My students need 2 bean bag chairs, 2 sets of puzzles, 3 sensory items, 2 pocket charts for speech worksheets, 8 board games, and 4 sets of language materials for therapy.
On my typical day I see between 8-10 groups with 1-4 children in each group. They work on their speech and/or language goals derived from their IEP (Individual Educational Plan) . Many of these students have autism and require sensory and behavior support as well.
I work with students ranging from 5-11 years old that have a variety of disabilities (i.e.
speech deficits, language deficits, autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and learning disabilities). They require structured, small group settings where we use games, sensory items, therapy materials, and alternate seating options to engage them to their maximum potential. They are all working at different levels and on different IEP (Individual Education Plan) goals so the session is very differentiated. I work in a Title I school so many of the students have very limited support and/or resources at home to help them increase their speech and language skills.
My Project
These resources will be used during individual and group therapy sessions. The games are utilized by helping the students stay on task or learn turn-taking skills. The sensory items are used to help calm some of my students with autism or used during unstructured free time as a reward. The pocket folder charts would be used to organize their speech sheets and the speech materials would be used to help students gain knowledge in their goal area through drill and practice. I would use the puzzles for my younger students who are still working on acquiring skills such as numbers, letters, shapes, and coordination skills.
The donations would help to improve my classroom by adding new resources for the students, alternative seating options because not all students learn best in the same environment, and games to help increase the attention and social skills of my students.
Many of my students have been in my room for several years and have been utilizing the same materials each year. These donations would be such a blessing to me as funding is not always a priority for speech-language pathologists in the schools.
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