Inspiration | Beautiful Speech Life

SLP Social Media Series: We Rise By Lifting Others

by Anne Page | Oct 26, 2015 | Inspiration, SLP Social Media

SpeechLanguagePathologistDigitalConnection

I remember my first few years as a school speech language pathologist (SLP). I had a lot of questions and doubts. Wishing I had a wise counsel to turn to, I just kept solitarily moving forward. I checked the literature and research but sometimes it was just too formal. I wanted a connection.[spacer height=”20px”]

This was before the social media search. Now we have blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Google, Facebook, Instagram and more. So much information and knowledge at our fingertips.[spacer height=”20px”]

The new challenge is in sifting through it; finding resources that speak to me and that are in line with my way of thinking as I build my practice and my skills as an SLP.[spacer height=”20px”]

This summer, I had the great fortune to attend the teachers pay teachers sellers conference in Las Vegas. Our Facebook group of SLP’s on TPT made arrangements to meet up and tentative digital connections became warm personal connections.[spacer height=”20px”]

We exchanged stories and ideas; shared links and tips. We realized that working together not only makes us better creators of therapy materials, it makes us better SLP’s.[spacer height=”20px”]

This is how the blog Speechspotlight.com came to be. Nine of us jumped on board when Sarah Wu (Speech is Beautiful) said “why don’t we start a collaborative blog?”[spacer height=”20px”]

Up and running since July this year; we share articles, tips, and therapy materials.Now, I have my wise counsel and I’d love to share it with you. Go visit Speech Spotlight. Follow us on Facebook for daily updates. New blog posts are every Monday. You don’t have to do it alone, now you have us.[spacer height=”20px”]

Come back next week to learn more about SLP social media sites to add to your SLP digital tribe. Join my email list (at the top of the page) to receive new blog posts right away (and get a great FREEBIE).[spacer height=”20px”]

Have fun connecting,

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6 Ways an SLP can use TPT to be Super Organized and Resourceful

by Anne Page | Sep 12, 2015 | Blog, Inspiration, Quick Therapy Tips for the SLP and SLPA, Therapy Ideas, TPT Products, Uncategorized



School is back in full swing for me.

Are you like me and tell yourself that you’re going to be more organized this year? (And say it every year?)[spacer height=”20px”]

This year I’m actually doing it-not perfectly of course. But I have to say Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) has made my life sooo much easier. When I first discovered TPT, I was just downloading freebies left and right and buying products that were cheap.[spacer height=”20px”]

Now, I’m a little more discriminating. Just because something is free or inexpensive doesn’t mean it’s the right product for me.[spacer height=”20px”]

Here are 6 ways that I use TPT to make me more organized and the therapy materials I need at my fingertips.[spacer height=”20px”]

1. Buy staple items that you know you can use every year.

Here is my list for K-3 (yours may look different, you’ll customize to fit your needs)

Articulation rings, flipbooks

Vocabulary Development: Categorizing, Opposites, Synonyms, Compare and Contrast

Phonological Awareness

Grammar: pronouns, verbs, plurals, possessives, adjective and adverbs

Following Directions

Book Companions

Games [spacer height=”20px”]

Middle School:

Articulation (s, l, r)

Vocabulary: grade level antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, context clues

Inferencing

Grammar: verbs, adjectives

Book Companions

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Watch for items that are Core Curriculum Aligned.[spacer height=”20px”]

2. Consider your teaching/therapy style.

Do you like worksheets and paper/pencil activities or do you motivate students through cards and games?[spacer height=”20px”]

Get products that you can easily picture yourself using. Do you need activities with no or low preparation time? Or do you love having colorful,laminated materials and don’t mind cutting laminated items while you watch the latest episode of The Bachelor?[spacer height=”20px”]

Purchase items that will fit into your way of doing things.[spacer height=”20px”]

3. Don’t re-invent the wheel.

You can get planners, data sheets, forms, posters, homework sheets, brag tags, and punch cards on TPT. Get SUPER organized by using them.[spacer height=”20px”]

4. Find your favorite sellers

Once you start purchasing items you’ll find sellers that seem like they are making products just for you. These sellers are gems! Follow them and show them some love by giving feedback on their products. (Especially the freebies)[spacer height=”20px”]

When I need something I save myself time by searching their stores first (less to scroll through than when I do a site-wide search).[spacer height=”20px”]

5. Buy seasonal and holiday items as little treats to keep your sessions fresh and fun. (for your students and for you)[spacer height=”20px”]

Kids get so excited about holidays (so do I). Fun seasonal materials can breathe new life into concepts you’ve been working on.[spacer height=”20px”]

6. Give some thought to how you store your TPT products[spacer height=”20px”]

You want them to be easily accessible. I use Globe-Weiss clear plastic envelopes with colored ziptops (from Amazon). I print the product cover page and place inside to use it as a label. These are really sturdy and can stand on a shelf.[spacer height=”20px”]

So there you have it, 6 easy ways to help you be organized, effective and fun by using TPT. Which tip will help you the most? Leave a note in the comments below. [spacer height=”20px”]

Happy Organizing,

Did you like this post? If you did please share with your friends! And head on over to my TPT store to find some fun organizational and game-base products.

Vegas Baby!

by Anne Page | Jul 15, 2015 | Blog, Inspiration

What a wild ride!

Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the Las Vegas TPT Conference 2015 “Come Together Go Further” with about 1100 other Teachers Pay Teachers premium sellers.

Since I live in Phoenix, I decided to drive. It was about a 5 hour road trip through some beautiful desert scenery that is very dear to me since I grew up in Nevada and Arizona.

The conference was at the beautiful Venetian hotel and casino. Where else would you find ladies in dresses made of roses and orchids?

THE highlight of the trip for me was meeting members of my tribe “SLPs on TPT”. Our shirts and presence made quite a splash, we were even mentioned by TPT royalty and CEO Adam Freed.

Recognize anyone?

I had the good fortune of meeting up with Kim Lewis from Activity Tailor. Her wonderful blog is the first speechie blogs I started following. (Love her artic. zig-zags)

I also met Maureen from The Speech Bubble and Natalie Snyders (I have their products)

And here I am with the wonderful Felice Clark from The Dabbing Speechie and bilingual SLP Sarah Wu from Speech is Beautiful.

It is so great to see someone go from a little two dimensional profile pic on facebook or instagram to a life sized three dimensional person. Everyone was so willing to share and collaborate; it was refreshing.

The conference itself was amazing! Top notch presenters and sellers shared their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm. I found myself wanting to get autographs…I mean, Kimberly Geswein of KG Fonts (she is hilarious) and The 3am Teacher( I watched her tutorial to first learn to make products). I could go on and on.

If you are a TPT seller, I would wholeheartedly recommend this conference. I am already planning on going next year!

Until then, I have plenty of new ideas and resources to keep me busy and to make my TPT store and products even better! Erin Cobb from Lovin’ Lit generously handed out these planners at her session (boy, did I learn a lot from her).

My big takeaway was a greater understanding of the power of networking. When we work together, we are all creating better products and becoming better within our profession.

The end result: we are helping a whole generation of students learn and reach their potential.

That’s what it’s all about, right?

Did you like this post? If so, sign up at the top of this page to receive emails about freebies, products and inspiration.

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Thanks to Lisette from Speech Sprouts and Laura from All Y’all Need for hosting this Linky Party. Drop by and visit their blogs by clicking on the blog name.

Better Hearing and Speech Month

by Anne Page | May 26, 2015 | Blog, Freebies, Inspiration

I am so proud to be one of the 140,000 speech language pathologists in the United States. We change lives-that’s our superpower!

You hold the key to helping each child you work with develop his communication skills to his full potential.

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. Sponsored by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), this is the time of year for SLPs to promote awareness of communication disorders and let our co-workers/colleagues know what we do.

But really, how many people know what we do?

I work in a school setting and have been talking to the teachers to let them know how we can work together as a tean to help students learn and grow.

I explain it during IEP meetings and eligibility meetings, never assuming that they already know what I do.

This year I created a poster/handout to add another layer to the process. “What’s Speech Got to Do with Academics or How Can an SLP Help a Classroom Teacher”is a great tool to promote understanding of the role of SLP’s in the school setting.

Collaboration is key.

Bulleted points link specific speech language skills to Reading and Writing, Math and Classroom Presentations and Social Skills. Click here to get your free copy.

Another handy resource (and yes it’s free too) explains the difference between speech and language. Click on the picture for your copy.

Finally, one more fun freebie to help promote understanding of what we do. “But What Does It Mean? 10 Tips Explaining Speech and Language Evaluations in Parent Friendly Language”. This is a free gift for signing up for the Beautiful Speech Life email list. The sign-up is here at the top of the page.

Keep doing what you do my speechie friends, you are making the world a better place.

Follow Their Lead

by Anne Page | Mar 14, 2015 | Autism, Inspiration

(Note: I found this in a tucked away journal. It was almost written two years ago when I was doing some of my clinical experience for my master’s degree.)

May 2012

Hugo doesn’t speak. When I first saw him he had a lot of physical ticks and throat clearing. He loves the iPad. My strategy was to gently move into his space physically and match his energy. He is quiet and there is a sweetness about him. For the first few sessions I sat next to him on the couch. My supervisor, had been working with him and would say “my turn”, take the iPad and model a sound. When he made a sound (any sound), he got the iPad back. So I started there. Hugo likes to play animal games, especially animal puzzles. I would consistently say the name of the animal as it was on the screen. With time, Hugo would look up each time for eye contact and a smile. I started signing the animal name along with saying it. Hugo started imitating the signs.

This became our routine. Hugo was starting to make a few different sounds but still routinely says “t”. One day, after 35 minutes of our 45 minute session, he turned off the iPad and started to leave. I followed his lead, figuring he either needed to go to the bathroom or go swing in the jungle room(he had OT after our session). He started to run, but I held his hand and gently said “no running, let’s walk, hold hand”. He lead me to the swing. He was swinging for a while, looking at the colorful animals painted on the walls. I followed his eye gaze and signed the names of the animals. When he finished swinging, he stood up and hugged me. That was a first. He had held my hand before but never initiated a hug! I think it was a sign of affection and thankfulness.

One month later…

We were having our usual session of Hugo looking at the iPad and making animal puzzles. After 35 minutes he closed it and was ready to go. I said 5 more minutes but he wasn’t interested. Again, I followed his lead because I had a hunch that he wanted to go back to the jungle room. He wanted to run again (we didn’t). When we got there, he pointed to the large elephant and said “t-t” and looked at me. I signed it for him and he had a big smile. He did that with each animal (pointing and smiling, not just looking). I really got the feeling that he was making the connection for the first time between the animals in the iPad puzzles and the animals on the wall! Generalizing is so hard for children with Autism. It was so exciting to be able to witness that realization on his face. For a second, I felt like Anne Sullivan.

The following month:

Hugo was consistently imitating signs for animals!

Sometimes, we have to let go of our treatment plans. We have to remember that children with autism process and absorb information at a different pace than we do. If you can be patient and gently join them at that pace, they may surprise you.

Lead By Example

by Anne Page | Feb 9, 2015 | Inspiration

How many people have known you your whole life? Of course your parents, grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, and some cousins. When we are kids, we’re surrounded by these people. They all play a special role in our childhood years.

As we grow up, geography may come into play and miles may come between us. If we are lucky and put a little effort into it, the ties remain strong.

Then, slowly, the roles begin to morph. The child becomes a parent, an auntie, a grandma. What prepares us for these new roles? Really, we don’t take classes on how to be a supportive sister or an awesome aunt. Most of us learn by example.

What I am thinking about today is the gift of being an aunt. I was fortunate enough to be given five amazing women to call Auntie. When I was a kid my aunts were magical; part fairy godmother, part Mary Poppins, always my heroes.

Dad’s older sister, my Aunt Lynn, was so glamorous to me. With her high cheekbones and flawless skin she looked like the movie star Jane Wyman. Always nicely dressed with impeccable hair, makeup and manicure; she was so strong and grounded. I always felt safe when I was with her.

Consistently loving and generous, Aunt Lynn was a pillar of our childhood. When Dad’s families farm was no longer profitable and had to be sold, Aunt Lynn said come to Las Vegas, we’ll help you start over. And she did.

My brothers, sisters and I, two by two, got to spend a week at Aunt Lynn’s house each summer. This was a much anticipated event for so many reasons. At the top of the list was the pool in the backyard. My sister Mary and I would swim all day, just getting out of the water to eat. And the food! Breakfast pastries, layer cakes, pies, ice cream, ham sandwiches and pizza; we were in heaven. At night, exhausted and sunburned, we climbed under the cool sheets of the pullout couch and watched tv past our bedtime.

Looking back on this as an adult, I am really struck by Aunt Lynn’s generosity with her time. I have seven siblings, which means she spent a month of her summers with her nieces and nephews. What a remarkable, conscious gift.

Aunt Lynn quietly led by example. Devoutly catholic, she had strong religious beliefs but she didn’t preach. She had a ready, infectious laugh and she always had time for us.

We all have the power to shape the lives of the children we come in contact with. it doesn’t have to be loud or flashy. There’s much to be said for showing up, being present and being generous with our time and our love.

We lost Aunt Lynn this week, and I move closer to being the older generation. The torch has been passed and I hope to follow Aunt Lynn’s example giving time, laughter and love to the next generation.