My Top Resources

Julie Phillips, Jen Read and Helen Bell are all part of the Speech Pathology degree team at Manchester Metropolitan University. We provide an on-site clinic resource centre which is invaluable to students who need to borrow and create materials for clinical placement. It allows the students to have their own identified space, where they can engage fully with the course and read and view materials in a quiet environment. The items presented here are the results from a ballot across the whole student group. it was set up for two months to find out which items were viewed by the students as the most indispensable resources.

1. Mr Potato Head You can never have too many of this iconic toy, according to the students, and it has been borrowed by almost everyone who passes through the clinic doors. Used in a variety of paediatric settings, Mr Potato Head is a simple but flexible resource. Mr Potato Head has been used to work on prepositions, body parts and emotions. It is also useful as a simple reward system that children love and are motivated by. www.mrpotatohead.com 2. Colour cards These brightly-coloured lively picture cards are used by students with a huge range of clients - adults with aphasia, children with autism spectrum disorder and people with head injury; the list goes on. Students use them in a range of situations, whether that is working on specific grammatical constructs such as verb tense, or to aid a discussion about hobbies with a person who has aphasia. They are adaptable, often humorous, and a really popular resource. ColorCards, see www.speechmark.net 3. Photocopier, laminator and scanner Simple yet invaluable, the photocopier, laminator and scanner allow our students to adapt other resources to suit individual clients and to get creative making their own resources for clinical placements. The laminator is brilliant, you can use your resources over and over again and create a bank for use in the future. Students find the access to these resources saves time as all are based within the clinic. Theres always a queue! 4. Each other One of our students greatest resources is each other. Our clinic provides a space for students to work together in small groups and share experiences of their clinical placements. Learning from each other is key whether thats having theoretical discussions, or learning about new resources used out on placements. Academic and technical staff are always on hand to listen, help and advise learning is a two-way thing in our clinic! 5. Working withseries One of the most requested resources, the Working with... series of books is clearly written

boards and overlays for VOCAs (voice output communication aids) and lots of other resources. Easy to get to grips with, colourful and, once printed out and laminated, look as good as anything that can be bought. www.mayer-johnson.co.uk/category/ boardmaker-family/
The top resources ballot box!

Students in the on-site clinic resource centre

8. Renfrew Action Picture Test (RAPT) A screening test for language development that is quick and easy to use. Feedback from students is that it doesnt need lots of practice, which is important as time is always the issue. The Renfrew Action Picture Test is suitable to use from three year olds and upwards and is A great first tool to gauge a childs skills in grammar and information carrying words. Weve noticed that it is extremely popular when students are faced with second year placement. www.speechmark.net 9. Elklan This companys series of Language Builders plays a popular role in student learning, and There are never enough to go around. Ranging from Early Years to Post-16, they offer advice and activities to encourage childrens communication skills. Students find a starting point is quite often what they need to spark an idea when working with a client, and they describe these as brilliant and easy to understand and use. The checklists placed at the back of the publications are good to refer to, and another factor that appeals to the students is that you can copy pages and use them to support clients out on placement rather than taking the whole book. www.elklan.co.uk 10. Puppets Having to perform to an adult in a one to one or group session can be an overwhelming experience for many children. Puppets are a popular choice for students working with children with special needs, or who are withdrawn or hyperactive, and so the increase in demand on this resource has grown. Whether finger, hand or large animal, puppets have made a considerable difference to therapy sessions. Students say, The children were engaged and tried harder to complete the activity. The puppets kept them motivated for much longer. www.puppetcompany.com

and highly practical, covering diverse topics such as dysphagia, pragmatics and phonology. These books clearly link theory to practice - a major selling-point for our students and a vital skill to take forward into the workplace when they are on placement. Available from www.speechmark.net 6. Black Sheep PRESS What could be simpler than a set of photocopiable resources which provide a first base of sorting out phonology or brain storming for words? This is what Black Sheep Press offers, and all our students constantly refer to these resources when working in paediatric settings. Black Sheep Press resources assist in the development of childrens speech and language. They are low cost, reduce preparation time, and the students say they are straightforward to use and easy to follow for the children they are working with. www.blacksheeppress.co.uk 7. Boardmaker Studio An effective and invaluable software resource which suits adults and children, Boardmaker is the next step on from using ready made materials. It provides templates for interactive computer based sessions and ones for printing. The bank of Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) gives the flexibility to create tailor made resources, from sound cards and visual timetables to topic based