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JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 1 2015 55
describes where to place
objects on the base board in
order to create a 3D scene.
It can be used to develop
receptive understanding of
specific vocabulary, to
enhance understanding of
increasingly longer and more
complex instructions, to
develop the use of positional
vocabulary, and to give complete and grammatically correct
instructions. Overseas, I used this game, and my own
locally created version, to help me learn local language, as
well as to teach clients. There are farm and jungle versions
of the game. Previously available via .
but currently
out of stock.
9 Magazines and “junk mail”
What do you do with a mailbox loaded with advertising
materials or boxes of donated newspapers or magazines?
Cut them up for language therapy, of course! Categorising,
picture description, matching, prepositions, articulation, and
other basic concepts can all be targeted both expressively
and receptively. In resource-poor settings, they have been
my paper-based “Google images”. Families have frequently
been heartened by the fact that such easily accessible
materials can be used to develop their child’s skills, as have
teachers and community-based workers. Paired with a
trusty laminator, materials can be created for long-term use.
I have memory games, barrier games, Guess Who?, What
Am I? and many other games made with clippings from a
range of different sources that have lasted for years.
10 Self-inking stamps
I think I like stamps even more than stickers as rewards or
tokens. For the same cost as a pack of stickers, a
self-inking stamp will give literally thousands of impressions.
Children with fine motor difficulties often have more success
independently stamping than removing the back off
stickers. Others with sensory aversions to sticky textures
are likewise not bothered by stamps. As with the magnetic
chips previously mentioned, stamps can be used for any
task requiring counting or quantities. For example, stamps
can represent syllables or phonemes in phonemic
segmenting and blending activities. They can be used to
track and reinforce positive behaviours or the number of
turns in a game needed before a break. Best of all, for a
speech pathologist on the move, they can fit in a pocket or
tiny corner of a pencil case.
5 “Magic wand” and magnetic chips
I first met this motivational
wonder in one of Super Duper
Inc.’s “Chipper Chat” kits and
now find it an invaluable tool on
its own. A collection of
translucent coloured circles
about the size of 10-cent pieces
with magnetic rims, the magnetic
chips are marketed as “bingo
chips” in a range of online stores.
They can be used for any
purpose for which you would use
another type of token or counter
and have an appeal that is far
wider than I would have expected. For example, in some
language groups I have run with boys in senior primary
school, they have been a powerful currency for an extended
period. Not only have participants tried to earn the most
tokens but they have also come up with the most
astonishing tricks and patterns for picking them up with the
magnetic (magic) wand. Available from
for A$9.90.
6 Webber® Photo Cards – Verbs
I think most speech pathologists have some favourite
picture collections and visual stimuli that they use
frequently. One of my favourite collections is the Webber®
Photo Cards – Verbs. There are 62 pairs of cards with
photo images ranging from simple high frequency verbs for
young children, such as “eating” and “sleeping”, through to
much lower frequency verbs such as “loading” the
dishwasher and “arranging” flowers. The images have
mostly been accessible to the people I have worked with in
a range of cultural contexts, both in terms of the actions
depicted and the range of people in the images. I have
used them in some way to target almost any language goal,
as well as occasional articulation goals and vocal
modulation goals where these were used as part of a scale
to represent different volume levels. Available from
Brainstorm Educational and Special Needs Resources
for A$45.
7 Key Word Sign
Key Word Sign is one of the most useful, transferable, and
easily implemented augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) systems available. Apart from the
advantages of being visual and simplified to support spoken
communication, no physical materials are needed. As it is
not reliant on written language, it is particularly useful in oral
cultures, where limited literacy can prove a barrier to some
other AAC systems. In multilingual environments, such as
Fiji and Vanuatu, Key Word Sign has provided a universal
communication system, although for specific individuals the
signs are paired with different spoken languages.
8 Near and Far board game
“Near and Far” is a board game by Buki Ltd designed to
help children understand and use prepositions. It is similar
to a barrier game in that one player holds a picture and
Lydelle Joseph is currently the team leader for speech pathology
at Irabina Autism Services.
Correspondence to:
Lydelle Joseph
CPSP, MIncEd, Speech Pathologist
Irabina Autism Services, 193 Bayswater Rd
Bayswater, VIC 3153
phone: (03) 9720 1118
email: