Best speech therapy tools and resources

Speech therapy tools and resources can be worth their weight in gold.

Virtual speech therapy tools and resources like research databases and online journals can help therapists stay current with research and implement evidence-based practice into therapy sessions.

Speech-language pathologists can also join professional organizations, use online therapy resources, virtual assessment tools, and teletherapy platforms and materials to make their busy jobs more efficient and effective.   

Utilizing these speech therapy tools and resources can help you save time with therapy planning, make documentation a breeze, and give you a chance to collaborate with colleagues to provide your clients with the best quality of care.

Some speech therapy tools and resources even provided stress-relieving self-care.

Get ready to bookmark new speech therapy tools! 

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Professional associations and organizations

It’s estimated there are over 155,000 SLPs employed in the U.S. Many of them belong to professional associations and organizations that provide several benefits.

Professional organizations for speech therapists provide networking opportunities, evidence-based knowledge, continuing education resources, and career-building assistance.

Whether your career is just beginning or you’re an experienced clinician, it’s common to have a practice-related question come up which is where speech therapy tools and resources can help. For example, what are the guidelines when providing teletherapy across states? Professional consultations through SLP organizations will provide education on rules, regulations, and government policies.

Reputable professional associations and organizations for SLPs include:  

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Having an ASHA membership is the “gold standard” for speech-language pathologists.

Most SLPs (98.7%) in the U.S. hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) through ASHA. With this comes several benefits, such as validation and assurance to clients and employers, as well as ASHA membership.

ASHA also offers memberships to individuals who do not have their CCC, such as graduate students.

Benefits for all ASHA members include:

• Employment Opportunities: ASHA ProFind is a referral service that can help job seekers.

• Knowledge: The ASHA Leader is a bimonthly newsmagazine with information for SLPs with resources for evidence-based decision-making through the ASHA Practice Portal.

• CEUs: Members can obtain CEUs through workshops and conferences. The ASHA CE Registry can help SLPs track the completion of their required CEUs.

• Discounts: Therapists can save on registration for the annual national ASHA Convention and other items, like insurance and office supplies.

• Networking: ASHA Special Interests Groups and a member directory connect SLPs so they can tap into their colleagues’ expertise.

State-specific professional associations

SLP professional associations exist for each state, and you can find a list of them here. For example, the state of Florida’s association is FLASHA: Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

Benefits include:

• Professional Development Opportunities
• Members-only Events and Webinars
• Discounts on the FLASHA Convention Registration
• Access to the FLASHA Connect Community 

Specialty organizations

Belonging to or staying connected to a professional organization that represents a certain diagnosis or disorder can provide SLPs with knowledge and expertise to serve certain clients.

These include:

• American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
• National Aphasia Association
• International Dyslexia Association
• National Stuttering Association
• The Stuttering Foundation
• Apraxia Kids 

Research databases and journals

When SLPs stay up to date on current research, it allows them to implement principles into therapy to provide the best outcomes for their clients.

Top research databases for accessing scholarly articles include:

• Google Scholar 
• PubMed
• ScienceDirect
• EBSCO
• STOR

The top popular journals specific to the field of SLP are:

• Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR)
• International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
• Journal of Voice
• International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders (IJLCD)
• Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

To access research through databases and journals, it’s important to keep in mind that there are some differences in how you can access them.

Some sources are open access, meaning they are available at no cost. Others may allow you to view a summary of some key points but require a subscription to view the full article.  

Therapy tools and assessments

Online resources are available for SLPs providing therapy tools and assessments. These can be helpful for speech therapists who want to include a standardized assessment over teletherapy.

Top speech therapy tools for assessments include:

• Pearson Digital Assessments
• Pro-Ed
• WPS
• Q Global (A subscription that allows for remote on-screen administration and scoring of assessments)

SLPs can incorporate standardized assessments into their evaluations by purchasing and accessing reputable tests from the above companies.

Therapists should be sure to consider the client’s age and attention span when determining whether administering assessments virtually is appropriate when considering speech therapy tools.

Here are some helpful speech therapy tools for treatment:

• Teachers Pay Teachers
• Boom Cards
• Digital SLP
• Vooks (digital books)
• UltimateSLP.com
• SLP Toolkit
• Virtual Speech Center
• GoogleSlides: Create helpful items from visual schedules to reminders of therapeutic strategies for cueing clients.

Some of these speech therapy tools are subscription-based and require a monthly access fee. Others allow you to pay per resource (i.e., you can purchase a Boom Learning deck for a specific sound to use in articulation therapy for $2.99).

Games and virtual activities on these sites are specifically designed for speech therapy and can give SLPs access to therapy materials anytime they need them.