Introduction

There are many ways to make therapy fun, flexible, and effective. Recently, my students and I have been having fun playing Speech Tool Bingo. The internet has many sites for designing your own game boards; including Bingo cards. I found an easy template on http://www.print-bingo.com and entered speech and stuttering techniques along with communication skills and several "fun fact" spaces that allow for great practice and creative discussions during therapy sessions.

Be Prepared

It is important to note that each student practices the specific technique at his or her individual level. For example, Lisa may be using easy onsets at the conversational level, but Jeremy my only be at the phrase level. Therefore, the clinician must be prepared with a variety of stimulus items for a variety of skill levels. Each clinician must PLAY the game, as well. As my students remind me, "No fair being the 'caller' all the time!"

VARIATION

This game is best for students who have been introduced to a variety of speech handling techniques. However, there are many students who do not yet know all of the techniques. Therefore, when playing with groups, I allow the "I haven't learned that yet" squares to either be "FREE spaces" or "Your Choice" spaces.