The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

Kelly Vess, MA, CCC-SLP
  • 4.7 (30)
  • Language Learning
  • Updated Weekly

Get ready for all things speech pathology: AAC, ADHD, Apraxia, Articulation Therapy, Autism, Behavior, Early Intervention, Executive Function, Evidence-Based Practice, Gestalt Language, Literacy Intervention, Movement, Multi-Modal Cueing, Narratives, Partnerships, Phonological Awareness, Sensory, Speech Strategies, Target Selection, Technology, Telehealth, and Self-care. Be better. Do better. Create better. Make the world a better place, one person at a time. You're first. Join Kelly every Thursday and at the drawing board. Do better with easy step-by-step 'how-to's' with ready-for-use printables and over 100 video clips of best practices, check out Kelly's book "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment." It is available at Amazon and major booksellers internationally. If you learn from doing and work with children with special needs, join Kelly's Sparkle in School Membership. Make intervention EASY with weekly ready-for-use materials and Google Slides Decks sent to your inbox. Check it out today at kellyvess.com. Thoughts to share? Email: Kelly@KellyVess.com

  1. 1d ago

    229. The Behavior Crystal Ball: 5 Research-Backed Rules for Kids with Communication Delays

    Get ready for the new school year with your behavior crystal ball: the research! In this episode, we dig into five behavioral challenges that show up more often in preschoolers with speech and/or language delays, and the five simple rules (with free flip cards!) you can start using today to get ahead of them. You'll learn: - Why children with developmental language disorder and speech sound disorders struggle with sustained attention and how to teach it - Why kids with communication delays are more likely to avoid answering questions (even ones they know!) and the social-pragmatic reason behind it - Why task persistence is harder for these children, and how to build in "working super hard" as a proactive rule - What recent research out of a 300-child clinic in Baghdad found about behavior + speech sound disorders and what it means for your therapy sessions - The connection between communication delays and self-regulation/physical aggression, and how to address it before it becomes a pattern - How to combine Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) + Universal Design for Learning (UDL), print, picture, gesture, and artifact, to reinforce these five rules without turning them into redirection cards Plus: how to use a "treasure box" the *right* way (hint: it's not a reward system) and why 80% positive reinforcement is the magic number. 🎁 Free Resources & Ways to Get Involved 🎯 Join the SIS Membership: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Get two ready-to-use movement activities delivered straight to your inbox every week. 🃏 Free Behavior Flip Cards + Certificate: https://www.kellyvess.com/behavior Download the five rule flip cards (with gestures and a completion certificate) mentioned in this episode — totally free. 📋 Take the AAC Survey: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FHfcoyCK3z5vJs Your voice matters: whether you're an SLP, teacher, paraprofessional, parent, OT, PT, ABA tutor, or BCBA. Complete the survey and receive the AAC Toolkit (Spanish, Arabic, and English) immediately and anonymously. Thanks for listening! If this episode helped you, share it with another SLP, teacher, or parent who could use it before the school year kicks off. See you next week!💚Kelly Research referenced in this episode: Clark, R., et al. (2021). Language, aggression, and self-regulation in young children. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 29(3), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426620937691 Dahash, A. H., & Mohammed, S. H. (2024). Assessment of behavioral problems among children with speech difficulties. South Eastern European Journal of Public Health. [Volume/issue unverified] https://www.seejph.com/index.php/seejph/article/view/1377 Formanek, M., & Spaulding, T. J. (2024). Investigating task persistence in preschool children with developmental language disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_LSHSS-23-00196 Foster, M. E. et al. (2023). Speech-language disorder severity, academic success, and socioemotional functioning among multilingual and English children in the United States: The National Survey of Children's Health. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1096145. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096145 Kolbaşı, S. (2026). Pragmatic language use and parent–child interaction among children at risk for developmental language disorder and typically developing peers. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70253 McCormack, J. et al. (2012). Knowing, having, doing: The battles of childhood speech impairment. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 28(2), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659011417313 Murphy, C. F. B. et al. (2014). Auditory and visual sustained attention in children with speech sound disorder. PLOS ONE, 9(3), Article e93091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093091 Sanhueza, S. et al. (2024). Finding the mole and choosing the apple: Executive function challenges in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Children, 11(12), Article 1519. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11121519 Shim, Y. et al. (2025). Developmental language disorder: Current understanding, clinical implications, and future directions. Annals of Child Neurology. https://doi.org/10.26815/acn.2025.01144 van Doornik, A. et al. (2025). Speech and language therapists' insights into severity of speech sound disorders in children for developing the speech sound disorder severity construct. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 60(3), Article e70022. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70022 Wren, Y. et al. (2023). Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with persistent speech disorder in children: A prospective population study. JCPP Advances, 3(1), Article e12126. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12126

  2. Aug 13

    228. The Research Is Clear: Combine Movement + Storytelling for Bigger Gains

    Narratives and movement are better together, and today's episode has the research to prove it. I'm breaking down a preschool study that found combining movement with storytelling produces bigger gains in language and motor skills than either approach alone, and I'm walking you through exactly how to bring this into your own sessions. In this episode, you'll learn: 1-Why narratives are the "kettlebell" of intervention: hitting vocabulary, syntax, comprehension, verbal working memory, and social pragmatics all at once 2-The preschool research showing combined movement + storytelling beats movement-only or storytelling-only conditions for both language and motor outcomes 3-How a simple "how do you..." task-oriented story (no imagination required!) works just as well as a made-up story 4-My go-to tier-two conjunction words (first, next, then, lastly, because) and how to pair them with gestures to build automaticity 5-How to use dynamic cueing to shift the "locus of control" so the child becomes the storyteller, not you 6-Three easy ways to scale the task up or down (simple sentence → complex sentence → multi-step paragraph) to keep kids engaged without frustration 🎁 Want two ready-to-use, highly engaging movement activities delivered to your inbox every single week — plus so much more? Join the SIS Membership and never run out of effective, easy-to-implement session materials again: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis 📋 Have you completed the AAC survey yet? This is your chance to shape resources built around what AAC professionals and parents actually struggle with. Complete the comprehensive AAC survey and get the AAC Implementation Toolkit as a thank-you — open to both parents and professionals: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FHfcoyCK3z5vJs ✋ Download my storytelling cueing gestures — the exact visual cues I use for first, next, then, lastly, and because — so you (and the parents you work with) can start using them today: https://www.kellyvess.com/storycues Referenced Study: Duncan, M., Cunningham, A., & Eyre, E. (2019). A combined movement and story-telling intervention enhances motor competence and language ability in pre-schoolers to a greater extent than movement or story-telling alone. European Physical Education Review, 25(1), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X17715772

  3. Aug 6

    227. From Cause-and-Effect to Complex Play: A 3-Step Bridge for Kids Who Get 'Stuck’

    Does your caseload include kids who only want the piggy bank, the ball chute, or the same three dinosaur figures? This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how I move children out of the cause-effect and sensory-toy stage and into richer, more complex play, without losing the relationship or the child’s motivation along the way. I’m sharing a three-step bridging process I use to expand play repertoires, build executive function, and grow narrative and language skills, all while still honoring what the child already loves. What we cover: • Why variety matters: the research behind why a broader repertoire of toys and play experiences leads to better long-term outcomes • Step 1: Build rapport first: using a parent input form to learn a child’s favorite toys, shows, and characters, and why front-loading relationship pays off • Step 2: Bridge, don’t replace: three concrete ways to bridge high-interest and sensory activities into task-oriented movement activities: ◦ Blending sensory play (like a beans/mud bin) into a structured task ◦ Adding movement breaks to build attention and increase vocalizations ◦ Swapping the theme while keeping the structure the same • Step 3: Why task-oriented movement activities work: how they naturally build the problem → plan → action → check sequence of executive function, and lay the foundation for strong narrative skills (vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and verbal working memory) • A real example using 'The Little Blue Truck' activity from my SIS membership, including how I use songs, stickers, and movement to keep kids engaged • How to fade supports over time as kids get comfortable with the new routine Links Mentioned in This Episode 📋 Take the AAC Survey Complete my comprehensive AAC survey: written entirely from in-depth interviews with speech-language pathologists and teachers in the field. It takes 15–20 minutes, and upon completion you’ll immediately receive a full AAC Implementation Toolkit (in English, Spanish, and Arabic) including a 64-goal AAC goal bank, an AAC storybook training, and an AAC FAQ guide. Take the AAC Survey: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FHfcoyCK3z5vJs 📝 Parent Input Form This form referenced in this episode for learning a new client’s favorite toys, shows, and activities before your first session. Parent Input Form:: https://www.kellyvess.com/parentinputform 🌟 SIS Membership Get access to weekly task-oriented movement activities like the Little Blue Truck example featured in this episode. SIS Membership: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis

  4. Jul 30

    226. Using Storybooks to Boost High-Tech AAC Skills: The MODEL Method

    If you work with children who use high-tech AAC, this episode is a can't-miss. Learn a simple, research-backed framework for turning any storybook into a rich language-learning opportunity for kids using speech-generating devices. Before diving into strategy, we tackle the mindset shift so many clinicians need around high-tech AAC: you don't need a training course or a cheat sheet to get started. Think of the device like a hotel remote control. The fastest way to learn where everything is: just start pushing buttons. From there, we break down the MODEL method, a five-step framework for using AAC during storybook reading: M – Model: Provide a completion prompt to get the child to the right "channel" on their device. O – Opportunity: Step back and give the child space to independently find the symbol. D – Demonstrate: If needed, offer a prompt (like pointing) to help the child locate the target. E – Expand: Add a "plus one," a new word or concept that builds on what the child found. L – Like: Model a comment or opinion, inviting social language beyond simple requesting. We also cover... • How to use backward chaining so children build independence over time • Why fluency with a child's AAC device matters just as much as fluency in any shared language • How to layer in multimodal supports, including sentence strips, printed words, and 3D objects, to reinforce vocabulary • A real walkthrough using the book Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell Take Action: A free AAC Implementation Toolkit is waiting for you! If you're a parent or professional who has worked with a child using a high-tech AAC device or tablet-based AAC app in the past year, your experience matters. The survey takes 15–20 minutes, and your answers will directly shape resources used by SLPs, educators, and families. 👉 Complete the survey today: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FHfcoyCK3z5vJs What You'll Receive Immediately After Completing the Survey: 1. AAC Goal Bank: 64 ready-to-use goals for high-tech AAC 2. AAC Training Video: A 20-minute training on the MODEL storybook approach, ready to share with parents and colleagues 3. AAC FAQ Handout: Answers to parents' most common questions about high-tech AAC All three resources are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Don't wait. Click the link above and complete the survey today to get your toolkit sent straight to your inbox. Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a colleague who works with AAC users.

  5. Jul 16

    225. Under the Iceberg: Why Isn't Speech Developing in Autism, with Dr. Karen Chenausky

    We learned in grad school that working on joint attention and language will lead to speech development. But for the estimated 30% of autistic children who never develop functional, fluent speech, that's not the whole story. Dr. Karen Chenausky, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech scientist, SLP, and director of the SPAN Lab at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She takes us beneath the iceberg to explore the hidden contributors to speech development in autism, including the motor-speech disorder component our field rarely talks about. In this episode, you'll learn: -Challenges that can limit spoken language in autism include joint attention, receptive language, speech perception, sensory differences, fine/gross motor cascades, and motor speech challenges -Minimally speaking vs. minimally verbal vs. pre-verbal: what each term really means, and why we wait until about age 5 to classify a child as 'minimally verbal' -How Dr. Chenausky identifies suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) in minimally speaking children using Iuzzini-Siegel's (2015) criteria, plus the catch-22 when a child doesn't produce enough speech to diagnose speech motor disorders -What to evaluate in a minimally speaking preschooler: the motor component of speech, language comprehension and expression, nonverbal IQ, and gross/fine motor skills -An invaluable assessment tool you may not know SLPs can use: the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales for capturing fine and gross motor performance -Auditory-Motor Mapping Training (AMMT), the intonation-based treatment inspired by Melodic Intonation Therapy, and the promising findings on who benefits most (hint: phonemic repertoire and readiness-to-learn skills mattered) -JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation), Connie Kasari's play-based intervention that builds the prerequisite skills for language -A Monday-morning session framework: three-tiered tasks (mastered, on-the-cusp, challenge) that keep the child at a 70-80% success point in their zone of proximal development -Writing pivotal speech goals that expand the phonemic repertoire while diversifying language expression -When to prioritize robust AAC, because every child deserves access to all the ways of communicating -Dr. Chenausky's call to the field to develop more reliable methods to assess nonverbal IQ and receptive language in children with motor praxis and visual processing/visualmotor challenges Research referenced in this episode Chenausky, K., Norton, A., Tager-Flusberg, H., & Schlaug, G. (2018). Behavioral predictors of improved speech output in minimally verbal children with autism. Autism Research, 11(10), 1356-1365. Free link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30230700/ Chenausky, K., Brignell, A., Morgan, A., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (2019). Motor speech impairment predicts expressive language in minimally verbal, but not low verbal, individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 4. Free link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35155816/ *To connect with Dr. Chenausky, Google search "Karen Chenausky SPAN Lab"

  6. Jul 9

    224. Rate Your Own Speech Therapy: 5 Questions That Separate Good Sessions From Life-Changing Ones

    Would your therapy sessions pass a research review? 🔬 In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my experience as a proposal reviewer for the Council for Exceptional Children, and I'm handing you the exact 5 criteria reviewers use, reframed as a self-evaluation for YOUR therapy sessions. Rate yourself 1 to 5 in each area and find out exactly where to grow this summer. In this episode, you'll learn: 🎯 Relevance. Is the skill you're targeting truly essential? I'll share why storytelling may be the single most pivotal skill for children with developmental language disorder, and why a year spent on one grammatical morpheme probably isn't changing anyone's life. 📐 Alignment. Do your objectives actually build toward the big skill, or are they busywork dressed up as goals? ⚡ Functionality TODAY. I'll tell you why I target "non-functional" words like scrape on purpose, how one complex SKR blend can unlock F, V, S, Z, SH, CH and more for free, and why the higher you aim, the higher the gains. 📊 Evidence. You need numbers for every single detail of your practice. I'll show you how to vet those $400 boxed programs before they waste your 30 minutes a week, and what to do when the research just hasn't been done yet. 👀 Active Participation. This is the one criterion that exposes wasted therapy time (looking at you, auditory bombardment). I'll describe what true engagement looks like, even with sensitive, reluctant, or freeze-response kiddos. Grab your scorecard, be honest, and build your plan to turn every 3 into a 5. ⭐ Ready to stop guessing and start moving the needle? Join my SIS Membership today and get needle-moving treatment targets and done-for-you speech therapy activities delivered to you weekly, so every minute of your limited therapy time counts. Join now: kellyvess.com/sis If this episode helped you, follow the show and leave a 5-star review. It helps more SLPs find their way to life-changing therapy.

  7. Jul 2

    223. 5 Powerhouse Strategies to Improve Executive Function in Speech Therapy

    Nearly every child on your caseload is at greater risk for executive function challenges. What do you do about it? In this episode, I'm sharing the 5 powerhouse strategies I use every single day to build executive function directly into speech and language therapy. No extra sessions, no separate goals — just smarter treatment that changes lives. You'll learn: The Problem, Plan, Action, Check process that teaches children to identify a problem, make a plan, take action, and finish the job How multi-step, task-oriented movement activities build working memory, sustained attention, and cognitive flexibility. Why first, next, then, lastly, and because are billion-dollar words for verbal working memory and emotional regulation How to move children from scaffolded scripts to spontaneous complex sentences How complex speech targets in paragraph form improve speech, language, and executive function all at once Ready to put these strategies to work in your next session? Join the SIS Membership at www.kellyvess.com/sis and receive powerful speech and language treatment targets aimed at improving executive function plus ready-to-use activities delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Join today at www.kellyvess.com/sis

  8. Jun 25

    222. The Executive Function Research That Changes How SLPs See Every Client

    If you think executive function challenges only affect your ADHD and autism clients, this episode will change how you see your entire caseload. In this episode, we break down the latest 2025 research, revealing that executive function difficulties are far more widespread than previously recognized, including in populations SLPs have historically underestimated. You'll learn: Adele Diamond's 3-part framework for understanding executive function (attention and inhibitory control, verbal working memory, and cognitive flexibility) Why do children with developmental language disorder almost universally show verbal working memory deficits across all ages and native languages The surprising finding that even children with mild articulation errors, like distorted R's and S's, show statistically significant executive function risk New 2025 data linking stuttering to verbal and visual working memory difficulties How Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles can help you build one powerful, inclusive activity that targets executive function across your whole caseload The bottom line: We need to stop treating a mouth and start treating the whole child. Next week: Part 2 covers what the research says actually works to improve executive function and how to bring it into your sessions starting Monday. References: Afshar, M., Zarifian, T., Khorrami Banaraki, A., & Noroozi, M. (2022). Executive functions in Persian-speaking preschool children with speech sound disorders and comparison with their typically developing peers. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 11(4), 702–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2021.1937169 Kakuta, K., et al. (2025). Executive function in preschool children who stutter: A behavioral assessment study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 16159. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00981-9    Lee, D., Boulton, K. A., Sun, C., Phillips, N. L., Munro, M., Kumfor, F., Demetriou, E. A., & Guastella, A. J. (2024). Attention and executive delays in early childhood: A meta-analysis of neurodevelopmental conditions. Molecular Psychiatry. Advance online publication.  Niu, T., Wang, S., Ma, J., Zeng, X., & Xue, R. (2024). Executive functions in children with developmental language disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18, Article 1390987. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1390987 Keywords: executive function, speech language pathology, developmental language disorder, speech sound disorders, apraxia of speech, stuttering, verbal working memory, UDL, SLP caseload, 2025 research

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4.7
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Get ready for all things speech pathology: AAC, ADHD, Apraxia, Articulation Therapy, Autism, Behavior, Early Intervention, Executive Function, Evidence-Based Practice, Gestalt Language, Literacy Intervention, Movement, Multi-Modal Cueing, Narratives, Partnerships, Phonological Awareness, Sensory, Speech Strategies, Target Selection, Technology, Telehealth, and Self-care. Be better. Do better. Create better. Make the world a better place, one person at a time. You're first. Join Kelly every Thursday and at the drawing board. Do better with easy step-by-step 'how-to's' with ready-for-use printables and over 100 video clips of best practices, check out Kelly's book "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment." It is available at Amazon and major booksellers internationally. If you learn from doing and work with children with special needs, join Kelly's Sparkle in School Membership. Make intervention EASY with weekly ready-for-use materials and Google Slides Decks sent to your inbox. Check it out today at kellyvess.com. Thoughts to share? Email: Kelly@KellyVess.com

Information

  • Creator
    Kelly Vess, MA, CCC-SLP
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    230
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Research to Practice Preschool SLP LLC
  • Show Website
    The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

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