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What Does an AAC Session Actually Look Like? (1:1, Group, Classroom, Home & More) Ever wonder how an AAC lesson changes when you move from the therapy room to the grocery store? In this episode, I take one AAC lesson, targeting the core word "help," and walk you through it in six real-world settings: 1:1 therapy, small groups, self-contained classrooms, at home, out in public, and push-in to a general ed classroom. You'll hear a quick recap of my 8-step AAC lesson framework, then practical ideas for each setting, like: Setting up communication temptations (tight jars, wind-up toys, and flipped batteries!) Using one shared core board in groups so peers become models and helpers Building "help" into classroom routines and giving every staff member a role Coaching parents to pick just 2–3 daily moments, without turning it into a battle Going portable in the community with keychain cards and low-tech boards Embedding AAC into a gen ed lesson so your student participates with classmates, not apart from them The big takeaway: you don't need a brand-new lesson plan for every setting. Same word, same steps, different setup. 🎁 Grab the free "help" lesson and AAC board: www.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com/help Already a member? It's waiting for you inside The Full Hub!

"How do I teach problem solving?" is one of the questions I get asked most, and it's a tricky one, because problem solving isn't just one skill. Kids have to work through disagreements with friends, figure out puzzles, advocate for themselves when they need help, and break big tasks into manageable pieces. So instead of teaching each type separately, this episode gives you one simple framework that works across all of them. In this episode, you'll learn the 5 steps: Name it Brainstorm ideas Think through the ideas and choose one (pros, cons, and what might happen) Try it Did it work? If not, go back to step 2 I'll also walk you through how to teach the framework, including introducing the steps, posting a visual, practicing with pretend scenarios, and bringing it up naturally when real problems pop up. You'll hear how social stories can help the skill stick, plus practical activity ideas like building a LEGO bridge over a drawn river, pausing a storybook to brainstorm solutions for the characters, and working through social scenarios together. Inside Speech and Language Kids, members can grab our Navigating Disagreements social story and use our AI tools to create custom social stories and social scenarios for their students. Perfect for SLPs, educators, and parents who want a simple, flexible way to help kids become more independent problem solvers.

Ever given a child a two-step direction and watched the second step vanish before they got started? That's working memory at work, the brain's mental sticky note that holds information just long enough to use it. In this episode, Carrie explains what working memory is and why so many kids struggle with it. She covers the slow development of the prefrontal cortex, how ADHD, dyslexia, and language disorders can overload that mental scratchpad, and how stress, fatigue, and a noisy room can crowd out instructions. The good news is that you don't need a separate goal to address it. Carrie shows how to weave working memory support into the therapy you're already doing: point out strategies as they come up, and help kids understand that everyone's brain sometimes needs extra tools. You'll hear practical, kid-friendly strategies from Buttercup's Working Memory poster, including writing it down, making it a song, using your body, picturing it, and linking it to something familiar. She also shares additional techniques like chunking, mental rehearsal, mnemonics, consistent routines, and teach-back. These work well for SLPs, teachers, and parents.

Why does a child who knows the rule still grab the toy, blurt out the answer, or melt down when things get hard? In this episode, we break down self-control and inhibition: what they are, why they take years to develop, and how we can support them in therapy sessions and at home. We talk about the brain's "brake system" (the prefrontal cortex) and why executive function skills grow gradually, with big leaps around fourth and fifth grade. We also look at what can make self-regulation harder, including ADHD, autism, sensory overload, temperament, limited language to express big feelings, chronic stress, and lack of sleep. Understanding the "why" helps us respond with support instead of frustration. Then we get practical. You'll walk away with ideas you can use in your very next session: How to introduce, name, and revisit inhibition so it becomes part of your therapy language Fun inhibition games that build skills through play, like Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, Freeze Dance, Jenga, Fruit Ninja, Don't Laugh, and Don't Pop the Bubbles The "Pause and Plan" method: noticing body cues, taking a beat, and using self-talk to stop, think, then do How to give specific, curious feedback, like "I saw you pause there. What were you thinking about?" Ways to set up the environment with clear expectations, visual cues, and adults who model their own pauses out loud Whether you're an SLP, educator, or parent, this episode will help you see self-control as a skill we can grow together, with connection and play.

What is cognitive flexibility, and why do so many kids struggle with it? In this episode, we break down a kid-friendly definition of cognitive flexibility, explore why children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or executive function delays often find it hard to switch gears — and share practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies speech-language pathologists, teachers, and parents can use to build this skill. You'll learn the different types of flexibility skills to target (shifting attention, perspective-taking, generating alternatives, and more), how to work cognitive flexibility into existing therapy goals instead of treating it as a separate target, and simple affirmations kids can use when facing change. Plus, get a peek at our themed weekly activities designed to build executive functioning skills one at a time.

Ever have a client shove their materials away and say "I can't do this"? This episode of Speech and Language Kids dives into growth mindset for speech therapy: what it actually means (beyond the buzzword), why it's especially critical for kids with communication differences, and exactly how to teach it in session tomorrow. We cover why so many SLP caseloads carry a fixed mindset around communication: years of correction, comparison, and struggle can leave kids believing "I'll never get this sound" or "I'm just not a good talker." You'll learn the neuroscience-friendly way to explain brain plasticity to kids, the language shifts that move a child from "I can't" to "I can't do this yet," and how to keep growth mindset work fully neurodiversity-affirming — focused on strategy and effort, never on masking or "fixing" who a child is. The heart of the episode is Stuck Sticks: a simple, hands-on tool using labeled popsicle sticks that give kids a physical toolkit of coping and problem-solving strategies to pull out the moment they feel stuck. We walk through how to build a set, how to introduce them collaboratively so they feel kid-owned, and how to fade the prop over time so the strategies become internalized. Whether you're a speech-language pathologist, SLP assistant, teacher, or parent of a child who shuts down when things get hard, this episode gives you a concrete, easy-to-implement framework. No extra prep required!

Group speech/language therapy can be hard.  But when done correctly, it can also be a highly effective way of helping children get caught up with their speech and language skills.  On today's episode of the Speech and Language Kids podcast, I'll be giving you my best tips, tricks, and hacks for group speech/language therapy.   I'll be sharing hacks for... Group structure and scheduling Materials and routines Behavior and engagement Flexibility and support and Generalization of skills And if you're ready to dive in, check out our Communication Labs Program inside the SLK Curriculum.  It's our complete program for group speech/language therapy.  We've done all of the hard work for you.  All you have to do is plug and play!  Get the Full Program Guide at Hub.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com

IEPs and Paperwork got you down?? In a recent survey, only 3.5% of our School SLPs said they felt that their workload was manageable. Holy. Smokes. But don't worry, Speech and Language Kids has decided to take on the mission of fixing school speech this year. And we're starting with IEPs and other annual service plans. Join us on today's podcast as we discuss how to create systems that make our IEPs and annual service plans go quickly and smoothly. We're using pre-made checklists and AI tools to save hours and create therapy plans that help clients move through and OUT of therapy so that they can get back into the classroom and we can finally manage to breathe again.

What if your entire speech therapy caseload could be supported by one organized clinical curriculum instead of dozens of disconnected resources? In this episode, we're talking about what a clinical curriculum is, why school-based speech-language pathologists and SLPAs need one, and how using a structured system can make therapy more effective, consistent, and easier to plan. We'll review the most popular clinical curriculums and talk about which population each one is designed for. I'll give you the pros and cons of each of these. Then, I'll introduce the SLK Clinical Curriculum—a comprehensive system designed specifically for school-based SLPs and SLPAs. It supports your entire caseload, from articulation and language to fluency, AAC, social communication, literacy, motor speech, and more, with clear pathways from evaluation to dismissal. If you've ever wished you had one roadmap for your therapy instead of reinventing the wheel every week, this episode is for you.

You asked for it — so here it is. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the full Carrie Clark Method and showing you exactly how all the pieces fit together into one simple, repeatable system. We're talking about how to run your sessions without burning out on prep, how to find and use teaching materials that actually move kids through goals, how to plan an entire month in about 15 minutes, and how to collect meaningful data without making it the center of your universe. This is the Summer Reset wrap-up you didn't know you needed — and I'm ending it with a big announcement about what's coming for the 2026-2027 school year. (Hint: it's designed specifically for school-based SLPs, and I want your input on what it becomes.) If you've ever felt like you're spinning your wheels in sessions, piecing together materials from a hundred different places, or dreading data week — this episode is your permission slip to simplify everything. Hit play, then come find me inside the Hub. Big things are coming.

Ever set up an amazing organization system…only to completely abandon it by October? In this episode, Carrie breaks down the summer planning hack that SLPs are using right now to set themselves up for a smoother, less chaotic school year — and it works even if you don't have a ton of planning time, your caseload is out of control, or your admin keeps moving the goalposts. The secret? A simple speech folder system that separates your teaching materials from your engagement activities — so your prep stays low while your sessions stay fresh. You'll learn: How to set up a speech folder box (and the teletherapy-friendly version) A one-skill-per-month planning approach that actually sticks How to run sessions that alternate between practice and fun without burning yourself out on prep Why Buttercup's Speech Quests might just become your new best friend Whether your brain works against you or your schedule does, this system is designed to flex around real life — so you can actually stay organized, not just get organized. Ready to set up your speech box? Let's go.

This episode is a little different — it's one you can play directly for your clients! Today I'm introducing a new friend to the podcast: Buttercup the Speech Gnome. My sons James and Oliver join me as helpers, and together we read Buttercup's origin story out loud — the tale of how she traveled from the land of Gnomewood, where a creeping darkness called "the Silence" was swallowing every sound, to find humans brave enough to speak their "Words of Power" (aka their speech and language skills) and help push the Silence back for good. If you've never heard of Buttercup before, here's the quick version: inside the Speech and Language Kids Hub, Buttercup goes on daily speech quests with kids working on their communication goals. After practicing their target skill with their SLP, kids get to roll the Resonance Stone — a d20 that triggers something fun, silly, or magical depending on the number rolled, anything from a tiny chime to Buttercup literally crying happy tears. James and Oliver try it out live in this episode so you can hear exactly how it plays out. This episode works great as a fun listen for SLPs curious about the Speech Gnomie world, or as a read-aloud/play-along for clients who are just discovering Buttercup for the first time. After listening, visit http://Hub.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com to grab Buttercup's Welcome Kit — including a coloring page and an Official Speech Gnomie Membership Certificate — and join the Speech Gnomie Crew.

Themes are one of the best tools in an SLP's toolkit. They keep kids engaged, tap into what's happening in their world right now, and make sessions feel fresh and fun. But if you've ever spent a Sunday night frantically hunting for a "dinosaur-themed articulation activity" only to find... nothing useful... you know the burnout is real. In this episode, I'm breaking down three practical ways to bring themes into your therapy sessions without adding a ton of extra work to your plate. We're talking about using AI to generate themed materials on the fly, the magic of one themed activity that works for every kid on your caseload, and simple themed props that do the heavy lifting for you. I'll also be kicking off our Summer Reset series: 8 steps to help you finally become an Unstressed Speechie before the new school year sneaks up on you. Whether you want to overhaul your session notes, streamline your IEP process, or just stop dreading Monday mornings, this series is for you. Themes don't have to mean more work. Let me show you how.

Have you ever wished you could take your therapy kids on a field trip without the permission slips, the bus rides, or the chaos? In this episode, we're talking about one of the most underrated tools in your therapy toolkit: the virtual field trip. From live zoo webcams to immersive museum tours, these experiences bring the outside world right into your therapy room — and they pack a serious punch when it comes to building background knowledge and creating meaningful opportunities to practice speech and language skills. We'll walk through some favorite virtual destinations, including the San Diego Zoo, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Smithsonian, the Louvre, and even the ruins of Pompeii, and talk about why experiences like these matter so much for language development. Background knowledge is one of the biggest predictors of language and literacy success, and virtual field trips are a surprisingly powerful (and free!) way to build it. But this episode isn't just about clicking around on a webcam — it's about making it therapeutic. We'll cover practical strategies for weaving your students' speech and language goals right into the experience: using targeted prompts, retelling activities, nonfiction read-alouds, and even writing thank-you notes to zookeepers and park rangers. Plus, we'll share how our new printable activity sheets make it easy to keep kids engaged and practicing their skills the whole time. Whether you're a school-based SLP looking for a fresh way to engage your kiddos or a private practitioner wanting to bring more meaning into your sessions, this episode is for you. Pack your bags — we're going on a field trip.

What if the most powerful therapy tool in your session was already sitting on the floor? In this episode, we're talking about play — not as a reward for "real" practice, but as the practice itself. We'll dig into why kids learn and retain skills so much better through play, and exactly how to make it work: modeling with exaggeration, recasting errors naturally, creating communication temptations, and building in just enough structure to get the repetitions you need. You'll also get practical strategies for older kids and skills that don't come up organically, including turning practice into timed challenges, pairing reps with games, and using sensory tools to keep focus without the fight. This one's a game-changer — pun fully intended.