Early communication support can make a lasting difference.
When students are supported early, they build stronger skills for learning, relationships, and independence.
#RISDDreamBig#SpeechLanguageHearingMonth
JHE's Speechie Trivia round 4 is all about CORE! Ms. Talton used a CORE board to make a sentence. CORE words are the "little" words that make up 80% of what we say. CORE boards help by making language more visual! @RichardsonISD@RISDSLPs#nslhm#risddreambig@JessHarbenElem
It’s MAY! This month, we celebrate the people behind communication.
Our RISD SLPs support students every day. They help them access learning, express themselves, and connect with others.
Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month 💙
#RISDDreamBig#SpeechLanguageHearingMonth
1 in 14 children has a voice, speech, or language disorder.
Most common in younger children, and many students have multiple communication disorders.
SLPs support communication so students can access learning.
#RISDDreamBig#SpeechLanguageHearingMonth
Did you know May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month? 💜 What we do matters because communication matters! What an amazing field full of amazing minds. Proud to be an SLP! 🤟 #risddreambig#nslhm@RichardsonISD@RISDSLPs
Myth: “They don’t want to interact.”
Reality: Social communication differences ≠ lack of interest.
Many autistic students want connection,
they just experience and express it differently.
Acceptance means adjusting our interpretation, not their intent.
#RISDDreamBig
Social communication skills build on each other.
Higher-level skills rely on foundational ones.
When students struggle with:
• conversation
• perspective taking
• language organization
it’s often a signal to look deeper.
Skill progression matters.
#RISDDreamBig
April is often called Autism Awareness Month.
But awareness isn’t enough.
Awareness = knowing autism exists
Acceptance = changing what we do because it exists
Let’s move beyond awareness.
#RISDDreamBig
So what does acceptance actually look like in schools?
✅ Adjusting expectations
✅ Teaching differently
✅ Supporting regulation
✅ Valuing neurodiversity
Acceptance isn’t a poster.
It’s what we’re meant to do.
#RISDDreamBig
What looks like “behavior” is often regulation.
What we see is only the surface.
When we shift from, “they’re choosing this” to “they’re struggling right now” how we respond in classrooms and what support we offer changes.
That’s where acceptance starts.
#RISDDreamBig
Can’t hide my fan girl in a zoom Q&A with the 👸🏻 herself—@BjoremSpeech after her Stimulability Training Course! I can’t wait to try this with my kids using my Bjorem cards and all the new tips and tricks! ☁️9️⃣ @RISDSLPs#RisdDreamBig
DLC singing how we 🌟feel🌟 today!🎶🎸 Collaborating w/ our music therapist inspired me to bring more music to speech, hence our new hello song! Students were engaged and even helped me strum along. #risddreambig#risdbetheone@RISDSLPs@JessHarbenElem