‘Keep Materials Simple’ SLP

Simplifying, minimalizing, reducing clutter- they are all hot topics right now.

I know personally- it is my GOAL to weed out things in our house over the Holiday break that no longer serve a role in this house. Having less clutter makes me feel more RELAXED and able to focus, and it also allows me to have less pick-up to do around the house. And overall, less clutter for me=less stress! (Click here to read an article about the link between clutter and stress). I have been shifting to an experiences vs. materials mindset with our family for Holidays or other special events, thinking more about how we can create experiences vs. an item that will add up in our household.

I have realized over the last several months that I have a ‘keep materials simple’ mindset as an SLP. I have very few materials that I consider necessary in my SLP sessions. I don’t get really excited or wooed by copious options on TpT (Although DANG- there is SOME REALLY GOOD STUFF and REALLY TALENTED TEACHERS/SLPs/Other therapists creating content!). I am more attracted towards discussion on integrating goal work in functional tasks that can occur on the fly and in the moment (BC let’s be real- as an SLP, you HAVE to be ready to move!).

I have also found for me that while sites like Pinterest and Instagram can offer me options- they can also feel like they are offering TOO many options. I find this is true when I am planning parties, novel activities, or even wanting something fresh for an activity. Keeping things simple keeps the focus on whatever the task at hand may be.

Here is what I DO need in each school I walk into for sessions:

1. Testing/screening materials (obviously)
2. Paper and pencil (for writing, visual scheduling, comic strip conversations on the fly, or any other visuals/text I need to support learning) –> I do have an iPad Pro w/the App Good Notes that is a great resource to have, but not a necessity
3. Some type of reference/basic materials to target goals (e.g., artic cards, word lists, semantic cards, language worksheets, classroom activities, etc.)
4. Some type of reinforcement (e.g., yesterday I used a box that had animal faces and kids fed the animals with different ‘foods’ after answering 5-6 questions about words that relate to one another (categories) and words that were past tense/irregular past tense)

Everything else for me, is just additional and of course lovely to have, but not necessary. (I mean, this IS aside from the IEPs, and other legal documentation necessary for service delivery).

My service delivery focuses on targeting content of goals, not content of materials. So a basic list of artic words can serve for drill practice or creating a story or a bingo game with a student, a semantic deck can serve for vocabulary, and language can be targeted on the fly in functional classroom activities (SO MANY FUNCTIONAL WAYS!). I find that the more I focus on the goals and the outcomes (and not the activity or the materials) the less stressed I feel, and the more in control and focused I feel on the session. It also makes for low prep or no prep activities that are engaging and allow me to connect with the student. Most importantly- I am always ready to change my game plan based on how the student shows up for each session (I also feel this way when I work with adults, valuing the importance of focusing on the person that arrives to each session). The person first- the connection- THAT is where the focus is.

What do you guys do for prep? Do you have a ALL THE MATERIALS Mindset or KEEP IT SIMPLE Mindset?

Wishing you all an amazing roll into December-

 

Peace & Love

Danielle