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Need some helpful tips on how to talk to your kids or what to look for?

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National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

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Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal. This includes trying to keep children occupied, feeling safe, and attempting to keep up with schoolwork as best as possible. None of this easy, but it helps to stay focused on what is possible in order to reinforce a sense of control and to reassure children that they are okay, and that the situation will get better.

It is very important to remember that children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events. Acknowledging some level of concern, without panicking, is appropriate and can result in taking the necessary actions that reduce the risk of illness. Teaching children positive preventive measures, talking with them about their fears, and giving them a sense of some control over their risk of infection can help reduce anxiety. This is also a tremendous opportunity for adults to model for children problem-solving, flexibility, and compassion as we all work through adjustmenting daily schedules, balancing work and other activities, getting creative about how we spend time, processing new information from authorities, and connecting and supporting friends and family members in new ways. The following tips can help.

STAY CALM, LISTEN, AND OFFER REASSURANCE

Be a role model. Children will react to and follow your reactions. They learn from your example.

Be aware of how you talk about COVID-19. Your discussion about COVID-19 can increase or decrease your child's fear. If true, remind your child that your family is healthy, and you are going to do everything within your power to keep loved ones safe and well. Carefully listen or have them draw or write out their thoughts and feelings and respond with truth and reassurance.

Explain social distancing. Children probably don't fully understand why parents/guardians aren't allowing them to be with friends. Tell your child that your family is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which include social distancing. Social distancing means staying away from others until the risk of contracting COVID-19 is under control. Showing older children the "flatten the curve" charts will help them grasp the significance of social distancing. Explain that while we don't know how long it will take to "flatten the curve" to reduce the number of those infected, we do know that this is a critical time-we must follow the guidelines of health experts to do our part.

Demonstrate deep breathing. Deep breathing is a valuable tool for calming the nervous system. Do breathing exercises with your children.

Focus on the positive. Celebrate having more time to spend as a family. Make it as fun as possible. Do family projects. Organize belongings, create masterpieces. Sing, laugh, and go outside, if possible, to connect with nature and get needed exercise. Allow older children to connect with their friends virtually.

Establish and maintain a daily routine. Keeping a regular schedule provides a sense of control, predictability, calm, and well-being. It also helps children and other family members respect others' need for quiet or uninterrupted time and when they can connect with friends virtually.

Identify projects that might help others. This could include: writing letters to the neighbors or others who might be stuck at home alone or to healthcare workers; sending positive messages over social media; or reading a favorite children's book on a social media platform for younger children to hear.

Offer lots of love and affection.

MONITOR TELEVISION VIEWING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Parents/guardians should monitor television, internet, and social media viewing-both for themselves and their children. Watching continual updates on COVID-19 may increase fear and anxiety. Developmentally inappropriate information, or information designed for adults, can also cause anxiety or confusion, particularly in young children.

Dispel rumors and inaccurate information. Explain to your child that many stories about COVID-19 on the internet may include rumors and inaccurate information. Older children, in particular, may be accessing a great deal of information online and from friends that contains inaccuracies. Talk to your child about factual disease information.

Provide alternatives. Engage your child in games or other exciting activities instead.

TAKE TIME TO TALK

Let your children's questions guide you. Answer their questions truthfully, but don't offer unnecessary details or facts. Don't avoid giving them the information that experts indicate as crucial to your children's well-being. Often, children and youth do not talk about their concerns because they are confused or don't want to worry loved ones. Younger children absorb scary information in waves. They ask questions, listen, play, and then repeat the cycle. Children always feel empowered if they can control some aspects of their life. A sense of control reduces fear.

BE HONEST AND ACCURATE

Correct misinformation. Children often imagine situations worse than reality; therefore, offering developmentally appropriate facts can reduce fears.

Explain simple safety steps. Tell your child this disease spreads between people who are in close contact with one another, when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or when one touches infected objects or surfaces.

Stay up-to-date on the facts. Go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htmlfor additional factual information.

KEEP EXPLANATIONS AGE-APPROPRIATE

Early elementary school children. Provide brief, simple information that balances COVID-19 facts with appropriate reassurances that adults are there to help keep them healthy and to take care of them if they do get sick. Give simple examples of the steps people make every day to stop germs and stay healthy, such as washing hands. Use language such as "adults are working hard to keep you safe."

Upper elementary and early middle school children. This age group often is more vocal in asking questions about whether they indeed are safe and what will happen if COVID-19 spreads in their area. They may need assistance separating reality from rumor and fantasy. Discuss the efforts national, state, and community leaders are doing to prevent germs from spreading.

Upper middle and high school students. Issues can be discussed in more depth. Refer them to appropriate sources of COVID-19 facts. Provide honest, accurate, and factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Engage them in decision-making about family plans, scheduling, and helping with chores at home.

For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener!

STAY CONNECTED TO SCHOOL

Locate learning resources. Schools' capacity to conduct virtual learning experiences will vary greatly, but most schools are providing lessons and learning activities for children to do. Take advantage of the many companies and online platforms currently offering free learning opportunities.

Identify additional resources. Know if your school or district is providing additional resources, such meals, or technology, such as a laptop or tablet.

Stay in touch. Find out how the school is communicating with families and students. Be sure to read any communications you receive. Check with you children, particularly older ones, as they may be receiving information directly that would be helpful for you to know.

Connect with school staff. Reach out to your child's teacher and other relevant school staff if you have concerns about their coping and keeping up with assignments or activities.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19

According to the CDC, symptoms of fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath appear within 14 days after being exposed to the disease.

For some people, the symptoms are similar to having a cold; for others, they are more severe or even life threatening.

MODEL BASIC HYGIENE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRACTICES

Practice daily good hygiene. Encourage your child to practice these simple steps to prevent spreading the virus.

Wash your hands multiple times a day for 20 seconds. Signing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or "Happy Birthday" twice is about 20 seconds.

Compliment your children when they use a Kleenex or sneeze or cough into the bend of their elbow. Teach them the importance of throwing away used tissues immediately after sneezing or coughing.

Sadly, handshakes and hugs need to be limited to immediate family members, at least for now.

Foster a sense of control. Offering guidance on what your child/children can do to prevent infection offers them a greater sense of control, which reduces anxiety.

Build the immune system. Encourage your child to eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly; this will help them develop a robust immune system to fight off illness.

BE AWARE OF YOUR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH

Most children will manage well with the support of parents and other family members, even if showing signs of some anxiety or concerns, such as difficulty sleeping or concentrating. Some children, however, may have risk factors for more intense reactions, including severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors. Risk factors can include a pre-existing mental health problem, prior traumatic experiences or abuse, family instability, or the loss of a loved one. Parents and caregivers should contact a professional if children exhibit significant changes in behavior or any of the following symptoms for more than 2 weeks.

Preschoolers -thumb sucking, bedwetting, clinging to parents, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behavior, and withdrawal.

Elementary school children -irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration, and withdrawal from activities and friends.

Adolescents -sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increase in conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behavior, and poor concentration.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more information related to schools and physical and mental health, visit www.nasponline.org and © 2020, National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East Wes t Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-657-0270 www.nasn.org.
Adapted from, Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource, National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Nurses, NASP, 2020.

Contributor: School Psychologist Kathy Sievering

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Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19

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Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal.

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Biblioteca virtual infantil

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Educational Programming

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Join your friends anytime on KVIE PBS KIDS - a channel filled with PBS KIDS programming 24 hours each day, 7 days a week! Watch KVIE PBS KIDS on the following channels: Broadcast: 6.4, Comcast: 387,

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Sample Home School Schedule: Created By @katienovakudl and @Teach_Sancito on Twitter

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Sample Home School Schedule: Created By @katienovakudl and @Teach_Sancito on Twitter

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Free Resources to Educate and Entertain Your Kids During Quarantine

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Free Resources to Educate and Entertain Your Kids During Quarantine

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If you've suddenly found yourself at home with kids to entertain, I actually have some good news for you. As long as you have Internet access, there are a ton of resources beyond Netflix that can keep your kids entertained and keep their brains from turning to mush before everyone returns to school.

There are lots of companies that have stepped up to offer free access to their programs during these strange times. I'm also including some resources that are always free, just in case you've overlooked them. And, at the very end, I'm including some ideas for screen breaks in case your family needs some offline time.

All Subjects

Math/Coding

Reading/Writing/Spelling/Grammar

History/Geography

Science/Health

Fine Arts/Culture

Preschool

Offline Activities

Card game rules from Bicycle

Free printable math worksheets from Education.com

Simon Says, London Bridge, and Limbo

Poetry reading and/or read-aloud time. Sometimes when I'm doing something like cleaning the kitchen or folding laundry I have the kids read to me so we can work on pronunciation and other reading skills.

As volunteers die down at local animal shelters because everyone is in quarantine, you might consider giving a rescue animal a little vacation in your home so you can teach your kids about pet ownership. Most animal shelters appreciate temporary fosters because it lessens the strain, especially during a crisis. Just be sure to get an animal that has a good track record around kids and never leave kids unsupervised.

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COVID19 Camp: Free Resources to Educate and Entertain Your Kids During Quarantine

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If you've suddenly found yourself at home with kids to entertain, I actually have some good news for you. As long as you have Internet access, there are a ton of resources beyond Netflix that can keep your kids entertained and keep their brains from turning to mush before everyone returns to school.

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Helpful Tips for Maximizing Student Engagement

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Helpful Tips for Maximizing Student Engagement

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Helpful Behavior Tips for Parents and Caregivers

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Un audiocuento para explicar el coronavirus a sus niños

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Audiocuento: ¡𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗮! 𝗦𝗼𝘆 𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 de la psicóloga Manuela Molina

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Special Education Degrees | Your Guide To A Career In Special Education

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Top 12 Websites For Children With Learning Disabilities | Special Education Degrees

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As many educators, parents, and families know, having a learning disability doesn’t make a child any less smart than his or her peers. In fact, it often means that the child is as smart or smarter but their brain just works differently because it’s neurological process. People with learning disabili…

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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) - AAC Calendar

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In order to help support teachers and students during this complex time, Accessibyte would like to offer free access to our full range of apps. We want ALL students to have a remote learning option. That can be tricky for students relying on assistive technology. It's our hope this helps in situations where schools are closed or travel is difficult.

For those who are unfamiliar, our apps can be accessed from school or home, on Chromebook, iPad, Mac, Windows or Android Devices. Each app has visual and audible accessibility built right into the browser. We built these apps to support students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, have reading difficulties or just want something fun and different. We've included information below to familiarize you with what we offer.

Follow the app links below or check out or support page for additional info on what these apps offer and how they operate.

This free period is set for 45 days by default but will be extended beyond that if necessary.

If you already have a standard Typio Online account, you will automatically have access to the full Accessibyte Online platform during this time.

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In order to help support teachers and students during this complex time, Accessibyte would like to offer free access to our full range of apps. We want ALL students to have a remote learning option. That can be tricky for students relying on assistive technology.

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Google Chrome Extensions to Assist Students

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Google Chrome Extensions to Assist Students

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Text to Speech, Readability, Reading Comprehension, Focus, and Navigation

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Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students with special needs or any sort of learning challenge. In particular the Chrome web browser allows users to install a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools that can help all learners, regardless of ability level.

In this blog post we will take a look at over 30 Chrome web extensions that can assist students in five main categories:

Text to Speech

Readability

Reading Comprehension

Focus

Navigation

Some of the tools fit into more than one topic, but each is only listed once. Certainly this list does not cover all of the useful web extensions available for struggling learners, but it is a great place to begin. In addition to the list of extension, I have also linked in the video from a webinar I did a while back on "Google Tools for Special Needs".

Text to Speech extensions

1) Read&Write for Google Chrome
Chrome web extension link
The "Swiss Army Knife" of extensions with tools including word prediction, dictionary, picture dictionary, text to speech, screenshot reader, speech maker, screen mask, translator, highlighters, voice note, and more. Works on webpages, PDFs, Google Docs, and Google Slides.
Note: There is a paid version with all the tools and a free version with a subset of the tools. Educators can get the paid version for a year at no cost by filling out the form at: https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/products/read-write/free-for-teachers/

2) Read Aloud
Chrome web extension link
This text-to-speech extension will read either the entire page or just the text that you have selected. In addition to the normal options to adjust the speed, pitch, and volume of the voice, the best feature is the wide collection of high-quality voices to choose from.

3) Voice Instead
Chrome web extension link
This is another good text-to-speech extension with high-quality voices. The only drawbacks are that you have to select the text you want read (rather than the entire page), and sometimes there can be odd pauses in the middle of a sentence.

4) Announcify
Chrome web extension link
This is another text to speech tool that not only reads a webpage, but also removes distracting elements from the site. The only drawback is the inability to select specific text to read, as the entire page is read aloud.

Speech to Text extensions

5) VoiceIn Voice Typing
Chrome web extension link
This speech-to-text extension allows the user to dictate text for any text box or text entry portion of a web page. You can either click the extension or right-click and choose "Start recording" to use it. Be sure to click the extension again to turn off the speech-to-text function when done.

Readability extensions

6) Mercury Reader
Chrome web extension link
Make any website easier to read by removing ads, comments, and all other distractions, so just the core content remains. Users can also adjust the font size and color scheme of the new text. (For a list of 10 more extensions that clean up webpages, see here: http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/11/10-readability-alternatives.html)

7) OpenDyslexic
Chrome web extension link
Override all fonts on a webpage with the OpenDyslexic font, making the text more easily readable.

8) Dyslexia Friendly
Chrome web extension link
This extension replaces the fonts on a web page with either OpenDyslexic or Comic Sans, and provides a horizontal shaded bar to help the user stay on the correct line when reading. The only drawback is there is no easy way to toggle it on and off, so you will want to use an extension management tool to let you turn it off when not in use.

9) BeeLine Reader
Chrome web extension link
This tool creates a more readable version of a web page by removing all the ads, comments, and other extra distracting items, and then applies a color gradient to the page text guide your eye from one line to the next. (Limit of 5 articles per day for free version.)

10) ATbar
Chrome web extension link
Toolbar with features including color overlays for webpages, dictionary, text to speech, word prediction, and more.

11) MagicScroll Web Reader
Chrome web extension link
Turn web pages into a flippable e-book with easy clickable or keyboard control, as well as control over font size and page color as well.

12) Readline
Chrome web extension link
Although originally designed as a speed reading tool, you can slow the WPM rate down so students can use this to focus on one word at a time when reading to not lose their place.

13) Visor
Chrome web extension link
This screen overlay tool darkens out the page except for a horizontal band you can move up and down as you read, helping the student focus.

14) High Contrast
Chrome web extension link
This tool can make webpages easier to read by changing the colors to increase contrast, invert the colors, or switch to gray-scale.

15) Color Enhancer
Chrome web extension link
For people who are partially color-blind, this tool can help adjust and improve webpage colors.

16) CraftyZoom
Chrome web extension link
This extension give you a floating magnifying glass that you can move around the screen to make portions of the page larger. You can adjust the size of the circle and the level of the zoom.

Reading Comprehension extensions

17) Google Dictionary
Chrome web extension link
Don't get stuck on an unknown word. Double-click on any word to get a pop-up definition, as well as spoken pronunciation for many words.

18) SMMRY
Chrome bookmark link
While not technically an extension, this tool functions very much like one and is launched from your Chrome bookmarks bar. Summarize any online article with a simple click of the SMMRY bookmark link. This will generate a simplified version with fewer sentences (7 by default) and just the most important information. Settings can be adjusted for longer or shorter summaries, as well as emphasis on certain desired words..

19) TLDR: Summarize Anything
Chrome web extension link
This extension will generate a summary of any web page you are on. There are three levels of summarization - short, medium, and long, in addition to the original full version of the page.

20) Resoomer
Chrome web extension link
This is another summarization tool for web pages. It opens up a new tab with a cleaned up version of the page, as well as three levels of summary.

21) Internet Abridged
Chrome web extension link
This article summary tool gives you a pop-up window with a short bullet list of the main sentences from the page.

22) Auto Highlight
Chrome web extension link
This extension takes a different approach to summarizing. Instead of removing the non-essential portions of the text, it highlights what is most important. This allows the reader to still look at the rest of the article if needed. Three levels of highlighting can be chosen.

Focus extensions

23) Simple Blocker
Chrome web extension link
This tool helps students to stay focused on their work by blocking distracting websites. The user can choose the sites to block, how long to block them, and optional password protection.

24) uBlock Origin
Chrome web extension link
A simple but powerful ad-blocking extension to help remove distracting ads from websites, making pages less cluttered and easier to read.

25) Move It
Chrome web extension link
For students who need a break, this extension can be set to periodically have them stop working and do something physical for a moment.

26) Google Keep
Chrome web extension link
Keep allows users to save and retrieve any information they come across including text, links, pictures, speech, handwriting, doodles, and more. The tool works as an extension, web site, Android app, and iOS app, and integrates into Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings.

Navigation extensions

27) CrafyCursor
Chrome web extension link
This extension makes it easier for the user to find and track the mouse cursor by putting a highlighted circle around it. The user can choose between several colors for the cursor spotlight.

28) Click-free Browsing
Chrome web extension link
For users who have a difficulty clicking a mouse, this extension adds on-screen navigation buttons the user can simply hover over to use.

29) Vimium
Chrome web extension link
Provides keyboard shortcuts for navigation and control for someone with difficulty using a mouse.

30) CrxMouse
Chrome web extension link
Use mouse gestures to navigate including forward, backward, scrolling, refreshing, switching tabs, and more. The user can even program their own custom mouse gestures to open programs and perform other tasks.

31) Caret Browsing
Chrome web extension link
This extension gives you a movable cursor in any web page, allowing you to move through the text with your arrows keys and select text with the keyboard.

Additional Resources

Video training webinar (1 hour)

What other Chrome web extensions have you found that can assist students with special needs and struggling learners? Share your suggestions in the comments below.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs

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Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students with special needs or any sort of learning challenge. In particular the Chrome web browser allows users to install a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools that can help all learners, regardless of ability level.

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What do I do???

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AAC At Home: Corona Virus Shouldn't Stop Your Progress!

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I often get asked how long and how often families should practice speech and language skills at home.

I recently posted an article on my own site on this very topic.

My professional opinion on this matter is based on what I have seen work the best with my own clients from my clinic.

I recommend that families shoot for two 5-minute sessions per day to target your child's speech and language skills.

The research is showing that shorter, more frequent sessions are more effective for learning and retention than longer, less frequent sessions.

(It's kind of like studying for a test for a few weeks instead of cramming the night before).

Five minutes does not give you much time to work on a lot, which is by design. Most children learn best when they are only working on one skill at a time.

By limiting your sessions to five minutes, you will only have time to work on one skill.

Your child's speech therapist will probably have an idea of what one skill would be best for you to work on at home.

Ask him/her for a recommendation. If your child is not currently seeing a speech-language pathologist, you can choose a skill for your child.

Try to choose something that is age-appropriate (other children his age are doing the skill) but that is not too hard for him.

You want to start with some easier skills that he will have success with instead of frustrating him right off the bat.

The key is to take whatever skill your child is missing and break it down to its easiest level.

For example, if you want to teach your child to say /p/ correctly, you should first start by just having your child say the sound by itself, like "p...p...p".

Then, you can make it a little harder by having your child say it in non-sense syllables, like "puh, poh, pah".

Then, you can move up to words, sentences, and conversation.

The same can be done for language skills, just make them as easy as possible to start with and build your way up.

What Do We Do During Our 5 Minutes?

I'm so glad you asked!

The goal of each 5-minute session will be to get your child to practice the skill correctly as many times as possible.

Imagine shooting for 50-100 repetitions of the same skill. You may not always get to that but it's a great goal.

So, if your child is working on saying the "p" sound, you want him to say that sound 50-100 times while you do a quick activity.

Or, if your child is practicing pronouns, you want him to repeat 50-100 sentences that use the pronouns "he" or "she" while doing the activity.

If the skill you're doing takes a little longer to practice, you can reduce the target number of repetitions.

In order to make this happen, you will need an activity that doesn't take a lot of time and won't take away from the goal of the 5 minutes, which is to practice the skill over and over again.

Here are some great ideas of activities you can do while getting your child to practice his skill:

Use a Counter

Go to a sporting goods store and purchase a counter. This is a small, round object with a single button. Each time you push the button, the counter goes up by one.

Set a goal for your child (number of repetitions) and tell him to push the button each time he does the skill correctly. Once he hits the target number, he's done.

Time him and see if he can beat his old score (but he has to say it correctly for it to count, no rushing through and messing up!).

Bankruptcy Game

Put a bunch of plastic coins in a bag but color one of them red. After each repetition, you and your child will both pull out one coin.

If anyone pulls out the red coin, they have to put all of their coins back (bankrupt!).

Whoever has the most coins after 5 minutes wins. (Got this one from www.5minutekids.com , love it!)

Hold Yoga Poses

Look for pictures of yoga poses for kids online. Have your child choose one and hold it while he does his skill.

See how many repetitions he can get in before he loses the pose.

Trace Lines or Shapes

Draw lines or shapes on a piece of paper. Then, laminate that page or put it in a plastic sheet protector.

Have your child trace the lines or shapes with a dry erase marker while repeating his skill. When he's done, erase and use again next time.

Put Blocks on a Tower

Each time your child practices the skill, give him a block to place atop a tower. When the tower falls, take the blocks back and start over.

See how tall he can make it before it falls.

Play Hopscotch

Draw a hopscotch track (or other shapes/numbers) on the ground and have your child do the skill once before each jump or move on the track.

Turtle Race

You need at least 2 people for this but you can be the second person if need be.

Have both people sit on their bottoms with their knees up. Each time your child does the skill, everyone gets to move forward one scoot.

Bottom must stay on the ground, no picking it up and jumping.

Whoever gets the farthest in 5 minutes wins.

Moving Beans or Marbles

Place beans or marbles in a small container. Get a second similar container.

For each repetition, move one bean or marble to the other container. When all the beans/marbles are moved, you're done!

Make Me Jump

Each time your child does the skill, have someone else (you or another adult/child) jump or do another action.

See how many times your child can make that person jump during 5 minutes.

Playdough

Give your child a pinch of playdough (or a similar substance) for every repetition. Once your child has all of the playdough, he can play with it.

Tickle Me

Start with your hand on your child's head or toes.

For each repetition, move slightly closer to his belly. When you get to his belly, tickle him like crazy. Then, start over and repeat until the 5 minutes is up.

Go for a Walk

When you are walking somewhere with your child, have him take one step for every repetition.

Try this one when you're walking to the playground from the car or into the house when you get home.

Stoplight Speech

While you're sitting at a red stoplight, see how many times your child can do the skill correctly before the light turns green.

Playing Cards

Get a playing card for every repetition. When your child has all of the playing cards, you can play the game with him.

Blowing Bubbles

Blow bubbles for every 10 repetitions that your child does.

Puzzle Pieces

Give your child a puzzle piece for every 10 repetitions he does.

Graph Your Results

Count how many correct productions your child can do in 5 minutes.

Graph that on graph paper and see if he can beat it the next time.

Connect Four...Or More!

Drop connect four pieces into the game randomly, one for each repetition. At the end, see if there are any patterns or designs created from where they all landed.

Wind-Up Toys

Wind up a toy and let it go. See how many times your child can do the skill correctly before it runs out of power.

Throw a Ball

Throw a ball back and forth and play catch while your child practices the skill.

There you have it!

Twenty awesome ways to work on speech in five minutes. Make sure that you pay attention to your child's frustration levels.

If your child is getting frustrated with these activities, you will want to either make the skill easier or back off to a shorter time.

You want your child to feel positive about working on speech, it shouldn't be a battle. Thanks so much for reading!

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Twenty 5-Minute Speech Therapy Activities You Can Do at Home

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I often get asked how long and how often families should practice speech and language skills at home. I recently posted an article on my own site on this very topic. My professional opinion on this matter is based on what I have seen work the best with my own clients from my clinic.

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Using Proloquo2Go to talk about the coronavirus

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Using Proloquo2Go to talk about the coronavirus

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My daughter Maggie uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She is struggling to understand the impact of COVID-19. Her daily routine has changed by the closure of local schools. Her favorite weekend outings are cancelled. We are almost hibernating! I can see her anxiety in her behavior and hear it in the sounds she makes. How do I explain something as abstract as a virus to someone who uses just one or two symbols at a time to communicate?

Explaining COVID-19 with AAC

Maggie understands abstract ideas best when we explain them using her AAC. She needs these visual supports to understand new ideas. It's tempting to create special pages in her AAC. I could add new symbols and pictures to represent all these new words we are hearing. But there are just so many new ones: quarantine, pandemic, social distancing, and many more.

Fortunately, I don't need lots of new words. Maggie has a robust and balanced AAC system. The words that are already in her AAC are almost enough. For example, a pandemic is when "many people get sick at the same time." COVID-19 is "a very small germ that can make us sick." We are social distancing, or "staying home so we can help not get anyone sick." If we get sick, we will quarantine to "keep the germs from getting others sick."

I can use Maggie's ordinary words to explain what is happening. When I do this, Maggie learns new ways to use common, familiar words. This is a powerful skill for someone who uses AAC. There will always be words missing from her AAC, but I can teach her to get the most out of the words she has.

Talk about coronavirus in different ways

This is also a good opportunity to show Maggie how to use her keyboard to spell words. I spell when it's a word we aren't likely to use much. Maggie is still learning letter names and sounds, so I just focus on the first letter: "COVID-19...I hear a C." Spelling the missing word shows Maggie that her keyboard can be a powerful communication tool. For example, if I say, "the germ, "C", you can guess I mean "COVID-19" or "coronavirus."

5 Ideas to talk about coronavirus

1. Talk about WHAT is happening.

There is a germ that is making people sick. The germ goes from person to person. We are staying home so the germ can not get on us and make us sick. We are washing our hands to wash the germs off. Many people are staying home, too. If we all stay home, we will all not get sick. If the germ gets on us and we get very sick, we will go the hospital. The doctors and nurses will help us.

2. Talk about what is the SAME.

We will stay home. We will sleep in our own beds. We will get dressed and take baths. We will cook good food. We will play with the cats.

3. Talk about what might be DIFFERENT.

We will not go to school. We will not go to the mall. We will not go see our friends. We will not ride the bus. I will not go to work. I will stay here with you.

4. Talk about WHEN this is happening.

We might need to stay home for a long time. We will be home today, and tomorrow. We will be home until we know it is safe. Then we will go back to school.

5. Talk about PAST EXPERIENCES.

We remember that the coronavirus is like some other times we have experienced. We remember when we stayed home during an ice storm and blizzard.

Talk about COVID-19 often

It isn't enough to just talk about the virus once. With both my children, we have an ongoing conversation. Maggie seems to best understand complex ideas when we talk about them regularly over many days. It helps when we write down what we talked about so we can read the text together. We've found some great social stories online (linked below).

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Our support team and online communities will be available to answer any questions and support you during these difficult and changing times. Please reach out to us.

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Using Proloquo2Go to talk about the coronavirus - AssistiveWare

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My daughter Maggie uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She is struggling to understand the impact of COVID-19. Her daily routine has changed by the closure of local schools. Her favorite weekend outings are cancelled. We are almost hibernating! I can see her anxiety in her behavior and hear it in the sounds she makes.

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Cooperation, Communication, Emotional Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation

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Welcome to our Social Emotional Learning Activities page. Below you will find free resources - lessons, activities, and printables - in the following skill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation.

These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting. And in most cases, if materials are required for the activity, they are items that you already have in your classroom or office.

As you will see below, many of the SEL activities and lesson plans include characters from our game-based, social emotional learning curriculum. And if you are using, or plan to use the online games, these activities will reinforce the learning that occurs during gameplay.

Note: You may reproduce or reuse these lessons with students via other platforms like Google Classroom as needed, and if appropriate, please share this page on your school website so other educators may also benefit. We add new lessons on a regular basis, so make sure to check back frequently.

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75 Free Social Emotional Learning Activities

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Welcome to our Social Emotional Learning Activities page. Below you will find free resources - lessons, activities, and printables - in the following skill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation. These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting.

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Full Packet to Support Individuals with Autism

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Full Packet to Support Individuals with Autism

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Coping, Calming, Routines, Connections, and more

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Using Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports at Home

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CalTAC PBIS for Parents Using PBIS Principles at Home