School Archives - Speech Buddies Blog

Translating Tech Savvy Classrooms into Tech Savvy Speech Therapy

Posted by Holly F. on Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Source: securedgenetworks.com

If you consider all the technological advances in education, it might be fair to say the classroom just ain’t what it used to be. Digital e-readers, iDevices, Smartboards and more are making their way to mainstream, like it or not. Just take a look at these headlines:

“Schools, Businesses Team Up to Put Technology in Classrooms”- NBC Dallas Fort Worth

“Technology changes face of classroom” – The Australian

“ New study shows schools are starting to spend big on iPads and other Tablets” – Tabtimes

These titles tell a tale of the new face of education, a tech-savvy classroom that speech pathologists must be aware of as well. While some schools or teachers might be late adopters, speech therapy techniques are advancing alongside the classroom and SLPs need to be prepared to keep up.

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Calling Colorado Parents: Inclusive Education Conference Coming Your Way!

Posted by Holly F. on Friday, February 1st, 2013

Source: schoolbook.org

Colorado parents and professionals, this one is for you! The PEAK Parent Center out of Colorado Springs is holding their annual conference on inclusive education February 7-8, 2013. The conference tagline, “Same fish, Different Sea” says it all about the mission: reforming classrooms and schools for children with speech therapy needs, behavioral needs, disabilities such as Autism, dyslexia, LD, ADHD and incorporating technology for ALL students.

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Teachers: Essential Questions About Childhood Speech Disorders

Posted by Jacky G. on Friday, November 23rd, 2012

Special Needs & Childhood Speech Disorders in School

Image source: Scoop.it

Teachers are rarely in it for the money. Many list a desire to see kids succeed as their number one reason for teaching, despite the low wages. But some kids, such as those with childhood speech disorders, need a little extra help. Sometimes, the key to success in the classroom lies in making drastic changes, such as changing the entire physical landscape, as one school in Stockholm, Sweden did. When dealing with childhood speech disorders in the classroom, the best approach is collaboration. Because Open House nights rarely afford the opportunity for in-depth discussions with parents, teachers should instead schedule one-on-one meetings to discuss the child’s speech disorder. It’s also a good idea for teachers to meet with the child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP) to discuss how to best meet that child’s needs.

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Making Special Education Plans with Your Child

Posted by Jacky G. on Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Image source: Tscpl.org

When it’s apparent that your child requires some extra help, you and your partner are the ones responsible for setting up the special education plans in collaboration with the school district. When your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is not being properly implemented, it’s your job to file a complaint. It’s also your job to make sure your child has the speech therapy sessions and tools he needs, like Speech Buddies for articulation work. But is it ever your child’s job to get involved in their own special education plans?

Parents often instinctively shield their youngsters from the more unsavory issues in life, like bureaucratic red tape. And indeed, a young child should not dive headfirst into a pile of IEP paperwork. But having your youngster become at least partially involved in his own special education plans can introduce a human element into the process and remind the IEP team of why they are meeting in the first place. After all, it’s his education that the team is discussing. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and parents should always consider their children’s unique situation.

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Teaching Children Phonics

Posted by Jacky G. on Friday, October 12th, 2012

Image source: Inkjot.wordpress.com

Kids with speech disorders or delays often struggle to learn to read and write. For them, learning to read can be as confounding as reading a white paper on the performance of a Fusion-io ioDrive Duo 1.28TB card under a tpcc-mysql workload would be to us. (Unless, of course, you’re a computer genius.) Ideally, speech therapy focuses on the acquisition of all facets of language, from understanding the spoken word and reading fluently (receptive language skills) to articulating words clearly (expressive language skills). Phonics is one way to help a child accelerate the acquisition of reading and writing skills.

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Homeschooling Your Speech Disordered Child

Posted by Jacky G. on Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Image source: Seesaw.typepad.com

Parents of children with speech disorders are faced with a choice: private speech therapy or speech therapy through the public school system? Each choice has its own benefits and drawbacks, but some parents prefer to consider a third, less conventional option: homeschooling. Considering alternative options may seem confusing or even intimidating at times. For starters, there usually isn’t as much information available, and often parents don’t know where to look for help. The trick to evaluating alternative options is to look at the idea from every angle, and instead of being intimidated, perceive it as an opportunity. That said, homeschooling isn’t for everyone, and it can be especially difficult to homeschool a child with a speech disorder.