Speech and Language Kids Podcast

What if September didn't wreck you this year?
Most SLPs spend summer telling themselves they'll get organized when school starts — and then August hits and there's no time, no bandwidth, and no plan. Sound familiar?
In this episode, we're introducing the Unstressed Speechie and flipping the script on how you use your summer. Because here's the truth: June and July are the only time you actually have the mental space to build the systems that will save you all year long. August is already too late for calm.
We're breaking down the 8 steps that transform a stressed, reactive SLP into one who walks into September prepared, confident, and actually excited to see her caseload — and we're sharing exactly how we're going to walk through them together this summer, step by step, in a way that's manageable, fun, and dare we say it... a little bit like a game.
Because play is the opposite of stress. And you deserve both.
If you've ever thought "next year will be different" — this is how you make it different.
In this episode:
Why summer (not August) is the secret window for SLP systems

The false beliefs keeping you stuck in the same cycle every year

A preview of all 8 steps of the Unstressed Speechie framework

How we're doing this together in June and July — baby step by baby step

If your students are melting down, shutting down, or refusing to cooperate during the last weeks of school, you're not alone — and it's not a reflection of your skills as a speech-language pathologist. End-of-year behavior challenges are one of the most common struggles SLPs face, and in this episode, we're breaking down exactly why it happens and what to do about it.
The truth is, kids aren't acting out randomly. As the school year wraps up, many students experience real anxiety about transitions, schedule changes, and saying goodbye to familiar routines and trusted adults. Some push back hard — not because therapy isn't working, but because it is. In this episode, we unpack the attachment and anxiety behind end-of-year behaviors so you can stop taking it personally and start responding in a way that actually helps.
We're sharing Survival Tip #2 from the Savvy Speechie's End-of-Year Survival Kit: managing behaviors by doing less. You'll learn how to lower the sensory and emotional "vibe" in your sessions using predictability, visual supports, and simple low-prep materials — without sacrificing structure or consistency. We talk about why paper beats screens for dysregulated kids, how a simple packet can double as a behavior management tool, and why now is the perfect time to lean into calming make-and-take activities, fidgets, and movement breaks.
Whether you're a school-based SLP drowning in end-of-year paperwork, an SLP assistant trying to hold it together through the chaos, or a special education teacher wondering why your kids have suddenly lost their minds, this episode gives you practical, immediately usable strategies to survive — and even enjoy — the final stretch of the school year.
Topics covered in this episode:
Why students show increased challenging behaviors at the end of the school year

The attachment and anxiety behind refusals and meltdowns

How to use predictability and visual countdowns to reduce dysregulation

Simple, low-prep session structures for dysregulated students

Why printed materials calm kids down better than screens

End-of-year celebration ideas that double as behavior incentives

No-prep activity ideas for speech therapy sessions in May and June

Want to see my favorite speech/language therapy materials, games, books, and more?? I'm opening up my therapy bag today to show you what's inside! Take a peek inside on today's episode of the Speech and Language Kids Podcast!

Before you quit SLP to raise goats and maybe open a yoga studio, listen to this. Your burnout isn't about your career — it's about your routine. And your routine? It's fixable. This episode breaks down the one therapy routine swap that helps overwhelmed SLPs simplify their sessions, clear the clutter, and actually leave work at work. Start here.
We're talking about why survival-mode routines keep SLPs stuck, and the one simple therapy routine swap that can change your entire week — no big overhaul required. If you're managing a caseload of 50+ kids and wondering if you chose the right career, this episode might just change your mind.
$200 Credit for the Lifetime Access Plan Going on Now through April 15, 2026! Go to Hub.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com and enter this promo code at checkout: SURVIVE

Redeem your $200 Credit for the SLK Curriculum -- Promo Code: SURVIVE
https://hub.speechandlanguagekids.com/
Offer Ends April 15th!
 
If you're an SLP or SLPA who works in the schools, you know that this time of year is pure chaos!
Behaviors are amping up. 
Progress reports are due.
And your groups are out of control.
There's no time to reheat your coffee, let alone get everything done!
So this year, I'm throwing you a lifeline!
Listen to this recording of our End-of-Year Survival Event with plans, tools, and shortcuts to help you survive the end of your school year!
 
We'll be showing you exactly how to… 
Make quick and easy plans for the rest of your school year
Reduce those "end-of-the-year" behaviors and boost engagement (without spending extra time planning and prepping)
Use shortcuts for all of your year-end admin tasks like data collection, progress notes, and homework packets
 
Don't spend the rest of this year stressed out and overwhelmed.  Grab the tools that thousands of SLPs and SLPAs are already using to find more joy and fulfillment in the work they do: 
Hub.SpeechAndLanguageKids.com