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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Favorite (non-iPad) Therapy Materials

It's time to spend my budget money.  For many SLPs, this can be a challenging feat. Sure $350 may sound like a lot, but then you flip through the catalogs and notice all of your top "wants" are $100.  That budget money can go pretty fast. How do you know what therapy materials will be great and which ones will leave you wishing you had made better choices?  All the therapy hype seems to be centered around the iPad these days.  My school doesn't purchase iPad apps for me so I rely on Super Duper and Linguisystems for the majority of therapy items.  I am going to list some therapy materials that are sure to please.  Please share items that are staples in your speech rooms! 

Jumbo Articulation Drill Book
This is my number one tool for articulation therapy.  There are many pictures/words/sentences for every sound.  The black and white pictures are kid friendly. 


Language Burst
This is a great time filler at the end of therapy.  I also use it for a quick warm-up activity. 
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Word Feast
Excellent vocabulary lessons for middle school students. 
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Chipper Chat
One of those great games that can be used for any goal. 



Hear Builder- Auditory Memory


This is something new to add to your therapy tool kit! This interactive software program teaches key strategies for remembering numbers, words, sentences, and stories. Hear Builder reminds me of a video game that can keep children engaged for long periods of time.  The animation and story line are exceptionally appealing to the students.  They get to help the recall agents save Memory Town from the evil Dr. Forgetsit.   Within the 5 subcategories (Numbers, Words, Details, Closure, WH Info), it teaches memory strategies that can be used to pass the level and are actually practical in life.  For example, one student was having difficulty passing a level where he had to memorize 4 numbers with a 10 second delay.  Hear Builder helped him learn to repeat the numbers over and over until it was time to type in the code.  I have the professional edition of Hear Builder which allows me to alter the difficulty level for particular students.  It also allows me to add background noise.  I have found these features to be very helpful.  After using this program for one week, I am excited to try the other versions of Hear Builder!  Does anyone have experience with the other versions?  Are they as great as the Auditiory Memory version?

Talk it up!
Ashley