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Inspiration for the Day... Happy Wednesday Everyone!

9/21/2011

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“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” ~ John Miller~
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." ~Victor Frankl~
‎"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear. Many of us would enter a tiger's lair before we would enter a dark cave. While caution is a useful instinct, we lose many opportunities and much of the adventure of life if we fail to support the curious explorer within us." ~Joseph Campbell~
"We often hesitate to follow our intuition out of fear. Most usually, we are afraid of the changes in our own life that our actions will bring. Intuitive guidance, however, is all about change. It is energetic data ripe with the potential to influence the rest of the world. To fear change but to crave intuitive clarity is like fearing the cold, dark night while pouring water on the fire that lights your cave. An insight the size of a mustard seed is powerful enough to bring down a mountain-sized illusion that may be holding our lives together. Truth strikes without mercy. We fear our intuitions because we fear the transformational power within our revelations." ~Caroline Myss~
"Be impeccable with your word! Don't take anything personally! Dont make assumptions! Always do your best!" ~Quotes from the book, "The Four Agreements"~
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~Melody Beattie~
"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." ~David Brinkley~
“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” ~Tom Bodett~
“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher~

The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larson

I promise myself...

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, & prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything & make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, & to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times & give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, & too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself & to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

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13 Great Websites to Add to your Resource List

9/20/2011

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1.       http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/ : this is a Great resource to use for ideas and resources for SLPs and teachers of learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant, complex or multiple special needs. Some of the resources include: Symbol and Photo Sets and Programs to Use Them, AAC Cases, Activity Sharing, Fabulous Freebies, and many other great resources.

2.    http://www.speakingofspeech.com/ : IEP goal bank, exchanging ideas, lesson plans & data forms, resource links for various topics (i.e. AAC, Phonology), Speech Swap Meet (forum for Speech Language Pathologists and Teachers SLPs to swap, buy, or sell therapeutic & educational materials, books, games and other similar items). There are lots of other great resources on this website as well.

3.       http://preschoolprintables.com/ : Different printable pages (i.e. file folder games) to use with various activities

4.       http://www.janbrett.com/index.html : Activities, coloring pages, games (computer and printable), cards

5.       http://www.babybumblebee.com/company/freebies.cfm : Free posters, practice sheets, posters, parent tips, downloadable books and flashcards

6.       http://www.crayola.com/ : Over 1,000 Crafts, Coloring Pages, and Lesson Plans

7.       http://www.theideabox.com/ : Activities, Crafts, Recipes, Songs, Seasons, Forum

8.       http://www.pics4learning.com/ : Free pictures (photographs & clip art) to use in an educational setting that are categorized by various topics

9.   http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/teachers_corner/teachersCorner.jsp : Lakeshore -Writing Practice, Awards, Flash Cards, Word Search, Crafts & Activities, Clip Art, Calendars & Templates, E-Cards, Classroom Designer, Customized Catalogs & Correlations, Head Start & Early Head Start, Classroom Designer, Complete Classrooms, Outdoor Learning, Grants & Organizations, Lesson Plans, Projects & Activities, Printables

10.   http://www.speechtherapygames.com/FREEBIE.htm : Homework Hero Intro & Coloring Sheet, SSK Coloring Sheet, Thematic Units Calendars, Perkilou’s Percentages Quick Reference Guide, Freebie Books, 100+ Ways to Praise a Child, PowerPoint Games, Door Hangers, Board Games

11.   http://www.mayer-johnson.com/downloads/trials/ : 30 Day Free Boardmaker Trial

12.   http://www.enchantedlearning.com/sample/index.shtml : Free Sample Printable Pages with a Variety of Different Curriculum
13. http://lessonpix.com: User can create custom materials such as coloring sheets, Bingo, picture cards, etc. Clip art is available in a library with over 1000 pictures and/or the individual can upload his/her own clip art or photos to use with Lesson Pix's custom materials.

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"By Any Means Necessary... A CF-SLP's Journey"

9/18/2011

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Hailey Gaida, M.S.,CF-SLP is the creator of the blog, By Any Means Necessary: A CF-SLP's Journey (http://cccslp.blogspot.com/). This blog documents Hailey's journey as she completes her Clinical Fellowship year in the school system. She discusses different topics related to her CF experiences such as...
-Scheduling
-Paperwork
-Quality of Care/Service
-Caseload

Follow Hailey's Blog to get the latest updates on her journey as a CF-SLP. She also has a section where individuals can ask her questions.

Thank you Hailey for documenting your experiences as a CF, we are excited about your upcoming posts!

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A Different Perspective Sometimes Can Make a Difference

9/14/2011

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I must admit today was a pretty hectic day! I think that is what made me even more inclined to write this post. My day was chaotic, nothing went as planned, I felt overwhelmed, paperwork continues to pile up, and many schedule changes. In the midst of all of the above and other things not stated, I still felt like I had an amazing day!

My day was amazing because....a student on my caseload learned a new skill, all of the students that come to Speech Therapy always look forward to their sessions and are excited and eager to learn, and the most important point is.... I chose a major that I am so passionate about that I am open to when nothing goes as planned, when I feel overwhelmed, when paperwork continues to pile up and when there are schedule changes.

We may not be able to change the circumstances of a situation, but we can change our perspective!...Every day I start my day and choose to have an optimistic outlook on life, seeking the lessons in the hectic days, finding peace in chaos and enjoying a career that fills my life with so much joy!

Choosing to major in the field of Speech Language Pathology has become so much more than my career, but it has shaped my life in ways unimaginable. The tools that Speech Language Pathology provided for me throughout my years of schooling and the start of my career have become the foundation of my life.

I came home, drank a cup of green tea, looked up new quotes for the day and I am excited for what tomorrow has in store.

"You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands - your own."-Mark Victor Hansen-

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Pizza Topping Fun in Speech Therapy...

9/13/2011

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Poppa's Pizza Pile Up

Activity: Poppa’s Pizza Pile Up is one of the favorites among the younger children that I work with during Speech therapy. I remember as a child, my favorite food was pizza and a lot of children just love pizza. I modify the activity based on the goals that each child is working on in therapy. For example,

Goals Students are working on During Speech Therapy:
Student #1: Working on producing target /s/ in the initial position at the word level
Student #2: Working on using 4-5 word utterances to communicate

Materials that I Use for this Activity?
-Initial /s/ cards or word list
-Picture Cards
-Poppa's Pizza Pile Up

How is Each Goal Targeted?
There are many different ways to modify an activity to target each student’s goal. Below is a possible option:

Student #1: Says 3 initial /s/ words: sit, sand, sock…SLP models correct production...Then student gets to choose a topping to put on the pizza.

Student #2: Looks at picture card, talks about what they see… Ex. If student says, “Brown dog”…SLP models a sentence for the student, “The brown dog is running.” Then student can take a turn and choose a topping to put on the pizza.

We Have So Much Fun...
We talk about their favorite type of pizza, ingredients to make pizza; below is a sheet that I bring to accompany Poppa's Pizza Pile Up. Before we start the activity we always discuss the parts of the pizza (i.e. the crust, sauce, cheese, toppings) and the pizza toppings (mushroom, cheese, pepperoni, tomato) they can choose to put on the pizza when it is their turn. They make a sentence (i.e. "May I have the _(name of the pizza topping)_) before they put their topping on the pizza.

I Do Not Have Poppa's Pizza Pile Up....
You do not have to go out and buy a pizza game, this activity can be prepared with construction paper.
Ex. Brown paper for crust, Red paper for pepperonis and tomatoes, Yellow paper for cheese...Clip art can be used for the different toppings if you do not want to use construction paper.

Construction paper may not sound as fun, but....Remember it is all in how the activity is presented! Have fun with your lessons. The pizza parts can be in a bag when you first start the activity, you can have them guess what is inside of the bag, have them pull out the different parts that make up a pizza to see if they can guess...Ask them, "What do you think we are making today?"

Enjoy....In the comments box below, feel free to share your experience with this activity or any others ways that this activity could be modified.