Richard was having a hard time staying focussed, so we created a schedule for the session. That alleviated some of his attention issues because he just referenced our map of activities, if he was wondering what was next. He moved through speech practice with multisyllabic words, listening to and retelling a short story, reviewing our growth mindset strategies of how to take small breaks/pause if something is hard, and how to stand up to someone on the playground who is telling them what to do. Richard is able to describe to a teacher/therapist but it's a little harder to say it to a peer who might not have an open mind. Richard has really found his voice during social interactions with other students at the school and is gaining more confidence socially.
Spencer wanted to continue the game show practice. This time we reversed the view from the phone, where he was watching himself while speaking. It is hard to see the /r/ sound but position of the tongue is always a good indicator of how to make adjustments. We discussed the muscle of the tongue and how the physiology of our tongue muscle isn't much different than our arm or leg muscles. When we exercise or practice the same basketball moves over and over, we are creating muscle memory and it gets easier and more controlled. Spencer liked talking about he science of speech and we used visual on the iPad to help understanding.
Tristan was in a good mood and wanted to try to finish that 3 week monopoly game. Tackling our word list was a great motivator and Tristan was able to produce initial /s/ words with 60% accuracy. He demonstrated a new awareness of his speech and for the first time self-corrected before getting verbal feedback.
Christopher was wandering around during lunch instead of sitting with his peers. He said he was having a bad day and upset about some things that happened outside of school. We reviewed some strategies that we can use to take care of ourselves, especially when things are out of control. We reviewed what is in our control. We also discussed boundaries and how we can set boundaries to keep ourselves safe and comfortable with our interactions. As simple as saying to a friend, "I don't feel like talking about that right now." He felt empowered to join the kids at lunch and on the playground.
Richard was excited to talk about tag strategies after recess with his peers. However, everyone had to return to their academic work. We used our time together to discuss and "research" strategies to playing tag. Addressing practice with WH questions, new vocabulary, perspective taking, advocating for himself, communication with teammates, and problem solving
Spencer was in a great mood and wanted to do something different and fun. To motivate with strong speech practice, we decided to play an pretend "game show." Spencer was having a hard time hearing how he was not hitting the target sound, so I suggested we video the game show and then review together. He enjoyed seeing himself on video and did notice times that he sounded funny. He was reminded that he does not "sound funny" but his adult speech sounds are still developing and that is why we are working together to do that.
Tristan was a little slow to start on a Monday morning so we began with the picture word list of initial /s/ words from the week before. He was anxious to finish that and move on to the ongoing Monopoly game. During competition, Tristan can get very excited, so we reviewed kind and respectful ways to communicate while still having fun and maintaining our "game face." We discussed how his desire to win during tag and recess is sometimes misread as "mean." He was patient and listened to how that could make others feel uncomfortable and insisted that was not what he was trying to do.
Richard was in a great mood and happy to play an iPad game practicing sentences and identifying grammar that doesn't sound right. He was happy to play it with the cute pictures that went along with it. However, he got a little silly and started picking the wrong choice on purpose for a reaction. We refocussed on a story telling activity that required Richard to sequence 5 picture cards. Arranging the pictures was not so difficult but explaining what he saw on the cards was more challenging. He benefited from verbal cues with vocabulary and describing the actions
Spencer was not up for reading the word list of simple /r/ words so he asked to play the word list game again. The compromise was that we would identify words with our /r/ sound and then practice it 5 times. It was a great way to practice and he was excited to see the score tab that was kept and that he practiced over 100 words. He really has to think about it and get his tongue back in the right position to make a strong /r/. With the excellent practice, his accuracy was increasing as we continued. He was excited about that. We also used the opportunity to discuss our game plan and how he can reach his goal with small action steps.
Tristan was ready to jump into monopoly. Before beginning, we reviewed a few lists of words. He was turned off by the written language and said he was tiring of reading. SO using pictures, Tristan was able to practice /s/ words efficiently and without frustration. With verbal cues for tongue position and controlling the air flow, he is able to produce initial /s/ words with 60 % accuracy.
