The Weekly Review: Week 75

SLP Preview of the Week

Stay tuned. Next week I'll be telling you all about a set of /s/ resources that I've been working on putting in printable ebook format. The rough draft is completely done except for a cover. I'll be asking for volunteer proofreaders and some other feedback next week.

Ava this Week

Ava is discovering movement. The other three members of her family are drawn towards somewhat sedentary pursuits. We like to read, play computer games, build with legos or other construction toys, sew, do art projects, etc. Lately, it is becoming apparent to me that Ava likes all of those things, but she is drawn towards active pursuits as well. She wants to kick a ball, bop a balloon, play ping pong (she can actually serve a ping pong ball - she's only 3), swing a bat, climb a climbing wall, run as fast as she can, and slide over and over. She loves the activity and the movement. I need to find a way to build more active activities into our schedule. It fights against my nature and inclination a little, but she's worth it. And the activity would be good for all of us anyway.

Weekly Michael

Michael, as a contrast to his sister, has completely fallen in addictive love with his first real computer game. His father installed a game called Minecraft on his computer. It is an open-ended building game that involves placing a wide variety of cubes into a 3-D environment. There are landscape blocks (grass, dirt, bricks, trees, glass, lava, snow, etc), industrial blocks (dynamite, levers, buttons, train tracks, etc), and animals and people. He loves it. It is the last thing he thinks about before bed and the first thing he thinks about in the morning. He wants to know if the day is a "home" day or a "school" day primarily because he wants to know if he's going to get to play his game. As a parent of a preschooler I'm somewhat terrified of the addictive power of the computer screen. As someone who has had her fair share of gaming addictions, I'm enjoying watching him find his first gaming love.

Weekly Weight Loss

This week I'm up 0.7. It was hard to maintain the calorie tracking with guests in town. I also think last week weigh-in registered a little low and this week is registering a little high. C'est la vie. Next week is a new week.

Last Week's Special Event

We had an amazing visit with my in-laws. The children are in love. Grandma played ping pong and "bat the ball" with Ava every time she asked. Grandpa pretended to be a bear and chased giggling children all over the back yard.

The highlight of the visit was a trip to an extraordinary children's museum here in town that is essentially an indoor/outdoor playground created from recycled stuff for adults and children to play in together. They take donations from all kinds of companies and turn ordinary things into an extraordinary playground. They have a bus hanging half off their roof and you can climb into it (we did). They have airplanes suspended around a courtyard connected by wire tunnels and you climb around from one to another. They have castle turrets and a maze of concrete tunnels, slides, and stairs under the floor of one of the rooms. It is a place where you can explore, push boundaries of fear a little, and get a ton of amazing exercise. My fitbit told me I had climbed the equivalent of 31 flights of stairs by the time we left. I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy chasing children into scary places. Here's one I caught of my husband, son, and a friend at the top of a wire tower (at least three stories up) and another a friend caught of me following her daughter and my children up one of those wire tunnels to an airplane. I wish I had more. The place is amazing.

Data and Diagnosis

Let's take some snapshots.

Ava just shy of two years old. No words. Three consonants and one vowel in her phonemic inventory. Not able to imitate. History of reduced babbling. Lots of red flags for Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Ava at three. Decent phonetic inventory. Speaking in multi-word sentences. Significantly reduced intelligibility. Exhibiting many age inappropriate phonological processes. Diagnosis would look a lot like a phonological processing disorder with a motor-planning (apraxic) component.

Ava at 3 1/2. Intelligibility is improving. Many phonological processes are resolving - even the ones that are still age appropriate (cluster reduction, stopping of stridents, etc.). It would be difficult to describe Ava's speech problems as a phonological processing disorder at this point. She has numerous speech errors which are resistant to intervention due to the underlying motor planning component (stubborn, stubborn velars).

Same kid. Same neurology. The "diagnosis" looks different at different points. We get so hung up on a label. We need them for insurance and schools. Parents and SLP's tend to like them too. It is more important to understand the characteristics of the speech at that point in time and to have a plan to remediate the current spectrum of problems. Then you have to periodically re-evaluate with an open mind and be responsive to change.

Fascinating stuff.

(Typically, you'd never administrate the same instrument three times in five months. In this particular case it was done because of the timing of Ava's IEP. They assessed her at intake, at the end of the school year, and then at the beginning of this school year. The results are not simply an artifact of retesting though. She has indeed made progress in the areas noted. It's pretty amazing actually.)

Soliciting Opinions on Age of Acquisition Guidelines

It's terribly hard to qualify a speech-only child based upon specific articulation errors because the age range for age of acquisition is so wide. However, for the sake of this discussion, let's set aside the issue of qualification and just discuss treatment. You have a (hypothetical) child enrolled in therapy. You've been treating them for some time, and the only errors they have left are "age appropriate." Do you continue to treat or discharge that client from therapy?

Or, let's say you have a child with a frontal lisp on /s/ production that is very noticeable, but they're only 4-5 years old. Do you treat the lisp? I'm inclined to treat. I feel like letting certain errors go just tends to set them in stone, so to speak. By the time the errors are finally age inappropriate, the mispronounciations are fully habituated and harder to treat than they would have been if you had addressed them earlier.

I was hoping to get some other opinions. Have any of you encountered situations where children with a history of speech errors that need treatment had "age appropriate" errors resolve on their own without treatment as the child ages? I'm prompted to ask because of Michael.

Michael had a tendency to produce a wide variety of sounds interdentally. /f/, /v/, /s/, and /z/ were all produced with significant tongue protrusion. Given his abnormal speech history (almost completely absent babbling, no vowel productions or "cooing" until over 8 months of age, no words at all until 15 months...) and his sister's more significant speech issues, I decided to treat. /s/ and /z/ are pretty much completely resolved, and /f/ and /v/ are well on their way although still problematic in conversation. At 4 1/2, problems with /f/ are now age inappropriate, but that's the only speech error he has that currently would "qualify" for treatment.

I could step back now. I could work gently, but persistently on /f/ and /v/ when they come up naturally in conversation and just take a wait and see approach on the final remaining errors (/f/ for /th-/ and /d/ for /th+/). /th/ is a sound that would never qualify for treatment at 4 1/2. Given the history, would you wait and see if the /th/ resolves on its own or would you work on it?

The Weekly Review: Week 74

SLP Resource of the Week

Heidi at Mommy Speech Therapy put together a really nice free downloadable articulation screener. Two pages contain 46 picture prompts. Results are tallied on simple, attractive scoring sheets separated into phoneme organized by age of acquisition. This is definitely a resource worth checking out.

Ava this Week

My little girl is loving preschool. Up until the very last day, Ava protested being left at daycare. She didn't look forward to it and clung to my legs when I dropped her off. She was fine, but she didn't love it. Now, she loves school. She looks forward to going, and doesn't even watch me go when I walk out of her door. The preschool teacher and teacher's assistant in her room are wonderful and do an amazing job of making the children feel welcome in their room. They have a routine in place for the children's arrival which works really well for Ava. She knows exactly what to do when she walks in and looks forward to the routine. I am enjoying watching her do well at school.

Weekly Michael

Michael is also doing really well in his new pre-kindergarten classroom. I was worried he'd be jealous of Ava moving into "his" old room, but he hasn't worried about it at all. He's much more social this year. He has a group of friends that he enjoys playing with and when they all walk out at the end of their morning they walk out together in a group and head over to me talking all the while. Some of their topics of conversation are... interesting. The waiting area at the school has some benches and one has a memorial on it for a teacher who died a few years ago. Several of the boys are convinced she's buried under the bench and I have to reassure them every day that there isn't a body under their feet. Michael also announced that they've all chosen his future bride. I, shamefully, have forgotten her name. I have been informed that Michael will be getting married to her though. It's fun and rather entertaining to watch the social "skills" of a group of four year olds emerge.

Weekly Weight Loss

I'm down a somewhat inexplicable 1.5 pounds this week. I haven't really done anything different. I'm still walking the calorie/activity tracking path trying to stick pretty closely to my allocated number of calories per day. I'm guessing that "natural variations" in weight just happened to swing in my favor this week. Still, it's encouraging to see things continue to head in the right direction. I'm down about 10 pounds from where I started. Not bad at all.

Weekly Special Event

Our entire household is excitedly anticipating visitors this weekend. My husband's parents are driving into town to see us for an extended weekend. They are wonderful people who adore their grandchildren and are adored in return. We'll spend one day out on the town visiting a children's museum and having lunch out. The agenda for the other two days is still up in the air, but I know we will enjoy their company. I will be taking a blogging hiatus during their visit. I should be back early next week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend too.

Final TH (voiceless): Free Speech Therapy Articulation Picture Cards

Final /th/ (voiceless) Card Set

To download click on the image to open it full size. Then right click on the image, choose "save as" and save the page to your computer.

I recommend you print on cardstock and laminate for durability.

Description

This articulation picture card set is designed to be more comprehensive than the typical sets you might find elsewhere. The target audience for this set is young children or children with more severe speech delays that need intensive practice with voiceless final /th/ at a one-syllable level. No blends or vocalic /r/ sounds are included in this set. The set pairs the final /th/ with as many different vowel sounds as possible to maximize co-articulation variety.

Key Features

• This set includes 15 therapy cards with the target word and picture on the front, and the difficulty level and a carrier phrase on the back.
• The words are all VC or CVC in syllable shape.
• The words are easily understood by or easily taught to young children.
• Combines the target sound with a variety of vowel sounds.
• Words are sorted by difficulty level for an easy progression from easy to hard.

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this card set provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear back from anyone who uses this card set. Let me know if you find errors or there is anything you would change. Comment on this page, or send me an email at testyyettrying(at)gmail(dot)com.

Where can I find more?

More sets are on my Free Speech Therapy Articulation Cards page. Other card sets include /p, b, t, d, m, n, h, f, v, k, g, w, s, z, l, th, ch, sh, s-blends, and l-blends/ and more sets are being added regularly.

What kinds of activities can I do with this cardset?

1. 10 Card Set Game and Activity Ideas
   
2. Simple Speech Card Puzzles
   
3. Speech Card Stories
   
4. Speech Card Caterpillar
   
5. Speech Card Game: What's Hiding?
   
6. Speech Card Game: Speech Switcheroo (An Uno-Style Game)
   
7. Speech Card Set Activity: Magnetic Speech Cards
   
8. Speech Card Game: Speech Fours
   
9. Speech Card Game: Old Maid
   
10. Speech Card Set Activity: Bang!
    
11. Speech Card Set Activity: What's Hiding Behind Door Number...?
    
12. Speech Card Set Activity: Customizing a Homework Sheet
    
13. Speech Card Set Activity: Making a Simple Sentence Flipbook
    
14. Speech Game: Find-It
    
15. Speech Card Set Activity: Speech Art Collage
    
16. Speech Card Set Activity: Speech Crowns
    

Minimal Pairs Speech Therapy Activities

The new school year is here and Ava is back in her speech therapy group twice a week for 45 minutes. We have a wonderful opportunity to participate in a speech-only program that uses a Hodson Cycles approach to phonological processing therapy which is a great fit for her.

While Michael and I wait, I'll be doing speech therapy with him. That way, I know both children will get at least 90 minutes of therapy a week. I've been busy preparing some materials for Michael.

I did a brief screening with Michael last week. At this point, his /f/ and /v/ production are almost 100% correct at the word level, but he still produces them interdentally at least half the time in conversation. So essentially, his /f/ and /v/ are produced as a /th/. This is ironic, because he substitutes an /f/ for the voiceless /th/ even at the word level. He also substitutes /d/ for the voiced /th/. Those are his only errors. So in summary, his only errors are on /f/, /v/, and /th/ and he often substitutes /f/ for /th/ and vice versa. So, with some encouragement by our private speech therapist we're going to use a minimal pairs approach to working with these sounds.

I made a voiceless /th/ - /f/ minimal pairs set and we're going to begin working with those. Here are the types of activities I'm planning on doing with them. Does anyone have any additional ideas or activities for working with minimal pairs?

Minimal Pairs Therapy Activities

• If child is reading, or has good phonological awareness skills, discuss the letter-sound correspondences of the targeted contrasting phonemes first.
• Play a sorting game. (For this activity you'll have to cut the pairs in half.) Have the child sort the /f/ words into one pile and the /th/ words into another pile. Add some fun to this game by sorting into fun containers or pretending the cards are eaten by a puppet. If your child is savvy enough to "cheat" by looking at the printed words on the cards, hide the text when they are performing the sorting task.
• Auditory bombardment. Have the child put on his or her listening ears. Then read all the /f/ words to the child. Next read all the /th/ words. Finally, read the contrasting pairs -slightly- emphasizing the contrasting phoneme.
• Listen and point game (auditory discrimination). Again have your child put on his or her listening ears. Place one contrasting pair set in front of the child. Hide your face behind a piece of paper and say one of the words. The child must point to the word you produce. To make this activity a little harder, use the word with a carrier phrase ("I see a...", "I like the...", etc.).
• Matching game. (Cut pairs in half.) Shuffle the cards and have the child sort and match the contrasting pairs.
• Memory game. (Cut pairs in half.) Shuffle the cards and lay in grid face down. Play memory using the contrasting pairs and two halves of a match.
• Production practice. Practice, practice, practice. Have the child say the words. Say the /f/ words. Then say the /th/ words. Then say the word contrast pairs.
• Create-a-sentence. (Cut pairs in half.) Shuffle the cards and draw two to three cards. Make up a sentence using those cards and have the child repeat the sentence. If they can, have the child make up their own sentence.
• Create-a-story. (Cut pairs in half.) Shuffle the cards and draw four to six cards. Make up a story using those cards and have the child tell it back to you. If they can, have the child make up their own story.

Voiceless TH / F Minimal Pairs Picture Cards

Voiceless /th/ - /f/ Minimal Pairs Card Set

To download click on the image to open it full size. Then right click on the image, choose "save as" and save the page to your computer.

I recommend you print on cardstock and laminate for durability.

Description

This articulation picture card set focuses on the contrast between voiceless /th/ and /f/. It would be a great set to use with a child who is substituting voiceless /th/ for /f/ or vice versa. Usually I avoid vocalic /r/ in my card sets, but there are not a lot of these minimal pair contrasts around, so I did include some vocalic /r/ words. There are no consonant blends in this set in order to minimize phonemic complexity.

Key Features

• This set includes 14 picture cards (7 th/f minimal pairs) with the target word and picture on the front.
• The words are simple in syllable shape and include no consonant blends.
• Combines the target sounds with a variety of vowels in order to increase phonemic variety and improve carryover.

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this card set provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear back from anyone who uses this card set. Let me know if you find errors or there is anything you would change. Comment on this page, or send me an email at testyyettrying(at)gmail(dot)com.

Where can I find more?

More sets are on my Free Speech Therapy Articulation Cards page. Other card sets include /p, b, t, d, m, n, h, f, v, k, g, w, s, z, l, th, ch, sh, s-blends, and l-blends/ and more sets are being added regularly.

Initial TH (voiceless): Free Speech Therapy Articulation Picture Cards

Initial /th/ (voiceless) Card Set

To download click on the image to open it full size. Then right click on the image, choose "save as" and save the page to your computer.

I recommend you print on cardstock and laminate for durability.

Description

This articulation picture card set is designed to be more comprehensive than the typical sets you might find elsewhere. The target audience for this set is young children or children with more severe speech delays that need intensive practice with voiceless initial /th/ at a one-syllable level. No blends or vocalic /r/ sounds are included in this set. The set pairs the initial /th/ with as many different vowel sounds as possible to maximize co-articulation variety.

Key Features

• This set includes 12 therapy cards with the target word and picture on the front, and the difficulty level and a carrier phrase on the back.
• The words are all CV or CVC in syllable shape.
• The words are easily understood by or easily taught to young children.
• Combines the target sound with a variety of vowel sounds.
• Words are sorted by difficulty level for an easy progression from easy to hard.

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this card set provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear back from anyone who uses this card set. Let me know if you find errors or there is anything you would change. Comment on this page, or send me an email at testyyettrying(at)gmail(dot)com.

Where can I find more?

More sets are on my Free Speech Therapy Articulation Cards page. Other card sets include /p, b, t, d, m, n, h, f, v, k, g, w, s, z, l, th, ch, sh, s-blends, and l-blends/ and more sets are being added regularly.

What kinds of activities can I do with this cardset?

1. 10 Card Set Game and Activity Ideas
   
2. Simple Speech Card Puzzles
   
3. Speech Card Stories
   
4. Speech Card Caterpillar
   
5. Speech Card Game: What's Hiding?
   
6. Speech Card Game: Speech Switcheroo (An Uno-Style Game)
   
7. Speech Card Set Activity: Magnetic Speech Cards
   
8. Speech Card Game: Speech Fours
   
9. Speech Card Game: Old Maid
   
10. Speech Card Set Activity: Bang!
    
11. Speech Card Set Activity: What's Hiding Behind Door Number...?
    
12. Speech Card Set Activity: Customizing a Homework Sheet
    
13. Speech Card Set Activity: Making a Simple Sentence Flipbook
    
14. Speech Game: Find-It
    
15. Speech Card Set Activity: Speech Art Collage
    
16. Speech Card Set Activity: Speech Crowns
    

Quick Trivia

I'm pressed for time, and so in lieu of a full post here's five quick fairly random trivia facts about me.

1. I read an average sized paperback book in 3-4 hours. This sounds wonderful until you realize how quickly I can blow through a $40, 5-book series and how long I have to wait for the next installment to be published.
2. I'm a cat person. Aside from two years in a college dorm, I've never lived without a cat. Currently, we have four. (I also adore ferrets. I owned one in graduate school and refuse to get rid of the cage just in case we have room for another at some point in the future.)
3. When we were young, I once told a cousin that I was going to have eight children. I believe the assertion had something to do with why he should sit in the middle of the back seat and cede the preferred door seat to me. (Don't ask.) He likes to periodically ask me when I'm going to deliver the additional six children he had been promised.
4. I'm fairly short - 5'1". My first job post graduate school was in a middle school and the children would often mistake me for another student in the halls.
5. I have an inexplicable love of sharpies. I recently told my husband that a bouquet of sharpies would be much superior to a bouquet of flowers.

What Came Out When I Let My Mouth Run on Autopilot

Forgive me while I take a few paragraphs to properly set the scene. I am blessed. My children still nap every afternoon. It takes some effort though. We go upstairs together at 2pm. If necessary we change into comfortable clothes, potty, and read books. Then I let Michael play independently in his room while I sing Ava to sleep. This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Then she's out for the next hour and a half. If I don't stay with her until she falls asleep, she'll play and skip the nap altogether.

This works out well because Michael runs off some excess energy while playing in his room waiting for me to finish with Ava. Once I close Ava's door leaving her sleeping peacefully I slip into Michael's room where he's usually so busy in imaginary play that he doesn't even notice me come in. I tuck him under his covers and sing him to sleep too. That takes another 15-20 minutes, but then he's also out for the next hour and a half.

From the time I go upstairs with both children to the time I make it back downstairs it is usually a full hour. Then I usually have an hour to myself (hello blog post) and the children have a much calmer evening than they would have without the nap.

So, a few days ago, when I slipped into Michael's room he was kneeling on the floor facing the door to his room. I could tell something was up because he was wide-eyed with that "you caught me" look on his face. Also, he was completely silent. My brain hadn't quite caught up with my immediate sense of suspicion enough to voice a question when his mouth opened and a river of marbles spilled out. Seriously - it seemed like a neverending stream of marbles spilled out of his mouth onto the floor followed by one or two stragglers spit out for good measure at the end.

My heart sank down into the general vicinity of my stomach while the speech-path in the back of my mind gibbered about the diameter of the trachea and what could have happened if he had inhaled sharply when I opened the door, or coughed, or sneezed, or tried to talk to me before spitting out all those marbles. The calm part of me shut off. All rational thought was completely absent. I wasn't even mad. I didn't even come close to losing my temper. I am completely unaware of making any decisions about what I was going to do next. I was on some kind of autopilot.

Michael knew there was trouble. He was spewing about 80 kinds of "I'm sorry mama." at me, but I knew he was just telling me what I wanted to hear. I pulled the door shut quietly behind me and I sank down on my knees and asked him to come see me. I pulled him in my lap wrapping my arms around his still breathing body and tucking his head under my chin for a moment. Then I looked him right in his eyes and I picked up one of the 12 to 15 marbles scattered about us and showed it to him.

I told him that marbles were the exact same size as his windpipe. I told him that if he had coughed, or stumbled, or sneezed, or tried to talk, or put one too many in his mouth they would have slipped right into his windpipe and kept him from breathing and he would have died. I told him that I wouldn't have even been able to hear him because I was in Ava's room singing to her. I told him he wouldn't have even been able to call me for help because his windpipe would have been blocked off. I told him I would have come in to sing him his songs and he would have been dead. I told him to never, never, never put marbles in his mouth again - NEVER. I told him mommies only give big boys marbles because big boys know better than to put their toys in their mouths. And then I hugged him, wiped away a few of his tears, tucked him in, and sang him to sleep.

He'll be five in November. He's not a baby any more. He never puts toys in his mouth. He's had free access to marbles for months now. What on earth was he thinking?!?!?! I realize that telling a four year old that they could have died because of their actions was perhaps not my most well thought out parenting moment, but to be honest, I don't regret it. It was a serious moment. It could have had life-altering consequences. I needed to kick him out of the automatic "sorry" mode and into a more serious "think about what you've done and really see it with open eyes" mode. I think it worked. But I'll be seeing that river of marbles every time I close my eyes for the next month.

The Weekly Review: Week 73

SLP Resource of the Week

If you're looking for more picture prompts by phoneme, Caroline Bowen's website has a wide selection of worksheets with picture prompts. The page sorts phonemes by manner of production (stops, fricatives, etc.). Scroll down to the phoneme you're looking for and click on the link and it will bring up a multi-page .pdf with pictures and words for that phoneme. Many of the words are CVC in syllable shape. Some of the words include vocalic /r/ and final consonant blends. Still, this is a great resource if you're looking for a phoneme I don't have or to supplement your collection for a specific phoneme.

Ava this Week

Ava started "big girl school" this week. She does beautifully when being dropped off. She seems to enjoy her day and will share something simple about what happened at school when asked. So far, she's melting down at pick up though. The teachers, understandably, want the children to line up when they get outside rather than scattering in every direction instantly running to find their parents. That would be a dangerous recipe sure to end up with a lost child. Ava hates seeing me and not being able to run over to me immediately. She bursts into tears every time. I need to remind her when I drop her off about the class rule for pickup time. Perhaps she just needs more mental preparation?

Weekly Michael

It is like "boy" is bubbling out of every square inch of skin lately. All of a sudden, it's all about making rude noises and thinking it's funny, pretending things are weapons, crashing toys into each other or the floor, and talking at three times the speed and volume necessary for any given situation. How long does this stage last exactly? Where did it come from and how do I return it?

Weekly Weight Loss

Things have been much more on schedule this week both in life and trundling along on the calorie tracking plan. This week I'm down. 1.2 pounds. I was looking back over the past 7 1/2 weeks. 7.5 weeks is how long I've been tracking my weight accurately. Over the past 7.5 weeks I've lost 6.5 pounds. Given that I'm eating about the minimum an adult should eat in calories a day, and I haven't yet managed to dig up the time, energy, motivation, or willpower to increase my activity levels that's about as high a rate of weight loss as I could reasonably expect. And so, success. At this reasonable rate of weight loss I only have to keep this up until the end of the year to reach my target. Then I get to tackle the issue of maintenance. It is humbling to realize that I've been consistent for over two months and it takes months and months of consistent work to take off weight that sneaks on so easily. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude that this is a learning and recalibration experience that will reap long-term benefits.

First Day of School Pictures - 2012

I've seen a ton of sweet first day of school pictures floating around the internet. I particularly liked this one and combined it with the idea of holding a sign. This year was the first year both children were heading off to preschool/pre-K at our local public school and so I decided that I would get it done this time. I printed off the "signs" using microsoft word the night before while the kids were in the bath. I dragged the children into the driveway, cajoled smiles from them with silly sentences, and took a few pics with my phone before loading them in the car. Then I used PicMonkey to edit the pictures and add the text.

Free Articulation and Phonological Process Screener Available Online

I was thinking about cobbling together a quick articulation screening tool to use with my kids. I don't have the extra cash to invest in a GFTA or Khan-Lewis although I would love to have them. Besides, all I need is an organized way to assess the kids' current production of the full range of consonants. I was doing a bit of research online and stumbled across a really nice free one already available online. I thought I'd post the link for anyone who doesn't already know about it.

You can find the Quick Screener: A Quick Test of Articulation and Phonology on Caroline Bowen's website. She's a Speech-Language Pathologist, PhD, and specialist in speech sound disorders. Look for the third section down on the page for the links to the screener and to the record forms. The screening consists of 44 (mostly) single syllable words prompted by pictures and verbal prompts. You can transcribe errors and use the record forms to look for patterns of phonological errors.

You should note that although all but one of the words are single syllable, many of the words contain consonant blends and vocalic /r/ sounds. Take that into consideration when deciding if this would be a useful tool with a particular student. Also, the record form does not have a summary section for clearly entering error sounds/positions, but that would be simple enough to add on your own.

It's a great tool freely available for download and use. You should definitely check it out.

Initial T Homework Sheet: Free Speech Therapy Articulation Worksheet

I was playing around with a possible homework sheet format and I came up with this. It has a section for the parents to give their child visual cues, a section for the parent to do auditory bombardment (with the target consonant paired with every vowel), and then a section with picture cues for the child to practice saying target words. Useful?

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this homework sheet provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Medial F: Free Speech Therapy Articulation Picture Cards

Medial /f/ Card Set

To download click on the image to open it full size. Then right click on the image, choose "save as" and save the page to your computer.

I recommend you print on cardstock and laminate for durability.

Description

This articulation picture card set is designed to be more comprehensive than the typical sets you might find elsewhere. The target audience for this set is young children or children with more severe speech delays that need intensive practice with medial /f/ at a simple two-syllable level. Syllable shapes are kept as simple as possible and include CVCV, VCV, VCVC, and CVCVC. If you choose to print the cards with the backs, they will be sorted by difficulty from least phonemically complex to most phonemically complex. Level 1 is CVCV and VCV syllable shapes paired with relatively easier consonants. Level 2 is CVCV and VCV syllable shapes paired with more difficult consonants. Level 3 is VCVC or CVCVC with easier consonants while Level 4 is VCVC or CVCVC with more difficult consonants. No blends or vocalic /r/ sounds are included in this set. The set pairs the medial /f/ with as many different vowel sounds as possible to maximize co-articulation variety.

Key Features

• This set includes 15 therapy cards with the target word and picture on the front, and the difficulty level and a carrier phrase on the back.
• The words are all VCV, CVCV, VCVC, or CVCVC in syllable shape.
• The words are easily understood by or easily taught to young children.
• Combines the target sound with all possible vowel sounds at least once.
• Words are sorted by difficulty level for an easy progression from less complex to more complex.

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this card set provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear back from anyone who uses this card set. Let me know if you find errors or there is anything you would change. Comment on this page, or send me an email at testyyettrying(at)gmail(dot)com.

Where can I find more?

More sets are on my Free Speech Therapy Articulation Cards page. Other card sets include /p, b, t, d, m, n, h, f, v, k, g, w, s, z, l, ch, sh, s-blends, and l-blends/ and more sets are being added regularly.

What kinds of activities can I do with this cardset?

1. 10 Card Set Game and Activity Ideas
   
2. Simple Speech Card Puzzles
   
3. Speech Card Stories
   
4. Speech Card Caterpillar
   
5. Speech Card Game: What's Hiding?
   
6. Speech Card Game: Speech Switcheroo (An Uno-Style Game)
   
7. Speech Card Set Activity: Magnetic Speech Cards
   
8. Speech Card Game: Speech Fours
   
9. Speech Card Game: Old Maid
   
10. Speech Card Set Activity: Bang!
    
11. Speech Card Set Activity: What's Hiding Behind Door Number...?
    
12. Speech Card Set Activity: Customizing a Homework Sheet
    
13. Speech Card Set Activity: Making a Simple Sentence Flipbook
    
14. Speech Game: Find-It