Reading and understanding social context is key to good pragmatic skills

Reading and understanding social context is key to good pragmatic skills...

Nov 27, 2015 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Today I am publishing a retread article I first wrote for examiner.com back in 2012. I thought about this article after presenting a paraprofessional training last week. The attendees asked if I could give them some specific examples of pragmatic difficulities in more typical students. While I was able to provide examples, my response wasn’t as organized as I would have liked. I think I will be sharing this article (or improving on the article) next time I present to paraprofessional or parents. As always suggestions and comments welcomed. Teresa Reading and understanding social context is key to good pragmatic skills When kids are taught “context” most classroom teachers are usually referring to the context of a story. Students, especially the ones who have non verbal learning disabilities, aspergers or even just lack social...

Are you really a co-teacher or just a glorified aid...

Jan 12, 2013 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

ATTN: Now please understand I don’t mean to ruffle anyones feathers with this article. I know there are a lot of therapists who don’t agree with my position. If you have a co-teaching model or push-in therapy model that really works for your student, not for you, your schedule, your high numbers or your administration, please share it in the comments section. Please share not only your model but how the model evolved and your caseload. I base my perspective on my experiences and those who have shared their experiences with me. The past 10 years or so there has been a big push for therapists to use a co-teaching or push-in model. I have no clue where this idea came from and I don’t feel like doing the research. I honestly think...

Universal Supports II

Feb 10, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

I recently wrote a post on Universal Supports geared toward administrators. I’ve worked in schools both with and without Universal Supports and I can tell you that those with Universal Supports run much smoother, fewer children have organizational difficulties and classrooms seem more manageable. I want to know what kind of Universal Supports you school or district are using? In the school I currently work in they have a simple behavioral plan with levels. If the child reaches the bottom level the consequences are clear. Not only do they spend time in the office doing independent work, there is detention involved and the possible loss of the fun weekly activity. The students are clear on the school behavioral expectations. Because of this, our principal can keep the attention and behavior of the whole school...

Universal Supports

Feb 4, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Does your school or district require Universal Supports? If not you should consider putting some in place. You can tell the difference between a building that has Universal Supports and one that doesn’t just by walking down the hall. Most Universal Supports are around behavior expectations, consequences and task completion. Universal supports can also be generated around vocabulary development, general classroom procedures, announcements, group listening expectations and just about anything else that can be routine. We tell parents to be consistent with rules and consequences so why shouldn’t we take our own advice. I’ve worked in schools with and without Universal Supports especially around behavior expectations and consequences, it makes a big difference. It is also nice to walk in to a classroom and know the behavior policy and expectations. Does your school have...

Being Proactive is Key

Jan 30, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

I happen to come across this article called “Special Ed Strategies: Be Clear, Be Proactive, Be Inventive” http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756442 I was actually quite impressed. I have to say I am lucky enough to work in a school that follows most if not all of the proactive steps outlined. In the past 25 years, I know systems that work better are the ones that are flexible enough to be proactive, see it from the parents perspective and have the administration support. If I knew that an extra half hour of speech and language services was going to help a parent feel empowered and more comfortable with the service delivery, I offered it. Once I worked with a very skilled program manager who had no problem holding marathon IEP meetings. This made the parent feel like the...