Access a variety of speech and language therapy resources designed to support communication development in children and adults. These resources include tools, assessments, and activities for speech-language pathologists working in schools, clinics, and home settings to enhance expressive and receptive language skills effectively.
In celebration of Better Hearing and Speech Month 2023, Therapro proudly recognizes the innovative contributions of our speech-language pathology creators. These professionals have developed exceptional tools and resources that enhance communication and feeding skills across various age groups.
Deborah Fortin, MSPA,CCC-SLP is the author of Social Language Rules & Tools: A Preschool Curriculum. Deborah’s knowledge for this particular skill area derived from her many years working in an integrated preschool program. Social Language Rules & Tools: A Preschool Curriculum is a unique program that can be used to present highly interactive lessons to preschoolers. It was designed to be a collaborative approach between SLPs and classroom educators in order to encourage follow-up and carryover for incidental teaching all day long.
Kelly VanDahm, MS, CCC-SLP is the editor of the book Pediatric Feeding Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment. Kelly has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for many years, serving patients of all ages. She has also authored articles, book chapters, learning modules, and textbooks. Pediatric Feeding Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment brings together 14 leading clinicians, the latest research, and interdisciplinary perspectives on pediatric feeding disorders.
Mary Schiavoni, MS, CCC-SLP worked with Therapro’s Karen Conrad Weihrauch and Filomena Connor to create the Sensory Spoon. Mary Schiavoni is the creator of Chewy Tubes, a noted author and Pediatric Feeding Specialist. The Sensory Spoon is a unique tool that focuses on the development of self-feeding with infants as young as 7 months old. Its unique characteristics include a short, textured handle that offers sensory input to the palm for grasping, a natural “stop” that prevents gagging or deep insertion into the mouth, and a flexible, smooth texture.
Therapro is proud to support and promote the work of the many great professionals involved in the diagnosing and treatment of communication disorders, including speech language pathologist and audiologists. We wish you all a very happy Better Hearing and Speech Month!
The phrase “executive function” as described in the Harvard Journal, Developing Child, refers to a set of skills. These skills underlie the capacity to plan ahead and meet goals, display self-control, follow multiple-step directions even when interrupted and stay focused despite distractions, among others.
No one is born with executive function skills but nearly everyone can learn them. Adults set up the framework for children to learn and practice these skills over time by establishing routines, breaking big tasks into smaller chunks, and encouraging activities involving rules, directions and planning skills.
As our child becomes more competent and these areas of the brain develop, it enables them to plan for themselves. It also allows them to focus and stay engaged with information to complete tasks. Research has shown by 12 months of age, a child’s experiences are helping to lay the foundation for the ongoing development of executive function skills.
Get Ready, Do, Done
Sara Ward and Kristen Jacobsen’s framework, “get ready, do, done”, to support skill development provides a process to develop the executive functioning abilities. This system is easily incorporated into all activities.
Implementation
The first step is to help your child or student visualize what the project will look like when it is done i.e., what does the end look like. Children need the opportunity to visualize the end before they plan their steps. This is especially true for a child who lacks the motor control to move their body or communication skills to verbalize their intent. A child may have the ability to plan a task but lack the opportunity when others bring materials to them, place them on their surface and physically help with each step.
Next, you want the child to visualize the steps they need to take. It may involve cutting a circle, drawing a picture, gluing, etc. You want your child to think through the process. Let the child tell you what steps they want to take before beginning.
Last, to “get ready” the child should tell you what materials they need. Is it markers, paper, ruler, glue stick, etc.?
Accessibility For The Child With Special Needs.
When a child can visualize what their completed project looks like, they can talk through the process and collect needed materials as independent as possible. What if a child is unable to communicate verbally or walk over to get what they need? Here are strategies that provide inclusive opportunities to use this framework. It allows the child with neuromotor difficulties to participate in opportunities that lay the foundation for executive functioning. The goal is to support their abilities and not allow their impairments to limit their learning.
Get Ready, Do, Done provides a visual or template to clearly demonstrate the thinking process.
Strategies To Support Inclusive Learning
Positioning Needs of the Child: When completing activities that require attention, concentration and upper extremity control, optimal positioning is important. A child seated upright so they can view what their project looks like when completed. Positioning the child at 90:90:90 for the hips:knees:ankles with feet supported is usually preferred.
Tray Surface: Supporting the upper arm on a table surface provides a base of support for upper extremity control. By increasing the contact surface of the forearm and hand, it provides stability and increased sensory awareness of movement in space. We have found a tray surface that supports the elbows, by curving around the body, makes a significant difference. The work surface should be large enough to fit materials and support the upper body. Common errors are elbows falling off the table or not enough room for materials.
Organization of Work Surface: For the individual with motor coordination, it can be helpful to have a container where materials are placed avoiding knocking them off the tray. This can be a small bowl or box that serves as a “waiting area” for items such as scissors and glue.
Vision Considerations: The size, colors and position of the project are important. Placing the project that is “done” and showing what the end looks like should be of a size, position and contrast that supports vision needs. Placing it on an easel, on the wall or at an angle that allows for easy viewing is helpful and allows the child to visually reference the project that they are completing. Adjusting the size by enlarging pictures or having a black contrasting background may help the individual with vision impairments.
Activity Selection/Material Considerations: Using templates and/or pre-made cut outs may help the individual with motor impairments. If the end is a picture of a farm, using a template that supports coloring inside can be helpful. Using stickers that allow the individual to place or glue them reduces the motor demands. Forming Wikki Stix into shapes that allow the child to color inside simple shapes is another option.
Tool Use: Using adaptive crayons or adapted markers, glue sticks and other materials may allow the child to do the task without hand over hand assistance. You want to reduce the motor demands when you increase the cognitive requirements. There are many options to help children hold their own tools. The Functionalhand allows children to hold objects in either the horizontal or vertical orientation. Any size crayon, marker, glue stick, dry erase markers or school tools can fit into the flexible cord system. For children who are unable to sustain a grasp on the Functionalhand independently, the Eazyhold strap is the ideal complimentary product.
Finished project displayed on a slant board as a visual reference for “Done”
Alistair references done while he uses the Functionalhand to paint his cow.
Do
Keeping the activity initially simple and building on the concept once the child is familiar is important. Initial activities may be to color pictures and glue them in position. Having two sets of icons, one showing the action and the other showing the tool helps them to understand the difference.
Use a picture of the action for “Do”
Use a picture of the item for “Get Ready”
You may start by showing the pictures and asking, “do we cut first or color first”. Using “first” and “then” concepts allows your child to know there is a progression to activities and reflect on the order. The child can point, answer or place the icons in order.
Get Ready
Several strategies will assist the individual to be actively engaged in the “ Do” and “Get Ready” process.
Use picture icons that allow the child to point to or grasp to put in the “Get Ready” column. Using Velcro to keep the pictures in position may be helpful.
Use an augmentative communication device with a page that lists options and allowing the child to point to or use a stylus to access their selections individually. The child can then grasp the item to put into their “waiting area” bowl or box or you place them upon making their selection.
Summary
How does a child with neuromotor impairment that may lack the postural control to move, reach and communicate get the same opportunities to develop executive functioning skills as other children? Structuring the learning opportunity and providing activities in a manner that supports their thought processes to plan and participate in the execution of tasks is important. Incorporating alternative strategies to minimize hand over hand assistance is the start. The key is to let the child do as much for themselves as possible both in terms of thought process and motor participation. Learn more about Executive Functioning by listening to Therapro’s Lecture series on this and other topics.
References
Ward, S., & Jacobsen, K. (2014). A clinical model for developing executive function skills. Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 21(2), 72-84.
What Is Executive Function? And How Does It Relate to Child Development? (N.D.) Center for the Developing Child Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-executive-function-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-development/
ASHA 2021 marked Therapro’s first return to large scale conferences since the start of the COVID pandemic. There were some major differences between ASHA 2021 and conferences of the past but the one thing that remained the same was all of the great professionals who came to visit the Therapro booth! One question always asked is “what are the favorite products this year?”. In case you were not able to attend ASHA 2021 in person, we summed up the top conference favorites for you!
Big Feeling Pineapple. This one sold out on day one! Conference goers compared Big Feeling Pineapple to “Mr. Potato Head” because the expressions were interchangeable similar to Mr. Potato head pieces. Conference goers loved the smaller size and soft but firm feel. They also loved that there were two sides allowing for endless uses like matching expressions, using it as a prop while reading stories, and as a jumping off point for discussing feelings.
Balloon Car Racers: Another sell out! A comment often heard about Balloon Car Racers was that they were a great tool for working on oral motor strength. Another highlight was that there were two to a pack allowing for peer interaction.
Lion In My Way. This one is an oldie but still very much a goodie. Lion in my way is a conference staple and no matter how many we bring, we never have enough! Conference goers often remarked about the way Lion In My way approaches collaborative problem solving. It was also noted to be a great tool for tapping into imagination and flexible thinking.
NOVENOPS. Another conference staple and another one that never fails to disappoint! A huge draw of NOVENOPS has always been its compact size especially for professionals who travel from building to building or even room to room. Conference goers appreciated the many opportunities for ‘WH’ questions that NOVENOPS offers.
Choose your Chew Handy Guide: Our handy guide isn’t really a product but the many copies of our Choose Your Chew Handy Guide that we brought were gone before we knew it! Therapro is known for the many varieties of chews that we offer but selecting the right chew can be daunting. Conference goers appreciated the ease that our handy guide made in the selection process.
Feeling Heads: Not only were these a hit but they also got a good laugh from many conference goers! They remarked that not only were they soft but also the perfect size for little hands. Conference goers had so many great ideas for ways to use these heads including as props while reading stories, as a tool for discussing emotions, and as a communication aid when words are not available.
Smart Games: The Snow White Game, Three Little Pigs Game, and Little Red Riding Hood Game all made their conference debut at ASHA 2021 and all were a big hit. In the age of COVID, conference goers appreciated that the pieces were made of easy to clean plastic. They also remarked that these games were a great way to target early executive function and language skills in a fun way.
Wind-Ups. No conference would be complete without some fun windups! As many conference goers noted, wind-ups are a big motivator and a great way to target language areas like asking for help and asking for more.
Spark Cards. With so many options to choose from, Spark Cards were very popular. Conference goers appreciated the wide variety from complex cards to simpler versions as well as options for larger cards that could be used on the floor. Another big draw was that these cards are dry erase marker friendly, making it easy to emphasize key areas.
Balloon Car Racers Wind UpsTherapro Games
It was great to meet everyone at ASHA 2021, thank you all for sharing your great ideas. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again at ASHA 2022!
