Building phonatory control in students is an important foundation. Students learn that "voice is power" through simple lexicons:
/AH/ for "on", "want" (turning the voice on)
/M/ for "more" or "me"
/H/ volitional voicing
Activities that have a high success rate for my students and building volitional voicing include:
Belefun
Belefun is Elefun's Younger Sister. Turn the game on and watch the butterflies come out. Feed the butterflies to Belefun for continual fun.Lexicon: /ah/ for "on", "want", "out", "in", /mmm/ feeding, "more", "me"
Scarves
Students can track the scarf to incorporate head tipping/turning into the session to activate their vestibular systems.
Read the beloved story "Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen and follow directions using scarves or cloth like items. Great for engaging pre-school
Grab my FREEBIE to incorporate scarves functionally into a story activity to promote focus and attention during academic tasks.
Students will:
-Cross midline
-Track items with head tips/tilts
-Track items with eyes to decrease eye fatigue due to screen time
-Recall the sequence of events
-Follow directions
Spin it Again
Put gears on a pole and watch them spin down. Pull the pole from the base and watch the gears spin off to the ground. Flip blue base to choose a wobbly or sturdy bottom.
Can be used for simple motor phoneme warm-up.
PROMPT Lexicon: ah/on, up, go, me
Tunnel
Tunnels can be motivating and regulating at the same time. Students can:
-Crawl through to retrieve desired items from inside-Stand and wear it like a pop up hamper-Roll balls through to have a pass
Yoga Ball
"What happens at the hips, affects the lips" the great PROMPT instructor Tracey Kellner.
When working with non/low verbal kids I try to get them moving as much as possible. Consult with the OT/PT and see what they do with the student.
-Bounce on a ball-Roll over the ball (on belly/on back)-Scooter-Swing-Gentle spinning (pick them up or in a chair)-Crawling through a tunnel-Animal walks
