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The Preschool SLP

The Preschool SLP

Written by: Kelly Vess MA CCC-SLP
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Are you an agent of change? Looking to create real, life-long change in your work and in yourself? Ready to turn your visions into reality? Looking to work smarter, not harder—and have lots of fun along the way? Every Thursday, join international author, researcher, and speaker Kelly Vess to put only the best research to work. Kelly covers effective, practical strategies for children AND therapists to thrive. You are a miracle. Your time here is short. Let’s make the most of it. Follow Kelly @KellyVessSLP on Instagram for daily inspiration. Subscribe to The Preschool SLP podcast and make sure to share the show. Have a question or topic you’d like to see on the show, contact Kelly at KellyVessSLP.com For more support on learning the effective 'how-to's' in treating the whole child, check out Kelly's book "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment" at Amazon and major booksellers internationally.© 2026 The Preschool SLP Education
Episodes
  • 223. 5 Powerhouse Strategies to Improve Executive Function in Speech Therapy

    223. 5 Powerhouse Strategies to Improve Executive Function in Speech Therapy
    Jul 2 2026

    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 very 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
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    16 mins
  • 222. The Executive Function Research That Changes How SLPs See Every Client

    222. The Executive Function Research That Changes How SLPs See Every Client
    Jun 25 2026

    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.

    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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    13 mins
  • 221. The ABCs of Picking Books That Ignite a Love for Learning

    221. The ABCs of Picking Books That Ignite a Love for Learning
    Jun 18 2026
    Ever wonder why some books become instant hits with your students while others fall flat? In this episode, we go behind the scenes on a real-life book hunt and walk away with a practical framework you can use every time you pick up a new children's book.Using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we break down exactly what makes a book "sticky" for diverse learners, including kids who struggle with attention, visual processing, auditory processing, or language itself.The UDL Book Selection Framework: The ABCsBefore adding any book to your therapy toolkit, run it through these three filters:A — Connection: Does this book connect to the child's world? Think about interests, home routines, prior knowledge, and personal experiences. If a child can see themselves in the pages, engagement follows.B — Multimodal Presentation: Can you bring this book to life? Look for opportunities to use vocal animation, movement, emotion, rhyme, sound effects, and gesture as you read. The best books practically beg to be performed.C — Active Child Participation: Can the child do something with this book? Movement, facial expressions, sound-making, turn-taking, and storytelling from personal experience all count. The goal is for a child to be participating with the book, not just listening to it.The 6 Books Featured in This EpisodeHow Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (board book version) — Realistic, emotionally expressive dinosaur illustrations paired with a bedtime routine kids know well. Rich with rhyme, emotion, and movement opportunities. Perfect for diverse learners with its short, one-sentence-per-page format.That's Not Funny, David! by David Shannon — A step up from No, David!, this one is heavy on inferential thinking. Kids identify what David is doing wrong from indirect cues rather than direct ones — a powerful tool for building higher-level language skills. Everyday scenarios spark personal storytelling and connection.Llama Llama Feelings — Pairs a familiar, beloved character with a known routine (the bedtime sequence) to introduce nuanced emotions like joy, worry, and excitement in rich context. Far superior to decontextualized feelings cards. Rhyme throughout keeps engagement high.Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (beginner book version) — A goldmine for non-speaking and emerging communicators. Onomatopoeia, animal sounds, environmental sounds, and the "cloze" technique (pause before the last word) let every child participate meaningfully. Connects print to sound in a playful, low-pressure way.Night Night Farm — Interactive lift-the-flap format with repetitive, predictable language. Farm animals + glow-in-the-dark stars on the final page = irresistible engagement, especially for younger learners. A perfect wind-down book that ends with a singalong.In My Heart — The standout of the bunch. Maps complex emotional concepts onto simple, concrete nouns (a star for happiness, an elephant for sadness). Moves emotional vocabulary well beyond basic happy/sad/mad into nuanced, embodied feeling language. Highly recommended for children working on emotional regulation and self-expression.Key Takeaways for SLPsThe book you choose is a clinical tool. Spend the time to vet it carefully before bringing it into session.Rhyme, repetition, and short text aren't just kid-friendly features — they're accessibility features that support diverse learners.The best books aren't just read — they're performed. Your animation, emotion, and movement are part of the intervention.Every child in the group should have a way to participate — through sound, gesture, expression, or personal story. UDL makes this possible.Want Ready-to-Use Activities Built Around These Books?All six of these books are being developed into literacy-based therapy activities inside the SIS Membership — designed for use in large group, small group, and individual therapy settings. Activities are built with UDL principles baked in, so every child on your caseload can engage and make meaningful gains.If you're tired of starting from scratch every week, the SIS Membership gives you a library of research-informed, engagement-tested materials so you can walk into every session confident and prepared.👉 Join the SIS Membership and get access to activities for these books and dozens more — plus new materials added regularly throughout the school year: https://www.kellyvess.com/sisResources MentionedHow Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen & Mark TeagueThat's Not Funny, David! by David ShannonLlama Llama Feelings by Anna DewdneyMr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss (beginner book edition)Night Night Farm (lift-the-flap board book)In My Heart by Jo WitekDrop a comment or send a message letting us know: what's a book you swear by in your therapy room? We're always on the hunt for the next great find.
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    32 mins
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