In 2021 I found that my graduate student clinicians were having a hard time learning all the treatment techniques I use on top of all the activities I use. I started this blog to help them by creating an organized database of techniques and activities. Now that I’ve done most of that I’m reducing my …
Author: Miss Amy
I am a nationally-certified & Hanen-certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with licenses in New Mexico and Maryland. My various work experiences culminated in opening Speech Language A to Z, LLC, in 2016. These relevant experiences began when I took a preschool teaching class while still attending high school. From there I volunteered for the New Mexico Preschool for the Deaf, worked as a laboratory assistant in the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Molecular Genetics & Microbiology Department, and worked as a graphic designer at UNM’s Daily Lobo while helping with in-home childcare before completing my undergraduate degree. I worked as a Speech Language Pathology Apprentice at San Felipe Pueblo Elementary School before starting graduate school and working as a library aide in UNM’s Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences. After completing my Master’s degree I worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist at UNM’s Center for Development and Disability, Kidpower Therapy Associates, and then Albuquerque Public Schools (APS). When not enjoying my work I enjoy spending time with my dog, family, and friends, reading sci-fi & mystery novels, exploring renaissance festivals, solving escape rooms, and playing various card-, board-, and video-games.
Using Toca Kitchen Monsters for Speech & Language Treatment
Update: I’m so sad to see that this app is no longer available! Toca Kitchen Monsters is another FREE app from Toca Boca. In this one we get to choose a monster, choose different ingredients, and try to prepare food that the monsters will eat. Here are some ideas for using Toca Kitchen Monsters as a naturalistic …
FREE Narrative Retell/Creation Worksheet
I made this FREE digital narrative grammar worksheet based on this 5-finger story retell strategy. I love this strategy since kids always have their fingers with them and they can use them when telling their parents about their day. I use this worksheet with a couple of the activities I’ve mentioned in my favorite narrative …
Following Directions with Webber® HearBuilder®
This is the activity I use most often for following directions. One of the things that makes the $199 annual fee for this program so worth it is that it’s very customizable. You can set the difficulty from preschool to adult. I tell my older patients to let me know if it’s too “childish” for …
Expressive Language with Animal-Assisted Intervention
Please visit my original post here to learn the basics about therapy dogs and animal-assisted intervention in speech-language pathology. Expressive langauge skills are the easiest to address with AAI. You simply have the animal do things (or wait until they do things) then use common techniques such as communication temptations to get the child to …
Narrative Recall with 5-Minute Stories
Before I found Disney shorts I used 5-minute stories for narrative recall. Most of these stories have good narrative structure, even though they take as little as 5-minutes to read. Of course, when the child is reading them they often take a bit longer, but sometimes my goal is for a child to recall a …
FREE Emoji I Spy Slides for Articulation/Phonology
Some of my patients love these articulation I Spy slideshows! Having a patient guess my emoji is often the easiest way to get them to say lots of words. When I’m targeting sentences I find making terribly wrong guesses of the child’s emoji works best. Here’s my FREE I Spy Slideshow! I recommend downloading them …
Social Skills with Toca Pet Doctor
Here’s my video tutorial on how I’ve been using Toca Pet Doctor with more details on the least-to-most cueing hierarchy I use when I’m targeting these skills. A special note: When inferencing the cause of emotions I prefer to ask “what made him feel sad?” rather than “why does he feel sad?” I find if I use …
Narrative Recall with Disney Shorts
For years I struggled to find stories that were short enough to fit into appointments, yet had solid narrative structure. Many Disney shorts have a good narrative structure, yet they’re often under 10-minutes. To work on narrative recall with Disney short videos I watch the video with the child then switch over to my free …
Social Skills with Animal-Assisted Intervention
Please visit my original post here to learn the basics about using a therapy dog in speech & language treatment. Once you have the basics you can start thinking about using AAI for social skills. Most kids start greeting Zooey before they start greeting me. It’s an interesting example of dogs being helpful for kids …