Hey There! There are so many amazing resources that I LOVE and invest in. Within this blog posit, I am sharing a few recommendations for subscriptions for teletherapy.
Before I dig into this topic, I would like to take a minute share a very IMPORTANT tidbit to those who are new to teletherapy. Most of you will be considered an independent contractor (1099 employee) which means you have to use your own wages to purchase therapy resources for your speech sessions. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED. You can use your purchases as a tax exemption which might yield greater financial benefits in the long run. The question that I get asked often is “What online resources do you pay for other than those you purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers”? I am going to share my favorites! (NOTE: I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THESE RESOURCES I WILL BE RECOMMENDING). I just love them.
IXL.COM
IXL.COM is a learning website for math, science, language arts, and social studies (ages K-1). IXL is the one stop therapy shop in my opinion because it encompasses a large variety of skills you could ever write a language goal for. You may even use this website as a guide for goal writing. The questions and modules meet nearly all State Standards.
So, what is the investment with IXL.COM? There are several membership levels. If you sign up as a parent, you can gain access to the language arts content for $9.95 per month. You can access ALL core subjects for 19.95 per month. There are a few membership options so I will let you decide what works best for your caseload needs.
Click on the image below to start your free trial of IXL.COM.
EVERYDAY SPEECH
EVERYDAY SPEECH is a full curriculum that is used to teach social-emotional skills. If you have any students on your caseload with social language goals, I would highly consider using this website. You get a HUGE LIBRARY of videos, worksheets, and games all organized systematically for easy planning. New activities are being added weekly and the developers are starting to include more digital worksheets along with their printed versions. I can use this curriculum easily within my teletherapy platform. Example skill areas targeted are the following: emotional regulation, play skills, school rules, basic conversation skills, advanced conversation skills, situational awareness, and much more. The curriculum is organized by Pre-K-Elementary to Middle School/High School.
This curriculum is a little more expensive than most I would recommend. I would suggest working with your school district or teletherapy company to see if they can get a group discount to save on the cost. If you receive a therapy stipend, it can also off set the costs. I am not sure what the monthly cost is as it appears you now have to request a quote.
Click on the picture to check out this great resource!
BOOMLEARNING
Boom Learning is an online platform that allows speech therapists to purchase and/or create digital lessons. Boom decks are interactive activities comprised of individual, digital task cards. I use Boom Cards everyday in my teletherapy sessions.
First, I would like to disclose that you can use the free membership and have access to your Boom Cards at any time. At the minimum a free (Starter) account is required to access purchased or free Boom Cards. Any account (free or paid) can access and play Boom Cards using Fast Pins. Fast Pins do not record student progress, but they do provide instant feedback and self-grade if the deck is self-grading.
Here is why I would encourage choosing one of the paid membership.
- Create your own decks: (you don’t have to sell them). This is useful when I have a unique situation or student that I need a very individualized lesson for. In minutes, I can create a lesson.
- Individualized Progress Reports: You can easily take data with boomlearning. Create a class, assign decks, and track your progress for easy data collection for IEP’s.
- Homework Practice: My parents LOVE that I can assign them a deck for home practice. As long as they have WIFI, they can practice their speech anywhere. I am finding that parents actually do the homework I send home when it is a Boom Card Deck.
See the chart below for the membership levels available within Boom Learning. Click on it to bring you to Boom Learning to start your free trial!!
SPEECHPATHOLOGY.COM
As a teletherapist, we often have to pay for our own CEU’s. Speechpathology.com is loaded with continuing education opportunities at a very reasonable membership price. With your speechpathology.com membership of (99.00 per year), you have unlimited access to their course library. They have over 350 courses covering a wide array of topics. If you are a member of the ASHA registry, Speechpathology.com will report those hours for you. Check with them frequently as they are always sharing offers for signing up!
NOTE: They offer LIVE webinars which is valuable for those states that require live CEU’s.
