On Monday, November 9, 2015 I was allowed to observe a day with an elementary school Speech-Language Pathologist. Her name is Amy Hicks, MS CCC SLP. Amy can be reached by mail at 2750 S. Corral St., Humboldt, AZ 86329. Her contact phone number is (480) 518-6993. I felt that Amy would be a great person to observe. She grew up with a mother who was a SLP, and she spent time at NAU while earning her degree.
I arrived at 8am to begin our day, and did not leave until the end of Amy’s day, around 4pm. Discounting a quick lunch, I was able to spend 7.5 hours of observation. The most astounding fact was how much she accomplished in such a short time. There was a revolving door, but not one session interfered with another. A few of the session …show more content…
Most sessions were in the 30 minute range. Each session was different, and varied from pictures on the bottom of solo cups to playing with the game Hedbanz. The activities were all designed to target the type of disorder the child(ren) had. Amy let me know that in schools, the most common item they deal with is articulation disorders. This was evident in the drills she would have them do at the beginning of each session. One child used a mirror to watch his mouth movement and others used an iPad to record their voices and listen back to themselves talk. There were different sets of articulation cards that addressed specific sounds. I thought I was going to explode with excitement when during lunch she let me go through her cabinet to see the different tools she used. I was fascinated with her silicone mouth. It allowed you to put your fingers in and work the tongue movement to show where the tongue should be positioned. I had been wondering why she had some of the group playing the Hedbanz game, which has a card other can see on your forehead. You must guess by their verbal clues what picture is on the card. Amy let me know she uses this technique for kids that need a little extra help with articulation, turn taking, social language skills and expressive language practice. This experience left me feeling certain about the direction I am headed. As the kids were talking or Amy would identify a disorder, I was astounded at how much information I have learned this semester. There was not a single disorder witnessed that I have not been introduced to. What did bother me was I have known some of these children for a few years, and listening to their drills and therapy sessions, I wondered at how I did not know of the existence of some of the disorders I heard. I can only conclude that most of these students are the quiet ones, and as I spend such a short amount of time with them,
I arrived at 8am to begin our day, and did not leave until the end of Amy’s day, around 4pm. Discounting a quick lunch, I was able to spend 7.5 hours of observation. The most astounding fact was how much she accomplished in such a short time. There was a revolving door, but not one session interfered with another. A few of the session …show more content…
Most sessions were in the 30 minute range. Each session was different, and varied from pictures on the bottom of solo cups to playing with the game Hedbanz. The activities were all designed to target the type of disorder the child(ren) had. Amy let me know that in schools, the most common item they deal with is articulation disorders. This was evident in the drills she would have them do at the beginning of each session. One child used a mirror to watch his mouth movement and others used an iPad to record their voices and listen back to themselves talk. There were different sets of articulation cards that addressed specific sounds. I thought I was going to explode with excitement when during lunch she let me go through her cabinet to see the different tools she used. I was fascinated with her silicone mouth. It allowed you to put your fingers in and work the tongue movement to show where the tongue should be positioned. I had been wondering why she had some of the group playing the Hedbanz game, which has a card other can see on your forehead. You must guess by their verbal clues what picture is on the card. Amy let me know she uses this technique for kids that need a little extra help with articulation, turn taking, social language skills and expressive language practice. This experience left me feeling certain about the direction I am headed. As the kids were talking or Amy would identify a disorder, I was astounded at how much information I have learned this semester. There was not a single disorder witnessed that I have not been introduced to. What did bother me was I have known some of these children for a few years, and listening to their drills and therapy sessions, I wondered at how I did not know of the existence of some of the disorders I heard. I can only conclude that most of these students are the quiet ones, and as I spend such a short amount of time with them,