Speech and Language Kids Podcast

Redeem your $200 Credit for the SLK Curriculum -- Promo Code: SURVIVE https://hub.speechandlanguagekids.com/ Offer Ends April 15th! If you're an SLP or SLPA who works in the schools, you know that this time of year is pure chaos! Behaviors are amping up. Progress reports are due. And your groups are out of control. There's no time to reheat your coffee, let alone get everything done! So this year, I'm throwing you a lifeline! Listen to this recording of our End-of-Year Survival Event with plans, tools, and shortcuts to help you survive the end of your school year! We'll be showing you exactly how to… Make quick and easy plans for the rest of your school year Reduce those "end-of-the-year" behaviors and boost engagement (without spending extra time planning and prepping) Use shortcuts for all of your year-end admin tasks like data collection, progress notes, and homework packets Don't spend the rest of this year stressed out and overwhelmed. Grab the tools that thousands of SLPs and SLPAs are already using to find more joy and fulfillment in the work they do: Hub.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com

What if your therapy session had a opening chime, a themed activity waiting on the table, a magical d20 for turn-taking, an AI that generates custom word lists and social scenarios on the spot, and a fireworks celebration at the end? That's exactly what I built — and in this episode, I'm taking you inside your brand-new Virtual Therapy Table dashboard, a one-stop interactive hub designed to make every session feel intentional, engaging, and a little bit magical. Whether you're prepping back-to-back sessions with no time to breathe or just tired of hunting down the same kinds of materials week after week, this episode will show you what's possible when you stop building therapy tools from scratch and start letting smart systems do the heavy lifting. In this episode, you'll hear: What the Virtual Therapy Table actually is (and why kids love it) How each element — the chime, worksheet, dice, prompt generator, and finale — serves a therapeutic purpose How I built it and how SLK members can access it What this means for the future of SLP session prep If you've ever wished your therapy room could just... set itself up, this episode is for you.

It's almost April… The kids are feral. The paperwork is multiplying. And somehow this part of the year feels harder than all the rest. So instead of pretending it's fine… let's call it what it is—and make a plan to survive it. In this episode, I'm kicking off our End-of-the-Year Survival Extravaganza and showing you exactly what support is available (and how to choose what you actually need right now). Because here's the truth: Not all SLPs need the same thing. Some of you are just trying to get through your next session without crying in your car. Some of you are looking for tools you can trust. And some of you are ready for community, growth, and something more. In this episode, you'll: Get a full behind-the-scenes look at all of the upcoming events, games, and support happening this month Learn how to identify where YOU are in your survival journey (and what to do next) Discover how to plug into the exact level of support you need—without overwhelm From free live trainings to weekly events, challenges, and community experiences… there is something here for you. You don't have to figure this out alone. You just have to pick your next step. Let's get you to summer.

If you feel like you're constantly just spinning your wheels or constantly stuck on the struggle bus as a speech-language pathologist…. Well… You're not alone. The struggle is real. And there's no shortage of others who feel the same way. But today…I'm gonna get real with you. Cause I've been struggling. And I think I finally figured out why. And my revelation may just help you as well. I'm sharing a personal update about why I'm stepping into "builder mode" and pausing new podcast episodes for a short time — because I've realized something big: I've been afraid to finish the SLK Curriculum. Yep. Afraid of success. Afraid of being judged. Afraid that once it's "done," I won't have the excuse of "it's still a work in progress." And as I unpacked that fear, I started to see how many of us as SLPs are doing the exact same thing in our own work. When we're overwhelmed, exhausted, and deep in survival mode, our nervous systems try to keep us safe by keeping us small. They feed us very logical, very convincing excuses: What if I try something new and it doesn't work? What if it does work? What will my coworkers think? What if I spend the money and don't follow through? What if people judge me? In this episode, we're talking about: Why your nervous system may be keeping you in the struggle How a mindset of lack keeps you from seeing viable options The sneaky beliefs that stop you from trying a simpler, more effective way How to become a detective of your own thoughts And how to rewrite the script — just like we teach our fluency kids to do If you've ever: Felt stuck on the struggle bus Overhauled your system every few months instead of finishing something Been afraid to rock the boat Worried what others would think if you tried something different Or quietly wondered, "What if I'm not good enough?" This episode is for you. I'm finishing the darn curriculum. And I'm inviting you to examine what you might need to finish, change, or finally commit to in your own practice. Let's step out of survival mode and into something bigger. I'll see you on the other side.

Want to save hours every week without sacrificing therapy quality? In this episode, I'm sharing 5 practical ways speech-language pathologists can use ChatGPT to streamline planning, generate materials faster, and reduce the time spent staring at a blank screen. You'll hear real examples of prompts you can copy, paste, and customize—whether you need quick session ideas, therapy materials, goal writing help, classroom accommodations, or progress report wording. I'm also sharing important cautions (because yes—AI can be wildly helpful, but it still needs a clinician brain behind it). If you're an SLP who feels buried under planning, paperwork, and decision fatigue, this episode will give you an easy starting point to use AI in a way that's ethical, safe, and actually useful. And a special thanks to my co-host: ChatGPT! She'll make an appearance on this podcast as well!

A new study out of Canada found that higher screen time in elementary school is linked to lower reading and math scores. And the more researchers dig, the more concerning the pattern becomes. In this episode, we break down what the research is saying about screens in schools, including: why even "educational" technology may not improve outcomes how digital reading compares to print reading for comprehension what brain studies are revealing about learning on screens vs. paper why handwriting still matters more than we think And most importantly… What does this mean for speech/language therapy? For our struggling learners, it may be possible that simply switching your therapy activities from screen-based to paper-based could give them a major advantage. This episode will help you understand the research and give you a simple, practical way to test it in your own speech room, starting tomorrow.