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The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

Advertise on podcast: The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

Rating
★★★★★
4.7
from
28 reviews
This podcast has
207 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2021/12/31
Latest episode
2026/02/05
Average duration
26 min.
Release period
10 days

Description

Get ready for all things speech pathology: AAC, ADHD, Apraxia, Articulation Therapy, Autism, Behavior, Early Intervention, Executive Function, Evidence-Based Practice, Gestalt Language, Literacy Intervention, Movement, Multi-Modal Cueing, Narratives, Partnerships, Phonological Awareness, Sensory, Speech Strategies, Target Selection, Technology, Telehealth, and Self-care. Be better. Do better. Create better. Make the world a better place, one person at a time. You're first. Join Kelly every Thursday and at the drawing board. Do better with easy step-by-step 'how-to's' with ready-for-use printables and over 100 video clips of best practices, check out Kelly's book "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment." It is available at Amazon and major booksellers internationally. If you learn from doing and work with children with special needs, join Kelly's Sparkle in School Membership. Make intervention EASY with weekly ready-for-use materials and Google Slides Decks sent to your inbox. Check it out today at kellyvess.com. Thoughts to share? Email: [email protected]

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Check latest episodes from The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP podcast


206. Why Traditional Speech Therapy Misses Drooling: What Works Instead
2026/02/05
If you work with children who drool, this episode is for you. I’m pulling back the curtain on an approach I’ve used for over 15 years that has consistently reduced—and often eliminated—drooling in preschoolers. Not in theory. Not in a lab. In real therapy rooms, with real kids, on real caseloads. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: There is very little direct research on speech intervention and drooling. And instead of grappling with that complexity, our field often defaults to dogmatic thinking—blindly applying principles from other populations and calling it “evidence-based.” In this episode, I challenge that thinking. You’ll hear why: Motor learning principles do not transfer cleanly to preschoolers Bottom-up oral motor logic fails when the task is speech Single sounds don’t recruit the same neuromuscular systems as 3-element consonant clusters Then I walk you through four precise reasons why targeting three-element clusters (like /spr/, /skr/, /skw/) uniquely impacts drooling: Jaw stability driven by sustained /s/ with a closed mandibular posture Differentiation of tongue and lips from the jaw, mirroring swallowing mechanics Enhanced proprioceptive feedback through Dynamic Temporal Tactile Cueing Endurance and motor control built through slow, continuous, high-load speech tasks I also share a practical “back-porch” way to test this yourself—no fancy equipment, no new evals, just systematic observation and honest comparison. This isn’t about abandoning evidence-based practice. It’s about doing it better—with nuance, skepticism, and attention to detail. Because real progress doesn’t come from swinging between extremes. It comes from asking better questions and working at the right level of complexity. What You’ll Learn Why drooling is a neuromuscular control issue—not a hygiene issue How 3-element clusters recruit swallowing-relevant motor systems Why preschoolers need more, not less, feedback How to get speech gains and drool reduction at the same time Where the limits of this approach actually are (and why that matters) Call to Action If you want to apply this Monday morning, don’t guess. When you join the SIS Membership, you’ll immediately receive: Ready-to-use 3-element cluster treatment targets Weekly task-oriented movement activities that support posture, endurance, and executive function Research-to-practice tools designed for real caseloads—not perfect conditions You don’t need more time. You need higher-yield targets. 👉 Join here: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Because when you work at the right level of complexity, the easier skills take care of themselves.
205. What 707 Autistic Preschoolers Reveal About Who Develops Speech—and Who Doesn’t
2026/01/29
If you work with preschoolers with autism and you care about spoken language outcomes, this episode matters. A lot. In today’s episode of The Preschool SLP Podcast, we unpack the largest study to date examining why some autistic children do not develop spoken language, even after receiving high-quality, evidence-based early intervention. The takeaway is blunt: Motor imitation doesn’t matter a little. It matters a lot. Inside this episode, we cover: Why one-third of autistic preschoolers in a large, multi-site study did not advance in spoken language despite receiving ~10 hours/week of evidence-based intervention How motor imitation emerged as a key distinguishing factor between children who advanced in speech and those who did not What neuroscience tells us about mirror neurons, empathy, perspective-taking, and speech development Why speech develops from the inside out: core → proximal → distal → speech. And, what happens when we skip the body and go straight to the mouth How motor imitation supports: Entry into peer play Social communication Speech motor planning and execution Prefrontal–cerebellar connectivity Why this research gives us a “crystal ball”—not to maintain the status quo, but to do something different earlier  You can’t build speech on a system that can’t yet support posture, movement, imitation, and motor planning. If motor imitation is weak, speech outcomes are at risk, pretending otherwise doesn’t help children. Clinical bottom line: If a child presents with: Severe autism presentation Limited or absent spoken language Poor motor imitation Then motor imitation must be intentionally built into intervention, alongside AAC, multimodal cueing, movement-based learning, and robust communication supports. This episode challenges us to stop treating mouths—and start treating children. 🎧 Want practical ways to integrate motor imitation, movement, AAC, and literacy? Join the SIS Membership for ready-to-use, movement-based, evidence-informed activities designed for real preschoolers in real settings: 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Vivanti, G.L, et al. (2025). Proportion and profile of autistic children not acquiring spoken language despite receiving evidence-based early interventions. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2025.2579286      
204. The R Workout: Applying Exercise Science to Fix the Hardest Sound in Speech
2026/01/22
What if the problem with treating the R sound isn’t the child—but the way we train it? In today’s episode, we step outside the field of speech-language pathology and borrow powerful, evidence-based principles from exercise science and kinesiology to rethink how we treat speech sound disorders. Why? Because exercise science has done what our field largely hasn’t: isolated what actually works using controlled trials, precision, and specificity. Speech is a complex neuromuscular skill. Treating it like flashcards and passive listening don’t make sense—and they don’t produce durable change. In this episode, you’ll learn how five core principles from exercise science directly apply to improving the R sound efficiently: • Why “practice makes permanent” and how the 80% challenge point prevents habituating errors • How progressive overload explains why complex clusters outperform isolated sounds • Why auditory bombardment is passive and inefficient when therapy time is limited • How compound training (paragraphs, clusters, movement, literacy) creates system-wide linguistic change • Why specificity matters—and why speech therapy must look like real speech to generalize This episode challenges the status quo in therapy and makes the case for treating speech as the neuromuscular endurance task it actually is. If you’re tired of plateaus, endless cueing, and R programs that don’t generalize, this conversation will change how you think about treatment starting Monday morning. 👉 Ready to treat the R sound more efficiently—without guessing? Inside the SIS Membership, you’ll find high-impact treatment targets, complex R clusters, and ready-to-use paragraphs designed to apply these principles immediately—so you can stop planning and start seeing change. Get access to efficient, evidence-informed R targets at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Train smarter. Challenge appropriately. Create real change.
203. Consonant Clusters Aren’t Too Hard: They’re the Shortcut.
2026/01/15
Are consonant clusters really “too complex” for kids with severe speech sound disorders—or have we been aiming too low? This episode tackles one of the most persistent myths in speech therapy: that children with childhood apraxia of speech, autism, or severe speech delay aren’t ready for clusters. I’m unpacking the real science behind complexity, coarticulation, and system-wide change—and why waiting for “readiness” often slows progress rather than supporting it. Let's break down three common myths that are not evidence-based: • Myth 1: Children must master single sounds before clusters • Myth 2: Clusters should always come later in treatment • Myth 3: Consonant deletion must be fixed first You’ll hear why speech doesn’t develop like a geyser, how the waterfall effect actually works, and why starting with complex targets can accelerate gains across the entire sound system—even in preschoolers. This episode also walks through how to do this in therapy: using dynamic tactile-temporal cueing, maintaining an 80% challenge point, and choosing treatment targets that improve motor planning, programming, and verbal working memory simultaneously. If clusters feel uncomfortable, slow, or messy—that’s the point. Challenge creates change. Want treatment targets that already do this work for you—without reinventing the wheel every week? Join the SIS Membership for ready-to-use, research-informed activities designed to create real speech change while protecting your time and energy. https://www.kellyvess.com/sis
202. When AAC Feels Hard, It’s Working: What Effective Clinicians Do Differently
2026/01/08
If you work with children who are minimally speaking with autism or you love a child who is minimally speaking, today’s episode matters. Over the past year, I’ve been doing something deeply intentional. I’ve been having long, honest conversations with speech pathologists and special education teachers who are truly effective with high-tech AAC. These weren’t quick chats. Each interview ran over an hour. I asked open-ended questions. I pushed for specifics. I wanted to know what is actually working for robust AAC systems with thousands of words. What I found surprised me. There was no magic training. No perfect certification. No secret setting hidden inside the device. What these highly effective professionals shared was something much more human. They believed in themselves enough to try. To fail. To troubleshoot. To look clumsy. To learn alongside the child. In this episode, I talk about why vulnerability is the real needle mover in AAC implementation. I share why modeling uncertainty, curiosity, and joy matters more than appearing fluent. Showing a child how you search for a word, celebrate finding it, or flexibly choose an alternative builds far more communication power than perfection ever could. We discuss treating AAC as play, not performance. About using devices the way we use books with young children as interactive tools meant to spark connection, not test correctness. I also connect what I’m seeing in my dissertation research to real-life practice. Across hours of transcripts and coding, the same theme kept surfacing. Fluency doesn’t come from training. It comes from hands-on experience. Repetition. Messy, imperfect action. This episode will challenge you to rethink comfort zones, to stop waiting until you feel ready, and to remember that communication growth begins when adults are willing to learn out loud. If AAC has ever felt overwhelming, intimidating, or like something you were supposed to already have mastered, this conversation is for you. And if you want ready-to-use, engaging, and effective activities that make AAC implementation doable in real sessions, join the SIS Membership. Weekly resources arrive in your inbox so you can spend less time prepping and more time modeling, exploring, and connecting with your kids. You can learn more and join at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Thank you for being part of this work. Roll up your sleeves. Be vulnerable. And keep changing lives one child at a time.
Six Self-Care Swaps for Peak Performance in Therapy
2025/12/17
If you work with children who have complex communication needs, you already know this truth: You cannot pour from an empty cup. In this episode, I share six realistic self-care swaps I use from morning to night to support energy, focus, and emotional regulation in the work we do. These are not trends. They are practical, research-informed adjustments that help me show up fully present in therapy sessions, even during long, demanding days. As winter approaches and energy dips, comfort-food cravings rise. Instead of relying on willpower, I build better systems. In this episode, I walk you through: • A caffeine swap that supports focus without crashes • A protein-rich breakfast that stabilizes blood sugar • A comfort-food lunch that doesn’t derail energy • A 4 p.m. strategy for end-of-day slumps • A clean popcorn hack that actually works • A dessert and sleep routine that supports recovery, not burnout Self-care isn’t indulgence. It’s infrastructure. When your body and brain are supported, you can stay responsive, regulated, and fully present with the children and families you serve. A note for SIS Members and those considering joining Inside the SIS Membership, I design therapy the same way I design my self-care: with systems that remove friction. Members receive weekly, done-for-you, research-informed activities so they can spend their energy where it matters most: interaction, responsiveness, and connection. No scrambling. No reinventing the wheel. Just showing up ready. If you are ready to reduce decision fatigue, protect your energy, and innovate your practice alongside a community of practitioners doing the work in real classrooms and therapy rooms, you can join us here: 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis You deserve support that actually supports you. Thank you for joining me at today’s drawing board for a better tomorrow, 💚 Kelly
201. The Movie Every SLP and Special Educator Needs to See: 5 Hard Lessons on Parent Collaboration
2025/12/11
If you work with parents of children with special needs, this episode is non-negotiable. Instead of diving into research, we’re heading straight into a film that delivers the kind of uncomfortable clarity our field rarely gets. Today, we break down If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You—Mary Bronstein’s raw, emotionally accurate look into the lived experience of parenting a neurodivergent child—and why every SLP, special educator, and early-intervention professional needs to watch it. This movie exposes a blind spot in our practice: how we show up for families. And more importantly, how often we get it wrong. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why judging parents instantly destroys trust • How our “professional persona” blocks genuine connection • The simple shift that makes parents feel heard instead of dismissed • When your “support” becomes a burden—and how to stop doing it • Why burnout in families is invisible until it explodes • How to rebuild capacity for parents and for yourself This is not a feel-good conversation. It’s a necessary recalibration for anyone who works with families navigating neurodivergence, chronic medical needs, and overwhelming daily demands. If you want to do better for the families you serve, start here. Feeling your own burnout creeping in? Stop white-knuckling it. The SIS Membership provides weekly, ready-to-use, universally designed literacy-movement activities that dramatically reduce your planning time while increasing engagement for every child on your caseload. Protect your capacity. Strengthen your practice. Join today at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis
200. My Five Favorite Literacy Habits That Boost Early Language
2025/12/04
If you love weaving books into speech and language therapy, this episode is absolutely your lane. In this conversation, Kelly breaks down a 2025 scoping review on early language development and reading aloud, then translates it into five practical literacy “hacks” you can use with preschool and early elementary students starting tomorrow. She pulls zero punches about the study design: you’ll hear exactly what a scoping review is (and isn’t), why it doesn’t carry the same weight as a systematic review or meta-analysis, and how to use it wisely as an “idea generator” rather than gospel. From there, she layers in two decades of clinical experience and walks through the habits that actually move the needle in real therapy rooms. You’ll hear about: Why this 2025 scoping review on reading aloud and early language is best viewed as an “idea article” How the authors used PCC (Population, Context, Concept) to narrow 1,000+ studies down to 106 Why repetitive, predictable books (like The Gingerbread Man or Brown Bear, Brown Bear) allow diverse learners to participate at a higher level How to rethink “social stories” using a Brown Bear-style repetitive frame and a child’s favorite characters for more powerful behavior change What Universal Design for Learning actually looks like in speech therapy when you go all-in on multimodal cueing How multisensory, multimodal activities (print, props, movement, AAC, writing) especially support autistic students and kids with attention and motor planning challenges Why connecting books to real-world roles and prior knowledge (“You’re the zookeeper…”) drives deeper language and thinking than fact-based WH questions Simple language shifts that move you away from quizzing (“What color is…?”) toward higher-level thinking (“I wonder why…”, “Tell me about a time…”) How predictable literacy routines reduce cognitive load and move kids out of fight/flight and into learning Why the interaction itself matters more than any single treatment target or book choice How prepping rich, ready-to-go materials frees you to be fully present in the interaction (where the real “magic” happens) By the end, you’ll walk away with five concrete literacy routines you can plug into your week and a much clearer lens for judging research quality while still using it creatively. Want these literacy hacks done for you every week? If you’re ready to stop reinventing the wheel and want literacy-based, movement-rich activities that already embed these principles, join the SIS Membership. Inside SIS, you get: Weekly Google Slides decks built around repetitive, predictable books Multimodal, multisensory activities (movement, props, print, AAC, writing) you can use with your entire caseload Treatment targets that are already leveled and ready to go, so you can focus on the interaction instead of scrambling for materials Join SIS here and grab everything instantly: 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis   Annika, A., & Johanna, L. (2025). Early language development and reading aloud with children: A scoping review and content analysis. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 9, 100508.
199. Selective Mutism + Hectic Holidays — Make Sure to Do THIS
2025/11/20
Children who speak freely at home but shut down in public aren’t being stubborn. Their capacity is getting crushed by the demands of new people, new settings, and unpredictable routines. In this episode, we break down how to build capacity using the PRIDE approach—adapted specifically for reluctant speakers and children with selective mutism. You’ll hear how to shift out of “thermostat mode” and into “mime mode,” using 10 minutes a day of pure responsiveness to lower pressure, increase connection, and support communication in high-stress seasons like the holidays. We walk through exactly how to use each part of PRIDE—objective encouragement, reflection, imitation, description, and enjoyment—without adding demands, without pushing speech, and without triggering shutdown. This is the blueprint for helping sensitive, cautious, or selectively mute children communicate more confidently when the world gets loud. In this episode, you’ll learn: • How the Demands–Capacity Model explains shutdowns in public or group settings • Why holiday routines, unfamiliar people, and novel activities increase mutism • How to adapt each PRIDE element for reluctant speakers (no expansions, no recasts) • What 10 minutes of daily “mime time” does to build capacity fast • The specific social and communication behaviors that improve when capacity increases • How SLPs can coach families through this process during high-stress seasons If you work with children who freeze, whisper, avoid, or stop speaking outside the home, this episode gives you a concrete plan you can use immediately. Want ready-to-use activities that make your therapy educationally rich without adding demands? Join the SIS Membership and get weekly materials designed to support speech, language, and social-emotional foundations—especially for sensitive and reluctant communicators. 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis
198. Put PRIDE to Work to Improve Behavior: Evidence-Based PRIDE Skills from PCIT That Really Work
2025/11/13
If you serve young children with behavior challenges, this episode delivers a framework you can put to work immediately. Today, we break down the PRIDE skills: five evidence-based behavior strategies drawn from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT). These methods have more than 50 years of empirical support and consistently improve behavior, engagement, emotional regulation, and communication across diverse populations. You’ll learn how to use objective praise, reflection, imitation, description, and genuine enjoyment to build connection—not compliance. This child-directed interaction approach has been shown to make meaningful gains for children with autism, ADHD, selective mutism, developmental language disorders, trauma histories, hearing differences, anxiety, and disruptive or externalizing behaviors. The research is broad. The effect sizes are large. And the application is simple. We dig into how PRIDE skills strengthen executive function, expressive language, joint attention, and emotional resilience—and why these strategies are essential for SLPs, early childhood educators, and anyone working in preschool or early elementary settings. When you have educationally rich activities prepared, you can stay fully present and implement PRIDE with intention, clarity, and consistency. If you want treatment plans that allow you to focus on relationships, responsiveness, and evidence-based connection strategies that actually change behavior, the SIS Membership is designed for you. Each week, you receive educationally rich activities that treat the whole child—speech, language, literacy, executive function, and motor foundations—so you can implement PRIDE seamlessly without scrambling for materials. Join the SIS Membership and make your therapy easier, richer, and more effective: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Let’s build capacity, connection, and better outcomes—one child at a time.💚Kelly
197. Ten Predictors of Poor Progress in Speech Therapy—and How to Turn It Around
2025/11/06
If you treat speech sound disorders (SSD) and you’re not seeing the gains you expect, this episode is your playbook. We cut through the noise and name the 10 research-informed predictors of slower progress—attention/self-monitoring limits, sensitive temperament, co-occurring language/working-memory load, hearing impairment (fricatives/affricates), motor speech factors, structural constraints (e.g., open bite), low stimulability, later start to intervention, low therapy intensity/irregular attendance, and environmental barriers. Then we pivot hard into the three levers that consistently move outcomes: choosing complex, maximally distinct targets (e.g., SW-blends), delivering dynamic temporal tactile cueing (DTTC-style), and holding the ~80% challenge point to avoid reinforcing error patterns. Concrete therapy examples, parent carryover, and generalization strategies included. What you’ll learn: 📈How attention and self-monitoring mask progress until generalization “pops” 📈Why a sensitive temperament demands predictability and a responsive start 📈How co-occurring language and limited verbal working memory can look like CAS—but aren’t 📈What hearing loss really means for fricatives/affricates and consonant deletion patterns 📈Practical expectations for motor speech and structural constraints (e.g., open bite) 📈How stimulability with maximal cueing informs prognosis 📈Why start age and habit strength matter for entrenched /r/ and /s/ errors 📈Why frequency > duration for home practice, and how to embed one daily rep 📈The “no-data-during-DTTC” mindset: probe quickly, cue deeply, fade fast The 3 levers (non-negotiables): 📈Target selection: Complex, maximally distinct clusters (SW > ST/SP/SK) to drive system-wide change. 📈Delivery: DTTC-style, moment-to-moment cueing (choral → fade), with brief probes to verify learning. 📈Challenge point: Keep accuracy near ~80%—high enough to learn, low enough to adapt. If you’re reinforcing errors, pivot. 00:00 Why progress “flatlines” then explodes 03:10 Predictor #1: Attention/self-monitoring 06:20 #2: Sensitive temperament & predictable routines 10:00 #3: Language/working memory vs. “looks like CAS” 14:15 #4: Hearing impairment (HF cues, fricatives/affricates) 17:10 #5: Motor speech considerations 20:05 #6: Structural constraints (open bite, dental) 22:40 #7: Stimulability with maximal cueing 25:00 #8: Older start age, entrenched habits 27:10 #9: Intensity/attendance 28:45 #10: Environmental barriers 30:45 The 3 levers: complex targets, DTTC, 80% challenge point 38:00 One-rep-a-day home carryover that actually sticks Call to action: Stop reinventing materials. Make your work easy with effective, educationally-rich SSD tools at your fingertips—complex target sentence strips, paragraphs, and movement-literacy activities ready so you can focus on cueing, not prep. 👉 Join the SIS Membership: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis
196. 10 Reasons to Use the ‘Look at’ Sentence Strip to Spark Speech in Autism
2025/10/30
If you work with children with autism who are minimally speaking, this episode is a must-listen. We’re breaking down why the “Look at” sentence strip has been a total game-changer in my therapy room—and why it consistently helps children begin to speak, connect, and comment on the world around them. After 25 years of practice, I can tell you this tool does more than encourage speech—it builds neurological pathways for speech to flow. You’ll learn: ✅ The neuroscience behind why repetition and motor consistency matter ✅ How DTTC and “look at” work hand-in-hand to build automaticity ✅ Why “look at” is far more powerful than “I want” for developing joint attention ✅ How to pair high-tech AAC with low-tech sentence strips for best outcomes ✅ The 10 reasons this strip transforms therapy for children with autism. This episode is full of practical insight, real-world examples from my SIS members’ “back porches,” and evidence-based strategies that rewire how we think about early speech intervention. 🎧 Tune in, and then grab your own Look at sentence strip and watch your minimally speaking students light up the room. 💫 Join the SIS Membership today for access to the weekly movement- and literacy-based therapy materials that pair perfectly with this episode—complete with parent emails and ready-to-go Google Slides for your whole group sessions. 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Thanks for joining me at today’s drawing board for a better tomorrow, 💚Kelly
195. Groundbreaking Autism Study Reveals How Autism Can Develop At Any Age and How to D.S.D.
2025/10/23
Discover how a 2025 Nature autism study transforms early intervention in speech language pathology. Learn how family history, genetics, and executive function shape assessment, therapy planning, and lifelong communication outcomes. If you work with children with autism, this episode will change how you think about early intervention forever. A major 2025 study published in Nature titled Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age of diagnosis has revealed that early onset autism and later developing autism are not the same. This is one of the largest autism studies ever conducted, examining more than 47,000 individuals around the world. The results reshape how we understand autism heritability, family psychiatric history, and executive function development. In this episode, you will learn: ✅ Why early autism diagnosed before age three is genetically distinct from later developing autism that emerges in middle childhood or adolescence ✅ How family psychiatric history, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and substance use predicts later developing autism ✅ Why the DSM 5 removal of the age three cutoff was not only progressive but empirically supported ✅ How this research should change your parent input forms and follow up recommendations ✅ Why executive function including attention, cognitive flexibility, and self regulation is the bridge between prevention and intervention This study confirms that autism can emerge at any point in development when social and academic demands exceed a child’s executive function capacity. That finding changes everything about how we evaluate, how we plan early intervention, and how we empower families. If you are ready to move beyond reactive labels toward proactive, capacity-building intervention, this episode will show you how to do exactly that. 💡 Join the SIS Membership at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis to access weekly movement-based literacy and language activities that build executive function, the foundation for lifelong communication, learning, and independence. Source: Zhang, Y., et al. (2025). Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age of diagnosis. Nature, 631(8046), 455–468. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41034588/ Note: The diagnosis of Autism is an interdisciplinary process. In the U.S. public school system, a psychologist, social worker, and SLP are minimally required. In private settings, most insurers require a psychologist, MD, or psychiatrist with an allied health professional, such as an SLP.   
194. 5 Myths About High-Tech AAC—Debunked by Research
2025/10/16
If you work with minimally speaking children or children with autism, this episode is a must-listen. Speech-language pathologist Kelly Vess takes on the five biggest myths about high-tech AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)—and backs every point with current peer-reviewed research. Learn why high-tech AAC devices: ✅ Do not require self-regulation or joint attention first ✅ Are not too complex for preschoolers ✅ Increase social interaction rather than limit it ✅ Should not be constantly customized ✅ Must be provided—and supported—by public schools under IDEA and ADA Kelly breaks down each misconception, explains how to blend high-tech and low-tech AAC for multimodal communication, and challenges you to D.S.D.—Do Something Different—instead of waiting 17 years for “research-to-practice.” It’s time to empower our minimally speaking students with robust, research-driven voices. Whether you’re an SLP, special educator, or early-childhood professional, you’ll walk away ready to advocate for access, staff training, and parent coaching in AAC implementation. 👉 Join today at www.kellyvess.com/sis
192. Are Final Clusters the Overlooked Key to Greater Speech and Language Gains?
2025/10/02
If you work with children with speech sound disorders, this episode is a must-listen. We’re diving into cutting-edge research on final consonant clusters—a treatment target that has been largely overlooked but may unlock powerful generalization gains. For decades, evidence has shown that choosing complex targets leads to greater overall progress. Now, new research suggests that working on final 3-element clusters may be just as effective—and possibly more efficient—than the traditional initial cluster approach. In this episode, I’ll break down: ✅ Why marked forms (like /skr/) accelerate progress more than unmarked forms ✅ What makes final clusters uniquely complex (morphological load, rarity, later acquisition) ✅ Key takeaways from a 2025 study on final clusters in intervention (8 children, 6 weeks, medium effect sizes) ✅ Practical strategies you can implement tomorrow on your back porch ✅ Why efficiency matters: getting gains in speech and language when time is limited. I’ll also share how to structure practice (limited exemplars, high repetitions, removing models for self-driven motor planning) so you can maximize impact. Don’t wait 17 years for research to trickle into practice—try this approach now. 🎁FREE Resource: Download your Final Cluster Homework Flip Book here: 👉 http://www.kellyvess.com/finalcluster ✨ Want weekly ready-to-go resources? Join the SIS Membership today and get instant access to: Theme-based movement + literacy activities Weekly treatment targets (including complex clusters + paragraphs) Parent + teletherapy Google Slides decks A full treatment target library 👉 https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Source: Potapova, I., John, A., Pruitt-Lord, S., & Barlow, J. (2025). Extending complexity to word-final position via telepractice: Intervention effects for English-speaking children with speech sound disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(1), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_lshss-24-00020

Podcast reviews

Read The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP podcast reviews


4.7 out of 5
28 reviews
★★★★★
Shlarkin 2022/04/06
Excellent information to help your practice!
I discovered Kelly through a continuing education seminar and her information, along with her book, has changed almost everything about how I do presc...
★★☆☆☆
WPVan 2025/08/30
2 Pound Dumbbell
I loved this podcast at first, but it has become a repetitive infomercial after 4 or 5 episodes. I am no longer learning anything new, so it’s time to...
★★★★★
J.M.Shermer 2022/04/02
Big fan of Kelly
Kelly is that rare clinician that can distill research into actionable interventions. She’s not afraid to say what she feels needs to be said and yet ...
★★★★★
csgeywubz 2022/02/22
Excellent
Kelly brings her compassion and knowledge to pediatric speech therapy. Thank you for bringing awareness to gestalt learning styles, temporal cueing a...
★★★★★
azaniadork16 2022/02/17
SLP Strategies for Success
Great information and approaches to working with preschool age children. Kelly presents innovative and creative strategies for practice that optimizes...
★★★★★
TK Friend 2022/01/20
Preschool SLP
She’s done it again finding new platforms to share her knowledge and evidence based practices to engage students with Autism and Speech Sound Disorder...
★★★★★
SHI@S 2022/01/15
Efficient Tips
In my opinion, the interesting and practical topics mentioned in this podcast is that, the most strategic way for children to succeed is to trust them...
★★★★★
JKChapel 2022/01/13
Love this podcast
Takes this subject into new innovative frontiers with easy to apply techniques. Look forward to follow up podcasts.
★★★★★
Hgmercury 2022/01/09
A Passion to Learn
You can hear Kelly’s commitment to improving the lives and outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder in every sentence. Kelly has worked wit...
★★★★★
Chris F, Capt, CAP 2022/01/08
The preschool SLP
I found this podcast insightful. Sometimes educators and family members expect children to sit still and listen, thinking they will learn via osmo...
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