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It is no secret that speech-language pathologist like to TALK! So when we get to talk and discuss with other disciplines, our therapy becomes even better. Check out these collaboration tips and tricks for school-based speech-language pathologists to join forces with social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and classroom teachers.
#1 Tips for Collaboration with Social Workers
Some of our closest colleagues and friends at school are our fellow social workers. They are not only great at listening, but they also give sound advice! Mandy and I love any opportunity we get to collaborate with our social workers. Check out our collaboration tips and ideas for some awesome social work and speech tag team activities!
Cooperative Games
A super easy way to target social language skills is to play a good old fashion game! While board and card games can do the trick, we also love cooperative games so the social worker can join the fun. Our students also get into the following cooperative games: “Duck, Duck, Goose”, “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, “Simon Says”, and “Freeze Dance”. These games target not only receptive language, but turn-taking, attending, memory, and more.
Books
There are several books out there that teach great social language skills. Some of our favorites include: “The Way I Feel“, “The Crayons’ Book Of Feelings“, “Decibella & Her 6-Inch Voice“, & “Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns To Listen“. When reading a book aloud, SLPs can target basic WH questions and vocabulary while the social worker tackles social skills such as emotional regulation, appropriate behavior, and more!
“Everyday Speech” Website
We love “Everyday Speech” which is an amazing website with lots of social skills and social language activities and ideas. This is a great way to unify language used in sessions to increase carry over of skills and maintain behavior expectations across all school settings. Be sure to check it out!
#2 Tips for Collaboration with Occupational Therapists
Collaborating with occupational therapists always results in some creative fun! We love all of the fine motor arts and crafts skills that come with working with OTs, but we learn so much about sensory regulation to maximize therapy outcomes. Check out our tips and tricks for collaboration while working with your fellow OTs.
Crafts
An obvious choice is a craft! While we never want our speech sessions to turn into an accidental art class, but collaborating with an occupational therapist can target both skill sets. From having students tear pieces of paper to cutting to using various utensil grips, we can get the trials we need and the OT can support the fine motor component.
Manipulatives
Our littles love anything they can hold, manipulate, open, push, and more. Using manipulatives (i.e., cloth pins, play dough, stickers, hole punchers, etc.) is easy way to work in some additional fine motor skills with an OT collaboration. From pulling putty to pushing stamps, a session with manipulatives, an SLP, and an OT is bound to have awesome results!
Articulation Drill Punch Cards & Articulation Drill/Fine Motor Cards
We have the perfect products to go along with these collaboration tips! Print our themed Articulation Drill Punch Card and choose a manipulative. Students can practice their target sounds and work on fine motor skills as well. Be sure to check out all of these versatile drill punch card products here!
In addition, we have Articulation Drill & Fine Motor Cards. Students can paint dot with cotton swabs, place beads with pinchers, and more all while practice their target sound. This is a low prep and engaging activity to encourage a successful SLP and OT collaboration. Check out all of the themed fine motor cards we have here!
Want to try out our Articulation Drill Punch Cards for free? Click here for our Bear Themed Articulation Drill Punch Cards or the image below to try them out before grabbing a set for every season!
Sensory Regulation
When we are regulated, we perform better. This goes for teacher and students alike! Working closely with an occupational therapist can help increase a student’s ability to focus and access the target skills during each session. Knowing signs of dysregulation for each student will allow sensory tools to be implemented quickly and effectively. This tag team situation will benefit both joint SLP/OT sessions, but solo speech therapy sessions moving forward as well.
#3 Tips for Collaboration with Physical Therapists
Who doesn’t love to get up and moving during a speech and language session? If you are like us, then plan a collaborative session with your fellow physical therapist. This tag team effort will no doubt keep things exciting while targeting speech and language plus gross motor skills! Check out our ideas for working alongside PTs with these tips for collaboration!
Obstacle Course
One of our favorite ways to include both speech and gross motor is to make an obstacle course. Simply set up a tunnel, balance board, and anything else you have on hand. Place WH questions or speech sound words along the way. The PT can support the movement element while you get your data for language production.
Songs
Another way way like to include some gross motor skills into a therapy session is to incorporate music. Lots of catchy songs containing direction following such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes” and the “Hokey Pokey“. Not only will students work on body part identification, direction following, and attending, but get in lots of movement with the support of the PT on staff.
Apple Chase Game
Want a fun game to target language concepts as well as gross motor movement? Check out this super easy and engaging Apple Chase Direction Following Game. Download it for free and get things moving in your next speech and physical therapy joint session.
Also Read: 7 Apple Themed Activities & Ideas
#4 Tips for Collaboration with Classroom Teachers
We love our general and special education teachers. With their support and insights we often learn so much more about our students’ needs. We so appreciate all of their hard work and love any chance we get to collaborate with them! Check out our teacher and SLP collaboration tips and ideas below!
Theme Based Planning
In both of our preschool settings, Mandy and I attend a weekly meeting with entire team including relative services and teachers. By planning lessons and themes, we see wonderful student success so our tip for collaborating with teacher is to be prepared. To help with this weekly planning session, we have an awesome large group planning template to include all of the awesome ideas we brainstorm as a whole team. Click here for your Large Group Planning Template or the image below to grab yours today!
Click Here To Read: 5 Tips For Planning A Productive Large Speech & Language Group
Vocabulary
Supporting concepts and vocabulary being used in the classroom is the perfect way to collaborate while co-teaching. We love having any academically relevant or age-appropriate vocabulary words prior to speech and language sessions in order to pre-teach. Discussing these words with classroom teachers will help with student vocabulary acquisition and application.
Push-In Therapy
In addition, much of our therapy in the preschool setting is push-in so we are lucky to be able to see tips and tricks from the teacher, but also provide modeling and indirect supports as well. We love calendar time, the question of the day, and snack to collaborate with teachers and teacher assistants to maximize student’s academic and functional language success!
#5 Tips for Collaboration with Parents
We all know parents are a very important part of a student’s team and help drive progress. Including parents in therapy is an essential piece to a successful school collaboration. Check out how we partner with parents through the school year with these tips for collaboration below!
SLP Contact Information
First and foremost, parents need to be able to reach you in order to collaborate! So our tip for collaboration to start the school year off right is to provide your contact information. We have the perfect editable letter to send home to start building parent rapport. Click here for your FREEBIE Back To School Editable Meet The SLP Template or the image below to grab yours from our TPT store today!
Also Read: 5 Parent Teacher Conference Tips For SLPs
Weekly Newsletter
Another thing we like to do each week is send home a weekly newsletter. This a great way to collaborate with parents because you can share concepts and activities covered that week in speech. We like to include a few ideas for home practice as well as links to songs, activities, or books to support speech and language skills. Not only does this encourage at home practice, but it also keeps the line of communication between you and the parents all year long.
That was a lot of information! We hope that you found a few helpful collaboration tips, ideas, and activities to start discussing with your colleagues today. Tried one of these tips for collaboration out? Let us know in the comments how it went! We would love to hear from you!
Talking Mama Bears
Kate & Mandy
