Using A Visual Timer & Reward In Your Therapy Session

My therapy sessions dramatically started improving once I started using visuals and a fun reward to maintain focus. My kiddos actually LOVE this timer, which I purchased here at Amazon. It comes in various sizes, but I own the 8" timer. There are lots of different types of visual timers out there- just do a quick search on google to find that one that would best meet your needs. Use it alone or in conjunction with a visual schedule to provide lots of structure! In my session, we will often work for 5 minutes. When the timer beeps, the child is able to pick a fun activity of choice (such as the car set). I'll then set the timer for 2 minutes for the "reward" activity. Of course, I'm being super tricky, and still targeting those language/ speech goals depending on the activity chosen. For example, if you're working on describing skills, you can talk about the color of the car or the size of the car. If you're working on answering Wh-questions, you might ask, "What do we put in a car to make it go?". You can discuss some basic antonyms such as top/bottom or fast/ slow("I'm putting my car at the top of the track", "This car is moving really fast. This car is moving really slow").If you have three cars (and I do, even though they aren't all pictured), you can even throw in some comparatives/ superlatives. "This car is fast, but this car is even faster, and this car is the... fastest!" Naturally, the car activity is perfect for targeting velar sounds ("Go, car!") or bilabials ("beep! beep! woah!") I highly recommend using some sort of visual timer or schedule to keep your therapy sessions running smoothly! How else do you use your timer?