u/Various-Aioli-4620

I’ve been working in a special primary school for about 2 years (not in the US). Clinically I feel a lot more confident, but the collaborative side of the job makes me weirdly anxious.

My role is fully embedded in the classroom. I’m the SLP for 2-3 classes all year. So I’m constantly in and out of sessions, co-planning with teachers, and co-teaching pretty much daily.

What I didn’t expect is how much I seem to lose my own footing in that setup. If a teacher doesn’t like planning much, I’ll start acting the same way, even though I actually prefer having some structure. And then I end up feeling stressed and unprepared. On the flip side, if I’m working with someone very structured and detail-oriented, I’ll adapt to that too, even if it feels like overkill for how I like to work.

It’s like I’m always scanning for what the teachers are comfortable with and then molding myself into that role. Underneath it there’s this fear that if I push back or do things differently, I’ll come across as “difficult”.

Even just talking about next year has set this off again. I suggested not locking in a fixed therapy timetable because things shift so much in real classrooms. One teacher preferred more structure, which I get. But my immediate reaction was basically panic, like I’d done something wrong, and I found myself backtracking, even though I had solid reasons for my suggestion and it would make my job a little easier.

I guess I’m wondering if anyone else in highly collaborative school roles deals with this. How do you stay flexible without completely losing your own approach in the process? Summer hasn’t even started and I’m already stressing about next year’s teacher pairings.

I recently bought a Poco phone. I used a Xiaomi phone before that I liked. The phone itself seems fine, but the launcher situation is just frustrating. You cannot use gestures on a third-party launcher, but the Poco launcher is very limited (no icon pack, weird ads on the homescreen, no way to hide all the bloatware). Is there a way to make this bearable? I used the Microsoft launcher but having to use the button bar at the bottom is a pain in the ass given how big the phone itself is. I'm starting to regret buying this phone in the first place, even though the specifications were good given the price point.

Device Model: Poco M8 pro 5G

Device Region: Europe

Rom Type: idk what this means

Rom/Android Version: Android 15, OS 2.0.205.0

Valt het anderen ook op dat fouten met die/dat steeds vaker voorkomen? Ik hoor en lees ze regelmatig: in gesprekken, podcasts, op Reddit en zelfs af en toe in boeken of kranten.

Ik werk als logopedist en bij taaltesten beoordelen we onder andere de zinsbouw. Als een kind bijvoorbeeld zegt: "De meisje die...", wordt dat volgens de handleiding als fout gerekend, ook als het kind verder een correcte en informatieve zin maakt.

Natuurlijk blijf ik de handleiding volgen, maar ik vraag me af of dat nog wel een redelijke maatstaf is, zeker bij meertalige kinderen of kinderen die een taalstoornis hebben. Als zulke vormen steeds vaker voorkomen in het dagelijks Nederlands, zijn het dan nog echt "fouten"? Of meet je dan vooral de afstand tot de standaardtaal? In hoeverre belemmert dit een kind in het dagelijks leven?

Ik ben benieuwd of anderen dit ook opvalt en hoe jullie hiernaar kijken.

As a kid I used to love summer. Spending time outdoors, walking, cycling, swimming. It was a perfect season to me.

In recent years with my melasma, I've really started to dread it. I'm okay with using sunscreen, wearing hats, not going out at the hottest hours. But there's just this unease anytime I do have to go out in the sun. I feel like I can never do enough to protect myself and have just started to hate the season. If someone asks me to go out to for instance to swimming or cycling, I try to postpone it to the evening or cancel because I can't be on a bike wearing an unbrella. I miss out on so many experiences because I just have this unease to be in high UV.

On top of that I also have some resentment against my parents for letting me get sunburned as a kid and putting my under a tanning bed as an 8-year old. I just have all these feelings during summer and the season I loved now just feels like a dread.

Idk I just thought someone here would relate. I can tell myself I should enjoy my life and do the best I can, but it's just this anxiety that's always there.

Maybe it's just the end-of-the-school-year clean-up, but I just realized I've accumulated a ridiculous amount of therapy stuff. I have SO many printed worksheets. I print them, the kid is ill that day, I put them aside for "next time"... I also have a cupboard full of games I haven't used once this year. Every week an influencer posts, "This is my most used therapy item!" and somehow I end up thinking, "Yep, I need that too." Apparently I do not.

I work with kindergartners, so I feel like I need actual toys and play materials. I don't want to hand a 4-year-old a worksheet. But honestly, I feel like I do most of my therapy with about 20% of the stuff I own.

So... If you had to get rid of almost everything, what would you keep? What are the materials you reach for over and over with kids around 4-10, whether you're working on speech or language?

Soms zit het een beetje tegen allemaal of zijn mensen vreselijk irritant maar ik heb er de woordenschat niet voor om dat een beetje netjes uit te drukken.

Wat zijn nou mooie woorden (in plaats van kut/stom/belachelijk/idioot) die je kunt gebruiken voor iets wat tegenzit of wat je stom vindt? Hoe zou de koning zoiets uitdrukken?

I'm a new teacher and I feel like the fastest way to bond with coworkers is through complaining. Not necessarily malicious gossip, but just being negative together. If someone is venting about admin, students, parents, another teacher, etc., and I empathize and join in, it feels like they instantly warm up to me. But if I respond with something positive or try to reframe it, the conversation dies and they get defensive. If I don't validate their feelings or don't talk along, they don't like me.

I don't really want negativity to be the foundation of my work relationships. I've noticed that I started this year of positively and now I'm feeling increasingly negative. I haven't found someone yet that I can switch this dynamic around with. Someone who actually like their job and wants to be positive together.

Is this just how adults bond at work, or have you found ways to get along with your coworkers without constantly complaining together?

I've been thinking about incorporating more music into my language therapy sessions. I work with students with DLD. I know music can be a great way to support language learning, and I've been considering learning the ukulele so I can sing simple songs during therapy. For example, if we're working on vocabulary, we could use themed songs that include target words, or for articulation, songs could provide a fun way to get lots of repetitions.

The only catch is that I'm definitely not a great singer 😅.

Has anyone incorporated music into their language therapy sessions? I'd love to hear what you've done, what worked well, and whether it's been worth learning an instrument like the ukulele. And if it's awkward if you can't sing. I feel like putting on a YouTube video just doesn't quite create the engagement I'm looking for.

Hoi allemaal,

Ik ben op zoek naar advies voor een nieuwe budget Android‑telefoon (onder de €200), en ik wil ‘m naast de basics (whatsapp, bellen, spotify) ook gebruiken om foto’s te maken tijdens wandelingen. Ik zoek iets dat in daglicht redelijke foto's maakt van bloemen en vogels en dat een voldoende zichtbaar scherm heeft om die foto’s te bekijken. Liefst ook een accu die een dag meegaat bij licht tot matig gebruik en een aantal jaren security‑updates (dus geen Motorola of Nubia).

Dit zijn de modellen die ik nu overweeg... Ik verwacht uiteraard geen wonderen voor de prijs ;)

Samsung Galaxy A26 (€195): Niet zo'n grote opslag (128 GB en 6 GB RAM), achtercamera’s van 50 + 8 + 2 MP (wide, ultrawide, macro) en een 5000 mAh‑accu. Updates lopen tot 2031 en Samsung voelt betrouwbaar qua Android‑ondersteuning.

Redmi Note 15 (€188): 256 GB en 8 GB RAM, een 108 MP hoofdcamera en 8 MP ultrawide, en een 5520 mAh‑accu. Security‑updates tot 2032. De 108 MP klinkt goed, maar reviews spreken dat wat tegen. Er is geen aparte macrolens.

Honor 400 Lite (€182): 256 GB en 8 GB RAM, een 108 MP hoofdsensor plus 6 MP depth‑sensor en een 5230 mAh‑accu. Het update‑beleid in Europa is onduidelijk, waarschijnlijk de verplichte 5 jaar.

Poco M8 Pro (€189): 256 GB en 8 GB RAM, een hogere schermresolutie (2772×1280) wat fijn is om foto’s op te bekijken, een 50 MP hoofdcamera met light fusion/super pixels en een flinke 6500 mAh‑accu. Deze is wat zwaarder.

Redmi 15 (€180): 256 GB en 8 GB RAM, 50 + 5 MP camera’s en een grote 7000 mAh‑accu, maar ook zwaarder. Security‑updates tot 2032.

Wie heeft ervaring met foto’s maken op één van deze modellen (vooral close‑ups van bloemen/planten, maar ook vogels die verder weg op een tak zitten)? Zijn er andere modellen rond of onder €200 die ik zou moeten overwegen? Refurbished spreekt mij wat minder aan vanwege de garantie.

Alvast bedankt!

I’m from the Netherlands and I’m looking for a new budget (< €200) phone after my last Xiaomi has tragically died by a fall after 7 years. I enjoy taking photos of flowers, plants and animals during my walks (both up close and further away). I use those photos later as references for watercolor painting, so I’d really like a phone that captures colors and details, at least in daylight, and has a screen that's clear enough to show them well. I don't expect miracles at this price point, of course.

These are the models I’m currently considering (with Dutch prices, I understand they may vary quite a bit around the world). All have the same storage (258 GB) and RAM (8 GB).

Redmi Note 15 (€188): the cameras in the back are 108 and 8 MP (wide and ultrawide). 108 MP seems like a lot, but a macro camera is lacking. Reviews say the camera isn't as good as the 108 might make it seem like. Battery is 5520 mAh.

Redmi 15 (€180): Resolution comparable to the Redmi Note. Back cameras 50 + 5 MP. Nice 7000 mAh battery, but also quite heavy.

Poco M8 Pro (€189): resolution is higher than the other phones (2772x1280). Back cameras is 50 MP, with light fusion and super pixels (?). High 6500 mAh battery. Bigger screen (win) but also a bit heavier (loss). (I excluded the Pocco M8 version because reviews said the camera would be quite bad)

I'm wondering how you would review the camera quality of these phones? I find it hard to say from the data which phone would take the best pictures.

I’m from the Netherlands and I’m looking for a new budget (< €200) Android phone. After 7 years, my old phone has tragically died. I enjoy taking photos of flowers, plants and animals during my walks (both up close and further away). I use those photos later as references for watercolor painting, so I’d really like a phone that captures nice colors and details, at least in daylight, and has a screen that's clear and big enough to show them well. Additionally, I care about the battery, wanting it to last all day with medium use. Also, I like to use 5G, NFC and want decent security updates (which excludes Motorola and Nubia)

These are the models I’m currently considering, with Dutch prices:

Samsung Galaxy A26 (€195): Has a slightly low storage (128 GB) and RAM (6 GB). The cameras in back are 50, 8 and 2 MP (wide, ultrawide, macro). Battery is 5000 mAh (low compared to the other models). Updates until 2031. Seems reliable and Samsung’s update policy regarding new Android versions is good.

Redmi Note 15 (€188): Has more storage (256 GB) and RAM (8 GB). The cameras in the back are 108 and 8 MP (wide and ultrawide). 108 MP seems like a lot, but a macro camera is lacking. Reviews say the camera isn't as good as the 108 might make it seem like. Battery is 5520 mAh. Will receive security updates until 2032.

Honor 400 Lite (€182): Decent storage (256 GB) and RAM (8 GB). Back cameras 108 and 6 MP (wide and depth). But, no macro camera. Battery is 5230 mAh The update policy seems unreliable (seems to differ in Europe to meet European standards, which would mean 5 years (2025-2030)).

Poco M8 Pro (€189): Decent storage (256 GB) and RAM (8 GB). Resolution is higher than the other phones (2772x1280). Back cameras is 50 MP, with light fusion and super pixels (??) High 6500 mAh battery. Bigger screen (win) but also a bit heavier (loss). Security updates until 2032. (I excluded the Pocco M8 version because reviews said the camera would be quite bad)

Redmi 15 (€180): Decent storage (256 GB) and RAM (8 GB). Resolution comparable to first 3 phones. Back cameras 50 + 5 MP. Nice 7000 mAh battery, but also quite heavy (50 grams heavier than the first 3 phones). Security updates until 2032.

I'm leaning towards Poco M8 Pro, because of the resolution, OIS camera and big battery. Samsung seems reliable, but my last phone was a cheap Xiaomi one and I was very happy with it all those years.

Hi everyone,

I'm an SLP working with students with DLD and I'm looking for advice on teaching grammar, especially sentence structure and word order.

For example, I have students who might say something like: "I am happy why it is my birthday." instead of "I am happy because it is my birthday."

I've tried using Shape Coding and Colorful Semantics, and they definitely help in structured activities. If I create a sentence as part of an exercise, I can usually guide students to the correct structure without too much difficulty.

Where I struggle is during spontaneous conversation. When a child produces an incorrect sentence, I find it difficult to "capture" their language in the moment, map it onto Shape Coding or Colorful Semantics, and then explain why the sentence doesn't work and how to fix it. It feels much easier when the sentence was planned in advance than when I'm working from the child's own language. They don't seem to fit the mold, so to say.

How do you handle these kinds of errors in natural conversation? Do you have a system for quickly visualizing or breaking down a child's spontaneous utterance? How do you help students understand why a sentence is incorrect, rather than just providing the correct model?

I have some kids on my caseload (4- to 6-year-olds) with phonological disorders. I work in a school and can see them 1–2 times per week for 20 minutes.

From my understanding of the cycles approach, each phoneme or cluster within a pattern is targeted for about 60 minutes per cycle. Since my sessions are only 20 minutes, that means about 3 sessions per target. A pattern is stimulated for around 2 hours before moving on, which would be about 6 sessions. Many of my students have at least 4 phonological patterns.

Here's where I start losing my mind.

I started working with one student in late March:

• Week 14: Mar 30: assessment, Apr 3: /st/ cluster (session 1)
• Week 15: easter, farm field trip, teacher training day
• Week 16: Apr 13: /st/ cluster (session 2)
• Week 17: holiday
• Week 18: holiday
• Week 19: teacher training day
• Week 20: ascension
• Week 21: May 22: progress report (mandatory to write with kids present)
• Week 22: pentecost, school trip
• Week 23: Jun 5: /st/ cluster (session 3) + started /sp/ cluster (session 1)

We're now 10 weeks in and I have barely finished ONE target within ONE pattern. At this rate, we'll be cycling through his phonological processes until graduation.

I genuinely don't understand how the cycles approach is supposed to work in a real-world school setting with 20-minute sessions, holidays, field trips, teacher training days, progress reports, and all the other things that constantly eat into therapy time.

It feels like I'm doing exactly what the approach says to do, but the reality is that months go by and we hardly touch a target. I can't magically create more therapy time, and while home practice helps, it doesn't solve the problem.

For those of you working in schools: are you modifying the cycles approach? Ignoring the recommended timelines? Using something else entirely?

I recently discovered notebookLM and have been using it to help me understand research articles. I find it useful for understanding complex topics and using more evidence-based practice. I'm aware of (some of) the pitfalls of AI, so I try to use it thoughtfully and verify information against the original sources. I do think that notebookLM does quite a good job because it links back to the sources themselves.

I'm looking to build a library of high-quality SLP articles and resources. However, they do need to be available for free... I'm not able to obtain AHSA membership (I'm outside of the US). I work primarily with kids with DLD and speech disorders. Which articles, journals, systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines, or landmark papers would you recommend adding? There's also the possibility to add videos, websites and plain text.

So far I came up with:

- Language Intervention through Literature-Based Units (Gillam and Ukrainetz)

- Efficacy of the Treatment of Developmental Language Disorder: A Systematic Review (Rinaldi et al., 2021)

- Vocabulary interventions for children with developmental language disorder: a systematic review (Ansari et al., 2025)

- The Ultimate Guide to Sentence Structure (Dr. Karen)

I also included some intervention plans by Smart Speech Therapy LLC and website extracts by Speechy Musings.

I’m an SLP in a country where eligibility for specialized schools for children with severe developmental language disorder depends heavily on annual standardized testing scores. I recently had a conversation with a fellow SLP that raised some questions for me about testing.

She mentioned a student who scored high enough to leave our specialized education school. She made some accommodations: tested him in the afternoon (his peak focus time), administered one task (10–15 minutes) at a time, used heavy positive reinforcement and sometimes provided the correct answer after he asked for help (scoring it as incorrect, but doing so to keep him engaged).

This got me thinking about the balance between standardization and creating optimal testing conditions. On one hand, I want children to feel safe and at ease so they can demonstrate their best possible abilities. At the same time, I wonder whether a more “realistic” testing situation (including testing at less optimal times of day or with fewer supports) may actually reflect their day-to-day functioning more accurately?

I’m curious how other SLPs approach this. How far do you go in accommodating, reassuring, or supporting a child during standardized testing?

(Obviously, high-stakes decisions should never rely on a single score. However, I’m working within a national system that I cannot change. In our reports, we always try to use “converging evidence” to create a broader picture of the child: standardized scores, spontaneous language analysis, teacher questionnaires, observations of classroom, playground and peer functioning, and information about learning potential based on dynamic assessement. Standarized scores are, however, the first thing the placement commission will look at in determining if the child is still eligible for our school, so if they do not match the day-to-day functioning, meetings will be tough.)

I’ve recently been learning about Literature-Based Language Intervention after reading some of Ukrainetz’ work, and I’ve been trying to use it more in my sessions. I honestly like it a lot because using actual books feels way more meaningful than isolated drills. However, I'm struggling a bit with what this looks like in real life.

For instance:

- Session 1: introduction of the general theme. Making a semantic map, for instance a map about "building" with words like tools, builders, machines. Then we read the book. I try to do interactive reading, but also need to make sure it fits into the session so I might go a little quicker than I'd like. I explain important vocab.

- Session 2: we identify the story elements (who, where, problem, solution) and draw these. I usually really need another session for this, doing this in session 1 seems like much for these kids. Also gives a chance to repeat the vocabulary.

- Session 3: we talk about the story, usually retelling certain episodes. I use color coding/sentence strips to help them understand the complex sentences found in the book. I also like to use sentence combining and have them talk about the book using words like 'because', 'so', etc.

- Session 4: I fit in other goals like practicing describing with the EET tool or semantic feature analysis to deepen the vocab.

- Session 5: the parallel story seems to just... go off the rails lol. I use this session to recap and make a map/draw pictures of what they learned so we can remember.

My main question is: How long are you usually staying with one book? If we really want to deepen things, it takes quite some time. How are you deciding which books are worth that much time? This would take 3 to 6 weeks per book (some kids 2x a week, others just 1x a week).

I’ve just gotten a 5;6-year-old boy on my caseload at a special school for kids with severe DLD (not in the US). He also has a severe articulation impairment. His speech is almost entirely unintelligible: outside of obvious context, I understand maybe 4 out of 50 words. For example, if he points to his Spiderman water bottle and says something like “i-e-mn,” we can infer he means “Spiderman.” The rest of the time he'll tell whole stories without one recognizable word, using solely vowels and melody. He has already had speech therapy for over 2 years, so I don't think he'll make rapid progress with my treatment. He also struggles to follow classroom language/routines such as "Get your water bottle", "Tidy up now", etc.

I’m considering introducing robust AAC to support him, but AAC services are usually done in separate schools/institutions because our educational system is not very inclusive. I could advocate for AAC support, but realistically that would take a lot of time and get a lot of pushback. Therefore, I want to start introducing some low-tech AAC supports myself. I made a simple communication board using a free online program, with vocabulary based on what I observed him trying to communicate.

Since I've never worked with AAC before, I’d love advice from people with AAC experience:

• Does it make sense to use AAC temporarily for a child like him?
• How do you address hesitancy from colleagues who think AAC isn’t needed because the child is “verbal” (or should grow to be)?
• How do you teach teachers to model AAC in a busy classroom?
• And if anyone’s willing, I’d love feedback on my initial grid.

https://preview.redd.it/44hgsi56gy0h1.png?width=1504&format=png&auto=webp&s=e20babb42d25793da5dffd4ee6da87b0d414372c

👤 Pronouns / People

I

you

teacher

🔤 Verbs (Actions)

want

have

choose

look

come

eat

help

sit

fall

clean up

📍 Position / Direction / Function Words

that

also

here

there

on / up

off

in

under

❓ Question Words / Phrases

what do (to do)?

who?

when?

may I?

🏫 Places

house

outside

classroom

toilet

🎒 Objects (Nouns)

coat

bag

lunchbox

bottle

cupboard

chair

car

book

coat rack

👤 Character

spiderman

⏱️ Time

now

later

😊 Feelings / Opinions

nice / fun

not nice / not fun

✅ Responses

yes

no

not

stop

ready / finished

Thanks in advance!

I have the stupidest thing I feel bad about. Whenever I do artic therapy I feel bad about kids having to look at my teeth. I've some damage from grinding and they're not very white. Last year a kid told me they were yellow. This was a student very focused on her appearance and those of others (she also mentioned it when I didn't wear eyeliner for a day and would tell my I was skinny). Ever since then when I do artic and I tell kids to look at my mouth I just feel a little weird. It's a stupid thing, a 4-year old shouldn't care about my teeth and they're not objectively the worst or something people will remember about me. But still. I'm just wondering if anyone else ever feels this way or has some mantra I can use to feel better lol.