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PODCAST

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP

Kelly Vess, MA, CCC-SLP

Get ready for all things speech pathology: AAC, ADHD, Apraxia, Articulation Therapy, Autism, Behavior, Early Intervention, Executive Function, Evidence-Based Practice, Gestalt Language, Literacy Intervention, Movement, Multi-Modal Cueing, Narratives, Partnerships, Phonological Awareness, Sensory, Speech Strategies, Target Selection, Technology, Telehealth, and Self-care. Be better. Do better. Create better. Make the world a better place, one person at a time. You"re first. Join Kelly every

education language learning

All Episodes

19:11

Bilingual Spanish Speech Assessment for $0: The...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/05/10

Have zero dollars in your therapy closet for bilingual Spanish assessments? You are not alone — and you are not stuck. In this episode, I walk you through the 8-step gold-standard process for assessing bilingual Spanish-English preschoolers for speech sound disorders, every single step backed by free, vetted, research-supported tools. This is the same framework recommended by Sharynne McLeod, Sarah Verdon, and the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children's Speech (McLeod, Verdon,

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23:41

214. Why Speech Therapy Falls Apart for Kids with...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/04/30

If you’re feeling like your therapy sessions are “working” but chugging along at a slow pace, this episode is going to hit a nerve in the best way. Because here’s the truth that most of us weren’t trained to see clearly: When a child has anxiety or ADHD, you are not just treating speech and language. You are working against a nervous system that is dysregulated, overloaded, and constantly scanning for what feels safe, predictable, and doable. And if your therapy doesn’t account for that, it

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17:21

213. Stop Waiting: Why You Should Treat a Frontal...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/04/23

When it comes to making real, measurable change in therapy, we have to stop thinking small.In this episode, we are digging into what actually moves the needle for our preschoolers and early learners, and it is not isolated drill, disconnected targets, or hoping repetition alone will generalize. The research is clear. When we aim higher with more complex targets, we create system-wide change across speech, language, and literacy. We are talking about why those tough targets like

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24:02

212. Stop Waiting for Joint Attention. You’re...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/04/02

If you work with children who have autism, minimal joint attention, and limited expressive language, this episode challenges what you’ve been taught and replaces it with something far more useful.This is not a “wait and see” conversation. This is a rethink-everything conversation. Drawing from a powerful systematic review and the lens of dynamic systems theory, this episode breaks down why language development in autism does not follow a predictable path and why that actually changes how

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12:26

211. The Social Cost of Speech Sound Disorders at...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/03/26

If you work with four, five, or six-year-olds with speech sound disorders, this episode was made for you and this research will change how you document, advocate, and make eligibility decisions for your students. In this episode, we break down a brand-new 2026 open-access study that every school-based SLP, early childhood SLP, and preschool speech-language pathologist needs to save, cite, and have ready to go. Whether you're navigating a negative 2.0 standard deviation eligibility criteria,

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36:26

210. The Hidden Visual Processing Problem Affecting...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/03/19

If you work with children with autism, developmental delays, or complex communication needs, this episode is a must-listen. Today, we’re talking about cerebral visual impairment, or CVI, and why it may be one of the most overlooked reasons children struggle with communication, attention, social interaction, AAC use, and motor-based learning. This episode is not about whether a child can see an item on an eye chart. It is about how the brain processes visual information and how that affects

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20:25

209. DTTC for AAC: The 5-Step Prompting Framework...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/03/12

Many clinicians are told there is a right way to prompt AAC users. You may have heard that you should always use least-to-most prompting. Others insist most-to-least prompting is best. But what does the research actually say? In this episode, we look at findings from a scoping review of 29 AAC intervention studies examining the prompting strategies used with children with autism who use speech-generating devices. Here’s the surprising truth: The research does not show that one prompting

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33:19

208. The 5-Step Therapy Routine That Works for Every...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/03/05

Feeling overwhelmed by a caseload that includes autism, childhood apraxia of speech, developmental language disorder, articulation, fluency, and AAC users… all back-to-back? You are not alone. Many speech-language pathologists walk into therapy sessions with a stack of different activities for every child. One game for articulation. Another for language. Another for fluency. Another for AAC. Before long, therapy starts to feel like running a fast-food counter. But what if you could run one

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37:20

207. DTTC Isn’t Just for Apraxia: A Scaffolding...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/02/26

What do Gustav Eiffel and dynamic, tactile, temporal cueing have in common?Scaffolding, vision, and the courage to aim higher than anyone else. In this episode, I break down why Dynamic, Tactile, Temporal Cueing (DTTC) is not just for childhood apraxia of speech. It is a practical, high-impact framework that can upgrade how you treat: • Speech sound disorders • Language delays • Literacy skills • Fluency • AAC users • Autism and complex communication needs If you want maximal gains in

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32:06

206. Why Traditional Speech Therapy Misses Drooling:...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/02/05

If you work with children who drool, this episode is for you. I’m pulling back the curtain on an approach I’ve used for over 15 years that has consistently reduced—and often eliminated—drooling in preschoolers. Not in theory. Not in a lab. In real therapy rooms, with real kids, on real caseloads. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: There is very little direct research on speech intervention and drooling. And instead of grappling with that complexity, our field often defaults to dogmatic

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30:58

205. What 707 Autistic Preschoolers Reveal About Who...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/01/29

If you work with preschoolers with autism and you care about spoken language outcomes, this episode matters. A lot.In today’s episode ofThe Preschool SLP Podcast, we unpack the largest study to date examining why some autistic children donotdevelop spoken language, even after receiving high-quality, evidence-based early intervention. The takeaway is blunt:Motor imitation doesn’t matter a little. It matters a lot. Inside this episode, we cover: Why one-third of autistic preschoolers in a

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28:59

204. The R Workout: Applying Exercise Science to Fix...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/01/22

What if the problem with treating the R sound isn’t the child—but the way we train it? In today’s episode, we step outside the field of speech-language pathology and borrow powerful, evidence-based principles from exercise science and kinesiology to rethink how we treat speech sound disorders. Why? Because exercise science has done what our field largely hasn’t: isolated what actually works using controlled trials, precision, and specificity. Speech is a complex neuromuscular skill

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29:09

203. Consonant Clusters Aren’t Too Hard: They’re the...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/01/15

Are consonant clusters really “too complex” for kids with severe speech sound disorders—or have we been aiming too low? This episode tackles one of the most persistent myths in speech therapy: that children with childhood apraxia of speech, autism, or severe speech delay aren’t ready for clusters. I’m unpacking the real science behind complexity, coarticulation, and system-wide change—and why waiting for “readiness” often slows progress rather than supporting it. Let's break down three

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17:22

202. When AAC Feels Hard, It’s Working: What...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2026/01/08

If you work with children who are minimally speaking with autism or you love a child who is minimally speaking, today’s episode matters. Over the past year, I’ve been doing something deeply intentional. I’ve been having long, honest conversations with speech pathologists and special education teachers who are truly effective with high-tech AAC. These weren’t quick chats. Each interview ran over an hour. I asked open-ended questions. I pushed for specifics. I wanted to know what is actually

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14:19

Six Self-Care Swaps for Peak Performance in Therapy

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/12/17

If you work with children who have complex communication needs, you already know this truth: You cannot pour from an empty cup. In this episode, I share six realistic self-care swaps I use from morning to night to support energy, focus, and emotional regulation in the work we do. These are not trends. They are practical, research-informed adjustments that help me show up fully present in therapy sessions, even during long, demanding days. As winter approaches and energy dips, comfort-food

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14:07

201. The Movie Every SLP and Special Educator Needs...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/12/11

If you work with parents of children with special needs, this episode is non-negotiable. Instead of diving into research, we’re heading straight into a film that delivers the kind of uncomfortable clarity our field rarely gets. Today, we break down If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You—Mary Bronstein’s raw, emotionally accurate look into the lived experience of parenting a neurodivergent child—and why every SLP, special educator, and early-intervention professional needs to watch it. This movie

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25:37

200. My Five Favorite Literacy Habits That Boost...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/12/04

If you love weaving books into speech and language therapy, this episode is absolutely your lane. In this conversation, Kelly breaks down a 2025 scoping review on early language development and reading aloud, then translates it into five practical literacy “hacks” you can use with preschool and early elementary students starting tomorrow. She pulls zero punches about the study design: you’ll hear exactly what a scoping review is (and isn’t), why it doesn’t carry the same weight as a

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17:19

199. Selective Mutism + Hectic Holidays — Make Sure...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/11/20

Children who speak freely at home but shut down in public aren’t being stubborn. Their capacity is getting crushed by the demands of new people, new settings, and unpredictable routines. In this episode, we break down how to build capacity using the PRIDE approach—adapted specifically for reluctant speakers and children with selective mutism. You’ll hear how to shift out of “thermostat mode” and into “mime mode,” using 10 minutes a day of pure responsiveness to lower pressure, increase

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20:02

198. Put PRIDE to Work to Improve Behavior:...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/11/13

If you serve young children with behavior challenges, this episode delivers a framework you can put to work immediately. Today, we break down the PRIDE skills: five evidence-based behavior strategies drawn from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT). These methods have more than 50 years of empirical support and consistently improve behavior, engagement, emotional regulation, and communication across diverse populations. You’ll learn how to use

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41:24

197. Ten Predictors of Poor Progress in Speech...

The Preschool SLP: KellyVessSLP ·

2025/11/06

If you treat speech sound disorders (SSD) and you’re not seeing the gains you expect, this episode is your playbook. We cut through the noise and name the 10 research-informed predictors of slower progress—attention/self-monitoring limits, sensitive temperament, co-occurring language/working-memory load, hearing impairment (fricatives/affricates), motor speech factors, structural constraints (e.g., open bite), low stimulability, later start to intervention, low therapy intensity/irregular

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237 results

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