u/nc3848

I’ve been an SLPA for about a month and I have one client (who's 5) with a very short attention span. I’ve had 4 sessions with him so far, and I’m struggling to keep him engaged long enough to target his goals. For example, he’s working on understanding prepositions. I’ll set up something like a cat “in” a box and another cat “on” the box, but before I can even finish saying, “Point to the cat that is in the box,” he grabs the toys and starts playing with them.

I’ve tried table activities and I also tried play-based therapy on the floor, but honestly it felt even harder because he would just grab everything and not attend to directions at all.

His mom sits in on sessions and is really good at redirecting him, but I don’t want to rely too heavily on parent support during therapy.

For those with more experience:  

- How do you handle clients with extremely short attention spans?  

- Do you keep parent participation involved?  

- Any tips for balancing play with actually getting trials in?

Thanks! 

I am a month in for my SLPA job. I have three clients so far, one of them is very consistent with attendance and has had 4 sessions so far. My supervisor is struggling to understand my data. Like for example, a client has a goal of 2-3 step directions, but to see where the client is at, I targeted 1-2 step directions for the first two sessions and then just did 2 step. I did count the 1 step direction toward the % accuracy, which I guess fluctuated the data (the percentages are not very consistent). My supervisor said I can note that they're strong at 1 step but shouldn't include it in the percentage since it doesn't align with what the goal says. This sounds right and I see how she can be confused.

I really want some help with how I can refine my system going forward. I got a new client today and want to start fresh. Any advice on data collection and collecting baselines is appreciated!! I love this field more than anything and want to do the best I can.

Is it possible for a grad program, specifically CSUF, to admit me off the waitlist in May/June/July? Is anyone else also in the same boat? Please give me some insight and if anyone graduated from there, I'd love to know about the program in case I end up attending. Thanks!