Student Referral Process: Step 1

Here is a document we use as part of the initial teacher referral when a student needs more support or problem solving in the classroom.

At our district, the teacher provides THIS documentation to the Student Assistance Team (SAT) Committee (made up of the school psych, a sped teacher, me (SLP), a general education teacher, and the title teacher) as well as the Additional Teacher Input Form (given to any additional teachers whose instruction is impacted by the area of concern--e.g., specials teachers, co-grade teachers). They also send home a Parent Information form, which most parents bring to the first meeting of the SAT team.

Our SAT committee meets (with the parent), and discusses the concerns, brainstorms interventions/supports to put into place, and decide what data will be collected and by whom. We set the next meeting date.....and see what works (and what doesn't!). This may eventually lead to testing the student for special education verifications. 
(Free download at my TpT store HERE) 

...just saw the typo in 'blogspot'(my fingers type that SO often, but I usually catch it!)

Some students in this process end up having language difficulties that the teacher couldn't 'put her finger on.' Others end up having artic concerns in addition to classroom concerns. We continue the process, and I usually jump into speech-language Response to Intervention (parent permission free download HERE). 




If there is just an articulation concern, we "skip" the SAT committee and run right to me (!). That includes a separate form...coming soon in a follow up blog post!
Look forward to: 
*Artic referral
*Stuttering referral
*Language referral (listening, speaking, social skills)

I hope this helps those of you SLPs out there who wear as many "Hats" as I do at school! What are your other (non-therapy) responsibilities?

Mini Book artic homework

A fun artic homework activity. Students make their own "mini book" all about their speech sound.
Find this free download at my TpT store HERE.

Mini Book title page

Getting started: adding our speech sound inside.

Using a post-it note to brainstorm words that could be used in the "longest sentence in the world." 

 

Good way to practice the speech sounds as part of the giving of the homework.

creativity!

done :)

I have a goal to make a packet of mini speech books, but currently only have one to share. Enjoy at my TpT store HERE. Look for more at a later time!

Leave a comment--what do you think?  Would it be helpful to have more?

Homework: Dollar Challenge Day

I created a homework page for articulation students on our monthly $ Dollar Challenge days. (Original Dollar Challenge Post here.) I recommend this page primarily for students grades 1-4. 

One parent even wrote me a note: "great practice activity!" I like it, too because it corresponds directly with the activity, corresponds with coin/money units in the classroom, and provides practice opportunities at home (the ultimate goal!). 

Students write a word with their speech sound on the line, then say that word 1 time for each cent in the pictured coin. 

Enjoy this free download at my TPT store: HERE 

Progress Notes

Generally speaking, my progress notes are completed on electronic forms that are used state wide. However, there are some students (especially those in a Response to Intervention program) or some circumstances (summer programs, for example) when a progress note template is handy! I have used several different formats, and this is the one I have ended up liking the most!

(Free download HERE) 

Team Meeting Agenda-free download

With a handful of students who require additional support and who have many team members who need to be on the same page for progress and success, I have found this team meeting agenda to be a great tool! (Free download HERE)

A quick "How To" ...

• Gather information from team members about possible agenda items and areas needing problem solving
• Fill in the agenda items
• Provide copies of the agenda to team members (night before or earlier is most helpful!) 
• I try to put a copy in each team member's mailbox and I scan/email the agenda to out-of-the-building team members
• Assign roles, if not done before 
• Team members can take notes on the form, on their own paper, or a note-taker can be assigned and others can receive copies after the meeting  

Teams have included all or some of these team members: 

• classroom teacher
• special education teacher
• speech-language pathologist
• physical therapist
• occupational therapist
• autism specialist
• para-educators 
• student parents 
• audiologist
• deaf educator

 

Speech Room Behavior System!

We currently don't have a school-wide behavior program (we are working towards one, thankfully, but are currently in a year of data collection), so this summer I was on the search for a behavior system I liked for the speech room that would fit my needs Kindergarten through 6th grade.

I really liked the behavior system I found at the blog Sped-ventures (her post is here), so I made my own version which I am already loving!

I made my behavior signs with these labels:

• Outstanding! (Earn 2 Stamps) 
• Ready to Learn! (Making Great Choices!)
•  Think about it. (What are the speech room behaviors?) 
• Warning (Loss of stamp) 
• Time Out (can return to the group after processing with [speech therapist] or [principal])

My students keep their picture+paperclip Behavior Chart Marker in their speech room folders and clip it onto "Ready to Learn" when they enter the speech room. Their marker can be moved up or down as cued during the speech session. 

(To make the Behavior Chart Marker: *take student picture, print and laminate *use packing tape to attach to a large paperclip.)

At the end of the speech session, I write a very brief note in their homework folder to stay in contact with parents. In the top line, I circle where they ended up on the behavior chart. (Some students can circle this themselves).

Get a free download of the My Speech Time Report at my TpT store.

100! The Dollar Challenge

I found The Dollar Challenge at SpeechRoomNews (post here) and immediately wanted to use it with my students! (Thanks for the idea, Jenna!)

I made companion documents to go with The Dollar Challenge (TpT download HERE).

• Articulation Tracking Graph: to use with Speedy Speech Students 
• Language Tracking Graph: to use with non-artic goals 
• Parent Note Home: so the parent can celebrate with the student for the accomplishment of 100!  

Here's how I'll use it: 

Articulation...Goal: to get 100 correct productions of the speech sound within 1, 5-minute speedy speech session. Schedule: Sporadically, at least monthly, probably every other week we will have a "Dollar Challenge" Day. Method: clicker counter to count productions; graph to track how many productions were achieved! 

Language...Goal: 100 correct goal behaviors (e.g., wh-questions, story grammar elements, grammatically correct sentence productions) Schedule: speech sessions when I take data and/or when students take their own data Method: Students will shade in a box for each correct answer until all 100 boxes are shaded!

On Task Behavior...Goal: to get 100% on task behavior during a 10 minute observation. Schedule: each time data is taken there is an opportunity (note: The students aren't aware of when I take data, since I am in the classrooms frequently) Method: on-task behavior data during classroom observation

Then, to celebrate with Parents when their student meets The Dollar Challenge, a note will be sent home. 

Parent Permission for RtI

Here's a form that has been really handy! You can download it free off my TpT page HERE. 

This is a quick way to get parent permission to begin RtI (response to intervention) after you receive a teacher referral and do a quick screening.  The first page is a check-box format for the area of concern/referral (e.g., artic, social skills, receptive/expressive language) written in parent-friendly terms. The second/back page explains more in depth about the RtI process.

Homework!

I am in the camp of SLPs who believe that homework is very important for practice and carryover into other environments (generalization). 

We all have students who have their sound down pat when the "see our face," then walk into the classroom door and it all goes out the window! Because of that, I'm working on a variety of generalization strategies for the classroom (like classroom walk-throughs when possible, visuals on the desk, a special 'remember my speech' pencil top eraser, secret signals between the classroom teacher and the student) and for home (homework...that's really the only way I get "into" the home!). 

I use some homework that I find from SpeakingofSpeech.com. Check out their Materials Exchange HERE if you haven't before! Materials are made by SLPs for SLPs and downloads are free .pdf files.

First Free Homework Download! 
Ice Cream Articulation Homework

Packet includes the following sounds: L, S/Z, SH, CH, TH, S-blends, L-blends, vocalic R, CVC words, and a bank page you can individualize. I used Word clipart.

Language Bingo!
My Summer Homework looked like this. This could also be adapted to be done for a month (e.g., November Language BINGO!). Made one for older elementary, and one for younger elementary/preschool.

Grab this free download HERE.

Parent Information and IEP Scheduling

I have not yet used this form, but am very excited to do so! It should be very helpful when it comes to scheduling IEP meetings (as I look ahead on my schedule, I have some weeks that are very packed with IEP due dates!!).

I ordered my 250 free business cards from VistaPrint initially so I could pass them out to the families I home visit (birth through 3 years). I think I am going to staple a business card on the bottom portion of this handout so each of the families I serve have a copy of my contact information. (If you do not have business cards, consider copying your contact information onto the back of the portion they will keep at home, or type in your email/phone on the bottom of this page.)

 

Get your free download HERE.

Bottom Portion--to be kept by the parent

Top portion--to be sent back to school for case manager records

IEP parent summary

I print this free printable off and add page numbers to point parents to the most important information in a printed IEP (Individualized Education Plan), since the full document can be quite intimidating! I include this in the envelope I send the final copy home in. 

(boardmaker pictures)

Download What's in an IEP Here. 

IEP Meeting Forms

2 Free Downloads to help your IEP meetings go smoothly!

I used these forms last year and LOVE them! I hope they are helpful to others as well!

PARENT IEP FORM

The first form is for the Parent. I try to send it home with the IEP meeting notice prior to the meeting. Last year, I sent a copy home at the very beginning of the school year for all the parents who had IEP meetings in the first semester. 

This form serves a few purposes: 

1. I like to give them a "heads up" about the meeting agenda--I think it is important for the parent to understand why they are there and what we are doing.
2. Those parents who like time to think about things are given an opportunity to prepare ahead of time. 
3. If I send it at the beginning of the semester, it gets the ball rolling for scheduling that meeting!
4. It is a visual, and I am always a fan of visuals! 

Some parents seem to really appreciate the form. They take time to fill it out and bring it to the meeting. I feel like the parents who do that are much more involved in the meeting than they were the previous year with out this handout.  They always like to share their notes with the team. 

Several parents do not fill it out and/or do not bring it. I'll still keep trying :) 
Download this free printable HERE.

IEP VISUAL AGENDA FORM

This form is one I use a variety of ways, depending on the student. For example...

• I fill in my notes as the meeting goes on (especially if I am not case manager and will just be filling in/editing the IEP later)
• I fill in some of the information before the meeting, make copies, and give it out to the other team members as a sort of visual agenda. During the meeting, I take notes on it. **I am excited to use my iPad video feature as a doc cam to do this during the meeting, so everyone can see the same notes "live."
• I keep it with the data forms so I can write notes for an upcoming IEP meeting (only with some students who I'm doing a lot of brainstorming for).

(filled out!)

(artic only student)

(artic only student...some student have multiple services listed. If they have a couple or more classroom accommodations, we look at the Accommodations Team Worksheet I created where we can circle and list specific accommodations)

Download it HERE.

I also put one in the teacher mailbox, and attach this IEP prep letter for the teachers. This form comes 3/page (I guess that's 3 free printables to help your meeting run smoother!). Some of my teachers do write down some notes before they come, which improves the overall meeting pace and participation. 

IFSP progress note

Free Download of my IFSP Progress Note.  In my state, Individualized Family Service Plans are birth through 3 years. 

My initial notes are in the speech bubbles...my notes from the meeting are along the sides.

I use this for the 6 month IFSP meetings. I typically fill in my notes and make copies for the team members (parents, early childhood special education teacher, services coordinator, school district representative). I try to write this in very family-friendly terms.

I usually present my information informally and conversationally, then give them a copy for their records until they receive a final copy of the IFSP. (However, depending on the family's overall personality, I may give some families the copy as we walk through the notes.) 

I use my copy to write my own notes in, too, so everything is on one page as I later type up the IFSP final copy.

IFSP Progress Note  free download HERE. 

My team members (service provider, early childhood special ed teacher) have mentioned that they really appreciate getting this form at the meeting for their records.

Assessment Results Free Printable

 My first free printable (let's try this!), is the handout I use at MDT meetings to share testing results with parents.
Speech Language Assessment Results Handout

Your free download looks like this. You can input your own name and school/district information. Download in .doc format.

This has a basic bell-curve format, and I draw lines to indicate where the student scored. Some of these get a lot of additional information written in (e.g., I might add social skills notes, brief on-task classroom observations, or articulation sounds in error--though I usually give out a Iowa Nebraska norms sheet for that). I make an original with my notes, then make photocopies for the other team members. When I file my testing protocols and notes, I often have this page be my 'cover page,' paperclipped to the top of the pile and filed right behind my copy of the MDT report.

This one has a lot less information, due to the many meetings we had already had on this student.

Assessment results handout clipped on top of other assessment protocols.

I find that parents (and teachers!) appreciate the visual format of this handout. They also seem to appreciate that it is quick to read and interpret, and that I have summarized all the most important information for them.

During the meeting, I explain the results, using this as my visual, and always let them know that what we talk about will be typed up with additional details into a formal report that they can share with their pediatrician, childcare providers, other out-of-school therapists, etc. I love that I'm not just reading any part of the report, so the information comes out in a more conversational way and I can read the parents' reactions/nonverbals.

Get it HERE, through TeachersPayTeachers (free download).

Speech Language Assessment Results Handout