Speech and Language Kids Podcast

Building Therapy Plans for Children with AACDo you work with children who use communication devices or systems to express themselves? Whether it’s a high-tech talker, sign language, or picture boards, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) comes in many forms—and it’s essential that we know how to support kids in using it effectively. In this episode, Carrie shares how to build therapy plans for children who use AAC, including practical strategies and step-by-step guidance based on the AAC Pathway inside the Speech and Language Kids Hub. You’ll also hear answers to live listener questions about AAC devices in the classroom, choosing apps, and working with parents and teachers to support communication across environments. Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: What is AAC and Who Uses It?Carrie starts by explaining what AAC is and the many ways children may use it to communicate, from low-tech tools like picture boards and gestures to high-tech devices with eye gaze or text-to-speech features. She also dispels the myth that AAC prevents speech development—spoiler alert: research says otherwise! Helpful resource: What is AAC? The Two Golden Rules of AAC Therapy Before jumping into therapy planning, Carrie shares the two biggest takeaways for anyone supporting a child who uses AAC: Focus on communication, not technology. Model, model, model! She explains why goals should center on meaningful interaction (not just button-pushing) and how modeling AAC use builds confidence and understanding. Beginner Level: Getting Started with AAC At this stage, the focus is on helping the child communicate basic wants and needs using core vocabulary. You’ll hear: Why “go,” “more,” “stop,” and “all done” are more useful than “cracker” or “train” Tips for modeling AAC use throughout the day Strategies to help the whole team (SLPs, parents, teachers) stay on the same page Inside the Hub: Visual aids with core word boards and low-tech AAC tools Intermediate Level: Expanding AAC UseOnce kids can express some wants and needs, it’s time to expand! Carrie discusses: Moving beyond requesting to include labeling, describing, commenting, and more How to support grammar and sentence growth through AAC Examples of social and functional communication goals Advanced Level: Full Participation Through AACAt the advanced level, AAC becomes a tool for full participation in classroom and social life. Learn how to support: Retelling past events and participating in conversations Self-advocacy and problem-solving with AAC Using AAC across different settings and environments Supporting Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs)Carrie briefly touches on how some AAC users may learn in chunks rather than word-by-word. She shares how you can support GLPs by incorporating full phrases and familiar scripts into AAC devices. Live Q&A HighlightsListeners asked some fantastic questions, including: What to do when a child uses one AAC button repeatedly (hint: treat it like verbal babbling!) Choosing a speech-generating app or device (Carrie recommends Grid by Smartbox and TouchChat) Home strategies for encouraging AAC use with toddlers and teens When AAC is (and isn’t) appropriate for speech-delayed children Resources Mentioned The Hub Mobile App AAC Pathway inside the Hub Free Text-to-Speech Tool by Google SLK Screening & Progress Monitoring Checklists – Inside the SLK Framework (for non-AAC speech/language concerns) Looking for low-tech AAC boards, full lesson plans, or more support? Join us inside the Speech and Language Kids Hub where you’ll find everything from downloadable materials to expert-led courses. The post Building Therapy Plans for Children with AAC appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Ahmad’s Story: Childhood Apraxia of Speech and the Motor Speech PathwayIn this episode, Carrie shares the story of a sweet 5-year-old boy named Ahmad (name changed for privacy) and his journey with childhood apraxia of speech. From using AAC to working through early speech sounds, Carrie walks through the specific framework and strategies that helped Ahmad go from frustration to finding his voice. If you’re working with a child who struggles to speak but clearly has a lot to say, this one’s for you. Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)?Carrie kicks off the episode by explaining what childhood apraxia of speech is—a motor speech disorder where the brain knows what it wants to say, but the message doesn’t make it clearly to the mouth. Ahmad had CAS along with other developmental and medical challenges, which made early intervention even more important. Carrie talks about what apraxia can look like in a preschooler and how it can affect speech production in unpredictable ways. Learn more about Childhood Apraxia of Speech Using the SLK Framework to Plan Therapy Carrie walks through how she applied the Speech and Language Kids Framework to Ahmad’s case. The first step? Identifying the areas of communication that needed the most support. For Ahmad, that meant: Functional communication (getting needs met) Speech production (expressing himself verbally) From there, she explains how they chose two primary therapy pathways: AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) for functional communication Motor Speech Approach for targeting simple, early speech patterns Grab the SLK Therapy Framework Introducing AAC (and Managing Parent Concerns) Ahmad’s story isn’t just about the therapy—it’s about the people involved, too. Carrie shares how she encountered resistance from Ahmad’s mom about using AAC, particularly because of concerns around manipulation and behavior due to reactive attachment disorder. Instead of pushing her agenda, Carrie modeled collaboration by calling a team meeting. Together with a behavior specialist and the family, they developed a plan: Ahmad could use the AAC device, but would also be encouraged to attempt speech with each use. This balanced approach honored everyone’s concerns while still supporting Ahmad’s communication. Related Resource Targeting Early Speech Skills with Motor Speech TherapyWith AAC in place, Carrie focused on Ahmad’s expressive speech. She used a motor speech approach, starting with simple word shapes like consonant-vowel (CV) and vowel-consonant (VC) patterns. Key strategies included: Selecting core words that were functional (like “go,” “up,” “in,” “bye”) Practicing with frequent, short sessions throughout the school day Posting word lists in the classroom for consistent reinforcement Collaborating with teachers and parents to embed practice into daily routines Try the Motor Speech Therapy Plan Practical Therapy Example: Real-Life RepetitionCarrie describes how she used brief, frequent practice opportunities—like greeting Ahmad at the classroom door and reviewing his core words by his backpack. These mini-sessions, combined with play-based speech therapy and consistent home carryover, helped Ahmad make meaningful progress. Key Tip: Kids with apraxia benefit from distributed practice—short bursts of practice multiple times a day are more effective than one long session. Takeaways for SLPs and Caregivers Collaboration is key—trust and teamwork with families and staff make interventions more successful. AAC doesn’t mean giving up on speech—it can be a bridge to verbal communication. Consistent, functional practice helps kids build motor speech pathways over time. If you’re working with preschoolers with CAS or complex needs, you’ll find loads of practical gems in this episode. Resources and LinksSLK Therapy Framework Motor Speech Therapy Plan in the Hub AAC Overview for SLPs and Parents Apraxia-KIDS.org Join the Next Live RecordingReady for more? Join the next live podcast recording inside The Hub! The post Ahmad’s Story – Childhood Apraxia of Speech and the Motor Speech Pathway appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Speech/Language Therapy 101: Back to Basics for SLPs and CaregiversAre you looking for the simplest, most effective way to teach communication skills to children and teens? Well, search no farther! I’m speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark and in today’s episode of The Speech and Language Kids Podcast, we’re diving into exactly how to make the most of virtual speech sessions so we can work on closing these gaps, one child at a time. Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: The Different Areas of Speech/Language/Communication: Speech Sounds: Individuals with speech sound problems have difficulty pronouncing sounds correctly. Their speech is difficult to understand. Fill out the Speech Sounds Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. Language: Individuals with language difficulties struggle to understand or use words effectively. This can impact their ability to follow directions, express thoughts, or build sentences correctly. Fill out the Language Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. Voice/Resonance: Individuals with voice or resonance concerns may have voices that sound hoarse, too nasal, too quiet, or otherwise unusual. These issues can affect how others perceive and understand them. Fill out the Voice/Resonance Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. Fluency: Individuals with fluency difficulties may experience stuttering or interruptions in their speech. This can include repeating sounds, stretching out words, or having frequent pauses. Fill out the Fluency Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. Functional Communication: Individuals with functional communication difficulties struggle to get their needs met using speech, gestures, or other means of communication. They may have trouble making requests, answering questions, or using words effectively in daily life. Fill out the Functional Communication Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. Social Communication: Individuals with social communication challenges may struggle with conversational skills, understanding social cues, or using language appropriately in different social interactions. This can affect their ability to interact with others successfully. Fill out the Social Communication Progress Monitoring Tool to dive deeper. To Access the Specific Progress Monitoring Tools, Click Here! Therapy Pathways for Speech Sounds Articulation – Individuals with articulation challenges have difficulty with specific speech sounds, producing them incorrectly or with noticeable distortions. Choose the articulation pathway for traditional sound-by-sound therapy that targets one speech sound at a time. Phonology – Individuals with phonological challenges demonstrate consistent patterns of speech errors, such as omitting sounds at the beginning or end of words or struggling with whole categories of sounds (e.g., back sounds like /k/ and /g/). Choose the phonology pathway to teach sound patterns and eliminate phonological processes such as fronting, stopping, final consonant deletion, etc. Motor Speech – Individuals with motor speech difficulties have inconsistent speech errors, struggle more with longer words, appear to have difficulty physically producing speech sounds, and may sound choppy and robotic. Choose the motor speech pathway to treat motor-based speech disorders, such as apraxia, by teaching specific word structures, such as CV, VC, CVC, and multisyllabic words. Mumbling Pathway – These individuals may speak too quickly, too quietly, slurs their words, or are able to produce sounds correctly in isolation but become harder to understand in conversation. Choose this pathway for a structured approach to teaching over-articulation and increasing awareness of when they are not understood. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here! Therapy Pathways for Language Skills Following Directions Pathway Individuals with following directions challenges have difficulty understanding and carrying out one-step or multi-step instructions. They may become easily distracted when given directions or struggle to process spoken information. Choose this pathway to target skills like following verbal and written directions, improving attention to instructions, and processing spoken language efficiently. Asking and Answering Questions Pathway These individuals have difficulty responding to basic WH-questions (who, what, where, etc.), struggle to ask meaningful questions, or have trouble answering questions about something they just heard. Choose this pathway to build skills in answering WH-questions, formulating clear and relevant questions, and improving comprehension through question-based interactions. Sequencing & Retelling Pathway Individuals with sequencing and retelling challenges have difficulty organizing events or stories in logical order. They may start retellings in the middle without context, leave out key details, or struggle to recall events accurately. Choose this pathway to focus on skills like sequencing steps, retelling stories with key details, and structuring a story clearly. Grammar & Sentence Complexity Pathway Individuals with grammar and sentence complexity challenges have speech that contains frequent grammar errors, sounds choppy and incomplete, or relies on shorter or simpler sentences than expected for their age. Choose this pathway to strengthen grammar use, expand sentence length and complexity, and improve overall sentence structure. Foundations for Literacy Pathway Individuals with literacy challenges have difficulty with early reading skills, such as phonological awareness, understanding written texts, or developing reading fluency and comprehension. Choose this pathway to build phonological awareness, strengthen early literacy skills, and improve reading comprehension and fluency. Abstract Language Pathway Individuals with abstract language challenges struggle to understand figurative language, such as idioms, sarcasm, and metaphors, or have difficulty making inferences from conversations and texts. Choose this pathway to develop skills in understanding and using figurative language, interpreting implied meanings, and making logical inferences. Vocabulary Pathway Individuals with vocabulary challenges have difficulty understanding and using new words, rely on vague or imprecise language, or struggle with remembering and using the correct words. Choose this pathway to enhance word knowledge, improve word retrieval, and build precise and meaningful vocabulary use. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here!   Therapy Pathways for Social CommunicationSocial Awareness and Interaction Pathway Individuals with social awareness and interaction challenges have difficulty responding to others, understanding different perspectives, and engaging appropriately in social situations. Choose this pathway to build skills responding to others, joint attention, turn taking, topic maintenance, and perspective taking. Emotional Regulation & Self-Advocacy Pathway Individuals with emotional regulation and self-advocacy challenges have difficulty expressing their needs, managing emotions, and coping with social stressors. They may struggle to communicate boundaries or self-regulate in overwhelming situations. Choose this pathway to develop skills in emotional awareness, self-advocacy, coping strategies, and effective self-expression. Conversational Skills Pathway Individuals with conversational skills challenges have difficulty initiating, maintaining, and appropriately ending conversations. They may struggle to take turns, stay on topic, or understand conversational rules. Choose this pathway to improve an individual’s ability to initiate conversations, keep them going, and adapt them to a variety of situations. Abstract Language Pathway Individuals with abstract language challenges struggle to understand figurative language, sarcasm, idioms, and implied meanings in conversations. They may take things literally or have difficulty making inferences. Choose this pathway to strengthen skills in interpreting figurative language, understanding implied messages, and making logical inferences in conversations. Selective Mutism Pathway Individuals with selective mutism can speak in some situations but experience anxiety or difficulty speaking in specific social settings (such as speaking freely at home but remaining silent at school). Choose this pathway to build confidence in verbal communication, reduce anxiety around speaking, and support gradual exposure to new speaking environments. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here! Therapy Pathways for Fluency/StutteringFoundations for Fluency Pathway Individuals with fluency challenges may struggle with maintaining smooth, natural speech flow. They may benefit from strategies that support breath control, emotional regulation, and confidence in speaking. Choose this pathway to work on coordinating breathing with speech, increasing awareness of stuttering, and dealing with negative emotions or reactions related to stuttering. Stuttering Pathway Individuals with stuttering challenges experience interruptions in speech, such as repetitions, prolongations, or blocks. They may feel frustrated or anxious about speaking. Choose this pathway to develop structured strategies for smoother, more confident communication and to reduce tension associated with stuttering. Cluttering Pathway Individuals with cluttering challenges speak too quickly, in a disorganized way, or with reduced clarity, making their speech difficult to understand. They may struggle with self-monitoring and pacing their speech. Choose this pathway to improve speech clarity, regulate speaking rate, and enhance overall communication effectiveness. Word Finding/Word Retrieval Pathway Individuals with word finding challenges struggle to retrieve the right words, leading to frequent hesitations, pauses, or substitutions in conversation. Choose this pathway to strengthen word retrieval skills, reduce speaking delays, and increase ease and confidence in communication. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here! Therapy Pathways for Functional CommunicationEarly Interactions Pathway Individuals with early interaction challenges may need support with basic social engagement, responding to their name, following simple directions, and participating in early social routines. Choose this pathway to build foundational communication skills, increase social engagement, and support early language development. Analytic Language Processors (ALP) Pathway Individuals who are analytic language processors learn language through individual words and phrases. They may need help using words and short phrases effectively across different situations. Choose this pathway to teach a child to use short words for functional communication, build up their vocabulary, and begin to expand their utterance length to longer phrases. Gestalt Language Processors (GLP) Pathway Individuals who are gestalt language processors learn language through echolalia, scripts, or repeating chunks of language. They may need structured support in moving toward self-generated speech. Choose this pathway to guide the progression from echolalia to meaningful, spontaneous language use. Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Pathway Individuals who use AAC (such as picture boards, speech-generating devices, or gestures) may need support in developing functional and meaningful communication. Others may struggle with speech intelligibility and need alternative ways to express themselves without frustration. Choose this pathway to help a child learn to communicate using alternative means, such as pictures, sign language, or communication devices. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here Therapy Pathways for Voice/ResonanceFoundations of Healthy Voice Use Pathway Individuals with challenges in healthy voice use may experience vocal strain, fatigue, or difficulty maintaining a strong and clear voice. They may need to improve vocal hygiene, breath support, or voice care habits. Choose this pathway to build healthy vocal habits, reduce strain, and strengthen breath support for better voice production. Voice Pathway Individuals with voice challenges may struggle with vocal quality due to strain, tension, or inefficient voice use. Their voice may sound hoarse, breathy, or weak. Choose this pathway to improve vocal quality, develop better vocal control, and reduce strain or tension in speech. Resonance Pathway Individuals with resonance challenges may experience hypernasality, nasal emission, or other resonance differences that impact speech clarity. Choose this pathway to improve speech resonance, enhance clarity, and support balanced vocal tone. Prosody Pathway Individuals with prosody challenges may have difficulty with pitch, volume, or speech rate, leading to speech that sounds monotone, robotic, or unnatural. Choose this pathway to develop expressive, natural speech patterns by improving pitch variation, volume control, and pacing. To access these Therapy Pathways and the corresponding Therapy Plans, click here! The post Speech/Language Therapy 101: Back to Basics for SLPs and Caregivers appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

A Therapy Pathway for Frontal and Lateral Speech Errors (aka “Lisps”)Today we’re talking about “lisps”. But many professionals are moving away from using the term lisp because it often carries a negative or stigmatizing connotation, especially outside of clinical contexts. Instead, we’re focusing on describing speech patterns more precisely using phonetic terms. For example: Frontal lisp is often described as interdental or dentalized productions of /s/ and /z/. Lateral lisp is often referred to as lateralized productions of /s/, /z/, and sometimes other sibilants like /ʃ/ and /ʒ/. I’m speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark and in today’s episode of The Speech and Language Kids Podcast, I’ll going to give you a very clear Therapy Pathway that will lay out how to treat dentalized or lateralized productions of sibilants. Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: Therapy Pathway for Dentalized or Lateralized Productions:Here’s the plan for how to treat these speech sounds: Identify the type of lisp being used Establish correct placement and airflow for one sibilant sound (usually /s/ or /z/) in isolation. Expand use of that sibilant into words, phrases, sentences, and short response. Expand that same placement and airflow to a new sibilant sound, repeat steps 2-3. Continue this process until individual can say all sibilants correctly. Generalize to everyday conversation. How to Establish Correct Placement and Airflow Find a word they can already say it in correctly Watch in mirror: keep tongue behind teeth Find “magic spot” using tactile feedback and start the sound with the tongue tip there Start with /t/ sound, extend it out (exploding /t/) Use /ts/ words Start with “th” and pull back Start with “sh” and move forward Start with “ee” to stabilize back/sides of tongue and then slowly raise tongue tip Use a straw – bite tip of straw and blow /s/ into the straw Need More Resources for Frontal and Lateral Productions?We have therapy materials, training videos, and full therapy plans inside The Hub. Get easy-to-follow plans that work for real kids in real sessions. Available with the Full, Paid Hub Membership here. The post A Therapy Pathway for Frontal and Lateral Speech Errors (aka “Lisps”) appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Free Speech/Language Progress Monitoring Tools Now Available!Well, the flu has hit my house! Instead of a full podcast episode today, I’m giving you a quick update about our new progress monitoring tools located inside The Speech and Language Kids Hub. Here’s how it works: 1. Fill Out the Free Speech/Language Screening ChecklistHave everyone on the individual’s team fill out this screening checklist (parents, caregivers, teachers, therapists, SLP, etc.). 2. Fill Out the Free Progress Monitoring Tools:Look at the areas that came up as a concern on the screening checklist. Have the team members fill out the specific progress monitoring tool for each of those areas. This will give you a better idea of what skills need to be addressed. You can also use your formal assessment/evaluation results to fill these out. 3. Make a Custom Therapy Roadmap for this IndividualUse the results of the individual progress monitoring tools to fill out the Therapy Roadmap. This will include all of the skills that the individual needs support with. Share this with everyone on the team! 4. Grab the Therapy Plans for Those Specific SkillsNow use your Therapy Roadmap to pick out specific skills/therapy plans that will best support the areas of need for that individual. Here’s how therapy works: Grab the therapy plan for the skill you need and put it in the child’s folder. Work on the first phase by doing the first page of the therapy plan workbook. Continue to practice by creating custom activities and materials with our session builder tools until they have mastered that phase. Move to the next phase once they’ve mastered the first. Repeat for all phases of the therapy plan. How to Access the Tools and Therapy PlansThe screener checklist, progress monitoring tools, and the therapy roadmap are all available on our Freebies Plan to The Speech and Language Kids Hub. In order to access the Therapy Plans, you’ll need a Full, Paid Hub Membership. Click Here to Choose your Membership Level and Get Started! The post Speech/Language Progress Monitoring Tools Now Available…Free! appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Listen in on our Live Speech Therapy Planning Call!On today’s episode of the Speech and Language Kids Podcast, I’m taking you inside our members-only area! Listen in as we run one of our monthly planning calls. We’re helping members build sessions and plan a full month of therapy at once. Join us as we combine the magic of our therapy plans with our session builder tools to create some AMAZING session ideas! Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: How do the Speech and Language Kids Therapy Plans Work?Forget one-off activities, our full treatment guides will walk you through therapy from start to finish. The 5-Step Process: Grab the therapy plan for the skill you need and put it in the child’s folder. Work on the first phase by doing the first page of the therapy plan workbook. Continue to practice by creating custom activities and materials with our session builder tools until they have mastered that phase. Move to the next phase once they’ve mastered the first. Repeat for all phases of the therapy plan. What are the Session Builder Tools?These our the AI-powered bots that we’ve built to make your job SO much easier! Simply answer a few questions about what you’re looking for and our generators will create custom materials that are tailored to what your students need to work on and what they’re interested in. Here are the tools we have right now: Interactive Session Planner: Generate ideas for a therapy session based on the skills that everyone in the group needs to address Word List Generator Sentence/Prompt Generator Reading Passage Generator Image Generator Conversational Prompt Generator Social Scenario Generator Social Story Text Generator Goal-Wording Generator Accommodations Idea Generator How Can I Access the Plans and Tools?All of these amazing resources (along with our planning calls) are located inside The Speech and Language Kids Hub! Join today, free trials are available! Access the Resources Inside The Hub (Free Trial Available) The post Listen in on our Live Speech Therapy Planning Call appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

AAC Apps and How to Use ThemAugmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) allows a child who can’t speak to let us know what they want or need. It reduces frustration and increases communication. And with smart devices being so readily available, AAC apps make it even easier to access these tools! I’m speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark and on today’s episode of The Speech and Language Kids Podcast, I’ll be telling you about a few of my favorite AAC apps and showing you how to use them to support a child who is struggling to speak. Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: The Best AAC Apps of 2025Ok I’ll admit that I haven’t tried every AAC app out there so I’m sure I’m missing some. But here are a few of my favorites based on the ones I’ve gotten my hands on: Grid AAC by SmartBox TouchChat AAC by Saltillo Proloquo2Go by AssistiveWare Avaz AAC App by Avaz Inc. Sonoflex by Tobii Dynavox So Which one is the Best??I know, I just gave you several choices and didn’t rank them. But here’s the thing… The best AAC app… ….is the one you have access to! In all honesty, these AAC apps will all have the same basic features. Yes, some may have a feature that you like more than others. Or a look that appeals to you/the child more. But they’re all basically the same. So go with the one that you can access! Price, device type, and other factors may impact what you can get your hands on. So try not to get too hung up on which one is best and just grab one to get started. And if they have a free trial or version, even better! If you have access to a speech-language pathologist who has experience in the different platforms, you can have that person recommend a specific app as well. I’ve reviewed the features of some of these AAC apps here. How to Use AAC Apps to Help a Child CommunicateSo let’s dive into how to use these apps to help children! The idea is that the child will be able to push a button to tell you what they want or need if they can’t speak their message in a way that is understood by others. How does this help? It reduces frustration It bypasses intelligibility or motor planning issues It gives children a way to practice and learn language skills until their mouths catch up And no, research shows that using AAC will NOT stop a child from learning to speak. Model, Model, ModelI’m going to simplify this down as much as possible. The best way to teach a child to communicate using an AAC app, is through modeling. When you are talking to the child, push a button that corresponds to what you’re saying. Push those buttons all day long! Push one button at a time. Combine two buttons together to make a longer utterance. Show them where things are on the device. And yes, this means you need to get to know the app yourself and figure out where stuff is. What if they are Just Pushing Random Buttons?Awesome! You know what that is? Babbling. All babies do it. They may have missed that step. They need to learn what the app can do, and that means pushing random buttons. Allow time for that. Provide Communication TemptationsIn addition to modeling, you also need to provide reason for the child to use the device. Put a snack they want in a sealed jar and model “open” on the device. Then wait, and see if they push that button themselves. If not, provide some prompts, like pointing at the button or nudging their hand in that general direction. If they get frustrated, model again and do the thing they want. Focus on Words they can Use in a Variety of SituationsThere are many words that you could teach them on their AAC app. But not all of them are equally helpful. “Car” is only helpful if there is a car present. But “go” could be used in literally any situation with movement. Focus on these general words first. We call these “Core Words” and they’re generally found on the front/main page of the AAC app. Get More Training!We have so much more information on using AAC with children! In fact, I have full courses and AAC therapy kits inside The Hub Come join us inside The Hub to access our courses and AAC starter kit: Access the Resources Inside The Hub (Free Trial Available) The post AAC Apps and How to Use Them (in 2025) appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.

Speech Therapy Ideas for Functional Communication: Communicating Wants and NeedsHow do you help a child who can’t speak to tell you what they need? What about a little one who has meltdowns and tantrums but can’t tell you why? How can we teach a child some basic, functional communication skills that will help them connect with the world around them and communicate their wants and needs? I’m Carrie Clark and on today’s episode of The Speech and Language Kids Podcast, I’m going to give you some simple ideas to help a child learn functional communication so we can alleviate that frustration! Listen to the Podcast Here You can listen to the full podcast episode below: The Two Different Ways that Children Learn LanguageWe can’t talk about functional communication without mentioning that there are two very distinct ways that children learn language. And then we can talk about how some children do a combination of both…so that’s not confusing at all. But here are the two different ways: One Word at a Time: Some children acquire language one word at a time. They may say “up” or “more” to tell you what they want. These are called analytic language processors. In chunks or scripts: Other children learn language in chunks or scripts known as “gestalts”. They may repeat entire phrases, sentences, or scripts that they have heard from other places. These still have meaning to them but it may not be the same meaning as the specific words would lead you to believe. These are called gestalt language processors When we know which way a child leans toward, we can provide models that follow that approach. How to Tell if a Child is a GLP:Here’s where it gets tricky: if a child isn’t speaking much (or at all), it can be hard to tell which way they are learning language. Here are some signs you may be working with a GLP (and therefore want to model more language chunks instead of single words): Melodic way of speaking with a lot of variation in intonation (even if you can’t understand the words) Tend to say things the same way every time Like to sing songs Love categories of language, like farm animals, shapes, letters, numbers, etc. Like to play the same way every time or re-enact scenes How to Model Language Based on the Child’s Learning Style:Once you know which way the child is learning language, you can provide the child with models that make sense to them! (If you’re not sure, do a little of both) Here’s how to model language for each type: For Analytic Language Processors: Model a lot of single words. When they are paying attention to something, label it with one word, like “ball”. If they seem like they are trying to communicate something to you, say that word out loud, like “more”. For Gestalt Language Processors: Model a lot of phrases or sentences with variation in pitch and emotion. Imitate the actions and sounds that the child makes and then use your own phrases and sentences to describe what the child is doing, what you’re doing, and what you think they may be trying to communicate to you. Use sentence starters like “I’m…”, “Let’s…”, “Where’s…” and “Look!” These can all be reused later to create new sentences. Consider Other Ways for the Child to CommunicateSometimes children aren’t speaking because they just aren’t capable of it yet. And that’s OK! We can offer children alternative ways of communicating to get them started, such as by using sign language, communication devices, talking buttons, picture boards, etc. (Called Alternative-Augmentative Communication or AAC) You can model using these the same way you would model spoken language. In fact, use them at the same time that you are speaking your language models! See if the child picks up on any of them. So What Does Speech Therapy Look Like for Functional Communication?It looks like play! Super fun, engaging play! And that’s the good news, because this type of therapy is easy to do without any special tools or materials. Simply let the child lead the play and do the following: Model: Like a billion times. Keep modeling. Over. And over. And over. Imitate: Repeat back any sound the child makes and imitate what they are doing. This will help them see you as a part of their world. Expand: If the child says something, repeat it back to them but add one word. Or, if they communicate something to you without words, label it with a word. Use spoken language and AAC if appropriate. Use Pausing and Silence: Don’t fill the silence with models! You also need to give them time to process and respond or imitate you! Create Communication Temptations: Create opportunities for them to tell you something. Don’t automatically assume what they need, ask the question and pause to give them time to think. Stick their snack inside a clear jar with a tight lid and wait. Will they ask for help? If they don’t, model “help” anyway and then open it for them. But give them a chance! Give them their cereal but with no spoon. Place something up high that they can’t reach. Wind up a toy for them and then let it wind down and pause to see if they will ask you to do it again. Be creative with the ways you tempt the child to communicate with you! Free Sign Language Flashcards:Sign language is a really great way to get started with offering alternative ways for little ones to communicate. You can download our free sign language flashcards for the most common first words inside The Hub. This resource is included in the “Freebies” membership plan! Click Here to Get the Free Sign Language Flashcards Inside The Hub The post Speech Therapy Ideas for Functional Communication: Communicating Wants and Needs appeared first on Speech And Language Kids.