In this video, speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark shows you how to make 5-minute speech sessions work when you have a busy, noisy environment to work in.

Strategies for Getting Those Sessions Done Without a Ton of Transition Time:

  • Pull into the hallway right outside the classroom.  If too busy, bring along a tri-fold poster board and create a barrier around you.  Place a Do Not Disturb sign on the side facing the hall.  Or, for younger kids, bring along a pop-up tent!
  • Pull them to the back of the classroom where you can work quietly for a few minutes (explain to the teachers that this is better than the child missing 30 minutes of class to join a group).
  • Find empty classrooms or offices that you can use in a few different locations around the school so that you have spots you can go to that aren’t as far away as your speech room.
  • Use the space between two sets of double doors on a doorway that isn’t used much during the time of your session.
  • Step right outside the school at a nearby doorway and work on the ground for a few minutes.
  • Schedule fewer kids in each 30-min block so you have more time for transitions.
  • Schedule the same number of kids per 30-min block, but pull two at a time and have them do their words rapid fire.
  • Bring along the Maxwell Smart Cone of Silence.