everyone loves an epic grammar or syntax fail. There’s this one that shows how a simple comma can be the difference between life and death: “Let’s eat Grandpa.” Or this one that’s been floating around the internet (which shows how important it is to know what is and isn’t a coordinating conjunction): “Everyone’s got a right to…
What’s your syntax IQ? Part 1: Sentences, phrases, and clauses
SLPs are in a position to make a huge impact on our students’ language skills. But here’s the challenge a lot of us face when it comes to helping our students: Most of us are so good at using language, we use it without thinking. Over time we lose the ability to explain HOW we…
Working on spelling? Here’s why you should be.
Speech-language pathologists aren’t supposed to be working on spelling. Or are they? I’d make the argument that they should be. SLPs know they play a role in building literacy skills. But how that role plays out in day-to-day practice remains up for debate…especially when it comes to spelling. If you search through the vast amount…
Want to improve “reading comprehension”? If so, stop working on it.
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me for some good “comprehension” and “inferencing” techniques for kids with language disorders, I could retire and buy a private island. If I had another dollar for every article I saw on Pinterest about “reading comprehension”, “main idea”, “inferencing” for language therapy I could probably…
The Ultimate Guide to Syntax Bundle
Does it seem like your students never make REAL, measurable progress in language therapy? Do you want to finally start writing progress reports that look like this: Instead of writing updates that look like this: Let’s face it. A lot of us find ourselves writing “not making progress” on a lot of our language therapy…
Do you have too much stuff in your therapy room?
Does the thought of sifting through your materials and planning for the next day feel like an insurmountable task? If so, join the club. Having to be “on” all day long in the therapist’s role is enough to leave anyone exhausted. The thought of doing any more work after all of that is the last…
Demystifying the “specific learning disability”
If you’re an SLP, you have to collaborate with psychologists on a regular basis to evaluate struggling students. You also may find yourself in situations where you have to explain the eligibility process to people who have no background special education…which is no small task. Not only is this hard to explain to other people…it…
Why introverts are misunderstood (and what to do if you’re one of them)
The Introverted Therapist: Are we “broken”? I can’t quite remember when I decided that being loud, outgoing, and extroverted was the “right” way to be. Maybe it was in elementary school when my teachers would scold me for talking too quietly when I was speaking in front of the class (while my classmates snickered). Maybe…