Creative Ways to Use Stories In Speech Therapy
September 11, 2020 Speech & OT of North Texas

Creative Ways to Use Stories In Speech Therapy

Posted in Speech Therapy

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Creative Ways to Use Stories In Speech Therapy

Storytelling has its healing properties. The good stories, told the right way, can enhance psychological as well as physical healing.  Storytelling as physiotherapy can be dated back to the ancient tradition of therapy. Stories have to fixate attention and appeal to the listener’s imagination as they are inherently hypnotic. So how do you use stories in speech therapy today?

We Have Many Creative Ways of Using Stories in Speech Therapy

Create a new story with the same words: First, write down a few target words. Practice with them and try creating different stories with some, if not all, target words listed. As you share the different stories, listen to how different everyone’s story can be with the same target words in them.

Create an ongoing story: Write down a list of target words. Practice different sentences while incorporating the target words. Once you have had enough practice, start telling the story aloud to the audience, only the story opener or the character settings. Each person in the audience then adds a sentence each to the story using the target words. The target words can be written on a flashcard and interchange them among the audience to create more fun and different stories.

Use the WH question trivia: Doing trivia questions after a story gauges how attentive your audience is. Using the WH (what, where, who, what, when, how, why) helps the audience model the trivia questions. You can make it fun by using a buzzer or giving “rewards” for each question answered correctly.

Use “describe me” or taboo vocab: After telling the story, underline or write down target words. Have each person pick a target word to describe. Without giving a clue or pointing out their target word, let every person in the audience describe the target word while the rest try to point out the word being described.  You can rotate the target words or have as many target words per every person in the audience.

Use the “retell hopscotch”: First prepare flashcards by drawing pictures or target words on paper. You can include the audience by letting them say the story opening with the target words. Distribute the flashcards then call out the target words. Every person then places down their flashcards when you call out the target words. Then play the hopscotch by jumping to the target words when you say it. In case they fail, they can go back to the beginning or wait for a fresh round.

Contact Us to Find Out More

You can reach us at any of our Speachandot clinics at Plano 1410 14th Street Plano, Texas, or contact us at: (972)424-0148 or Fax: (972)422-5275. Frisco Clinic is located at 3880 Parkwood Blvd, Building 5, Suite 502 Frisco, Texas 75034, or reach us at (972)424-0148. The other clinic is at McKinney 6200 Virginia Parkway, McKinney, Texas 75071.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]