Well, the weather outside is frightful…just kidding! We’re in Southern California. It’s 50 degrees; some of us are wearing socks! Regardless, we at Pacific Coast Speech Services hope that your holiday season was magical and wish you a Happy New Year!
Featured Free Assessment Tool: Perspective Taking
Looking for a quick, free assessment tool for narrative and social thinking? This engaging video addresses perspective taking, action plans, emotions and social thinking in an engaging video about a guide dog puppy. Great tool for kinder through 12th grade, with a clear message of tolerance of neurodiversity.
Looking for a quick method to assess narrative, social-emotional learning, inferencing, and practical communication skills? The non-profit Learners Project has created eight sets of sequential story cards depicting common issues, such as losing a cell phone.
This is a great tool for identifying where practical knowledge and capability meets test scores, allowing us to develop more strategy-based goals.
Be sure to review other learning modules on the website.
FEATURED WEBSITE: PACIFIC COAST SPEECH SERVICES!
Exciting news! Pacific Coast Speech Services has a newly designed website! We have updated your favorite resources and added new handouts for you to use in your busy day as a school-based SLP. Visit HERE for our first 10 blog entries, and watch the page for new additions!
As of today, some of our featured resources include:
- A quick reference sheet for New Grads with specific steps to licensure, certification, and credentials; as well as a thorough section on choosing a clinical fellowship with great supervision.
- A quick reference sheet for SLPs moving to California on steps to take to practice in California.
- Our popular Bell Curve of Student Speech and Language Skills, with a bilingual Spanish version and a handy script for explaining the curve in IEPs.
- This newsletter with links to free new tools to measure narrative skills and practical problem-solving skills. This and future newsletters will be housed on our resources page.
- Practical Suggestions to Generalize Speech Production.
- A Communication Cake graphic and explanation for when parents think that more speech services = more progress.
Featured Goal: Vocabulary Instruction
Many of our students have weaknesses in vocabulary, specifically critical academic vocabulary. Tier Two Words, which are so critical to access the curriculum, are not typically used by students without explicit instruction.
Berkley Unified School District did a fantastic job of gathering research on effective/ineffective methods of instruction, as well as creating an excellent list of words by grade level to assist our students in maximizing student success.
We highly recommend reviewing this resource if you want to systematize your vocabulary instruction with evidence-based practices.
In terms of quick implementation, this TPT product is closely aligned with evidence-based practices, and may be useful as a no-prep method for effective application.
Speechy Musings is one of our favorite TPT stores because of their evidence-based, practical activities for busy SLPs! Don’t miss their free website downloads, especially the book list by speech sound and the data collection cheat sheet.
Share our Resources!
Feel free to pass on this newsletter to interested SLPs & Administrators. Our goal is to be as practical as possible, as quickly as possible! We look forward to building our resources section through suggestions from the amazing clinicians of Pacific Coast Speech Services, Inc.
As always, we stand ready to assist Southern California school districts when staffing needs arise. Here’s a quick link to the administrator section of our site for more details.
Want to receive future newsletters in your email inbox? You are welcome to subscribe to our newsletters using our website link.
Happy New Year and Jokes for Kids (and adults)!
Here’s to 2020, our district partners, and the wonderful SLPs and SLPAs who support and encourage our students every day!
What is the capital of Alaska? Come on, Juneau this one!
What did the ground say to the earthquake? You crack me up!
What kind of car does Mickey Mouse’s wife drive? A Minnie van!
Why is Cinderella bad at soccer? Because she is always running away from the ball!
Do you want to hear a brilliant time-travel joke? Never mind, you didn’t like it
For more Jokes for Kids follow us on Twitter @PCSSinSoCal
Return to the Resources Page to Read More!
