The SLP Next Door Podcast

When it comes to building attention to tasks in speech therapy for toddlers, we want to manage our expectations and reduce the stress of the activity. This means modifying the activities we present and offering the support necessary while also being realistic about our expectations from the toddlers we're treating.  My main objective is simple. Introduce the new concept of completing an activity t...

This week, one particular question from a parent stuck out in my brain, and I thought it might be helpful to you as well!  I had a parent ask, "Can we not play so much?" T hat question can make us twinge. But my instincts told me there was more to this than mom was asking…and I was right. Not everyone has a background of child development, grew up taking care of siblings or babysitting, or underst...

In this episode, we talk about how to increase attention span. I used to get frustrated, thinking I  had to hold the toddler's attention to make progress. But here's the thing: toddlers aren't made to sit still. Their attention spans develop gradually, and knowing what to expect can make a world of difference in how we approach (and plan) our therapy sessions. Between 8 and 15 months, babies can m...

Here are 5 easy tips for holiday stress you can empower parents with this holiday season. Each tip is also perfect for early intervention speech and language development!  Keep Routines Consistent (as much as possible) Here's what I mean by staying consistent: encourage parents to keep bedtimes, mealtimes, and quiet times as consistent as possible to help kids feel more secure. Try to plan for mea...

This episode of the podcast is a bit longer than usual. Several months ago, Megan was interviewed by Jessica Moore with Empowered Parenting.  She and her team were gracious enough to share the audio so that it could be shared with you! In this episode of 'Empowered Parenting with Jessica T. Moore,' host Jessica Moore speaks with Megan Peveto, a seasoned speech-language pathologist from Texas. They...

In this episode of  The SLP Next Door , I am continuing my conversation with Venita from Speechie Side Up about the incredible benefits of AAC in early intervention. Venita helps break down the stigma surrounding AAC—it's not just about high-tech devices, but an essential tool for all children, including toddlers with expressive language delays. You can catch up on our conversation: Part 1 and Par...

In this episode, we continue the conversation with Venita from Speechie Side Up (you can find episode 1 here) .  Venita answers the question, "What are Augmentative Alternative Communication Devices?" She also discusses the importance of incorporating a child's individual needs when deciding on a device and form of communication, including gestalt language processors.   

In this episode, I'm joined by the incredible Venita from Speechie Side Up! Join us for part 1 of 3 in our conversation about AAC in early intervention. In this episode, Venita answers the question: "what is AAC?" She discusses the variations of AAC including aided vs unaided AAC, High Tech vs Low Tech AAC, and RTI Tiers of AAC. Be sure to share this episode with a fellow SLP!  Come back next week...

Hey friend! I am so excited that the SLP next door podcast is GROWING! Let's keep this momentum going. Be sure to share this episode with a friend or colleague. You can also help others find it by leaving a rating and review. Social stories were initially created by Carol Gray. In 1989, Carol began writing stories for her students to share information they seemed to be missing. Many of the stories...

In this episode of The SLP Next Door podcast, we are putting our words into action. We've talked about the importance of determining the "why" or function of a behavior.   In this episode, you'll learn about creating a behavior intervention plan [of sorts] through parent involvement and implementing strategies that can help a child reduce the behavior and increase their functional communication sk...

Working in speech therapy for toddlers, one of the biggest questions I get from parents (and even other therapists) is what to do about toddler behaviors. Whether a parent is feeling overwhelmed with their little ones' outbursts and has no idea how to help them or a therapist doesn't understand why the toddlers seem to keep throwing things (including tantrums) in their sessions… at some point, we...

In today's podcast episode, we continue the conversation of encouraging parent involvement in speech therapy for toddlers. Today's topic? Managing tasks for parent involvement.  When we expect parents to implement strategies beyond speech therapy sessions, we must keep the tasks manageable. This leads us to the question: "What is manageable?" The word manageable is pretty abstract. It means differ...

When it comes to speech therapy for toddlers and early intervention speech and language, parents and caregivers are very important to a child's success. This episode is a follow-up to the previous two episodes: Strategies for Parent Involvement and Compassion vs. Empathy.  In this episode, we are talking about educating and empowering parents when it comes to their participation in speech therapy...

Today, we're diving deep into one of the most challenging aspects of our role as SLPs in early intervention and speech therapy—bridging the gap between the therapy and carry-over using compassion and empathy. Y'all, this isn't just about therapy techniques. This is about building trust, understanding, and empowering parents to be their child's biggest advocate. Whether you're a seasoned SLP or jus...

Working in early intervention speech and language, we meet a lot of parents. As therapists, we know that parents play a massive role in their child's development, but how do we effectively engage them in speech therapy sessions?   When parents are involved, they feel empowered! Research shows that when parents are engaged, therapy outcomes improve significantly. Here are 6 strategies I've found to...

Do you know how to help a parent get special education services for their child? Are you confident in explaining the steps in IEP process to a parent? You might not think this conversation is relative to you and your caseload, but if you're working in early intervention speech and language… it actually is. We are often on the front lines of intervention when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers...

Several months ago I put out a brand new resource into the world for SLP Early Intervention and speech therapy for toddlers. Today I wanted to take you on a personal tour of this handbook and tell you all about what's inside!   Here's the story behind Communicate & Connect, a guide for early intervention and speech therapy. This SLP Early Intervention handbook is perfect for your early interventio...

Today I'm changing things up a little bit. I want to talk to you about one of the ways I use one resource to work with a lot of toddlers on my caseload. This is something that I use across multiple patients, pair it with a variety of toys and books, and target a ton of goals.  Grab your free busy book and follow along in this episode ! Learning to condense and make the most of the toys you have is...

In this episode, I'm talking with Suzanne from Playing Speech! We discuss various topics related to speech development including phonological processes and speech sound disorders in toddlers and early childhood.   Part 1 of this conversation Playing Speech Instagram Playing Speech TPT Store Playing Speech Course Suzanne has been an SLP for over 13 years. She currently owns her own private practice...

In this episode, I'm talking with Suzanne from Playing Speech! We discuss various topics related to speech development including phonological processes and speech sound disorders in toddlers and early childhood.   Playing Speech Instagram Playing Speech TPT Store Suzanne has been an SLP for over 13 years. She currently owns her own private practice, where she specializes in SSDs and early interven...

As verbal speech begins, so do phonological processes.  What are the phonological processes?   Phonological processes are patterns of sound errors that typically developing children use to simplify speech as they learn to use verbal speech. These simplifications of words are called phonological processes, and several of them are developmental. In the first four years, toddlers and preschoolers wil...

Speech sound disorders are any difficulties or combination of difficulties with perception, motor production, or phonological representation of speech sounds and speech segments. Speech-speech sound Disorders can be divided into Organic and functional categories. Organic Speech-Speech Sound Disorders are based on motor/neurological deficits or differences, structural differences, or sensory/percep...

Last week, my family and I took a road trip to the beach. We traveled from Texas to Florida. It's about a 6 hour drive, but we split it into 2 days. We've taken at least one road trip every year since my little guy was born and every year I learn something new. In this episode, I'm sharing 4 of my favorite tips for making vacations.   Going on vacation means a change in routine, which can be tough...

Language Speech Disorders Before we talk about language disorders, I want to address speech disorders quickly. As development progresses, children will naturally say some sounds in words incorrectly . Some sounds develop early in infancy, while other sounds take longer to acquire. Most children should use almost all speech sounds correctly by 4 years old. Children who don't say sounds correctly or...

Is there an uprise in "late talkers" following the pandemic? Why suddenly see so many of these little ones on our caseloads? The short answer to this question is yes. Following the shutdown of America (and the world), there is an increase in toddlers and preschoolers demonstrating delays in their language development. The real question is why ? From an article in ASHA Livewire, I found a research...