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Allison Fors, Inc.

Speech Therapy Tools for SLPs and Educators

Why you should be Using Interactive Books in Speech Therapy (+ a freebie)

INTERATIVE BOOKS SPEECH THERAPY

What are interactive books?

“Interactive books” or “adaptive books” is a general term for a book that requires participation from the reader. They can differ quite a bit – in how the participation occurs, as well as how they are setup. The downloadable interactive books you will find in the special education world will most likely require lamination and the use of Velcro to move pieces onto various pages. (I exclusively use tack though – see why in the video at the end!)

SHOP ALL INTERACTIVE BOOKS

Why use interactive books?

These books are a favorite and staple! The interactive component of these books keep minds engaged and hands busy. Kids love to move the pieces and be in control of the activity – it feels more like a game than work! These books work especially well for those with limited attention spans.

Also, they are a perfect on-the-go therapy tool for you traveling SLPs or those of you who don’t have a massive room or storage closet (so pretty much all of us!) You can get a lot of language and can work on tons of skills from just a small, compact book!

Lastly, and probably my favorite aspect, you can target many goals! I can often use one book with the majority of my caseload and for my group therapy sessions. I’ve used interactive books not only for language intervention, but articulation, stuttering, and social skills therapy…or just as a motivator!

Speech Therapy Goals

Here are some of the main things I work on with these books:

  • Vocabulary
  • Answering WH questions
  • Following directions
  • Sentence formulation
  • Expanding language
  • Grammar (pronouns, verbs, prepositions)
  • Categorization and associations
  • Articulation
  • Attending to task and turn-taking
  • Matching
  • Social routines and sequences

I use these books as an alternative to social stories. Don’t get me wrong, I love social stories and have had good outcomes with them, but not all kids like them or will attend/learn from a written story. Instead, I use an interactive book to discuss routines and appropriate behaviors. For example, I use the interactive books below to teach step by step what can be expected when going to the dentist or doctor. We discuss what will happen first, next, last, and learn about the tools used.

SOCIAL STORIES INTERACTIVE BOOKS

Fun ideas to incorporate with interactive books!

  1. Sensory bins: Hide the interactive pieces in a sensory bin. Let the student find one at a time or all of them and then complete the book. This works well for students who need a change-up, sensory input, or to add even more engaging components to the task.
  2. Whiteboard marker: Since the book is laminated, use a dry erase marker to tie in more skills and engage in a different way, then simply wipe it off!
  3. Sticky tack: Try using tack instead of Velcro when assembling! This allows freedom of placement. Otherwise, you must put one side of the Velcro onto specific locations of the scenes.

Watch this video to see the ways I use this playhouse interactive book in therapy and why I use tack instead of Velcro:

View the latest themed interactive books!


Download a FREE farm themed interactive book + FREE interactive book sample pages!

How do you use interactive books in therapy?



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Why you should be Using Interactive Books in Speech Therapy (+ a freebie)

June 8, 2017 allisonfors 5 Comments Filed Under: Speech Resources, Therapy Ideas

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Comments

  1. Sue says

    April 12, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    I signed up for a freebie but did not receive it. I am having a difficult time reading your yellow print, perhaps ,try a darker color, Your products look great!

    Reply
    • allisonfors says

      April 13, 2019 at 2:12 am

      Be sure to check your promotions or spam folders for the welcome email which will contain the password! If you have further trouble, please email me at allison@allisonfors.com

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth B. says

    June 23, 2021 at 12:04 am

    Would these be appropriate and helpful for children aged 18 months? My daughter is fairly capable of pointing to specific items on a page when asked.

    Reply
    • allisonfors says

      June 24, 2021 at 4:47 pm

      I would recommend using real toys to work on these skills! Really anything motivating for her – a dollhouse, toy farm, a ball.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth B. says

        June 26, 2021 at 2:57 pm

        That makes sense. Thank you!

        Reply

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Hi, I'm Allison! A speech & language resource author who loves the creative process of making therapy materials and clipart, as well as connecting with educators world wide. Learn more about me here! Read More…

Echolalia is actually a positive prognostic indica Echolalia is actually a positive prognostic indicator for autistic children! We don’t treat it this way most of the time even though it’s a communicative function for the individual. Instead of ignoring or trying to get a child to stop, we should try to shape the content into meaningful communication by teaching the meaning of the words or modeling appropriate language.
•
Echolalia is a repetition of another person’s spoken words. This often presents in a child quoting favorite movies or repeating a question directed towards them.
•
(Prizant 1987)
Resurfacing this for Better Hearing and Speech Mon Resurfacing this for Better Hearing and Speech Month 👄🗣🧠👂🏼 

What are you!? Tag a friend!👇
Common Diacritics for Cleft Affected Speech 👇👇👇

Nasal emission: The audible release of bursts of air through the nose during speech while producing a consonant that requires a buildup of air pressure.

Nasal turbulence: The escape of air through the nasal cavity, but it is perceived as turbulent, a snort or nasal rustle.

Dentalized: When the tip of the tongue is pushed against the back of the upper teeth.

Hypernasailty: A condition when air flows through the nasal passage during voiced consonants and vowels causing too much nasal resonance. It may or may not be audible.

Hyponasality: A condition when there is not enough nasal resonance on nasal sounds due to a blockage in the nasopharynx or nasal cavity.

Fronted: When a sound produced in the back of the mouth is replaced with a sound made in the front of the mouth.

Backed: When a sound produced in the front of the mouth is replaced with a sound made in the back of the mouth.

Save this post to reference later!
SPEECH VS LANGUAGE. BHSM seems like a good time to SPEECH VS LANGUAGE. BHSM seems like a good time to share this again. 

Oh how many times I’ve explained these two terms! Do you find yourself breaking down the difference between speech and language?

This graphic is in the Free SLP Handouts download. 🔗 allisonfors.com/speech-therapy-handouts/
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Now if onl May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Now if only there was an easy way to explain alllll the aspects of speech-language pathology! 👄🦻🏻
Want to know what the most horrific/best thing I e Want to know what the most horrific/best thing I ever did in therapy was?
Video myself.
😳😳😳
I realized I wasn’t giving enough wait time for my students. Turns out what feels like eternity after you ask a question, is really half a second. 😂 It took a lot of retraining to be ok with the quiet and not try to fill every moment with a teaching opportunity. Try counting to 10 before you jump in!

Have you ever filmed yourself in therapy? What was your biggest takeaway? 
If you’ve never done it or it’s been awhile...do it!

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