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.