This post is a little lengthy, but it contains a lot of great information about our "Ready, Set" speech pathology materials.
My supervisor, Martha Drake developed a wonderful series of interactive books for various holidays. The series is called “Ready, Set ”. To date we have “Ready Set Christmas”, “Ready Set St. Patrick’s Day”, “Ready Set Easter”, and “Ready Set ME!”.
These are functional materials for children with very limited language skills and short attention spans. The “Ready Set” series of interactive holiday stories has been designed and used by Martha and myself. We have used it very successfully with children who have a diagnosis of a hearing impairment, Down Syndrome, autism, cognitive impairment and expressive-receptive language delays and disorders.
Children begin to learn language by talking about their world. In this series, children make pictures choices about things they like, and then compile their choices into a book. At the end of every book is a template where the child can place all of their selections to make their own story. You can make a photocopy and have them take it home to share with their family.
These books can target multiple objectives and goals. Some Language concepts incorporated include WH questions, pronouns (he, she, I), sentence building, following directions, holiday vocabulary, memory, categorization and story-telling.
For easiest and best assembly you will need card stock, lamination paper, self-stick Velcro and 3 rings or a binder.
Here are the "Ready Set" books that are currently available
-Warning-
Some of these books are available in two versions. Make sure you are getting the one you want. There may be a "manipulative" version where the child can physically move the picture icons on the page. There may also an "easy assembly" version where the icons stay put and the child makes selections by pointing. While the "manipulative" version is a lot of fun, the "easy assembly" version requires a lot less laminating, cutting, and Velcro.
Ready, Set ME!
The introductory story, "Ready, Set, ME!", is about a child’s favorite things (e.g., favorite color, favorite animal, what the child likes to eat, etc.). It is a great way to start a therapy program or social skills group. Preschool and kindergarten teachers have also used it as a way to introduce children at the start the school year.
The additional "Ready Set" books work on the concepts listed at the beginning of the post, while also incorporating seasonal vocabulary.
Ready, Set, St. Patrick's Day:
Ready, Set, Easter:
Ready, Set, Christmas:
