By Chris D. Yensan, MA, CCC-SLP
If you’re a speech therapist, you’re probably creative. It seems that more often than not the SLPs I know and work with have come up with some incredible and original solutions to complex problems time after time, from making adaptive styli for an AAC device to creating original board games designed to keep students and clients interested and engaged in therapy. There are dozens of websites and companies with top-notch products targeting a multitude of activities, and these are fantastic resources as well. But sometimes, you can’t quite find that one specific thing you’re looking for. And that’s when you decide to make your own materials.
For years I’ve been looking for short, straightforward videos that would model Core Vocabulary in an engaging way for kids. I’ve used all kinds of verb and action apps that have pictures and videos of people doing various activities, but those are either too repetitive or too complex or too long or … too something. I decided about 4 years ago to make short videos that emphasized Core Vocabulary in a simple and non-distracting way. I filmed a couple and put them aside, thinking I’d have more time at some point to make a whole library. But I never seemed to come up with the time to really get organized.
Well – it turns out there’s no time like the present. Being at home and in quarantine, I found myself going back to the idea of making short videos, and finally having all the time in the world to do it. Fortunately I’ve had years of experience editing videos for our school’s weekly AV Club news reports, and have become pretty adept at using a green screen and iMovie effects. I began filming dozens and dozens of short videos, and then editing them and uploading them to YouTube.
My original intent was to just have a private channel for the students I work with, but once I had 50 or 60 videos it seemed like others may be able to benefit from them as well, and it is as easy as sharing a link online to make that happen. I have been shocked at the number of views these videos have received! I am incredibly happy and grateful that people are using these as teaching materials, and sharing with others to use. As of this post, there are 95 videos on the site, and I have another 100 videos that will be added in the coming weeks and months.
If you are interested in watching any of the videos with an AAC learner, you can visit my YouTube channel.
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