Do you use wordless picture books for speech therapy? They are great for getting language samples! Just open the book and have the student tell you what they think is happening. But wordless picture books can also be used to target skills such as making inferences, creating a narrative, and answering questions. RELATED: Using Visuals to Teach WH- Questions Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy: Good Night, Gorilla: This silly book is great for younger children. As the zoo keeper says goodnight to all the animals, the gorilla secretly lets them all out of their cages and they follow the zoo keeper back to his house and climb into his…

Ahh, fall . . . sweater weather, warm drinks, and pumpkin everything. I love fall – and fall-themed speech therapy activities are no exception! These ideas are all for students who are working on language goals – from emergent communication (think pre-k or minimally verbal students) as well as students working on language therapy skills such as following directions, inferences, and WH- questions.   This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Fall Speech Therapy Activities: Fall Favorite Things Activity Who doesn’t love talking about their favorite things? I like this fall-themed booklet because…

Using YouTube videos for speech therapy can be a great way to grab students’ attention and to target so many language skills. The following YouTube videos are ones that I used when working with preschool and elementary aged students on the autism spectrum, many of whom were minimally verbal and used AAC. Best YouTube Videos for Speech Therapy: Target: “Quiet Hands”/Impulse Control I loved to use this catchy music video with cookie monster to start off my small groups in the preschool classroom. I had visual icons of “quiet hands” and of “play” ready to go. Then I would set a moderately desirable toy set in the center of the…

Are you starting to think about Back-to-School speech therapy activities for your students? The activities I’m going to talk about include lots of visuals, so they are particularly good for students on the autism spectrum, preschoolers, or non-verbal/minimally verbal students who use AAC! You could use some of these activities as first day of speech therapy activities and use the rest throughout the first month of school. Back-to-School Speech Therapy Activities: School-Themed Interactive Books I like interactive books because the moveable pieces keep little hands busy and attention on the book. They are also nice in that the student can see how many pages/questions are left since they move a…

I made this set of Wh Question cards with a functional, grocery-store theme that I’m giving away in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! The free wh question cards are large and include visuals, making them perfect for both verbal and non-verbal students. The visuals and low-distraction backgrounds are ideal for students on the autism spectrum or any young learner. Each Free WH- Question Card includes: A written WH question A large picture related to the question to increase comprehension Three visual answer choices paired with written words These cards utilize Picture Communication Symbols® (PCS/Boardmaker symbols – used with permission), which are familiar to many special education students, including students on…

Whether you are looking for some end-of-the-school-year activities or you are teaching summer school/ESY (extended school year), here’s some summer speech therapy activities to get you started. These activities include lots of visuals, so they are particularly good for students on the autism spectrum, non-readers, or non-verbal/minimally verbal students! I find that most of my students with these types of needs attend summer school to prevent regression of skills. Summer Speech Therapy Activities: Favorite Things about Summer Activity I love to start a season with a fun, getting-to-know you activity that is errorless. Just because there are no “right” answers, doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of opportunities to practice speech…

I once heard that you are either a “book” speech therapist or a “game” speech therapist. While I love books. . . I am definitely a game therapist. So I wanted to share some of my favorite games for speech and language therapy with you! I actually kind of fought being a “game” therapist for a while. I LOVE books in real life. (And I do use them in therapy sometimes) But it turns out that I love using games in therapy even more. (This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.) My Favorite…

Looking for a speech therapy ice breaker activity that can be used with your students who need visual supports? This free “School Favorite Things” booklet is ideal to use in individual or group speech therapy sessions with students in special education classrooms. I’ll go over ideas for differentiation below, so you can also use this activity with verbal students alongside non-verbal students in a group! Grab this activity for FREE in my TpT store! This activity works on sharing opinions, error-less choice making, and early social skills! Set-up for Your Speech Therapy Ice Breaker Activity Print copies for each student Cut the five booklet pages and cover apart Staple on…

Using interactive songs in speech therapy with little ones (early intervention/preschool age) is a fun way to work on language development. And trust me, the kids won’t care if you are a terrible singer (I know from experience – bad singing runs in my family). Plus, you don’t need any fancy equipment or bulky toys to enjoy all the benefits of using music in your speech therapy sessions! If you are working with pre-talkers or any client who would benefit from visuals, you can grab my free, printable 12 song choice cards here. Just print and laminate (or put in a mini photo book). Then, you can let your client…

Spring is in the air! If you are looking for some spring speech therapy activities, here are a few ideas to get you started. These activities include lots of visuals, so they are particularly good for students on the autism spectrum, non-readers, or non-verbal/minimally verbal students!   Spring Flower Describing Activities I have used this (FREE!) flower describing communication board in two ways: Show & Tell Activity: For a speech groups, gather a variety of flowers (I use fake flowers, but you can also use real ones) and preview the describing vocabulary before having each student select his/her own flower to tell the group about! Pretend Flower Shop Activity: You…