We are back yet again, starting a new school year.  I am excited to return to completely in person therapy this year.  I thought I would explain how it will happen.

• Therapy Sessions
  • Most students will attend therapy with one other student in the speech room.  In some cases, therapy will occur in other environments including the classroom, special education classroom, or specials, especially if the skills are being generalized. 

• Masking
  • Whether therapy occurs in the therapy room or in another educational setting, students and teachers are mandated to wear masks or face shields. Unfortunately, masks can sometimes interfere with therapy, especially when students are working on articulation of speech sounds.  In those cases, face shields will be provided to students for their protection.  I will also wear a mask or a face shield during therapy sessions. 

• Other Precautions
  • Between therapy sessions, surfaces will be disinfected.  Students will also be encouraged to sanitize their hands entering and leaving the room.  When possible, students are grouped with their classmates to limit contact with outside students.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding student safety please contact me directly via email or phone.
• iPads
  • Students will continue to communicate with me via the Teams app on their iPads. This will allow me to more easily share materials with them during therapy sessions. They are also going to be using the seesaw app which will allow me to provide materials that include voice recording.  Another website, wordwall.com, also allows me to create and share practice materials and assessments with students.  Most students are not bringing iPads home this year. If you would like your student to use these materials at home, let me know and we can download these apps on a home computer or iPad.  

• For the rest of the year, I hope to use this space to share some of the language-based activities that I do with students.  Whether your child is working on these skills or not, please feel free to use the resources to enrich your own child's language skills.