SLP Coffee Talk

Not sure where to start with AAC assessment? Hallie chats with Alyssa Croll, AAC the SLP, an SLP and assistive technology specialist for a very large school district. With more than 10 years of experience, Alyssa is also a public speaker and consultant who offers practical, nuanced AAC solutions grounded in the reality of school-based practice. Together they talk about why a standard starting app and grid size can work, how to tell exploring from keyboard smashing, and how a “coach-the-coach” model gets staff on board so AAC gets used all day. Plus, free apps and trainings to help you get started.

Bullet Points to Discuss:
* barriers that can affect AAC assessment
* Making AAC assessment more individualized and functional
* Practical clinical reasoning in real-world AAC assessment 

Here's what we learned:
Barriers like unclear starting points, limited apps, and little staff buy-in can derail AAC assessment, so plan for the people, not just the device
Individualized assessment starts with what a student already communicates, then adjusts the system to fit, since assessment is ongoing
Practical clinical reasoning means choosing a starting point and adjusting from there, not searching for the perfect system

Learn more about Alyssa Croll:

Email Address: alyssa@aactheslp.com
Website: aactheslp.com
Social: IG & Tik Tok @aactheslp 

Other links: 
https://preview.convertri.com/15900828-68cd-4cbf-9f4c-188cf89ea750

Freebie - include this on the docs so we don’t need to copy and paste from this document (note for podmachine editor)
https://aactheslp.myflodesk.com/abandonment 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Freebie:
https://www.slpmadness.com/shop/p/freespeechtherapydescribingprobe
https://www.slpmadness.com/iep-goal-bank 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

Do worksheets have to be boring? In this solo episode, Hallie shares four easy ways to make worksheets more engaging for older students without adding a ton of prep or turning every session into a game. She explains how to pair worksheets with simple games, choose high-interest topics that connect to students’ lives, give them more choice in how they complete the activity, and use a simple white colored pencil trick to add an element of surprise. Most importantly, she reminds SLPs that the goal isn't to make therapy look fancy—it’s to help students feel successful, take risks, and see that learning can actually be fun.

Bullet Points to Discuss:
-Why it's okay to use worksheets with older students
-How to pair a worksheet with simple games like Jenga, dice, spinners, or cards
-Why getting the answer right shouldn't be the requirement for earning a turn
-Choosing high-interest, age-respectful topics that students actually care about
-Why background knowledge and reading level matter when choosing worksheet content
-Ditching the boring pencil and giving students choices with colored pencils, gel pens, markers, or dry erase sleeves
-The white colored pencil trick for turning a regular worksheet into a more interactive activity
-Why small changes can create more autonomy, engagement, and confidence
-Helping students see the speech room as a place where they can take risks and be successful

Here's what we learned:
A worksheet doesn't automatically mean boring, and sometimes it's exactly what you need for data collection, classroom-based tasks, or quick sessions
Pairing a worksheet with a simple game can make the activity more engaging without changing the therapeutic target
Students don't have to earn a game turn by getting an answer right—the goal is to teach and support them toward success
High-interest, age-respectful topics can make difficult language tasks feel more manageable
Background knowledge matters because unfamiliar content can add another layer of difficulty
Giving students choices about what they use to complete a worksheet adds autonomy without requiring extra prep
A white colored pencil can turn an ordinary worksheet into a simple reveal-and-check activity
The goal isn't to make therapy elaborate; it's to help students feel successful, take risks, and have fun while learning

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  
📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Freebie:
https://www.slpmadness.com/shop/p/freespeechtherapydescribingprobe
https://www.slpmadness.com/iep-goal-bank 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

Are you writing following directions goals straight from a CELF subtest score? In this solo episode, Hallie makes the case for asking "why" before you write another three-step directions goal for a middle or high schooler. She explains how to use item analysis to find what's really driving the difficulty, why compensatory strategies often serve older students better than more isolated drill, and how to build self-advocacy into the activities you're already doing. She also shares low-cost, teen-friendly ways to practice when you do need a directions goal.

Bullet Points to Discuss:
-Why a standardized test should give us information, not our therapy curriculum
-Item analysis - looking past the scaled score to find the pattern
-Asking "why" - language, working memory, attention, vocabulary, or the environment?
When more of the same isn't working - the same goal from 3rd grade to 7th grade
Compensatory strategies - teaching what to do when they miss it or can't remember
-Metacognition - recognizing "I didn't understand" is the first step to self-advocacy
-Teacher supports & accommodations - it's an access-to-instruction skill, not just a speech room skill
-Easy, low-cost activities: drawing tutorial videos, a DIY file folder barrier game & Edpuzzle's rewatch button

Here's what we learned:
A standardized test gives you information, not a therapy curriculum, so use item analysis to find the pattern behind a low score
The "why" matters: language, working memory, attention, vocabulary, and environment each call for a different goal
Repeating the same directions goal year after year isn't working, so it's time to change the approach
For older students, teach compensatory strategies like keywords, chunking, repeating back, and asking for one step at a time
Recognizing "I missed something" is the first step to self-advocacy
Following directions is an access-to-instruction skill, so share accommodations with teachers
Drawing videos, a file folder barrier game, and Edpuzzle's rewatch button make strategy practice low-cost and teen-friendly

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book

🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Freebie:
https://www.slpmadness.com/shop/p/freespeechtherapydescribingprobe
https://www.slpmadness.com/iep-goal-bank 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

Tired of reaching for the same generic drills no matter what speech sound error walks through your door? In this episode, Hallie chats with Laura Rinella, MA, CCC-SLP, creator of Laura Teaches Speech and a pediatric specialist in speech sound disorders. Laura breaks down how she builds targeted, individualized treatment plans that move the needle on intelligibility, offers her take on telling articulation and phonological disorders apart in real sessions, and explains why she sees every kid's progress as a step toward letting their voice come through.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
- Why principles of motor learning belong in articulation therapy
- how manipulating practice & feedback results in independence
- When more isn't always better - high trials aren't enough
- The performance trap -  why success during practice doesn't equal learning
- The power of mistakes - update & refine the motor plan
- Variation - the secret sauce/game changer/the closer

Here’s what we learned: 
Motor learning principles matter for every kid with a speech sound error, not just those with residual/lingering errors
Mastering a sound in the therapy room isn't the same as mastering it in real life — that's the performance trap
Variation in rate, intonation, and loudness is what drives carryover to real conversation
Speech motor chaining builds from syllables to self-generated sentences, leveling up as accuracy improves
Buy-in matters as much as biomechanics — kids need to believe change is possible before the movement work sticks

Learn more about Laura Rinella

Website
https://substack.com/@laurateachesspeech                        https://www.archspeechtherapy.com/courses-resources/
Social
https://www.instagram.com/laurateachesspeech/ 

Other links: 
https://substack.com/@laurateachesspeech               
https://www.archspeechtherapy.com/courses-resources/

Freebie - include this on the docs so we don’t need to copy and paste from this document (note for podmachine editor)
https://substack.com/@laurateachesspeech/note/p-188451575?r=7jc6eu&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Freebie:
https://www.slpmadness.com/shop/p/freespeechtherapydescribingprobe
https://www.slpmadness.com/iep-goal-bank 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets

Struggling to know what "good" data collection actually looks like, especially with older students on your caseload? In this episode, Hallie sits down with Kayla Obenour, an SLP with over a decade of experience across schools, outpatient, home health, and private practice, to chat all about what real, useful data collection can look like. Kayla shares why she's always aimed to "practice what she preaches" as a clinician, how she helps new clinicians cut through the overwhelm of tracking everything at once, and why qualitative data deserves just as much credit as a percentage on a page.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 
Why data collection creates such heavy cognitive load for new clinicians 
Probe data versus continuous data, and what makes data reliable and valid 
Rethinking the 80% accuracy standard and other ways to measure meaningful progress 
The role parents, teachers, and work samples play in painting a fuller picture 
Breaking annual goals into smaller, more achievable objectives 
Why starting from a student's strengths builds buy-in and confidence

Here’s what we learned: 
Ten solid probe data points can be just as valid as tracking data throughout an entire session. 
Qualitative data, like the type and amount of support a student needed, is still meaningful data. 
Percent accuracy alone doesn't reveal whether a skill functions for a student outside of therapy. 
Parents and teachers often notice things in other settings that never show up in session data. 
Starting with a student's smallest achievable step builds momentum faster than jumping straight to the end goal.

Learn more about Kayla Obenour: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Rooted-in-Connection-Therapy/61577409999013/ 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  
📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/
🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup
📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book
🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!
https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets