CEU Challenge: Week 7 - Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students - Intervention

This week's CEU course from LinguiSystems: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Intervention. It is a great follow-up course after last week's course on reading assessment. Again, although this title specifically refers to "secondary students", I feel that much of this information can be useful to SLP's (or parents) working with children of all ages.

The course reviews the definition of reading comprehension and discusses the underlying skills. The role an SLP can play in supporting reading comprehension is discussed and methods of finding time in your schedule and the schedule of your students is also covered. Finally, the course covers in detail specific language skills to target to support a student's reading comprehension. This in great information to become familiar with and I suggest saving a copy of the PDF for future reference.

I found the course material to be comprehensive and well organized. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward and relatively quick to take. After completing this course I have finished all of the continuing education credits I need for the calendar year. I am feeling pretty great about that. For once it is early March and I have all of the CEUs I need for the calendar year. It feels wonderful to have made a reasonable plan (one course a week for 7 weeks) and stuck with it through completion.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

Catch up!

• Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 2 review: Evidence-Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 3 review: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 4 review: Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 5 review: HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP - 0.3 CEUs
• Week 6 review: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students - Assessment - 0.2 CEUs

CEU Challenge: Week 6 - Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students - Assessment

I was quite excited about the topic of this week's CEU course from LinguiSystems: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Assessment. As you may or may not know (I can't remember if I've mentioned it before) I was 3/4 done with a PhD program when Michael came along just a little sooner than I planned for starting a chain of events that completely shifted my priorities. The area I was studying was reading. I love reading. I like engaging in recreational reading. I like studying reading. I like teaching reading. I like assessing reading. In the past few weeks I have adored listening Michael read his first real books to me (Dr. Seuss Beginner Books are now within his reach).

The only reservation I had about this topic was that reference to "Secondary Students". Traditionally, I most enjoy working with toddlers and preschoolers and then early and late elementary. As children reach high school I am less in my comfort zone. As it turns out, I would say that a large portion of this course is applicable to working with elementary students as well - at least 65-70% of the course. This makes it well worth your time even if you work with younger children. When you finish the course you'll be familiar with the underlying skills woven into skilled reading and the role an SLP can play in assessment. You will also earn 0.2 CEUs or 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

I found the course material to be comprehensive and well organized. I also found it to be easily understood, but I was already familiar with most of the material, so I may not be the best judge of that. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward and relatively quick to take. After completing this course I have finished 13 of the 15 continuing education credits I need for the calendar year.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 7: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Intervention - 0.2 CEUs for next Friday! This will be the last course in my 7 Week Free CEU Challenge.

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

If you missed it, catch up on my Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch up on my Week 2 review: Evidence-Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs. If you're still going strong when you finish that one, check out the Week 3 review: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch the Week 4 review: Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology - 0.2 CEUs. The Week 5 review is here: HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP - 0.3 CEUs.

CEU Challenge: Week 5 - HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP

My four week and counting streak of completing these CEU courses on time was nearly derailed by the winter storm that kept my children and most of the city home yesterday, but I managed to squeeze in some CEU time while my husband entertained the children with after dinner driveway clearing. I took the HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP course at LinguiSystems and received 0.3 CEUs or 3 hours of Continuing Education Credit. (HFA - High Functioning Autism, AS - Asperger's Syndrome, NVLD - Nonverbal Learning Disorder)

I completely forgot that this is the one course in the 7-week free CEU curriculum that is 0.3 CEUs instead of 0.2 CEU's. I was also rushing things a bit due to having to squeeze this into the evening rather than "leisurely" engaging with the material while my children were at preschool. Therefore I struggled a little more with this course than with the others. However, this course is interesting. Even if you have no need to actually diagnose autistic spectrum disorders, you will find the material interesting and useful if you have some children on the spectrum on your caseload. The author of the course discusses similarities and differences between the three disorders, gives examples, and discusses treatment.

I found the HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP interesting and full of detail. I will certainly bookmark it as a useful reference to return to if I need to review the specifics in the future. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was more frustrating than some others, but to be fair the course is intended to be longer/more complex. I had to dig deeper into the material and sift through rather fine details to figure out which of similar seeming multiple-choice answers was the correct choice. I received a lower, although still passing score, on this course than on any of the others. I earned 0.3 additional continuing education credits towards the 1.5 I need to earn this calendar year. At this point, two more courses will allow us to reach our goal of 1.5 CEUs.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 6: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Assessment - 0.2 CEUs for next Friday!

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

If you missed it, catch up on my Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch up on my Week 2 review: Evidence-Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs. If you're still going strong when you finish that one, check out the Week 3 review: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch the Week 4 review: Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology - 0.2 CEUs.

CEU Challenge: Week 4 - Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology

This week I took the Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology course at LinguiSystems and received 0.2 CEUs or 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

I will admit that I was initially unenthusiastic about this one. However, as it turns out, I enjoyed it. I haven't done a lot of reading in the area of professional ethics, so it was pretty new to me. About 50-65% of the information covered in the course pertains to adult / medical speech-pathology practice, but the other half pertains to pediatric scenarios. I found the discussion about the four main tenants of professional ethical decision making (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice) to be useful and keeping this information in mind during practice would definitely help in prioritizing and decision making.

In summary, I found the Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology to be an easy, interesting read. The information covered in the course is thought provoking and I believe easily integrated into improving the quality of professional practice. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward and quick to complete. I earned 0.2 more continuing education credits towards the 1.5 I need to earn this calendar year. At this point, I am over the halfway mark to my goal of 1.5 CEUs.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 5: HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP - 0.3 CEUs for next Friday! (The acronyms refer to High-functioning autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and nonverbal learning disorder.)

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

If you missed it, catch up on my Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch up on my Week 2 review: Evidence-Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs. If you're still going strong when you finish that one, check out the Week 3 review: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs.

CEU Challenge: Week 3 - Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children

This week I took the Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children course at LinguiSystems and received 0.2 CEUs or 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

This course was really fantastic. If you're working with really young children who have limited verbal skills and are wondering where to begin, this course takes you through the basics. It begins by reviewing the pragmatic prerequisites that are necessary for verbal communication: joint attention and turn taking. Then the author reviews pragmatic acts that are essential in communication: greetings, initiation/requesting, and negating/protesting. All five of these pragmatic skills are often valid targets with nonverbal or minimally verbal children. Then she discusses vocabulary intervention in terms of what to target and how to target it. She offers many, many practical suggestions for how to structure therapy with this population. She provides links to internet resources that can be used in planning thematic therapy sessions and describes therapy activities to include in your therapy sessions. I strongly recommend reading this one even if you have no need for the CEU credits.

I know I have some parents out there that follow along. You would probably also benefit from reading this material. I believe that there are many suggestions you could use at home with your children.

The Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children course was well organized, well written, and easy to read. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward and quick to complete. I earned 0.2 more continuing education credits towards the 1.5 I need to earn this calendar year.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 4: Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology - 0.2 CEUs for next Friday!

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

If you missed it, catch up on my Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs. Then catch up on my Week 2 review: Evidence-Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs.

CEU Challenge: Week 2 - Evidence-Based Practice

It's a good thing I committed to taking these online CEU courses once a week. I'll admit, I left things to the last possible minute this time. This week I took the Evidence-Based Practice course at LinguiSystems and received 0.2 CEUs or 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

This was a very nice course on why clinical decisions and therapy methods should be based on a combination of high-quality research evidence, practitioner expertise, and client preferences and values. The course discusses how to locate research and evaluate the quality of that research. It also discusses what to do if you cannot find high-quality research available to answer a specific question. I really do believe evidence-based practice is critical to efficacy in therapy.

Two years ago, when it became apparent to me that Ava's speech was significantly delayed in a manner consistent with a motor-speech disorder (apraxia) I knew that I didn't know enough about apraxia treatment to help her. I needed to know more. I dug into the online ASHA archives for any journal articles written about CAS. I purchased the Source for Childhood Apraxia of Speech and read it cover to cover. I came to understand that the evidence shows that CAS cannot be treated with the same treatment methods as a generic articulation disorder or even the methods most appropriate for children with phonological disorders. If you treat a child who has a motor-speech problem that way, treatment results will not be maximized. Therapy progress will be slow.

My research led to an increased understanding of CAS. Understanding CAS helped me to understand the best ways to treat CAS. Understanding the most effective treatment methods helped me to help Ava. As a side effect, I was able to share a lot of that knowledge on this blog. I have also been able to create therapy materials that focus on the unique needs of the CAS population. I wouldn't have been able to do any of that without digging into the research first.

The Evidence-Based Practice course was well written and easy to read. The 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward and fairly quick to complete. I earned 0.2 more continuing education credits towards the 1.5 I need to earn this calendar year.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 3: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs for next Friday!

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

If you missed it, catch up on my Week 1 review: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs.

CEU Challenge: Week 1 - Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs

As promised, I took the Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs course at LinguiSystems and received 0.2 CEUs or 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

It was a nice course. The presentation was easy to read and the 20 question multiple-choice quiz was straightforward. It was a good reminder of how counseling skills fit into our scope of practice as Speech-Language Pathologists in a variety of settings. It explained several counseling theories and reviewed specific skills and techniques that can be applied in key moments like conveying a diagnosis, first therapy sessions, and discharge. It also discussed when to refer a client to another appropriate professional.

I enjoyed the reminder that our clients and their families experience a spectrum of emotions in response to the problems they are experiencing and that helping them navigate those emotions is an essential part of effective speech therapy that is easily forgotten.

As a parent of a child with a speech disorder I vividly remember the intense emotions I experienced when Ava was diagnosed and how helpless and paralyzed I felt at first. Even as an SLP, I needed time to handle emotions before I could work productively towards helping her.

Did anyone else take this course? What did you think?

Don't forget to complete Week 2: Evidence Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs for next Friday!

See the complete 7-Week Free CEU Challenge here.

CEU Challenge: 15 Free CEU's in 7 Weeks

Background

Let's look back in time to December 29-30, 2012. That was the weekend after Christmas. You were all having quality time with your families right? You'd think I would have been doing the same, but no. Instead, I was sitting at my computer while my husband had quality time with the children. I had left my ASHA and state licence renewals to the last minute and still needed 5 more CEUs before I could ethically renew my licences. I logged on to the Linguisystems Free CEU page and dug in. I did get it all done. All CEU requirements are met and licences are current. However, I really do need a plan that doesn't involve frantic, last minute sacrifices of quality family time during the holidays.

The CEU Challenge

I'm going to sit down and earn CEUs every week (all of the LinguiSystems CEU courses are worth more than one) until I get the 15 I need this calendar year. You are welcome to join me. Here's my syllabus:

• Week 1: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 2: Evidence Based Practice - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 3: Intervention Programming for Nonverbal Children - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 4: Introduction to Ethical Decision Making in Speech-Language Pathology - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 5: HFA, AS, & NVLD: Differential Diagnosis by the SLP - 0.3 CEUs
• Week 6: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Assessment - 0.2 CEUs
• Week 7: Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students: Intervention - 0.2 CEUs

What You Need to Do

1. Get a free account with Linguisystems. If you're a member of the ASHA CEU Registry, have your ASHA account number handy. If you give them your account number when you register they will automatically report your CEU credits to ASHA each time you complete a course.
2. Enroll in the course of the week. I'll be doing Week 1: Counseling Theories and Skills for SLPs this week and reporting back next Friday (January 25). If you don't like that course, pick an alternate. I was somewhat limited in the courses I could put on the syllabus because I took several of their courses last year.
3. Read the course materials and take the quiz. Come back each Friday to hear what I thought about the course and give your own opinions.

That's it. In two months we'll all be done with our annual CEU requirements.