Student-led intervention strategies for middle and high school learners

00:00 Hello, welcome to my presentation.

00:03 I am Daj Mitchell. I am so excited to be here. I am excited to be invited back by Nicole. I am really, really pumped about this topic because it's something I'm very, very passionate about as a middle school speech-language pathologist myself.

00:18 And so we are going to be talking about student-led intervention strategies. For middle and high school learners. So a little bit about me, like I said, my name is Daj and I'm a school-based speech-language pathologist.

00:32 I am actually a part-time school SLP. So I don't work a full five-day week in the schools, but I am hiring.

00:38 And I also have a private practice. So when I'm not seeing my school students, I am doing my private practice on the side.

00:48 I also have an online business. You might also know me as at your SLP Dej on Instagram. And I talk a lot about other things over there.

00:57 So feel free to go check it out. I am the host of the Co-Treat Corner podcast and the Afterschool CEO podcast.

01:05 Both of those podcasts talk about two completely different things. So if you're looking for more of the clinic. tools and strategies and topics.

01:13 I definitely hop over to Co-Treat Corner. If you're looking for more business things, definitely hop over to Afterschool CEO. My mission today is I really want to be able to help you facilitate.

01:25 student-led sessions so that you can really increase that buy-in from your students and connect with them as well. I feel like we definitely miss out on those middle and high school students and they still deserve the student-led approach.

01:41 So in this session, we are going to learn a lot of different things, but definitely go over practical strategies to build that rapport with older students.

01:53 I'm going to talk about a framework. I call it my know-framework. For creating neurodiversity-affirming, culturally responsive, and student-led intervention plans.

02:05 We'll talk about progress reports, and we'll talk about even creating narrative summaries And that leads me to talking about the tools and the resources that can help you streamline this entire process.

02:18 So why a student-led approach matters, and if you're at this summit, then you know why. Exactly why that matters. Being student-led increases so much in the world of intervention, so much for our students, so much for us as clinicians, and so I'm really excited to dig in a little deeper on that.

02:38 Student-led approaches helps us meet our older students where they are. They're at this age, you know, 12, 13, 14 and up. 02:47 They're coming to us with a lot of lived experience at this point. A lot different than when we are working with kids in EI, right?

02:55 Typically, we're thinking more about their parents or more about their caregivers and the different places where we can meet them where they are.

03:03 But when we're working with older students, it's really all about, especially in a school. We're not necessarily interacting a lot with parents.

03:09 We're primarily interacting with the teachers. And the support staff and the student, they are very much a part of their growth.

03:18 And so being student-led helps us stop guessing what's going to motivate them. Every time I talk to another therapist, who's a pediatric therapist, they're like, I don't know how you work with the older kids.

03:30 Like, I don't know what motivates them. I, you know, they don't want to play any games. They don't want this.

03:36 They don't want that. And what I found is it has to be something that is really, they have to have self-determination for it.

03:44 They have to be self-motivated and self-driven. And that is like their prize, right? And so we stop guessing when we become students.

03:53 It also allows us to give them a voice in the entire process and their progress and their intervention and what sessions look like.

04:05 It gives them a voice in that. And then it also provides them with that same level of investment that we give K-5 or EI.

04:15 And so it's very important that we still think about the older students because we don't want them to just lose all of their autonomy when they come to us in middle and high school.

04:25 Now let's talk about this framework that has really helped me to teach this to other people, really conceptualize this idea of being student-led.

04:37 And it's the KNOW framework, and it's basically knowing your students. Okay, it is so easy to not know who is in the room with you, to not truly know and understand your student, and it is so hard to sometimes crack open that shell that some students create.

04:57 because no one is asking them what they think, no one is asking them how they feel, and it just becomes this barrier for both the clinician and the student.

05:09 And before you know it, I fell into this as well, but before you know it, they know they never want to come to speech, or they just stop showing up, or they just, you know, something happens, and sometimes it doesn't necessarily apply to anything going on in the session, but we're certainly not cultivating

05:26 a safe space for them, and so it's very important to know your student. Secondly, you want to name what matters to them, and this, you know, you might be like, well, I know my student, I know their preferences.

05:39 Yes, but in the session, are you making it clear that that actually matters in how we are showing up in the every single session, in the activities that we're doing, in the accommodations we're providing during the session, and sometimes that changes from session to session, especially if you work with

05:57 , like, middle schoolers, they're all dating, and, you know, going to school dancing, and, you know, they might come in upset because they didn't make the basketball team, or they might, you know, start doing certain things because of other peer relationships.

06:13 These things change so much. I feel like even starting in, like, basketball. But definitely in that middle and high school season of life.

06:24 The next thing we want to do is we want them to be able to own the process. So not only are we as clinicians owning this process of making sure they feel known, we're naming what matters to them right in the moment, but that we're also owning the process and teaching them how to also own the process.

06:42 The next thing we want to do is, if we can, work smarter and not harder. And if you were here for the last summit, you know I love you.

06:49 I love tech tools and doing things quicker, especially with large caseloads in the schools, you know, I am someone who, like I said, I'm part-time, so I'm doing things in half the time that I used to do them, and so I definitely need to work smarter and not harder, and we'll talk about that.

07:05 a little bit later. So, let's dive into knowing your student. Rapport is the priority with our students, and this goes to any age, any setting, and so in that first session, I'm going to give you some examples of things that I do and I actually have resources to help you with this as well.

07:25 But in that first session, I'm typically saying something like, I'm going to share my thoughts on scheduling with you. This is the, you know, I'm going to pick you up today, you know, first week of school, first full week of school, and I've chosen this day, and I've chosen this time to pick you up for

07:42 speech sessions. But what are your thoughts on that? I'm not promising that I can create exactly what you want. That I'm going to pull you out of, you know, English classes.

07:51 Literature 102 every single Tuesday for 30 minutes, but I can keep this in mind. And that off the top is giving them the awareness that I care, that their say matters to me, and I'm being very upfront and honest that I'm not sure if I'm going to necessarily be able to honor this, but I'm going to consider

08:19 it. I'm going to make our relationship and our connection better. The priority here, by trying to give you what you want, it's not always going to happen, but I'm going to try, right?

08:30 And so, this is something that is so successful with me and my students, because everyone craves autonomy. They just do.

08:41 giving them that choice from the jump is so so key, but also making it very known that I can't promise this.

08:49 And, you know, establishing those, those rules and boundaries as well, because you aren't going to be able to always give everyone their first choice.

08:57 That goes with teachers as well. And so, just letting them know that as well. And so in the session, and not only am I giving them that autonomy, but I'm asking them about their preferences.

09:08 You know, do they like to be in a small group versus being just one-on-one? Do they prefer to, you know, the top of the day versus, you know, after lunch?

09:19 What are their favorite sports? You have things to do. I have so many students on my case load, at least last year.

09:24 I think, yeah, they graduated this past year actually. They, I had like three boys who all love basketball. And so I've put a hoop on the back of my door.

09:34 And when I tell you Sessions went so well because they were so motivated by doing trials, using a lot of gross motor activity, using the basketball hoop, they were so motivated by that.

09:45 So I wouldn't have known that if I didn't tap into what their favorites are. And when you're doing this, there are going to be some students who aren't going to necessarily open up right away.

09:55 That's totally fine. I would recommend go first. Okay. Talk about your preferences. talk about your favorites, talk about how, you know, your favorite Netflix show or whatever, um, go first. 10:06 Because sometimes that will establish like, okay, this person is a real human being. They're not just my speech therapist or not just my OT.

10:14 My PT, they are someone who knows, like, they are someone who loves Netflix or they are someone who loves to read books like we relate.

10:25 And so typically that will help to kind of crack open that shell as well. Talk about why. Why they're there.

10:32 So many students, especially in middle school, they don't really even know what their goals are. I show them what their goals are and I ask them what their thoughts are on about that. 10:41 And I will tell you, there are so many kids who are like, I, I don't need that. Like I don't need help on that.

10:55 I can totally do that. Well, okay, let's show everyone that you can do this. And so that is something that is also a very helpful.

11:04 I also talked to them about how they ended last year, especially if they are coming to me brand new from elementary.

11:11 I will tap into, hey, last year, this is what happened, like, as far as 80% on this, 60% on this, and this is my goal for you for this year, and ask them what is going to help me help you get there.

11:25 You really want to give them a lot of say in how this process for the year is going to go.

11:32 And this is really backed up by evidence. There was a study where they took all these different IEP meetings, where students received no instruction at all on how to participate in it, and they only spoke up and gave their opinion on their actual intervention process 3-6% of the time.

11:50 But when they were taught how to show up, how to provide this information, how to give their voice in their process, that number quadrupled.

12:01 So it's very important that we teach students how to do this for themselves. It is important to name what matters to them throughout the entire year.

12:13 Knowing your student helps to inform your approach to everything you do in intervention. You are not always going to be able to change every single clinical trial.

12:23 Decision based on their preferences and their favorite things to do, but it can change how you show up and shape that intervention of what it looks like.

12:32 So, for example, like I gave the example about how I had three students in our group who all love sports.

12:39 And, you know, specifically basketball, and that really changed what the activities looked like, how I crafted and curated the experience, so that we could learn and practice using basketball, using gross motor activity, that it was really very self-motivating for them.

12:57 And so, if your student is like that, try to implement that as well. If the student processes information visually in a better way, try to lean into more visual support.

13:08 So, knowing them informs how we show up and we name what matters to them. So, like, in a session, I'm saying, oh, like, that student really does not like to white, write on the whiteboard.

13:21 Like, hey, go pick up, a piece of paper and you can use it, you can use pen and paper for this activity.

13:28 And I'm naming what matters to them right there in the moment, and they feel so seen when they do that.

13:33 Student-led approaches, you're probably thinking, like, how am I going to apply this across different communication profiles? I'm a firm believer that this can be done across AACP.

13:42 users, students who are in, like, self-contained settings, students in community-based programs. We are making sure that at the front end, we know that students, so when we are in these different settings or using different modalities to communicate with them, we are trying our best to establish that

14:00 we care about what matters to them, and we are going to honor that. Owning the process, this is my favorite part, because I really enjoy student ownership, and it is so key with older students.

14:14 It really helps them to see the reason and the why of what we do and why we do it. And so, I do this with documentation.

14:23 I have the students self-rate themselves and self-assess themselves. So, for example, when they come in, I'm typically saying, what are the vibes today?

14:33 How are we feeling? And this could be a simple thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle. And this is our S.

14:40 If you think about a SOAP note, this is the subjective version, right? We're saying, student walked in feeling, you know, SOAPy.

14:46 Slightly sad about an activity, about a situation that happened earlier in the day. throughout the, the session, they gradually got in a better mood.

14:56 That's our S. And then also they rate their performance. That's our O for the SOAP note, if you're not familiar with SOAP, Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan.

15:05 It's just how we write a note, a documentation note. And I still use that. I know it's pretty, like, I don't know, quote, unquote, outdated, but that's just something I use.

15:15 It's very helpful for my brain to organize my notes. My documentation in the school settings. And then I also have them complete assessment and plan section of a note as well.

15:27 So I want them to work with me and think about, okay, what helped you? What really contributed to your success?

15:36 What was a little bit harder? What can we implement next time? And that leads us to the plan section. So we're really doing this together in real time.

15:42 This is another way that I save a lot of time doing this with the student in real time. Those last, like, two minutes of the session.

15:50 And then I also use a student questionnaire before IEP season or before their actual IEP so that they have a voice.

15:58 So maybe the week before or a couple weeks before, I'm telling them, hey, your IEP meeting is coming up. I'm explaining to them what an IEP meeting is.

16:06 At some age, they do start coming to the IEPs, but sometimes that's not always what happens. And so I make sure that they have a voice so that I could either bring that information to the team or that they feel more comfortable.

16:21 like that's speaking up more, and increasing the likelihood that they use our voice And again, this could be used for AAC as well.

16:29 I've seen it done where, a communicator, their general education teacher actually did this for them, where they were, providing a lot of different information using their AAC device.

16:40 Students, I also have them contribute to their progress reports. Now, they don't actually write the progress reports with me, but we talk about it in real time.

16:48 And they're, again, telling me what helps them, what we could be doing differently, et cetera. And then, another huge thing is that students know exactly where everything lives in my speech room so that they can easily go and retrieve what they need.

17:04 So if you are feeling like you need more input. Go get a fidget out of the fidget box. If you are feeling like I am just very, I'm having some sensory aversions, they know where to go get different things for all of this stuff.

17:18 these are very, to us, seemingly small things, but huge things when our clients really want to, our students want to support themselves in being successful in this aspect.

17:30 And this is all super important, and again, owning that process and teaching them how to own the process. as well.

17:38 working smarter. I think that a student-led approach comes with a lot of intention, and it takes a lot of time sometimes to be this intentional, I think it's fair to want to make this easier on ourselves by implementing time-saving strategies, and so usually after a student interview, I'm not, for, let

17:58 me just say this, I do not use any actual names. in the student interview, it's just, you'll see in the free guide that I don't, I use labels like Student A, Student B, or sometimes I'll say like Wednesday 1030, and I, or Wednesday 1030 Student A, like I know who that is, that is the label for the student

18:16 , because I'm taking that student interview, and I can put it into an AI assistant to generate some general notes, and generate a summary, and this can also help me to generate some session activity ideas that are really tailored to that student, and he'll help me guide the year and think about some

18:34 things. And I can also bring that to the student the next session, like, hey, like, I generated some ideas, what do you think about these, and continue to really update this, this profile, right, for this student, and again, using no identifying information.

18:48 Just general notes about what is helpful for this student, because sometimes it's hard, especially if you're learning an entirely new caseload, what really helps each student.

18:58 Eventually, by the end of the year, you'll know, but this will kind of help you organize all that information, create different summaries.

19:04 These profiles and, even help with, like, progress notes down the line. So, I do have a free resource that helps you do all of these different things.

19:14 It's called the Student-Led Intervention Toolkit. And this is a student interview. Okay, that is the first document within the Student-Led Intervention Toolkit.

19:25 There's also a self-rating and reflection sheet. So, I put a self-guided version in there, like, for the student. And then I also put an SLP-guided version.

19:35 So, if you want to read that the first couple of sessions, and then eventually hand it off to the student, you can do that with both versions.

19:43 And then also the last document in this toolkit is an IEP discussion and goal review guide. These things are all the things that I've used.

19:51 I've used myself and I think are so helpful and you definitely will want to try this. It's completely free, For your next step, I would love if you could just conduct one student interview using the student interview guide.

20:06 That is going to be so helpful for you. And if you want to You take what you gather and turn it into a summary and get session plan ideas automatically, you'll definitely want to check out the AI Productivity Toolkit.

20:19 The Ultimate AI Productivity Toolkit doesn't just have the interview summary assistant, it has over 13 custom AI assistants that are helping school-based SLPs everywhere.

20:30 Over 300 people at this point have the AI Productivity Toolkit and say such amazing things about it and how it's helping them save so much time.

20:40 Each assistant is really built to help you thrive throughout the school year, and it is built to be neurodiversity-affirming, culturally responsive, and for school-based therapists.

20:53 So, again, being a part-time school SLP, this is really helpful. It's really helped me save a lot of time, and I also talk about ways to make sure that all the information stays safe and protected inside of the toolkit.

21:08 And so, inside of the freebie, I'll also link some information about that. I want you to remember that your middle school and high school students are waiting for someone to just ask them what they think.

21:20 They're asking to be considered in this process. They're asking for someone to give them a voice in how they are going to approach this.

21:28 Different areas of their speech and language. It's very important to them. It's more important than we think it is. So they are just asking for someone to waiting for someone to ask them what they think.

21:40 So just here, all together, the know framework at a glance, know your role. You're a student, okay? You should be able to answer the question, who are they?

21:49 You should also be able to name what matters to them and answer the question of what do they need? You should also be able to own that process together and really think, how can I make this collaborative for us?

22:00 And then I urge you to try to work smarter and think about what tools can support you in this process.

22:08 So again, here is that freebie, the Student-Led Intervention Toolkit. I really hope this is helpful for you and is really going to help you start that year off right.

22:17 Here are some references. And thank you so much. Again, you can definitely contact me at your SLPDaj or at Co-Treat Corner.

22:27 I would love to connect with you there. And then also, if you would like to talk anything else, more business-related.

22:33 Definitely hop over to yourslpdaj.com. Speaking inquiries, podcast inquiries, general questions, coaching. All of that happens at yourslpdaj.com .

22:45 Thank you so much.