PowerPoint Slideshows for Developing Single Switch Vocabulary Activities, Adapted Books and RtI Auditory Bombardment Activities
I developed these directions several years ago as a guide for my AAC class to create low-cost single switch book activities. In Jessamine County, our SLPs convened to create auditory bombardment lists for the major occurring phonemes to provide as an intervention tool for teachers to use with students identified with potential articulation problems. In my latest seminar, I mentioned that a PowerPoint slideshow could be created to target development of picture recognition skills with nonverbal kids. I’ve also used slideshows to build rapid naming skills with oral language clients. So versatile and so easy to create your own materials!
This is the manual that the Jessamine County SLPs have
developed that outlines our policies in guiding the interventions process for
suspected communication disorders. Our
SLPs are not providing direct intervention with students in
RtI as it appears to violate due process procedures according to Federal and
State legislation. See 707 KAR 1:300. Child find, evaluation, and reevaluation, Section 4. We
have tried to provide a program that allows teachers to try some general
strategies without violating due process procedures or ethics.
Kentucky Administrative Regulations
These are the most recent KARS that apply to special education identification, evaluation and service provision in public schools. Please note 707 1:300 sections 3 and 4. I believe the intent of the law was to ensure that kids had access to high quality instruction in their academic programs at school before proceeding to a referral. It has nothing to do with speech and language instruction by an SLP prior to a referral. I believe to have SLPs providing direct intervention as part of an RTI program is a violation of what is written in the KARS because the child is being seen without a full evaluation.
Brenda’s soapbox: ASHA and many SLPs (myself included) do agree that early intervention is paramount to averting speech-language therapy for many kids. But as public school SLPs, we are governed by the laws set forth by KARs and IDEA…both of which state we cannot see a student for direct services without following due process procedures. Until the laws are more clear on what is intervention and what is therapy, our hands are tied. No matter if ASHA, KSHA or we personally feel it’s best practice, we still our bound to the legislation first.
Use the Datasheet Template to create daily data sheets for your students. This template was created by one of our SLPs whose husband is a whiz at Excel. Type in your objectives and the program will paste in so that you don’t have to type over and over! Keep a master copy on hand for each student and at the beginning of the school year, make enough copies to see you through until the student’s next IEP meeting. At the end of the year, staple the student’s progress report to the front of the packet and file in the student’s due process folder.
Informal Oral Mechanism Evaluation
This is a simple oral mechanism tool I’ve created and used since student teaching days, when my good friend and mentor, Debbie Higgins, gave me a similar form she used with her students. It’s an easy way to look at the articulators and determine if structure and function are adequate for supporting speech.
CAP-D Verbal Absurdities Sentences
This is a list of verbal absurdities to use with CAP-D students. I don’t know if I believe in CAP-D, but if there is such a thing, the sentences are examples of how I would suspect it would impact oral language skills. After 11 years in public schools and never agreeing with professionals who’ve placed this diagnosis on my students, I came into contact with a child who truly demonstrates deficits consistent with a CAP-D diagnosis. I believe she can’t perceive some of the distinctive features of phonemes and this causes her to misunderstand or appear to not comprehend. I am using Terri Bellis’ suggestions to design my own program of intervention for my student and I am hoping that targeting improving the auditory signal, providing modifications to the environment and teacher presentation, and direct instruction in auditory comprehension skills will help.
This is a great way to encourage oral language skills at home. I’ve developed some practical oral language activities for moms and dads to do with their children each week. I’ve included a tracking sheet so that parents can communicate with me about what they are doing at home. In turn, I can provide additional suggestions or use the activities as a review for the child during their therapy session. I think many of these activities would be wonderful to use with older adults who are striving to maintain memory and reasoning skills.