The Case for an Oral-Mech Exam

Oral mechanism exam, oral motor exam, oral-facial exam, oral peripheral exam, oral-mech exam… whatever you call it, it’s one of the most important, but frequently neglected, components of an initial assessment for any child with a suspected speech sound disorder. In...

Why Having Less is More in Speech & Language Therapy

Early on in my career, I spent my fair share of therapy sessions trying to chase after a young child with a million different toys, grabbing anything I thought might pique their interest. Often times, these sessions were not overly productive and I spent an extra 10...

Being an SLP

It is May 2019. The month of May marks two important milestones. The first is my 2nd year in private practice, my 2nd year writing this blog, and my 2nd year sharing the Playing With Purpose framework. The second is that it is Better Hearing & Speech Month. This...

Using a Multi-Sensory Box in Speech Therapy

As a busy speech-language pathologist, I am always looking for time-saving resources for myself and the families I support. Honestly, there is nothing better than pre-made, high-quality activities that will keep my clients engaged and support their speech and language...

Playing With Purpose: Magna-tiles

There are a multitude of toys out there for building and creating. One new favorite of mine, and the kiddos I work with, is magnetic blocks or magna-tiles. These blocks have been around since the late-1990s and have seemed to gain popularity in the last 2-3 years as...

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