Past projects 2
Communication is for Everyone
Funded Dec 31, 2024Your thoughtful donation has helped a caseload of more than seventy-five students between the ages of four and nine with a wide variety of diagnoses, deficits and disorders. Your selflessness and generosity does not go unnoticed and is more appreciated than words can describe.
As a speech therapist it is imperative to provide students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills across multiple activities, environments and conversation partners. New and different materials assist in this carryover, resulting in, overall, better and more effective communicators. Your donation has allowed me to purchase new materials my students have never used or seen before, allowing me to build on already learned skills, as well as teach new skills. The new materials have helped to introduce new scenarios and environments for learning and using language.
In addition to new materials, I was able to purchase several live butterfly kits for my classrooms. As a speech therapist in a large district, I provide whole classroom lessons to multiple Learning Intensive classrooms consisting of children on the Autism Spectrum. This population of students tends to learn best with engaging hands-on activities as well as with activities that utilize all senses. In the Spring, each classroom will have their own butterfly habitat in their classroom. We will learn about life cycles, habitats, food chains and biodiversity. The students will follow the life cycle of butterflies and be able to experience it within their classrooms. We will bridge the gap of communication between school and home by writing/drawing in journals to depict the stage of life cycle their classroom butterflies are currently in. These students will use their augmentative communication devices to describe what they are seeing to their peers and teachers and will learn to ask questions and comment appropriately. Once our learning journey is complete, we will release the butterflies and make predictions about where our butterflies will end up and what they will do when they get there.
All this would not have been possible without your generosity. We appreciate you thinking of us and helping us to reach our fullest potential. I became a speech therapist because I believe communication is important and everyone deserves a voice. You have helped me help my students in their journey to finding their voices and get a little closer to becoming effective communicators.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nikki
This classroom project was brought to life by Allison and Austin McChord.Communication Is Important for Everyone
Funded Aug 30, 2024I would like to thank you for donating to my project! As a speech therapist working in inner city schools, a budget for new materials is not provided, so your donation went to new and updated materials for the seventy-three students assigned to my caseload this year, as well as the students who will be assigned to my caseload in the future. Not only is having new materials exciting for my students but new materials ensures carry over of learned skills across multiple environments and assignments which is important for the development of communication.
The majority of my students are grades Kindergarten through second grade so the array sequencing cards I was able to purchase through this project has allowed me to meet my students where they are at in their ability to communicate. In addition, my students with a diagnoses of Autism typically struggle with identifying emotions and reading body language and particularly struggle with carry over of learned skills in the area of feelings & body language; therefore, the feelings materials purchased through this project have opened a great deal of possibilities for this population of students receiving speech services.
Words can truly not even begin to express how grateful we are for your donation but I can ensure you your donation will have a positive impact on, at the very least, seventy-three students and their ability communicate effectively.
Thank you a ton!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nikki
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and 5 other donors.