May is Better Speech and Hearing Month!!! BIG things planned!!

Better Speech and Hearing Month

To me the month of May means flowers beginning to bloom, birds chirping, sunny, warm weather, the school year is coming to an end, and of course BETTER SPEECH AND HEARING MONTH!!

Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/bhsm/

I have many different things planned for the entire month of May which I hope you will all find exciting and informative.  Throughout the month, there are many SLP bloggers that will be featured on my blog.  A huge THANK YOU goes out to all of the bloggers who have volunteered to take the time to create guest posts to share with all of you!  Some of the amazing topics you will see are large group language activities, fluency, behavior management, DIY articulation activities, and more!  Some of the SLPs may even have a few new activities to share with you.

To kick off BSHM, I wanted to share some fun facts, articles, websites, and TpT sources with you.  So here we go….

ASHA has an entire section on their website dedicated to BSHM which you will find HERE.  While you are checking out the website, be sure to download the awesome poster (similar to the logo seen above)  to display in your classroom, office, or school.  There are also products available for purchase, resources for your practice or school, and more! 

Below are two short articles/information pieces about Speech-Language Pathologists jobs and Speech Facts!

Did you know? retrieved from http://www.speakingofspeech.com/uploads/Week_1_BSHM_did_you_know.pdf

Did you know that delayed speech development is one of the most common symptoms of developmental delay in children? It occurs in 5-10% of all children.

Did you know that there are many factors that contribute to or cause communication disorders or deficits? A hearing loss, illness, injury, and congenital or psychological conditions are just some examples of such contributing factors.

Did you know the impairments that a Speech Language Pathologist can treat include voice, fluency, language and articulation disorders?

Did you know that because the structures used for speaking are the same structures used for chewing and swallowing, an SLP can also treat various feeding and swallowing disorders (often referred to as dysphagia)?

Speech-Language Pathologist Job Facts retrieved from http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/speech-language-pathologist

In the USA there are currently 117,000 therapists working in hospitals, schools, private offices, and nursing homes, devising treatment plans that involve such things as vocal lessons, muscle and swallowing exercises, or teaching someone how to communicate using alternative methods.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a hiring boom for speech-language pathologists.  The BLS expects approximately 28,800 new openings in this field before 2020 to accommodate the aging population.

Speech-language pathologists have seen a pretty good spike in pay just from 2010 to 2011. In 2011, the average salary for therapists was $69,100. Generally, jobs within healthcare pay more than schools pay for speech therapists.

Be sure to check out the full article (LINK) for more information regarding salary, training, reviews & advice, and more.

Next up is a list of websites, blogs, and TpT sources that I think you will find useful for BSHM:

Websites

http://www.speakingofspeech.com/May_is_BSHM_Materials.html

http://pinterest.com/ashaweb/better-hearing-speech-month-ideas/

http://www.asha.org/bhsm/

Blog sources

http://www.speechguy.net/may-is-better-speech-and-hearing-month

Thank you notes for things won during BHSM:http://consonantlyspeaking.com/posts/2012/05/making-sure-to-say-thank-you-for-bhsm-app-donations-giveaways-and-sales
BHSM coloring page with homework:http://consonantlyspeaking.com/posts/2012/05/better-hearing-and-speech-month-coloring-page-with-suggested-homework-activities
Free BHSM printables:http://consonantlyspeaking.com/posts/2012/05/free-printables-for-better-hearing-and-speech-month
What Does Better Hearing and Speech Mean to You? worksheet:http://consonantlyspeaking.com/posts/2012/05/what-does-better-hearing-and-speech-mean-to-you-worksheet
ABCs 4 SLPs: B is for BHSM:http://consonantlyspeaking.com/posts/2012/08/abcs-4-slps-b-is-for-better-hearing-and-speech-month

TpT Clip Art

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Better-Speech-and-Hearing-Month-Subway-Art

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SLP-Clip-Art-Freebie

TpT Speech Language Pathology Brochures/Checklists, Powerpoints, and Information Packets

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Role-of-SLPs-in-Schools

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Processing-Disorder-Powerpoint-for-Speech-Language-Pathologists

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Speech-Therapy-Speech-Language-Pathology-in-the-Schools-Brochure

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Explanation-of-Speech-Language-Therapy-Powerpoint-For-Inservices-Etc

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Recognizing-Speech-Language-delay-in-school-age-children-A-Tutorial

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/K-5-Common-Core-Standards-Supporting-IEP-Goals-for-English-Language-Arts

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/6-12-Common-Core-Standards-Supporting-IEP-Goals-for-English-Language-Arts

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/PreK-Speech-and-Language-Checklists

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Speech-and-Language-Guidelines-Checklists

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/May-Better-Speech-Hearing-Month

Be sure to click on the side of my blog to follow me!!  There will be tons of posts with valuable information and fun activities all month long!  A huge thank you again to all the SLP bloggers who volunteered to write guest posts during the month of May.  You don’t want to miss them!!  Thanks so much for your continued support.

Kristine

Live Love Speech