Caroline's Speech Retreat

06/19/2026

My 3 rules for using screens during treatment- 1- focuses on a goal -2- is interactive with another adult NOT a kid glued to a screen! -3-it’s fun!!!! This is SPLINGO!!
What goals am I addressing?

06/17/2026

Why is the R so hard??? ALL OF THIS MUST HAPPEN➡️Tongue bracing on molars/tongue retracted/middle of tongue “bowl shaped”/tense tongue/tip of tongue lifted AND lips slightly rounded!

06/13/2026

Diagnosing a child with a phonological impairment when they actually have a motor speech impairment like Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) could mean they will spend YEARS rather than MONTHS in treatment because the treatments are wildly different!

Not sure quite what the particular characteristics are to make that diagnosis?

Comment CAS below and I’ll send you my little “cheat sheet” to guide you!

CAS|Differential diagnosis|ssd|pediatricslp|carolinesspeechretreat

06/11/2026

I start targeting Phonological awareness as soon as a child can use their hands to count syllables- whether that’s clapping hands or tapping the table.

This means we can start educating our kids on this vital skill before they realize they are learning! Make it a game- use 3 syllable words like “HAM-BUR-GER” and see how many times you can get them to say it while clapping/tapping etc!

06/06/2026

When we practice a particular sound like S doing lots of repetitions in block practice it’s easy for a kid to want to start putting that sound in places it doesn’t belong.

Point it out before it becomes a habit with specific feedback for whatever that beginning sound should be.

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

We can all improve at our jobs! As an SLP specializing in SSD, it’s important that I regularly watch myself to see areas I’m strong and areas I need to improve! The recently did a post about this and it inspired me to share my weaknesses as well. Kids with Apraxia REALLY struggle to move between syllables.

One great metaphor I’ve heard is to imagine if you were asked to say the ABC’s backward- that’s similar to how a kids with CAS feels when we ask them to say a new word they don’t have a motor plan for yet.

So sensitivity is important as is specific encouragement for what they are doing well- instead of “you can do more” I should have said “you are doing so well, let’s try one more”. Did not catch that during the session but watching it back…Live and learn!!

05/16/2026

This is when we get to see the results of allllll of that drill! It’s kinda magical!! Thanks for great materials to work with!!

05/13/2026

Soo- how many times did you hear the word STREET during this clip all while playing with nothing but playdoh?!?!

05/07/2026

So proud of this kid and his progress!! This approach is AMAZING!!! If you have a resilient kid, AND YOU HAVE SOME PATIENCE, I highly recommend trying this one. You will see progress so much faster ACROSS SOUND CLASSES!! Say goodbye to 2 years in therapy even for severe cases! This approach works!