As SLPs, we know the importance of seeing the full picture. My new blog post explores how incorporating rating scales from various stakeholders – parents, teachers, and students – can significantly enrich our understanding of a child's functional communication abilities across different environments. "Unlock the Power of Questionnaires/Rating Scales in Your SLP Evaluations" provides actionable strategies for a more comprehensive and collaborative assessment process.

Read the article: https://mrsspeechonline.blogspot.com/2025/04/unlock-power-of-rating-scales-in-your.html

#slp #speechandlanguage #communication #assessmentandevaluation #interprofessionalcollaboration #functionalcommunication

"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.

There is no wrong way to raise a bilingual child.

Bilingualism is a gift you can give your child that will open doors of opportunities. AND IT WILL NOT CAUSE CONFUSION OR DELAYS.

Here are the 5 most common methods:
1️⃣ One Parent, One Language:
In this approach, each parent consistently speaks a different language with their child. This clear separation helps the child associate each language with a specific parent, making it easier for them to distinguish and learn.

2️⃣ Minority Language at Home
Parents create a language-rich environment at home where the minority language is dominant. Reading, playing, and communicating in the minority language ensures your child is immersed in it, reinforcing their language skills.

3️⃣ Time and Place
Parents designate specific times or places for each language. For example, weekdays could be for one language, and weekends for another or home is minority language and everywhere else the majority language.

4️⃣ Mixed Language Families
Family members to use their native language when interacting with the child. (just try to avoid using Spanglish).

5️⃣ Outside Resources
Parents leverage resources beyond the family structure. Monolingual parents may enroll their child in bilingual programs, find language apps, or visit cultural events and communities where the target language is spoken.

I was raised as a Minority Language at Home and raised my daughter as an Outside Resource family.

Let me know in the comments what method you use.

Did you know that research shows...

Bilinguals identify cognates with higher accuracy and faster speed than noncognate words(Squires et al, 2020)

Bilingual students show cross-linguistic transfer and feasibility. (Kambanaros et al 2017)

Using cognates leads to greater gains in vocabulary naming (Dam et al 2020)

This is why I created a Spanish-English articulations screener using Cognates. Same list of words gets you all the sounds you need in most word positions.

You can find this resource in the Digital Market

AI is everywhere, ready to bring it to your therapy sessions? As the founder of ASD 123 (Accessible Speech Development) I would love for you, my SLPeeps, to try out what I've built! Please let me know what you think!

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/asd-123/id1577037312

Calling all SLPs who are interested in bringing new innovation into our field!

I am the founder of a startup called ASD 123 which stands for Accessible Speech Development (www.ASD-123.com). I am driving interactivity through the child's voice; where the child's voice will bring about an action on the app.

I am currently looking for SLPs who are interested in participating in this round of beta testing which lasts approximately 8 weeks. Did I mention it is all free to be a part of this?!

Here is the link to my app:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/asd-123/id1577037312

Please feel free to reach out to me here on Liricare or via email ([email protected])

Together let's put out some positive and functional innovation for our clients and patients!

I just want all who are working in schools to take advantage of this super back-too-school sale. ONLY $5 and you get 2,000+++ activities + articulation and language storybooks + coloring books, coloring pages and more at https://www.slpstorytellers.com/register-2/

*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.