Hi Friends!
Today I'm sharing with you my go-to games and open-ended reinforcers. These are items that I use regularly during speech & language groups. They are ideal for groups of kiddos with different goals and/or fleeting attention (aka preschool boys). I use these items along with articulation cards/apps and language cards/apps.... I rarely use them as a stand-alone therapy activity unless the sole purpose of the session is very basic (maintaining play with peers, following adult directions, etc).
Games:
Snail's Pace Race
I love this game! It's a really simple concept- the kiddos get to pick the snail that they think will win. Everyone can choose the same snail or they can each choose different snails... it doesn't matter. Tip: I make sure to write down everyone's "votes" ahead of time so I can remember AND so they don't change their snail choice last minute. Once everyone choose a snail, the first kiddo does his/her targeted exercise (artic cards, language cards, etc.) and then get to roll the dice. They move the corresponding snails and play moves to the next kiddo. I love this game because of its simplicity and the fact that it keeps all players engaged, even when it isn't their turn. I found it at Lakeshore, but you can also find it on Amazon:
Ice Cream Scoops of Fun
I can't tell you how many times I've played this game with my kiddos. It never gets old for them! Who doesn't love ice cream? When it is their turn, each kiddo spins the ice cream scoop and it reveals an ice cream flavor. They then have to search for that flavor of ice cream. I typically give 2 chances per turn. If they find an ice cream that matches the flavor in the scooper, they get to keep it in their bowl. Whoever has the most ice cream scoops in their bowl, wins! I got this game at Target years ago.... you can find an updated version of it on Amazon:
Silly Faces
This game is super cute. The kids get to spin during each turn to choose a different part of their "silly face". The game uses colorforms that stick nicely to the cardboard faces. My preschoolers especially love this game- they always giggle at their creations! This game can also be used for describing tasks. I am pretty sure I got this game at Target, but you can also find it on Amazon:
Jumping Jack
This is one of my newer go-to games. It's the same concept as pop-up-pirate but it is simplified since there is a small number of carrots. I don't use the spinner that comes with the game, I just have each kiddo pull out one carrot for their turn. I tell them that the goal is to not make the bunny jump out. :) They burst out in laughter when the bunny finally does. You can find it at Target or on Amazon:
Apps
Speech Stickers
When I first downloaded this app, I didn't use it very much. I felt restricted by the simple word shapes and phonemes built into the app. But, when I started using it for the apraxic and severe phono kiddos it applied to, I realized pretty quickly that I could make it work as a simple and highly motivating reinforcement strategy for any kiddo!
Now, if I am using this app with a kiddo who is working on higher level sounds or honestly, any task, I simply treat it as a "sticker reward". Once the student completes 5 productions of the artic/phono target, or any task asked of him/her, I let the student put 5 "stickers" up and get the action reward. The "action reward" is a silly child narrated action with the stickers. The students have many actions to choose from, including: A bus that picks up all the stickers, a rocket that loads the stickers and takes off and even a shark that makes "Jaws" noises and swims after the stickers. The kids get a kick out of it and each "action reward" takes approximately 10 seconds.
You can find this App in the App store on your iPad or tablet. :)
You can find this App in the App store on your iPad or tablet. :)
I literally used this as my only game with my preschoolers yesterday (4 wiggly preschool boys, to be exact) and I had their full attention for a whole 30 minutes! I just grabbed a stack of Kaufman cards that applied to each kiddo and for each turn, I asked them to do 3 productions of 2 cards each. Once completed, they got to put up all 5 stickers and choose a reward. The kiddos who were waiting for their turn remained completely engaged- they couldn't wait to see what action would be picked next! I shared a video of their giggles yesterday on my Instagram ( slpchelsea ). If you missed it... enjoy. :)
Fellow SLP/Teacher TPT Materials
Dice Game from: The Buckeye Speech Path
Snow Day Quick Drill from: Mia McDaniel
Winter Token Boards from: Tech 'n Talk SLPs
Seasonal Bingo Games from: Crazy Little Projects blog
She has variations for every season! They are super cute and colorful! I've provided the link to her Valentine's Day Bingo, but search her blog for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. :)
There are other items that I may use as reinforcers during group speech sessions, but these are the ones I currently find myself reaching for on a regular basis. :) Thanks for reading- I hope I've given you some ideas!
By Monday, January 19th, I am hoping to have a handful of my own super cute items finally available for purchase in my TPT store. I'm working very hard on these materials for you! I promise they'll be worth the wait! Check out my store for adorable and functional materials! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Slp-Chelsea
Great Ideas! Congrats on the new blog! I actually found your name through Speech Room News and noticed a comment you made regarding cleft palate tx. I was wondering what resources you use? I have a preschooler exhibiting many of the characteristics you mentioned and I am feeling a little "stuck". Also, how often do you see a student for tx with this profile? Any advice would be great!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
L
Hi Lauren!
DeleteI haven't received an email from you yet, but I received some questions from Mary (below) as well. So, I'll go ahead and share some things I've shared with her. Hopefully it can apply to your situation but if you want specifics about your kiddo, please email me.
Here are a few key things to remember when working with kiddos with a history of cleft:
-Try to always provide multimodal cueing, a lot like we would do with our apraxic kiddos. Anything we can do to have them feel it, see it, hear it, touch it, etc... is very helpful! I love that you're thinking of utilizing a visual feedback device. You can also utilize cotton balls and tissues in therapy to increase awareness of oral airflow. *Caution, this is not an endorsement in oral motor exercises, simply activities to visually and physically increase awareness in oral vs. nasal airflow* I often have the kiddos blow cotton balls across the table to increase their awareness of airflow (they don't move so well with the use of only nasal air). I also have kiddos lie on their backs with tissues over their nose and mouth. I demonstrate first and blow the tissue up high with oral air, then have them attempt the same. I also love to have my kiddos ID my airflow. I have them feel under my nose or by my mouth to see what kind of air I have when producing sounds and then they eventually work on identifying it in themselves.
-Almost ALL of the kiddos that have history of cleft/craniofacial disorders tend to have posterior tongue carriage, meaning their tongue is often in a pulled back position... unbeknownst to them, they've used posterior tongue position as a compensatory pattern due to their cleft/VPI. This posterior tongue carriage often results in nasal air emissions and hypernasality because the tongue position is pushing their air backward and through their nose (this is a moment when I wish I could give you some visuals). :) Very often, kiddos either have their tongue fully back or they are "blading" (using the middle of their tongue vs. the tip of their tongue for lingual alveolar sounds like /t/, /d/, /n/ and /l/) which results in increased nasal air in connected speech especially. So, we really try to focus on correct tongue position, just like we would with our regular artic kiddos. Blading can be tricky- you really have to look at their tongue to ensure they are using the tip of their tongue against the alveolar ridge... upon first glance it may seem that way, but they may really be using the middle of their tongue. Use of tactile cues for all speech sounds is helpful- any adaptations of PROMPT tactile cues are fine (e.g. tapping the upper lip for /t/ and /d/ sounds and labeling them "tapper sounds", tapping the nose for /n/, etc.)
-Almost ALL of the kiddos that have history of cleft/craniofacial disorders tend to have limited oral excursions. They don't always move their lips, tongue, jaw, etc. efficiently to articulate. Encourage your kiddos to use "big speech" vs. "small speech". :) I often draw out a very simple drawing of a smiley face with a large mouth and the same size smiley face but with a very small mouth as a visual cue. I model big vs. small speech by under and over articulating. I regularly use the verbal reminder "make sure to use your big speech".
As far as providing service, it would depend on the severity of the child's speech production. 2x a week would be ideal, but it has to be functional and the least restrictive environment if in the school setting. I hope this has been helpful! Please let me know if you have additional questions. It's a little tough to explain it all by writing it down so if you're still struggling, perhaps we can chat over the phone. Let me know! Have a great day!
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI feel like I must have left that comment with Speech Room News such a long time ago! So crazy that you found me! :) I'm so glad you did! Cleft tx is truly a passion of mine- I don't get much of it in the school setting anymore… I miss it so much! Send me an email at slpchelsea@gmail.com with some specifics about your kiddo! I would love to help!!!
I have the ice cream game & love it! The Jumping Jack game is really cute...I'm going to have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your comment to Lauren, I'm going to shoot you an email...looking for some therapy ideas for a student with a pharyngeal flap...I haven't worked with a student with a flap in about 20 years. :)