HelpUTalk
143 Followers
Rockford, Illinois, United States
About the store
I am a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with experience supporting children across school, early intervention, home, daycare, and community settings. I currently work in the school setting, where I support early learners with a variety of speech, language, communication, and AAC needs.
Prior to returning to the public school setting in December 2016, I worked in Early Intervention as a Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist. I provided services in children’s natural environments, including homes, daycare centers, and Head Start programs, while coaching families, caregivers, and teachers on how to build communication during everyday routines. I have experience working with students from Early Childhood through 5th grade in the school setting.
My resources are designed to be practical, parent-friendly, and classroom-ready. I love creating materials that help busy SLPs, teachers, paras, and families support early communication, functional language, AAC use, and meaningful carryover throughout the day.
I hold my Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA and am licensed in the state of Illinois.
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"Up, Down, and Around" Book Companion | Early Language & AAC Activities
Make shared reading more interactive and meaningful with this early language book companion created to pair with " Up, Down, and Around "by Katherine Ayres. This resource includes simple visual supports and hands-on activities designed for preschool, early childhood special education, speech therapy, AAC users, and early language learners. Students can practice garden vocabulary, basic concepts, following directions, requesting, commenting, shared reading participation, and AAC/core word use thr
PreK - 1st
Literature, Reading, Vocabulary
CVCV Pictures
This bundle has been updated with new graphics, flashcards, as well as two simple books to share with little ones! These CVCV pictures are perfect for working with little ones just learning language or working on expanding their vocabulary. The main grid is perfect for leaving with families to encourage carryover outside of visits. They can be cut apart and used in a variety of therapy activities. Flashcards provide large colorful representations that can be printed twice for a fun matching game
PreK - 1st
Other (ELA), Vocabulary
Regular Past Tense Verbs | Speech Therapy Grammar Activities & Mini Books
Help students practice regular past tense verbs with this engaging speech therapy grammar resource! This activity gives students repeated practice changing present tense verbs into past tense verbs using a simple and predictable “Today I…” / “Yesterday I…” sentence format. This resource includes picture cue cards, text-only cards, answer keys, a regular past tense verb teaching page, and completed/fill-in mini-books for extra practice and carryover. It is perfect for speech therapy, gram
K - 3rd
Grammar, Reading, Writing
WHERE Do I Live?
In this fun activity/book students can work on WHERE questions, categories, and animal vocabulary. Students cut out many animal pictures and then sort them by where they live. As students pick an animal you can ask them, "Where does the ______ live?" You can print a copy for each child and/or print and laminate a copy to use over and over again as an interactive book! There are 5 different homes/environments that animals live in (ocean, home/pets, farm, zoo, bugs in a jar) and a total of 43 ani
PreK - 1st
Other (ELA)
Who Says?: Barnyard Noises
This activity is perfect for little ones working on expressive language, learning about animals/animal noises, and working on simple WHO questions. This product can be printed, laminated, and turned in to an interactive book where children match the animal to the sound it makes. It can also be printed, completed at school/in therapy, and sent home for carryover. It is a quick interactive activity that can be used in a speech therapy, special education, or general education classroom with many di
PreK - 1st
Other (ELA)
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About the store
Experience
I am a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with experience supporting children across school, early intervention, home, daycare, and community settings. I currently work in the school setting, where I support early learners with a variety of speech, language, communication, and AAC needs.
Prior to returning to the public school setting in December 2016, I worked in Early Intervention as a Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist. I provided services in children’s natural environments, including homes, daycare centers, and Head Start programs, while coaching families, caregivers, and teachers on how to build communication during everyday routines. I have experience working with students from Early Childhood through 5th grade in the school setting.
My resources are designed to be practical, parent-friendly, and classroom-ready. I love creating materials that help busy SLPs, teachers, paras, and families support early communication, functional language, AAC use, and meaningful carryover throughout the day.
I hold my Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA and am licensed in the state of Illinois.
Teaching style
My therapy style is practical, family-centered, and rooted in everyday routines. With my background in Early Intervention, I believe communication growth happens best when the important adults in a child’s life feel confident supporting them throughout the day.
In therapy, I work to make sessions personal, playful, and meaningful while giving families, teachers, and caregivers simple tools they can continue using outside of speech sessions. In the school setting, this means collaboration and communication are key. I work closely with teachers, staff, and families to help students build functional communication skills that carry over into the classroom, home, and community.
My goal is always to support the whole child by helping their grown-ups feel equipped, encouraged, and ready to help little communicators grow.
Awards & shining teacher moments
One of my favorite moments as an SLP is watching a child realize that their communication has power. Whether it is hearing a first word, seeing a child use AAC to request something they want, watching them finally master a tricky speech sound, or seeing them connect with another person in a new way - those moments never get old.
There is nothing quite like the confidence and joy on a child’s face when they know they were understood. Those little moments are often huge milestones, and they are the reason I love this work so much.
My own education history
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology, with a minor in Psychology, from Marquette University in 2011. I then continued my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where I earned my Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2013 with an emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education.
After completing my Clinical Fellowship in the school setting, I earned my Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Additional biographical information
Hi, I’m Samantha, the SLP behind HelpUTalk! I create practical speech, language, AAC, and visual support resources for early communicators and the adults who support them. My resources are designed with real classrooms, therapy sessions, and home routines in mind, so they are simple to understand, easy to use, and meaningful for students.
I especially love creating materials that support functional communication, AAC modeling, parent carryover, early language, and visual routines. My goal is to help busy SLPs, teachers, paras, and families feel more confident supporting little communicators throughout the day.
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