Easily find helpful resources on Eat, Speak, & Think by browsing this summary of the blog’s articles. Most articles include a free handout. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll find all the free downloads on a single page in the Free Subscription Library.
Outline:
- Assessment tools (tests, measures, questionnaires, etc).
- Therapy how-to’s.
- Educating patients and families.
- Being a speech-language pathologist.
Assessment tools (tests, measures, questionnaires, etc).
Eat
9 free swallow assessment tools. Here you’ll find links and downloads to swallow-related questionnaires, rating scales, oral health exams, and three swallow tests. You can also find the Reflux Symptom Index via a web search.
Single-use swallow evaluation folders. Written at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I share what I carried into patients’ homes. I include links to the resources, some of which aren’t in the free swallow assessment tools article above.
Learn how to assess dysphagia risk with the BOLUS framework. The BOLUS framework is intended to help us consider the whole patient in our clinical decision making. This framework is the work of Phyllis M. Palmer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Aaron H. Padilla, M.S., CCC-SLP. The free download is their updated ASHA Convention handout.
10 factors that increase risk of aspiration pneumonia. The risk of aspirating food or liquids into the lungs is not the same as the risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. The free download is a patient education handout, listing the factors that place a person at more or less risk.
Take the guesswork out of thickening liquids with the IDDSI flow test. Finally, an easy, scientific method for thickening liquids! The free download is both a clinician cheat-sheet and a patient handout.
Speak
Single-use communication evaluation folders. The free downloads are the Caterpillar passage and the Grandfather passage. In the article, you’ll find links to three standardized measures: two Neuro-QoL scales and the Aphasia Impact Questionnaire-21.
Easy discourse measures to demonstrate improvement. In this tutorial, you can find instructions for how to obtain three description measures: number of words, number of correct information units (CIUs), and duration. It also explains how to calculate three measures: words per minute, CIUs per minute, and percent of CIUs. Norms are listed from the sources I could find. The free download is a cheat sheet and scoring sheet.
How to assess pragmatic skills in adults with brain injury. In this tutorial, you’ll find seven conversation tasks and four standardized tests: the Pragmatics Rating Scale, the Modified Pragmatics Rating Scale, and two Adapted Kagan Scales. The free download is a 4-page guide explaining the 7 conversation tasks.
Think
35+ free cognitive tests, screeners, and questionnaires. Here are cognitive tools for clinicians and for patients/families. You’ll also find condition-specific cognitive tools. (You can see the older post here: 18 free cognitive assessment tools.)
How to assess cognitive impairment in long COVID. Cognitive impairment is one of the most frequently reported symptoms of long COVID. Learn the symptoms and how to assess cognition using evidence-based methods for mTBI, since we don’t yet have specific tests for long COVID. The free download is a 3-page clinician cheat sheet.
Write better cognitive goals with 54 daily activities. Use the 2-page checklist with your patients to help find meaningful goals for therapy. Ask your patient, “What do you want to do better by the time we discharge?”
20 Questions to Establish Meaningful Goals in Cognitive Communication Therapy. This is an article I wrote for Medbridge Education’s blog. You can use these questions to help find personally-relevant goals for therapy. (Affiliate link. If you purchase a subscription for CEUs, you’ll be supporting EST at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you do sign up!)
How to assess pragmatic skills in adults with brain injury. In this tutorial, you’ll find seven conversation tasks and four standardized tests: the Pragmatics Rating Scale, the Modified Pragmatics Rating Scale, and two Adapted Kagan Scales. The free download is a 4-page guide explaining the 7 conversation tasks.
3 versions of the Clock Drawing Test for cognition. The free downloads are the ASHA Convention handouts, blank assessment forms, and a cheat sheet for scoring methods.
Single-use cognitive evaluation folders. Written during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I share how I was handling cognitive communication evaluations. You’ll find links to 30+ free cognitive assessment tools.
Therapy how-to’s
General
Free multimedia resources for the SLP. I share many free resources with examples of how I use them in therapy.
How to use BE FAST video for speech therapy. Find tips for using this YouTube video about recognizing the signs of stroke for all areas of speech therapy (except for swallowing). The free download is a lesson worksheet for your patient.
Goal Attainment Scaling tutorial. Use GAS instead of SMART goals to demonstrate personalized outcomes from skilled intervention. This can potentially be used for any area of speech therapy. The free download is a worksheet to use with patients.
November deals for SLPs. November can be a great time to shop for therapy materials, as many companies offer discounts during the ASHA Convention. This article was written in 2019, but these companies may be offering deals again. If any interest you, try running a search or contacting them directly to ask about deals. The free download is a 3-page cheat sheet.
Eat
EMST is effective way to improve swallowing. Expiratory muscle strength training can be an effective treatment for certain patients. Learn the basics about how it can help swallow function, the two types of devices, and patient candidacy. I also share links to a tutorial, podcast episodes, and articles. The handout is a 2-page clinician cheat sheet.
ALS guide for speech-language pathologists. This tutorial discusses best practice, and the SLP’s role. It discusses how SLPs assess swallowing, communication, and cognitive skills. Learn about intervention for each area, including the emerging role of expiratory-muscle strength training (EMST). The handout is a clinician checklist.
The SLP’s quick guide to Bell’s palsy. Learn about Bell’s palsy and how we treat swallowing and communication difficulties. The free download includes all the pertinent information.
The SLP’s quick guide to dysphagia in COPD. Learn about COPD and how we assess and treat swallowing. The free download is a patient handout with mealtime tips.
Speak
AAC
How to do AAC evaluations in the home. This is a tutorial on how to do AAC evaluations. The free download is a guide listing unaided and aided AAC methods, access methods, an outline of an assessment, and pointers.
Message banking tutorial. Learn what message banking is, how it’s for, and how to do it. The free download is a patient handout.
Voice banking tutorial: Acapela and ModelTalker. Learn what voice banking is, who can do it, and how to do it. The free download is a patient handout which includes pricing and key details for The Voice Keeper. (updated 2023)
Easy voice banking with The Voice Keeper. This tutorial (updated 2023) walks you through how to use The Voice Keeper app to do voice banking. We can help patients with the process, and some people do it on their own. The free download is a patient handout.
Free low-tech AAC for adults. Find links to pre-made communication materials in a variety of languages, as well as resources to help you make your own AAC materials. The free download is a topics board.
Update from ATiA 2019. I shared links for various AT and AAC resources. Here you can find where to ask your AT/AAC questions, where to find AT/AAC products, and 5 cool products.
Speech
How to document a skilled dysarthria session. Try your hand at writing a skilled visit note for this dysarthria session I describe. I share ASHA’s 7 elements of a skilled session, then I share 3 visit notes I wrote for the session. The handout is a checklist of the 7 elements.
Tips for dynamic speech assessment. Learn how to assess your patient for stimulability for improved speech intelligibility or naturalness. The free download lists what dynamic assessment can tell you about your patient, the advantages of using recordings, and a step-by-step guide.
Articulation therapy for dysarthria: Part 1. Lays out dysarthria therapy with examples and tips. The free downloads are a cheat sheet for clinicians and a list of 20+ speech tasks.
Motor learning for articulation: Focus and feedback. This is Part 2 of Articulation therapy for dysarthria. Learn how the focus we encourage and the feedback we give influence the outcomes of therapy. The free download is a cheat sheet for clinicians about how to incorporate the principles of motor learning in dysarthria therapy.
How to shape words from numbers to improve speech. If your patient can count to ten, but has limited speech overall, you may find these tips and word lists helpful. The free download is a patient handout with the word lists.
Quick guide to self-management training in Parkinson’s. Based on Yorkston et al. (2017), this post shares how voice training is not the end-all and be-all for SLPs treating people with Parkinson’s disease. Learn concrete ways you can support self-management and self-efficacy. The handout lists specific things that we can do in therapy, categorized by skill.
ALS guide for speech-language pathologists. This tutorial discusses best practice, and the SLP’s role. It discusses how SLPs assess swallowing, communication, and cognitive skills. Learn about intervention for each area, including AAC, partner-assisted scanning, message banking, and voice banking. The handouts are a clinician checklist and a patient handout for communication strategies.
The SLP’s quick guide to Bell’s palsy. Learn about Bell’s palsy and how we treat swallowing and communication difficulties. The free download includes all the pertinent information.
Language
Learn how to do AbSANT therapy for aphasia. AbSANT is an evidence-based approach for treating anomia. AbSANT focuses on training abstract words to improve conversation. Learn how to do AbSANT and find the resources and materials you need. The free download is a step-by-step cheat sheet.
Easy discourse measures to demonstrate improvement. Learn how to analyze connected speech to demonstrate baseline impairment and gains made with therapy. The free download is a cheat sheet and scoring sheet.
Improve aphasia outcomes by creating intensive home exercise programs. Learn just what “intensive” means, find 30 activity ideas, and see a sample schedule. The free download is a diagram to help with educating patient and family about the importance of intensive daily practice.
How intensive home exercise helped my patient talk again. Read about how I modified the intensive home exercise program for my patient, and the gains he made in communication. The free download is a handout to help a care partner use Response Elaboration with their loved one.
Attentive Reading and Constrained Summarization tutorial. Learn how to use this therapy method to improve word-finding, topic maintenance, and other cognitive-linguistic skills at the discourse level. The free handout lists who ARCS is for and how to use it for both speech and for writing (ARCS-W).
My patient improved conversation with ARCS. Read about how I used Attentive Reading and Constrained Summarization to help a patient improve his conversation skills. The free download is a handout to use in therapy.
5 videos for learning verbs in aphasia. Video can be a great addition to speech therapy. I share five ESL (English as a Second Language) videos that focus on teaching verbs. There is not a free download.
Think
How to plan cognitive therapy with 6 questions. Learn how to apply Systematic Instruction to achieve cognitive goals. Use Professors McKay Moore Sohlberg and Lyn S. Turkstra’s 6 questions to personalize and plan cognitive therapy. The free download discusses the 6 questions and where to learn more.
Useful tools to help people with cognitive impairment. These are books and products that I use or recommend to my patients and fellow clinicians.
Learn two easy ways to make a memory notebook. I share two easy ways for organizing a memory notebook (not to be confused with a memory book). You can see examples in the free download.
Learn how to improve your short-term memory. In this article, I share a step-by-step exercise that will teach you how to use 4 memory strategies. The free download is a 5-page packet of worksheets.
Quick video exercise to improve your memory: Insomnia. Use a 2-minute TED video about insomnia for a memory exercise. I include suggestions for how to make the exercise easier or harder, tips to improve memory, and fill-in-the-blank sentences. The free download is a patient handout.
How to improve prospective memory. Ever forget to water the plants or buy stamps? Those are failures in prospective memory, the memory to carry out planned tasks. Learn about prospective memory and how to improve it. The free download is a list of 13 prospective memory therapy activities.
Improve auditory memory with this easy exercise. I share a basic listening exercise that is easy to adapt to make it easier or harder to match your patient’s level. You’ll find links to places where you can find appropriate material to use, as well as tips for how to increase or decrease the difficulty. The free download is a clinician cheat sheet.
Improve your working memory with 60 quick exercises. I provide 20 working memory exercises for three types of working memory exercises: saying familiar sequences out-of-order, word retrieval and spelling backwards, and interweaving familiar sequences. I also share tips for how to make the exercises easier or harder, as well as additional resources. The 3-page handout includes all of the exercises.
How to improve short term memory. I give many examples of functional things we can improve with therapy. I also list several sources for printable exercises, apps, and online exercises. The free download is a patient handout for the WRAP memory strategies.
5 easy steps to remember names. Learning and remembering names is challenging for many. Here’s a detailed description of the 5 steps to improving memory for names. The free download is a patient handout.
10 practical cognitive therapy activities. Read about 10 therapy activities I used with patients and 17 related SMART goals. The free download is a list of 17 SMART cognitive goals.
Improve daily skills with this easy calendar exercise. I share 40 questions you can ask to address reading, writing, auditory comprehension, verbal expression, and cognitive-communication skills. Use your patient’s calendar, one you supply, or the sample calendar page I made. The free download is a 7-page PDF containing all the materials.
How to use spaced retrieval with errorless learning to improve memory. This tutorial will walk you through this teaching method, step-by-step. You’ll learn about common therapy targets and 9 tips to maximize success. The free downloads are a blank data sheet and a completed example.
Spaced retrieval case study: Using a cane. I share the story of the first time I used this teaching method, after PT discharged patient with recommendation for 24-hour supervision. After just 2 sessions, he was using the cane all the time independently.
7 tips to maximize errorless learning for moderate to severe memory loss. People with moderate to severe memory loss generally don’t respond well to trial-and-error learning, in my experience. Instead, I use spaced retrieval combined with errorless learning, which tends to work well (but not always). The free download is a summary of the teaching approach, and a summary of what I find especially helpful when using it with people who have more severe impairments.
4 steps for using a calendar for meaningful language and cognitive-communication therapy. I wrote this article for MedBridge’s blog. In addition to discussing the 4 steps for person-centered therapy, I also list more than 30 specific exercises to address reading, writing, auditory comprehension, verbal expression, and cognitive communication skills.
3 evidence-based ways to treat cognition in MS – More than half of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) develop cognitive impairment. Here you can learn about three evidence-based ways to treat cognition in MS. There isn’t a download for this article.
How to treat post-COVID cognitive dysfunction – Learn how to treat cognitive-communication impairments in long COVID, with specific tools and resources. The download is a 3-page clinician cheat sheet.
How to use the Spoon Theory to manage fatigue – Learn how to use the Spoon Theory to manage chronic fatigue. The free download includes an energy log, planning charts, and instructions.
Educating patients and families
General
What is a speech-language pathologist, anyway? A brief overview of what a speech-language pathologist does, what all those letters mean after our names, and what our education and training is.
How SLPs help people eat, speak, and think better. Learn about the signs of problems with swallowing, communication, and cognition, and how SLPs help. The free download is a handy 1-page list of warning signs that can help people make appropriate referrals for evaluation.
5 stories share how to live the best life with dementia. Read or listen to the powerful stories of people living with dementia. Two of these ladies currently post regularly to blogs. It’s so interesting and helpful to gain insights from people who are living with these conditions (Alzheimer’s, early-onset Alzheimer’s, and frontotemporal dementia). The free handout is a one-page synopsis of these books.
COVID-19 resources for patients and SLPs. Find links to resources such as Q&A videos about the coronavirus vaccine, AAC materials, therapy materials, telepractice, and self-care. The free handout is a therapy resource cheat sheet.
Massive resource list for Alzheimer’s disease and 17 related conditions. I gathered tons of resources that we can share with our patients, from websites to podcasts to YouTube videos to online support groups. The free download is a 1-page summary of the major websites and phone numbers, as well as CaringBridge, Smart Patients, and SuperBetter.
Low vision tips: Bigger, bolder, & brighter. Watch a 2-minute video simulation of different types of low vision. Learn the 3 key strategies with tips. The free download are 10 low vision tips for functional activities.
Eat
I’m having trouble swallowing. Now what? This article goes more in depth about swallowing. Learn the symptoms of a problem, why it’s important to get an assessment, how to pronounce “dysphagia”, how dysphagia is diagnosed, what treatment can be done, tips, and where to learn more. The free download is a summary for patient education.
10 factors that increase risk of aspiration pneumonia. The risk of aspirating food or liquids into the lungs is not the same as the risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. The free download is a patient education handout, listing the factors that place a person at more or less risk.
How to help an adult with eating and drinking. This article includes a range of tips for creating a calm environment, preparing the food and drink, readying the person you’re helping, providing cues, assisting an adult with eating or drinking, engaging the person, and the importance of oral care. All the main tips are included in the free download.
What you need to know about chronic dry mouth. I teamed up with Dr. C. Michael White to write a comprehensive guide to chronic dry mouth, or xerostomia. We talk about the many benefits of saliva, what goes wrong with chronic dry mouth, and tips for how to help. The free download is a 5-page patient guide.
How to make minced & moist food at home. Here is a tutorial to teach you how to make IDDSI Level 5 Minced & Moist food. The free download is a 3-page patient guide, complete with tips and meal ideas.
A practical guide to pureed food at home. This is a tutorial for anyone who eats pureed food. It describes pureed food according to IDDSI, how to make it, and how to make it taste good, with flavor combinations and links to recipes. Includes a patient handout.
How to make pureed food taste good. It’s easy to learn the basics of pureeing, but how do you make it taste good? Learn all sorts of tips and tricks for pureeing meat, bread, vegetables, pasta, and more. Find examples of equipment you can use. I also share several recipe videos for making chicken, meat, fish, and a variety of main meals, side dishes, and smoothies. The free handout is a tip sheet for how to puree vegetables and meat.
Take the guesswork out of thickening liquids with the IDDSI flow test. Finally, an easy, scientific method for thickening liquids! The free download is both a clinician cheat-sheet and a patient handout.
What SLPs should know about osteoporosis drugs and dysphagia. I teamed up with Dr. C. Michael White to explore the relationship between swallowing problems and common osteoporosis drugs. Learn how SLPs can help protect patients from medication-induced gastrointestinal injury with specific and actionable information. The free download is a clinician cheat-sheet.
The SLP’s quick guide to dysphagia in COPD. Learn about COPD and how we assess and treat swallowing. The free download is a patient handout with mealtime tips.
Speak
12 ways to experience what aphasia is like. While we can’t really know what aphasia is like, we can get a sense of it through any of these immersive simulations, videos, and activities. The free download is a caregiver handout with some quick facts about living with aphasia, why they may wish to gain more insight, and where to find the activities.
3 easy ways to sabotage your conversations. Conversation is crucial to our health, happiness, and success in life. Learn 3 easy ways to sabotage yourself, and 3 easy ways to improve your communication skills. The free download is a patient handout sharing the tips and why they help communication.
Free course to improve conversation skills in aphasia. The free Better Conversations with Aphasia course from University College London has one track for clinicians and another track for the general public. I wrote about the course in details.
Communicate better in dementia with MESSAGE. Each letter of “MESSAGE” stands for a strategy, and each strategy comes with 2-4 specific tips. Watch one of the training videos from the University of Queensland. The free download is a care partner worksheet, with almost all of the tips provided.
Communicate better in Lewy body dementia. Learn tips and strategies to improve communication with people who are living with LBD, including during moments of hallucination or delusion. the free download is a 2-page patient handout.
ALS guide for speech-language pathologists. This tutorial includes a patient handout for communication strategies.
5 things you may not think of before neck surgery. This post is inspired by my own experience, written in the days before I undergo neck surgery. Check it out for resources you may find helpful prior to any surgery, really. The free download is a list of resources and a communication tip.
Message banking tutorial. Learn what message banking is, how it’s for, and how to do it. The free download is a patient handout.
Voice banking tutorial: Acapela and ModelTalker. Learn what voice banking is, who can do it, and how to do it. The free download is a patient handout which includes pricing and key details for The Voice Keeper. (updated 2023)
Easy voice banking with The Voice Keeper. Patients learn what voice banking is, what it sounds like, and how to do it with The Voice Keeper app. The free download is a 2-page guide for patients.
Add video or text to your phone calls to improve communication. This post was inspired by an SLP sharing that some people who have trouble speaking will respond via Facebook Messenger while the other person on the phone talks normally. Talks about using Messenger, WhatsApp, and Skype, with tips for communication. The free download is a patient handout.
6 ways to use the phone if you have trouble speaking clearly. Here I share tips for being understood over the phone, as well as Speech-to-Speech relay, Hearing Carry Over relay, Sprint IP relay, and using speech-generating devices. The free download is a 3-page handout.
6 free internet-based telephone relay services if you have trouble hearing. Learn about three versions of CapTel, IP relay, teleconference captioning, and video relay services. The free download is a patient education handout.
Trouble hearing on the phone? 5 ways to communicate without an internet connection. Learn about amplified phones, voice carry over relay service, text telephone (TTY), CapTel, and the TeleBraille telephone. The free download is a patient handout.
An easy guide to speech-to-speech (STS) telephone relay. STS relay is a free service in the USA that allows a person who has impaired speech talk to others over the phone, using a specially-trained operator to repeat speech that isn’t understood. The free download is a patient guide.
Think
Useful tools to help people with cognitive impairment. These are products I recommend to my patients and their families, when appropriate.
Why I sometimes recommend brain-training games. Learn why brain-training games are controversial and why I still sometimes recommend them. I also list evidence-based strategies for improving cognition.
Communicate better in Lewy body dementia. Learn tips and strategies to improve communication with people who are living with LBD, including during moments of hallucination or delusion. the free download is a 2-page patient handout.
How to improve cognition in multiple sclerosis. Cognitive impairment is relatively common in MS, but treatment can help. Find tips for how to improve cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS). The free download is a patient handout.
SLPs play an important role in home health medication education. This post was inspired by a seminar I attended at an ASHA Convention. Learn why SLPs have a role, the 9 ways home health clinicians can help, and specifically what SLPs can do. The free download is the conference handout.
31 creative ways you can remember to take your medication. One major problem with being forgetful is failing to take medications as prescribed. Here are 31 ways to remember, from very low tech to very high tech. The free download summarizes them.
5 things you may not think of before neck surgery. This post is inspired by my own experience, written in the days before I undergo neck surgery. Check it out for resources you may find helpful prior to any surgery, really. The free download is a list of resources and a communication tip.
Being a speech-language pathologist
General
A message of hope to the struggling speech-language pathologist. A pre-pandemic essay I wrote after feeling overwhelmed myself, which you can download.
50 questions to ask in a home health SLP interview. The free download is a concise summary of the questions, with space to add your own.
17 tips for the new home health SLP. I reflect back on the past six years and share my best tips for SLPs entering home health. The download is a cheat sheet listing all the tips.
Best gear for home health therapists and nurses. Here are my recommendations for the best gear for working in home health, from meal prep to car comfort and safety, to working in the home.
Soft skills for SLPs: Taking your practice to new heights. Soft skills are the key to providing person-centered care. Learn how soft skills can help improve our assessment and therapy! The download is a cheat sheet for what to say during initial evaluations.
How to use Chat GPT for speech therapy. I share my thoughts on how SLPs can use Chat GPT in an ethical manner, along with some of my successes and failures. The download is a reading passage and comprehension questions generated by Chat GPT4 and lightly edited by me.
11 inspirational resources for a happier new year. I share my favorite videos, podcasts, and books for time management, improving mind and body, being smarter about finances, and understanding the people around me.
3 ways a professional mindset changed my life in 2018. I started 2018 struggling in my role as a home health SLP. Learn how I turned it around over the course of the year.
My best day as a home health SLP. Curious about home health? I walk you through an easy day to show how great it can be.
My worst day as a home health SLP. I shared a tough work day (tough from a workload perspective), because unfortunately, not all days are great.
Interview – Meet the Nice Speech Lady. Here I interview Wilson Nice (SLP) about how she got started, what her blog offers, and more!
Goal-setting and writing
A PROMising shift: SLPs offer person-centered care. Learn why CMS is promoting the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for person-centered care. We can use patient’s initial self-report as the baseline measure and write a goal to improve it by discharge. This article is based on two excellent Medbridge courses by Sarah Baar. The free download is a clinician cheat sheet, including where to find freely-available PROMs.
An easy way to write participation-level speech therapy goals. Learn how to write true participation level goals with visual analog scales with this 5-step tutorial. I walk us through a case study, with examples. The free download is a cheat sheet summary.
How to plan cognitive therapy with 6 questions. Use Professors McKay Moore Sohlberg and Lyn S. Turkstra’s 6 questions to personalize and plan cognitive therapy. The free download discusses the 6 questions and where to learn more.
Assess readiness to change for better therapy outcomes. Learn the 5 stages of change according to the Transtheoretical Model of Change, 10 questions you can ask your patient, and find a MedBridge course on motivational interviewing and health coaching. The free downloads are a cheat sheet with the 10 questions and a readiness scale you can use in therapy.
Collaborative goal-setting to identify meaningful cognitive goals. Taking the time to set personally-meaningful goals with our patients is well worth it. Learn how I approach this, especially when it’s not easy to determine. I share how I write SMART goals. The free download is a cheat sheet.
Learn how Goal Attainment Scaling can make SMART goals better. You may be surprised to learn there are several problems with SMART goals. Using Goal Attainment Scaling can make therapy goals concrete, specific, and meaningful. You’ll find open access training materials and templates. The free download is a template that can be used for 1-5 goals on one page.
Goal Attainment Scaling tutorial. Use GAS to demonstrate personalized outcomes from skilled intervention. This can potentially be used for any area of speech therapy. The free download is a worksheet to use with patients.
Treating cognition in the real world. I share the story of how I worked with a patient before having a clear idea what her diagnosis was, by focusing on her desired functional goals. The free handout is “The Alphabet Game”, intended to teach word search strategies when word failure occurs.
Writing SMART memory goals for a reluctant patient. Learn how I hooked a reluctant patient into therapy, and how she exceeded expectations. I also discuss SMART goals and give examples. The free download is a cheat sheet for clinicians as well as a long list of possible skills to target in therapy.
Cognitive therapy: Easy to grasp, hard to master. I discuss the challenges in making therapy personalized and functional and some possible solutions. Then I analyze an un-SMART goal and a SMART goal, and how I write goals if I don’t yet know what the specific intended outcome of therapy is. Finally, I share a list of functional skills that we can target in therapy. The free handout is a list of ideas for cognitive therapy, how ST complements PT and OT, and an example of how I may use a calendar in therapy.
Time management and work flow skills
5 ways I improved work-life balance as a home health SLP. I nearly burned out working in home health and had to figure out how to manage my time better. In this post, I share some of the things I found helpful. The free download is a cheat sheet for clinicians with specific examples.
7 tips to benefit your home health patients and minimize your workload. The free download is a 1-page cheat sheet of 10 tips to work more efficiently.
8 strategies for easier reassessments. Lots of tips to work more efficiently and save time. The free download is a cheat sheet for clinicians.
Organize the materials you carry to save time as a home health SLP. I walk you through my work bag and share some tips. The free download is a checklist for what you might want to carry in your bag.
Use your planner to lighten your home health workload. Learn how I use my planner to work smarter, not harder. I share pictures of my actual planner (scrubbed of patient info) and give tips that save me time.
Is home health paperwork really that bad? I share the details of what my work day looks like, with particular emphasis on the paperwork.
Evidence-based practice and continuing education
MedBridge Education discount for SLPs, OTs, PTs, and nurses. Support Eat, Speak, & Think at no extra cost to you. Follow the link to get the code and all the details, including my tips for taking advantage of a subscription. Thank you if you purchase a subscription!
SpeechPathology.com for SLPs (affiliate link). Unlimited access to 450+ courses for $99 a year. Support Eat, Speak, & Think at no extra cost to you. I’ve earned at least 3 ACE awards by listening to these courses while driving patient to patient. Thank you if you purchase a subscription!
40+ places to find ASHA CEUs. Includes my opinion on viewing continuing education as an investment in yourself and your career, and why I think CEU courses can be an excellent return on investment. Learn about the ACE award. And of course, find 40+ ASHA-registered CEU providers. The free download is a summary of the providers, including cost, location, and format.
Top 10 AT and AAC research sources. Find descriptions and links to the 10 best resources I could find. The free download is a cheat sheet, including links to YouTube tutorials on ASHA’s Evidence Maps.
Best SLP blogs to elevate your adult clinical practice. Here are 20 medical SLP blogs, each with a unique voice and perspective. Find everything from research-based advice for treating adults to tips for CFs and travelers. All of the blogs are listed on a single page for the free download.
51 podcasts for medical SLPs – An updated list of podcasts for medical SLPs. Learn new craft, pick up a new business tip, or get inspired!
24 podcasts for adult medical speech-language pathologists. There are a few additional podcasts in the comments. Feel free to recommend more in the comments! The free download is a clickable list.
How ASHA’s Evidence Maps save you time. A guest post by ASHA’s National Center for Evidence-Based Practice. The free download is a 1-page cheat sheet.
Applying ASHA’s Evidence Maps to my caseload. Read how I used the Evidence Maps for 5 patients.
Free course to improve conversation skills in aphasia. The free Better Conversations with Aphasia course from University College London has one track for clinicians and another track for the general public. I wrote about the course in details. You won’t earn CEUs, but you may learn some helpful therapy strategies.