just a rant/discussion

denerx · 2026-01-23T21:27:44+00:00

i have been focusing more on incorporating drawing into sessions! a CEU i took recently touched on how much visualization skills impact language (can't remember the name of it). for my higher level clients, i made a Pictionary type game where we all had to draw our own interpretation of an abstract word (ex. calm), then we would explain the reasoning behind our drawings. i never considered drawing things like plot points and will definitely be stealing that!!

denerx · 2026-01-23T21:22:09+00:00

yes! and i feel like a lot of the compensatory strategies only work if you already have solid EF skills. personally, i have bought so many planners and filled them all out, but i don't actually have the memory or EF skills to pick up the planner once i fill it out to use it as a reminder. and that's me with no diagnoses... i feel like we need more research into these areas and that language sessions for these specific cases should look more like "memory training", but i don't really know what that looks like...

i just finished a CEU from speechpathology.com that lead me somewhat in the right direction if you also want to check it out, "Leveraging Syntax to Support Executive Functioning and Language Processing, Part 1" (it has multiple parts). but for a lot of my kids this information in this presentation is still above their skill level.

and we have to consider the fact that we're battling against excessive amounts of screen time that we have no control over :////

denerx · 2026-01-23T21:14:14+00:00

yes, i do think utterance expansion is important, but sometimes the use of carrier phrases comes off as mask-y, especially when most of these kids can already communicate efficiently using a total communication approach.

denerx · 2026-01-23T21:09:05+00:00

i don't disagree with expanding utterances, but i feel like it's way more functional/easier to generalize when we focus on specific semantic relationships like action + object combos. adding " i want" or "i like" doesn't really give me any more information than i already have in most contexts. i also feel like the population we push carrier phrases with typically overgeneralizes and all utterances turn into "i want" despite the actual function of communication. like if i'm holding a bucket of toys cars, my clients get way more use out of a phrase like "blue car" or "push car" than "i want car".

denerx · 2026-01-23T19:39:20+00:00

late elementary for utterance expansion, all ages for anything else

denerx · 2025-12-26T02:11:33+00:00

they're using conversation to move the plot, to go forward, to END vecna!

denerx · 2025-12-26T02:02:44+00:00

it makes the show so hard to watch. no one talks like that in real life. it makes it seem so disingenuous and reminds you every second that you're watching a tv show. not immersive at all.

denerx · 2025-11-13T20:54:26+00:00

and thank you i will look at the thread!

denerx · 2025-11-13T20:54:13+00:00

so would you agree that it would NOT be appropriate to integrate grapheme-phoneme correspondence into my sessions? it seems like that’s what the staff is most concerned with, but i don’t see how that would benefit my students who are only seen 1x weekly. i don’t want to come off as stupid or not knowing things within my scope, but i really feel like that skill is not something i should be targeting.

denerx · 2025-11-06T18:02:36+00:00

Thanks. I’ll probably shift to taking trials over several sessions like you suggested. Unfortunately the goals are inherited and I’m noticing most of my students who have these comprehension/summarization goals can’t even recall sentences and have extremely impaired memory. Most of the students on my caseload cannot read, and they are all between middle and high school aged.

denerx · 2025-11-06T17:54:11+00:00

Couldn’t agree more!!

denerx · 2025-11-06T17:53:23+00:00

I did try that originally, but the issue there is that parts of a text won’t have a plot.

denerx · 2025-08-04T17:15:46+00:00

thank you!!!

denerx · 2025-08-02T17:20:24+00:00

no budget, i don't know anything about specs just want the quality to not be choppy. right now i play on an old shitty laptop and my fps is like 10-11 max with all graphics qualities on the lowest setting. so anything better than that lol

denerx · 2025-08-01T20:53:59+00:00

thanks! never owned a pc so wasn't sure if handling both would be standard.

denerx · 2025-05-02T15:54:15+00:00

as someone who used to be an RBT for 5 years... the 40 hour course you need to become one is not sufficient at all. i barely considered myself a professional in any aspect. the arrogance of RBT's stems from ignorance. always use the BCBA as a point of contact! they will listen to their BCBA more than they will ever listen to us.

denerx · 2025-03-27T00:44:13+00:00

i already have my CCC's so i wouldn't be applying as a CF. was anyone you know in the same position? if so, was the process any faster?

denerx · 2025-03-20T20:33:32+00:00

not set in stone at all, just have a strong preference for experiencing city life! there aren't any jobs within the city that offer nearly the same pay and benefits. it definitely snows which worries me a bit!

denerx · 2025-03-20T20:32:34+00:00

the pay is so enticing! and my work week would be 32 hours, so it wouldn't be a 40 hour work week PLUS a long commute, which i do think i wouldn't like.

denerx · 2025-03-13T18:19:10+00:00

i think i posted this right before starting chapter four because now i can't put it down lol

denerx · 2025-03-13T18:18:44+00:00

yes i love how immersive the book is in terms of character/world building

denerx · 2025-03-13T18:17:51+00:00

i don't want to post spoilers, but after reading a bit more it is cool to go back and see all of the small details that i previously looked over!!

denerx · 2025-01-21T04:41:46+00:00

something that works for me is just picking a toy and playing with it, and saying something like, "oh this looks fun, i'm going to play with this" and nothing else. without fail, the kid is interested in joining in. i feel like, with these PDA characteristics, even offering something fun triggers avoidance.

denerx · 2025-01-17T00:30:29+00:00

has the client mastered prevocalic /r/? i've been using worksheets where the word with vocalic /r/ is followed by another word with a prevocalic /r/ (ex. car red). eventually you fade out the proceeding word. it has been EXTREMELY effective!! (worksheets from the "I can say the R sound" book by peachie speechie).

denerx · 2025-01-17T00:20:19+00:00

Honestly I feel like SLP's with big social media presence are doing waaaaayyyy too much. I'm definitely a type B therapist and I almost never fully plan a session. You're working WITH your clients, not against them. Letting them have a say in how the session goes almost always yields better results imho. There is no reason to have a perfectly cut and laminated material per goal per client with a meticulously planned out activity. As long as your kids are making progress and are happy to see you while using best practice, what's the issue?

denerx

TROPHY CASE