Caffeine & Caseloads: The SLP Life with The Pedi Speechie

In this episode of The Pedi Speechie Podcast, we’re continuing our R sound journey! Last week, we explored how to teach the retroflex R using the “pirate hook” visual.

Today, we’re focusing on the bunched R—how it differs, why it’s equally valid, and the exact steps I use to help students find success.

You’ll learn:

• Why we always start with vocalic er in isolation—and why this foundational skill takes time (sometimes months!) to develop
• How to build lingual-mandibular differentiation, so your students can move their tongue without that pesky jaw helping out
• How to use mirrors, hand placement, tongue depressors, and visuals to teach jaw stability and tongue elevation
• My favorite visuals for teaching R: the “question mark” hand cue for bunched R and the “pirate hook” for retroflex
• Why the typodont model is such a game-changer when demonstrating tongue positioning

Remember: R takes patience and consistent feedback—but with the right visuals, cues, and tactile supports, your students will get there.

🧠 Related Resources:

• Read the blog post: Retroflex R vs. Bunched R in Speech Therapy
• Check out my Correct That Vocalic R Program on TpT: Speech Therapy Lisp & Vocalic R Articulation Bundle

In this episode of The Pedi Speechie, Karen breaks down how to elicit the retroflex R sound step-by-step. You’ll learn the difference between bunched and retroflex R, discover why starting with vocalic “ER” builds a strong foundation, and explore high-success strategies like the stretch-and-fade method, the slide or tap back technique, and the fun pirate hook visual.

Karen also shares how she combines visual, tactile, and auditory feedback for maximum success in her speech room—plus, the exact tools she uses to make tricky tongue placements click for her students.

💬 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to explain the retroflex R vs. bunched R
• Why vocalic “ER” should be your starting point
• Visual and tactile cues that boost success
• Step-by-step strategies for shaping R
• How to combine auditory, tactile, and visual feedback effectively

• Typodont Model for Visual Demos (Amazon)
• Correct that Vocalic R Program: http://bit.ly/4nL1MDI
• 5 Minute R Manual (free): https://thepedispeechie.kit.com/6718f5c346

Not every preschool student is ready to sit through a long storybook—and that’s okay! In today’s episode of Caffeine & Caseloads: The SLP Life with The Pedi Speechie, I’m sharing my favorite quick, interactive books that are perfect for building prelinguistic and early linguistic communication skills. These books encourage imitation of sounds, actions, and exclamations, while keeping even your busiest little ones engaged.

📚 Books mentioned in this episode:

• No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli
• Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
• Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter
• The Big Book of Exclamations
• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
• Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden

✨ Looking for a resource that pairs perfectly with this episode? Check out my Imitating Sounds, Actions, and Core Vocabulary Interactive Book Bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s designed to target the same early skills highlighted in today’s book recommendations and gives you ready-to-use materials for your preschool sessions.

🎧 Tune in to learn how these short, engaging books can transform your sessions with early communicators.

In this episode of The Pedi Speechie, we’re breaking down the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness—because yes, they’re not the same thing. If you’ve ever found yourself second-guessing which is which, this one’s for you.

We’ll walk through the hierarchy of phonological awareness skills, from sentences to syllables to individual sounds, and share practical, no-prep speech therapy activities you can use right away. You’ll also get original examples and playful therapy ideas that are perfect for preschool and early elementary students.

Whether you’re a new speech-language pathologist or a seasoned school SLP looking for fresh ideas, this episode will help you support your students’ communication goals with confidence.

🎙️ Topics covered:

• What is phonological awareness?
• What is phonemic awareness?
• The key differences between the two
• Evidence-based, fun therapy ideas for school-based SLPs
• Why phonemic awareness is foundational for reading and spelling

✨ Looking for ready-to-go materials?

Check out my Syllable Segmentation Activity and Phonological Awareness Worksheets on Teachers Pay Teachers for even more support in your sessions.

Subscribe for more episodes on all things speech-language pathology—and don’t forget to share this one with your SLP team!

Need a speech session yesterday? This episode is your emergency toolkit. Karen from The Pedi Speechie Podcast is sharing 10 of her favorite low-prep, high-impact activities that can be done in tiny spaces with minimal materials—perfect for school SLPs on the go.

From bean bag balancing and sticky note circuits to sound effect games and silly sentence building, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas that support communication goals and get your students moving. These ideas are sensory-friendly, regulation-boosting, and totally doable with what’s already in your speech room.

🎧 Listen in to hear:

• How to use free online sounds to target articulation
• A simple way to combine movement with expressive language
• Why bean bags and sentence strips might become your new go-to tools

If you’re tired, overwhelmed, or just fresh out of ideas, this one’s for you. Because sometimes the best therapy sessions are the ones you didn’t spend all weekend prepping.

✨ Mentioned in the episode:

• BBC Sound Effects Archive
• Freesound.org
• Story Retell Graphic Organizer: Yoga Mat Companion
• Story Retell and Sequencing: Speech and Language Therapy Worksheets

Rate & review, and don’t forget to subscribe!

#speechtherapy #schoolSLP #speechlanguagepathologist #slpresources #lowpreptherapy

Do your speech therapy vocabulary sessions feel a little... sleepy? In this episode of The Pedi Speechie, we’re diving into what Tier II vocabulary really is—and how to teach it in a way that keeps your students engaged (and you sane).

Whether you’re a school-based speech-language pathologist working with preschoolers or upper elementary students, this episode is packed with actionable strategies for building robust vocabulary skills during speech therapy. You’ll learn how to:

✅ Define Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III vocabulary (with easy-to-understand examples)

✅ Teach Tier II words through read-alouds, games like Candy Land and Sorry!, and multisensory activities

✅ Use child-friendly definitions, repetition, and fun visuals

✅ Grab and go with one easy-to-implement word strategy you can try this week

📚 Mentioned in the episode:

• Read more on my blog
• Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck

Let’s help our students fall in love with language—one Tier II word at a time.

Grab this helpful book read aloud and tier II vocab freebie:

https://karengoske-gmail.kit.com/452e594266

Struggling to figure out how to start treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech after making the diagnosis? This episode is your guide to Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)—the motor-based treatment approach developed by Dr. Edythe Strand for kids with moderate to severe CAS.

We’ll break down:

✅ What DTTC is and who it’s designed for

✅ The step-by-step hierarchy you’ll use in sessions

✅ Practical tips for adding cues, fading support, and introducing prosody

PLUS—you’ll want to grab the FREE DTTC Data Sheet + Prosody Starter Guide to make your therapy life easier. It’s a simple check-the-box tracker for cue levels and prosody, with visuals and quick reminders built in.

👉 Get your freebie here:

https://karengoske-gmail.kit.com/365d798600

Reference: Strand, Edythe A. “Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing: A Treatment Strategy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech.” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 29, no. 1, 2020, pp. 30–48. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-0005.

🎧 Tune in and feel confident using DTTC in your next therapy session!

What if your students don’t need another worksheet… they just need to move?

In this episode, I dive into a fascinating research study comparing visual and movement-based grammar interventions for students with developmental language disorder (DLD). Spoiler: movement-based cues weren’t just effective—they were more successful for one student with attention challenges.

You’ll learn:

• The two simple grammar gestures used in the Springle & Hester (2019) study
• Why grammar taps into motor memory
• New gesture-based ideas you can start using tomorrow for targets like past tense, plurals, pronouns, and conjunctions
• How to use these cues in real-life therapy—no materials required!

Plus, I’m giving you a free printable with gesture cues for 8 grammar goals you can use across your caseload.

🧠 Based on research

✋ Easy to implement

📋 No prep needed

🎁 Grab the freebie: Grammar in Motion: A Quick-Start Guide for SLPs👉 https://karengoske-gmail.kit.com/66238ea525

• 🧠 Read the full study (Springle & Hester, 2019)
• 🟪 Learn more about Shape Coding
• ✍️ Entire Year of Grammar and Sentence Structure Program (TpT)
• 🧘‍♀️ Yoga Mat Story Retell Companion (TpT)

Ready to make your next speech therapy whole group push-in session actually work? In this episode of The Pedi Speechie Podcast, we’re heading to the farm for a fully planned, engaging, and inclusive speech therapy session that school-based SLPs can use right away.

Whether you're a speech-language pathologist supporting students in a resource room or looking for creative ways to target multiple speech and language goals in one session, this episode delivers. I walk you through a complete farm-themed push-in lesson—from hello songs to story time to sorting tasks—and share realistic strategies for managing group data collection without losing your mind.

We’ll also chat about simple tech solutions that help you stay on top of data collection during busy group sessions—like Counter+ and Counter Tally Count—two free apps that are SLP-friendly and FERPA-safe.

✨ And while I don’t mention it directly in the episode, my Interactive Stories Bundle is a perfect companion resource if you’re looking to build out your themed lessons with no-prep, high-engagement materials.

If you’ve ever evaluated a student in speech therapy and thought, “This isn’t a typical phonological delay… but what now?”—this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Pedi Speechie, we’re breaking down the Dynamic Evaluation of Motor Speech Skills (DEMSS)—what it is, when to use it, and how to actually administer it without overwhelm. Whether you’re a school-based speech-language pathologist or a speech therapy graduate student dipping your toe into differential diagnosis, this conversation will help you feel more confident in identifying childhood apraxia of speech (CAS).

We’ll cover:

• What CAS actually looks like in real life
• When DEMSS is an appropriate tool
• How to cue, score, and take notes using the DEMSS format
• Sample evaluation report language
• How Dr. Edythe Strand’s DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing) approach can support your therapy planning

👉 Watch the free DTTC training videos by Dr. Strand on YouTube: DTTC on YouTube

👉 Purchase the DEMSS manual from Brookes Publishing: https://brookespublishing.com/product/demss/?srsltid=AfmBOopIAHos9Lup1Vt9NLBNPthKxJyvH3n79G2N9Ew9OsLLTnNW5heJ

👉 Read my full blog post on evaluating for CAS: Evaluating CAS Step-by-Step: https://thepedispeechie.com/2023/06/how-to-do-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-evaluation.html

Please note: I am in no way affiliated with the DEMSS, Dr. Edythe Strand, or Brookes Publishing. This episode is intended to share tips and insights from a school-based SLP perspective.