You’ve been told that social skills interventions are ableist. But you’ve also been told that we need to prepare students for real-world expectations. You have teachers and administrators coming to you with concerns about behavior, participation, and social interaction, and you’re expected to address it. Then you’re told to make your intervention more “functional.” To…
Author: kldudek1980
EP 262: The Impact of Overaccommodation in K–12 on Independence in College and Beyond (with Jill Fahy)
“Accommodation” is a loaded word. On one hand, we want to provide reasonable accommodations in K-12 so kids can access their education. But determining what is “reasonable” accommodation or modification can be messy. Both parents and educators can unintentionally “overaccommodate” in the moment without realizing it, which over time can impede a child’s ability to…
EP 261: Helping Kids and the Adults Supporting Them Understand How the Brain Learns to Read (with Lori Josephson)
Are we really “overteaching” phonics, or should there be a hard stopping point where it’s not taught past a certain grade? Are current stories trending on popular news outlets aligned with best practices for supporting dyslexic learners? Is the public becoming more educated on how we learn to read, write, and spell? I invited my…
EP 260: Thinking you need a scope and sequence for language therapy? Think again.
If you’re an SLP who’s wondering how you can effectively address complex skills relating to both language and executive functioning in the school systems… The primary challenge is that BOTH language and executive functioning are incredibly complicated. Even just focusing on one or the other can be overwhelming. Layer on the challenges with the way…
EP 259: AAC, Gestalts, and Literacy: Case Studies for Using the “Essential 5” (with Kimberly Jenkins)
In this conversation, I sat down with Kim Jenkins from Empowering Speech Services to talk about how she’s used the frameworks from Language Therapy Advance Foundations along with the gestalt language processing stages, for reluctant readers, and AAC users. We also talk about how important it is for clinicians to think flexibly with how they…
EP 258: Three Practices That Turn Language Therapy Into a Scalable System
Clinicians who are confidently delivering language and literacy interventions haven’t found the perfect “therapy curriculum”. They’ve learned how to build their own using three practices. In this episode, I share what those practices are, plus additional information on a free training I released that explains these concepts further. I cover: You can listen to the…
BONUS: Using Recess to Build Social Skills and Help Students Discover their Leadership Potential (with Elizabeth Cushing)
Recess is often thought of as an “extra” activity in the school day. Sometimes it’s even taken away from students as a punishment. But some schools think about recess as an integral part of the school day, where students get the opportunity to connect, practice important social and problem-solving skills they’ll need for life. Others…
EP 257: How to Go From “Talking About Students” to Changing School Systems (with Kurtis Hewson)
Most schools say they “collaborate.” They hold team meetings. They talk about students. They review data. But without clear infrastructure, those meetings become updates instead of decision-making engines, and multi-tiered systems of support become an extra burden for educators. In this episode, I interview Kurtis Hewson from Jigsaw Learning to break down their Collaborative Response…
EP 256: Student Wellness Is a Design Decision, Not a Siloed Activity (with Lauren Porosoff)
When schools talk about improving engagement, student wellness, or school climate, it often turns into assemblies, themed weeks, or standalone initiatives. When schools talk about community engagement, student wellness, or school climate, they often turn into assemblies, themed weeks, or standalone initiatives. In this episode, I invited Lauren Porosoff from The Teacher Nerd to unpack…
EP 255: Five “clinical containers” to design your language therapy system
In episode 255 of De Facto Leaders, I elaborate on the concept of using vocabulary as a large “container”, so you can design sessions efficiently without sacrificing quality. I talk about why more experienced clinicians often struggle to make their interventions scalable, and why this gets in the way of carryover. I also share the…