What are your go to survival tips for 2026?

As we step into 2026, we’ve been thinking about the people who make this community what it is: You.

Many of you are juggling full caseloads, endless paperwork, tight schedules, and everything in between, all while continuing to show up for your students every single day. That work matters. And we know it’s not always easy. Liricare exists to help lighten that load, even just a little.

Maybe this year is about finding a role that fits you better. Maybe it’s about using tools that save you time, sharing resources you’ve already created, or just feeling more organized and supported in your day-to-day.

We’re so glad you’re part of the Liricare community. And we can’t wait to support you through whatever this new year brings.

Wishing you a happy and meaningful 2026!

Gamifying speech therapy can make the process more engaging and enjoyable for clients. Here are the top five ways to incorporate gamification into speech therapy:

1. Point Systems and Rewards
Description: Implement a point system where clients earn points for completing exercises, achieving goals, or showing improvement.
Example: Create a chart where clients can track their points and redeem them for small rewards, such as stickers or extra playtime.
2. Interactive Apps and Games
Description: Utilize speech therapy apps and online games designed specifically for language development and articulation.
Example: Apps like "Articulation Station" or "Speech Blubs" offer fun activities and challenges that make learning speech sounds more interactive.

3.Storytelling and Role-Playing
Description: Incorporate storytelling where clients can create their own stories or role-play scenarios.
Example: Use puppets or props to act out stories, encouraging clients to practice speech in a fun and imaginative context.

4. Challenge Competitions
Description: Organize friendly competitions between clients to encourage participation and motivation.
Example: Set up challenges where clients can compete to see who can articulate a set of words correctly the most times within a given time frame.
5. Themed Sessions
Description: Create themed therapy sessions that align with holidays, seasons, or popular culture.
Example: For a Halloween theme, clients can practice speech by describing costumes, telling spooky stories, or playing themed games that involve speech practice.

Conclusion
By integrating these gamification strategies, speech therapy can become a more dynamic and motivating experience, leading to better engagement and outcomes for clients.

From all of us at Liricare, thank you for being part of our journey this year.
We are grateful for the professionals who trusted us and helped build a stronger, more supportive community.
Wishing you a restful holiday season and continued growth in the year ahead!

Mark your calendar for 2026 SLP professional development in California

Key Facts

The best states for teachers in 2025 are Virginia, Utah, Washington, New York and Illinois.
The worst states for teachers in 2025 are South Dakota, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana and Hawaii.
Important factors determining the best states for teachers include compensation, tenure protections, state spending per student, school-system quality and turnover rates.

SLPs spend 15+ hours a week on paperwork. Caseloads of 60, 70, even 80 students. IEPs that take hours to prep, run, and follow up. Scheduling that feels like solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded. And after all that, you still have to find time to actually do therapy.

Research shows that when caseloads cross 45 students, nearly half of SLPs say their workload is unmanageable. At 60 or more, that number climbs to 70%. And 75% of school-based SLPs have considered leaving the field entirely.
We built EASI because we are SLPs, and we have lived this.

EASI is a HIPAA-secure platform that includes MySLP (My Second Look Protocol), a clinical assistant trained on every state's IEP eligibility criteria and years of proprietary clinical data. It does not think for you. It helps you verify whether your clinical decisions are sound or need a second look.

The platform also includes language sample analysis that transcribes speech in context, including filler words and disfluencies, and calculates MLU, IPSyn, percentage of consonants correct, and more. Coming soon: a record review feature that compiles your test scores, previous reports, and IEPs into comprehensive evaluations.

And yes, MySLP can help with scheduling. Put your caseload and available times in, and it generates a schedule for you.
We are looking for beta testers before our early 2026 launch. If you want early access, sign up here.

https://easi-as.com/

Liricare Scheduler is a game changer!

We’re so thankful for every therapist, teacher, and parent who joined Liricare this year. Your trust means a lot, and we appreciate the work you do for your students and communities every day. Wishing you a warm and happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Liricare.

If you are planning your next move in special education, it helps to see real numbers in one place. This guide summarizes hourly and annual figures across regions and includes simple USD conversions for apples to apples comparison. It also highlights why pay differs by setting and credentials.

Read the full blog: https://www.liricare.com/blog/special-education-teacher-salaries-around-the-world-in-2025-2026

Factors That Influence Time:
1. Experience Level: Familiarity with district systems and templates can reduce IEP writing time by 40–60%.

2. Caseload Size: Larger caseloads often mean batching data collection and progress monitoring, improving efficiency.

3. Digital Tools: AI-based documentation or automated progress systems (like those used in Liricare) can reduce total time by 1–2 hours.

4. Collaboration Quality: Strong team coordination (especially with special ed teachers and parents) significantly shortens the revision cycle.

Teaching doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom. From teletherapy and curriculum design to consulting, research, and edtech, special educators today have more options than ever to build meaningful and flexible careers.

Read our latest blog to explore non-traditional career paths in special education, and find new ways to apply your skills beyond the traditional setting.

👉 Read the full blog on Liricare: https://www.liricare.com/blog/let-s-explore-non-traditional-career-paths-for-special-education-teachers

Excited to share that Speak & Play is now live! This new platform, built on NSF-funded technology, gives families real feedback on children’s speech and language right from home. Parents upload short audio clips of their child speaking, and get personalized, research-backed ideas for supporting language growth: no diagnostic labels, just practical help.

Speak & Play offers accessible, clinician-designed tools for early intervention and ongoing language support. Our goal is to bridge the gap for families, clinics, and schools facing long waitlists or limited specialist access. The platform is ready to use, and we’re always open to feedback from SLPs, educators, and parent advocates.

If you’d like to learn more, connect with me or visit https://speakandplay.ai. Let’s help more families find the support they need, when they need it.
Excited to share that Speak & Play is now live! This new platform, built on NSF-funded technology, gives families real feedback on children’s speech and language right from home. Parents upload short audio clips of their child speaking, and get personalized, research-backed ideas for supporting language growth—no diagnostic labels, just practical help.

Speak & Play offers accessible, clinician-designed tools for early intervention and ongoing language support. Our goal is to bridge the gap for families, clinics, and schools facing long waitlists or limited specialist access. The platform is ready to use, and we’re always open to feedback from SLPs, educators, and parent advocates.

If you’d like to learn more, connect with me or visit https://speakandplay.ai. Let’s help more families find the support they need, when they need it.

School-based SLPs, we're seeking clinical partners for EASI beta testing. This evaluation platform was developed through National Science Foundation Phase 2 funding by a team of speech-language pathologists, data scientists, engineers, and special educators.

EASI provides comprehensive analysis in 15 to 30 minutes, record review reports, and secure AI assistance for case consultation. The system helps you brainstorm complex cases, verify your clinical findings, and develop therapy plans within a HIPAA and FERPA compliant environment. Unlike general AI platforms, EASI was purpose-built for clinical workflows with student privacy protections integrated from the ground up.

Join the beta program at Liricare.com. Your feedback will shape tools designed by field experts who understand the demands of school-based assessment and the ethical requirements of working with student data.

Sign up to be a beta tester today! https://easi-as.com/#card-v1ul56zcfdrd9j5

True or False: Speech therapists in a school setting are required to provide services only to students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and are not responsible for students with 504 Plans.

If traditional PT roles feel limiting, you are not alone. Physical therapy skills reach far beyond clinic walls. Movement science, injury prevention, ergonomics, performance coaching, tech usability, and functional design are all areas where PTs can create meaningful impact.

This new blog explores alternative physical therapy careers that still honor the heart of PT while opening doors to flexibility, creativity, and new income paths. If you have ever wondered what your career could look like outside standard settings, this is a great place to start.

Explore what is possible: https://www.liricare.com/blog/beyond-the-clinic-exploring-non-traditional-physical-therapy-careers

I have been learning AI to develop more materials for speech, language, pre-reading and Pre-K through elementary. I have devloped about 5,000 storybooks, games, mazes, activity sheets and more at https://www.slpstorytellers.com/register-2/ Feel free to check them out. If you are not interested in subscribing now, you can download a free sample. Enjoy!

Are you on the right train?