In the world of special education, communication is the foundation for meaningful growth. ✨

Recently, I worked with a vibrant 5-year-old student named Adam. Although he could vocalize words, he struggled with purposeful communication. His needs for toys, food, and assistance often went unmet simply because he lacked an effective way to express them.

Through the use of Functional Communication Training (FCT), we introduced structured, meaningful alternatives to his communication attempts. By teaching Adam simple, functional phrases paired with visual supports, we opened a door, empowering him to replace frustration with connection.

Functional communication isn't just a strategy; it's a critical step toward autonomy, dignity, and learning.

Today, I’m sharing a glimpse into how FCT can transform a child's world, one request at a time.

Why Is He Always Throwing Things

When I first met Ayaan (name changed), a 5-year-old autistic boy in my classroom, his days were filled with unpredictability, for both of us. He would run to the door multiple times, throw toys across the room, and burst into giggles at seemingly random moments. Verbal instructions didn’t land. He seemed inattentive, overwhelmed, and unreachable.

One morning, as I was picking up the same toy he had thrown for the fourth time, I paused and asked myself: "What if this isn’t misbehavior? What if this is a cry for structure?"

That simple question changed everything.

We started small: a visual schedule with just four steps, a consistent arrival routine, and movement breaks between tasks. Within weeks, he began checking the visual chart on his own. The throwing lessened. He stayed longer at the table. And for the first time, he waited in line during snack time.
It wasn’t magic. It was predictability, and it made his world feel safer.

"He Didn’t Even Look at Me…" ✨

When I first met my 3-year-old autistic student, he didn’t make eye contact, didn’t respond to his name, and didn’t want to sit down for any activity.

He was in his beautiful world — tapping toys, watching shapes pop up and down, occasionally reading things out loud that he had never been formally taught.

There was no schedule, no routine, and no structured learning.
Just a child who taught himself the way he liked, in an environment that hadn’t yet adapted to how he learns best.

I wanted to help him grow, but I quickly realized that before I could teach, I needed to connect.

So I stopped asking him to "sit down" or “do the work.”

I sat beside him and joined his play.
I popped the toy when he popped it.
I echoed his happy sounds.
I gave him his favorite things without expecting anything in return.

Slowly but surely, he began to smile at me.
He brought toys closer to me.
He stayed a little longer in the room.
And that was the start of everything. 💛

Why the IEP Is the Heart of Special Education

Behind every child with unique learning needs is a team of dedicated educators and caregivers, working together to build not just an academic path but a life of dignity, purpose, and possibility. At the center of that journey stands a tool that transforms potential into progress: the Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

The IEP is more than a document. It is a personalized roadmap—designed to celebrate a child’s strengths, support their challenges, and ensure that education is not just equal, but equitable. For children with disabilities, the IEP is a legal promise that their learning needs will not be overlooked, rushed, or underestimated.

In this article, we will explore the importance, core elements, and procedures involved in crafting an effective IEP—and why, when done right, it becomes one of the most powerful advocacy tools in a child’s educational journey.

Did you know that caregiver education is essential to a child’s carryover/generalization of skills within the home, school, and community?

Creating understanding, responsive, respectful, and collaborative rapport with caregivers can yield to an environment where caregivers feel safe and encouraged to learn.

Clink the link below to gain insights on how a speech-language pathologist can integrate such an approach when providing caregiver training for augmentative and alternative communication and/or multimodal communication use (which involves all forms of communication use). 💞🤩✨💖

https://www.theinformedslp.com/reviews

*Awareness*

I am sure many of us have at least once encountered certain individuals who, neither are RCI certified SLPs nor have any legit knowledge on communication disorders, claim to have solutions that supposedly enable them to "cure" Autism, ADHD, and other communication disorders in children. These claims often promise remedy, taking advantage of the limited knowledge and vulnerability of parents seeking help for their children.
This issue is deeply concerning as it highlights the significant lack in our society's awareness on speech-language problems.
It's disheartening to see how far we still have to go to educate people and develop effective, evidence-based policies and guidelines to address these challenges.
It is important that we work to raise awareness about the significance of proper diagnosis and intervention.
We must work together to ensure that parents and caregivers are well informed about the same. Understanding these conditions is crucial in bringing awareness, acceptance and support for those diagnosed.

Within speech-language pathology, group therapy sessions stand out as an effective strategy for boosting social skills in those facing communication challenges. This method does more than enhance speech—it significantly enriches social interactions. It's become a crucial tactic for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and offers new possibilities for parents.

Full blog: https://content.liricare.com/group-speech-therapy/

Children with ADHD characterised with inattention, hyperactive & impulsive behaviour due to
such character their functional behaviour is disturbed. Providing sensory integration along with sensory diet is
one of the treatment of choice of these children. Many researcher have stated that outdoor play provides
opportunities to explore the natural world, interact with peers & engaged in active play. Therefore in this study
attempt has been taken to establish the influence of outdoor play combined with sensory diet on functional
behaviour in children with ADHD.

How can SLPs help children of color heal from collective trauma? "Collective trauma" explains the psychological distress experienced when a group or large community experience a shared trauma. This can be the psychological impact of watching protests and riots in response to police brutality cases like George Floyd, or other experiences like the ever-going water crises in Flint Michigan.

Pepperdine University (2021) provides insights on how we can help children heal from collective trauma. This is necessary for SLPs so we can ensure the welfare of the people we services (ASHA Code of Ethics, 2023).

You can see the article HERE: https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/blog/children-of-color-collective-trauma-recovery/#supporting

Black History Month begins next week! Here are some things to keep in mind for therapy materials:

1. Do your research! Make sure the information you are educating your students/clients on is accurate and based on historical facts.

2. Keep your intentions in mind - consider WHY it's important to teach students about Black history.

3. Release the struggle - not all Black history is about slavery or the Civil Rights Movement. There's a lot to celebrate! Remind students about the celebratory aspects of Black culture.

4. Support Black businesses! There's plenty of Black businesses on TPT and Boom Cards (such as myself) who sell treatment materials. Support them this month and year round.