The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.   

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

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

If you work with preschool or early elementary students, this episode is a must-listen. We’re diving into decontextualized language—a skill that’s rarely discussed but critical for literacy and academic success. Decontextualized language is when children talk about things outside the here and now—past events, future plans, ideas, feelings, and abstract thinking. Why does it matter? Research spanning over 20 years shows that children with strong decontextualized language skills in preschool perform better in reading and academics throughout elementary school. Yet, most SLPs and educators aren’t taught how to target it. In this episode, you’ll discover: -What decontextualized language is and why it’s the foundation of complex thinking. -Four powerful, evidence-based strategies to build this skill in fun, natural ways. -How to use Halloween excitement to scaffold conversations about past and future events. -Practical tips for using visuals, gestures, role-play, and parent collaboration. 💡 These strategies don’t just work for Halloween—they can be used for birthdays, field trips, and any special event to make language learning stick. 💚 Join the SIS Membership: Want ready-to-go therapy materials that build decontextualized language every week? Join the SIS Membership and get: -A Google Slides deck each week packed with educationally rich, movement-based literacy activities, Home resources to bridge school and family communication, -Evidence-based materials to target speech, language, and AAC in fun, engaging ways. 👉 Join here: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis 🎃Happy Halloween: Click here to download a 100% FREE Halloween-themed Google Slides deck to kickstart decontextualized conversations in therapy and at home!: https://www.kellyvess.com/halloween

Are you ready to go digital the right way in your therapy sessions? Today, we’re diving into the latest systematic review research on using digital tools to improve preschoolers’ language and literacy outcomes. The evidence is clear: digital media can be a powerful tool — when it’s used intentionally. In this episode, you’ll discover five key strategies that work, including: Why children should never be left alone with a device How to make digital activities multimodal and engaging The language modeling strategies that matter most Ways to make alphabet knowledge meaningful and connected to stories How to coach families and teachers for lasting impact Want to skip the overwhelm and have ready-to-go resources at your fingertips? Join my SIS Membership, where every week you’ll receive: A Google Slides deck filled with educationally rich activities Movement-based literacy ideas to target speech, language, and AAC goals Parent-friendly materials to bridge home and school learning Make therapy easier, more engaging, and research-based — all while saving hours of prep time. ✨ Join the SIS Membership today: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Source: Liu, S., Reynolds, B., Thomas, N., & Soyoof, A. (2024). The use of digital technologies to develop young children’s language and literacy skills: A systematic review. Sage Open, 14(1).   

If you work with minimally speaking children using low-tech or high-tech AAC, this episode is for you. A brand-new systematic review has just been published, but the underlying research is sparse, messy, and often mislabeled. Today, we’ll dig through the “recycle bin” of studies to uncover what actually works, why commenting is more powerful than requesting, and how to take action on Monday morning. You’ll learn: -Why are many so-called “commenting interventions” really prompted responses to labeling questions, not true initiations -The pivotal role of combining words in AAC for speech development and generative language -Why modeling and scaffolding work and what research says about prompting hierarchies -How to apply the triangle of evidence-based practice when published protocols don’t exist -Download my free 30 Minute M.O.D.E.L. workshop to share with colleagues and caregivers: https://www.kellyvess.com/aac 💡 Ready-to-Go Tools: Don’t waste hours planning therapy. Get empirically-based, literacy-rich, movement-based activities delivered to you every week inside the SIS Membership. You’ll get: -Weekly theme-based Google Slides decks for individual, group, and teletherapy sessions -Engaging multisensory activities that target speech, language, and literacy, all ready to use Join now at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis and transform your therapy sessions with tools backed by research and designed for real-world success. Spencer, T. D., Tönsing, K., & Dada, S. (2025). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions that promote commenting: A systematic review. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 1–14.

Is telepractice just as effective as in-person therapy for treating speech sound disorders? In this episode, we take a realistic, research-driven look at what the evidence really says about speech telepractice—and what factors determine whether it works. You’ll discover: The exact client profiles that are NOT a good fit for telepractice. The active ingredients that make telepractice sessions as effective as in-person therapy. Why dose isn’t just about reps—and how complex targets create massive gains. Brand-new research on final clusters and how to apply it in therapy. The key role of caregivers as co-therapists in virtual sessions. If you’re a school-based SLP, private practitioner, or just considering telepractice, this episode will help you deliver high-impact, evidence-based therapy online—while avoiding the pitfalls. 💛 Get ready-to-go therapy plans every week inside the SIS Membership:https://www.kellyvess.com/sisYou’ll get theme-based movement activities, literacy-rich speech therapy materials, and a home-to-school 'Google Slides Deck' bridge that’s ready for immediate use. 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 P.S. A gift for SLPs & Educators: I’m giving away a FREE Digital Articulation Screener to make speech assessments easy and engaging—for both in-person and teletherapy sessions. Here’s what you’ll get for free when you join The Preschool SLP Facebook group: 🗂 A ready-to-go digital speech screener + protocol 📝 5 pages of goal-writing cheat sheets to write strong, measurable IEP goals 🎥 A live workshop to walk you step-by-step through the process ✨ Download by pressing the pinned link here → facebook.com/groups/thepreschoolslp     

Are your speech therapy goals actually creating change or just filling space on an IEP? In this episode, I share the three biggest mistakes I made in writing goals (and what to do instead). You’ll learn how to: Write measurable annual goals that track real growth. Use complex clusters and the complexity approach to accelerate progress. Show parents exactly how to cue, fade prompts, and buy-in to accomplish the quarterly objective so they become co-interventionists right from the start. Avoid clunky goals that stall progress and force unnecessary amendments. Want done-for-you treatment targets, cueing visuals, and movement-rich literacy-based activities? Join the SIS Membership today at www.kellyvess.com/sis . You’ll get ready-to-use weekly therapy materials that help you write smarter goals, coach parents with confidence, and create massive speech gains — without reinventing the wheel. Work smarter, not harder. Don't delay and download my free goal cheat sheet by clicking on the link in 'The Preschool SLP Facebook Group': https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepreschoolslp P.S. This week's episode was excerpted from my recent 'How to Write Speech Goal that WORK' Workshop. To access the free workshop and free accompanying goals sheets, go to 'The Preschool SLP Facebook Group': https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepreschoolslp

If you work with children with speech sound disorders, this episode is for you. I’m breaking down my simple 3-step method for writing speech goals that not only improve clarity but also empower parents and the entire intervention team to stay on the same page. You’ll learn how to: Use your single word standardized speech tests to track progress with confidence Write easy to measure annual goals that are reliable to connected speech Create clear, evidence-based objectives that scaffold from maximum to minimal support This approach has been a game-changer in my 20+ years of practice, making goals measurable, parent-friendly, and easy to implement across settings. ✨ Want ready-to-use literacy, speech, language, and AAC activities delivered weekly—complete with movement-based themes, large group lessons, and teletherapy/large group/parent home practice Google Slides decks? Join the SIS Membership and transform your sessions: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Want to see exactly how I write these goals step by step—and get a downloadable cheat sheet you can use right away? Join me in The Preschool SLP Facebook group:  . I’ll be https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepreschoolslp going live on Monday, August 25th at 12 PM ET with an hour-long training that breaks this all down in detail. Can’t make it live? No worries—the replay and resources will be waiting for you inside the group.

How can speech-language pathologists determine whether a child’s communication challenges are due to a language difference or a language disorder—and then choose the most impactful language intervention strategies? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin, one of the leading experts in culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) populations. With over 70 scholarly publications and 16 books, she has dedicated her career to ensuring SLPs can assess children fairly and provide evidence-based interventions that truly change outcomes. You’ll get research-backed, Monday-morning-ready tools you can use right away to evaluate students from under-resourced backgrounds and target goals that will boost both communication and academic skills. 🧠What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✔️Why standardized tests often misrepresent abilities in children from economically diverse backgrounds ✔️How working memory and nonword repetition tasks can reveal developmental language disorder (DLD) ✔️Fine and gross motor skills as powerful screening indicators ✔️Practical dynamic assessment techniques that reduce cultural and linguistic bias ✔️How parent responsiveness speed drives early language growth ✔️Goal-setting priorities from infancy through school age for maximum impact ✔️Building phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and narrative skills ✔️Why tier 2 vocabulary and paper books improve long-term literacy outcomes ✔️Free and low-cost strategies any caregiver can implement—no matter their literacy level. If you’re ready to put these strategies into practice, join the SIS Membership. You’ll get weekly, empirically based language and literacy activities that improve phonological awareness, literacy, and print skills—all ready to use for therapy every week. Perfect for working with preschoolers, early elementary students, and children from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds. 🎯 Start improving outcomes today → www.kellyvess.com/sis Connect with Guest Dr. Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin: TikTok: @celesteroseberry Instagram @dr.celesteroseberry YouTube: Celeste Roseberry Dr. Celeste's Website: www.lovetalkread.com Download Dr. Roseberry-McKibbin's Supplementary PowerPoint Handout

Are you using the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) framework in your autism intervention? This episode of The Preschool SLP pulls back the curtain on Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) and challenges you to think critically about what’s truly supported by research—and what isn't. SLPs are increasingly encouraged to adopt GLP-informed interventions, but a recent article by Venker and Lorang (2025) in response to Hadock et al. (2024) raises five concerns you can’t afford to ignore. In this episode, we break down each criticism with clinical insight and offer evidence-aligned strategies you can use immediately in your therapy room. 🔍 In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ What aspects of the NLA framework are backed by empirical research ❌ Why there’s currently no published GLP intervention program to evaluate 🧠 How mislabeling children as “Gestalt processors” can lead to unsupported assumptions ⚠️ The risks of avoiding verbs or grammar in early language modeling 🧪 What data you should be tracking with spontaneous language samples 🦢 Why eclectic, evidence-informed practice beats one-size-fits-all intervention 📚 Want done-for-you, research-backed materials aligned with what actually works? Skip the guesswork. My SIS Membership provides weekly, ready-to-use intervention tools grounded in empirical research—designed to help preschool SLPs like you make real progress with children on the autism spectrum, including those who use gestalts to communicate. 👉 Join the SIS Membership at www.kellyvess.com/sis Inside, you’ll find: 🎯 Multimodal therapy treatment targets 🔁 Materials for consistent, high-frequency language use that boosts progress 00:00 Introduction to Natural Language Processing 00:30 Evidence-Based Practices in Language Development 01:54 Intervention Strategies and Challenges 03:05 Criticisms of Gestalt Language Processing 06:59 Understanding and Measuring Language Processing 10:44 The Role of Gestalts in Language Learning 17:43 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice Haydock, A., Harrison, L., Baldwin, K., & Leadbitter, K. (2024). Embracing gestalt language development as a fundamental neurodiversity-affirmative practice. Autism, 28(5), 1055–1059. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241234598 Venker, C. E., & Lorang, E. (2024). Continuing the conversation about echolalia and gestalt language development: A response to Haydock, Harrison, Baldwin, and Leadbitter. Autism, 29(3), 821–824. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241287577