Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have dedicated their careers to helping children with speech and language deficits thrive academically and socially. As we all know, developing effective materials and activities for speech therapy is crucial in achieving positive outcomes. As you will see from the following list, there are several compelling reasons why SLPs should embrace AI application in education and special education. Many educational materials can be developed for language therapy and articulation.
- Personalized learning paths: AI can analyze the unique needs and progress of each student. It tailors exercises and materials to address individual speech and language challenges, ensuring that therapy is highly personalized and effective. This personalization occurs because the SLP inserts the prompts relevant to her/his speech students.
- Abundant Resources: AI can generate an endless supply of speech therapy materials, from articulation exercises to language development games. This vast resource pool ensures that SLPs have a wide variety of materials to keep therapy engaging and effective.
- Developing your story provides easy access to address specific learning goals: Determine the speech and language and pre-reading goals you want to address through the story.
- Time efficiency: By automating the creation of materials, AI allows SLPs to save time on administrative tasks, such as record-keeping and meetings. This extra time can be invested in providing more quality ono-on-one therapy to students.
- Accessibility: AI-powered materials can be easily accessed and used remotely, making therapy more accessible to students who may not have speech materials to take home. In other words, the SLP will own the rights to any of his/her AI developed materials and can print as needed to send home with the students.
- Innovation and engagement: incorporating AI materials relevant to each child can make the learning experience more engaging for students. SLPs can create a story with related activities and coloring pages and send them home with simple instructions for parents. An example of vocabulary goal would be to create a page with 6 or 8 pictures common to a home. The child would take this home and have the parent check the picture of any item(s) the child found.
- Cost savings: You can purchase or rent an AI system quite inexpensively. As of this writing, you may be able to rent an AI system for $20. This multi-use system can produce specific words for speech goals, create the pictures for cards for activities, can write a simple story or rhyming poem from which you can have illustrations added.
- SLPs are trained in using prompts. AI is all about using prompts. You will have a learning curve but, more than likely, your learning curve on prompt usage to get the best AI product will be easier for you than it will be for other professions.
- One last reason that AI may be good for SLPs and teachers is that it can be an added source of income on Teachers Pay Teachers or on a subscription website you build for yourself.
No, AI does not do all for you. You are the one with the knowledge and capability. Based on your knowledge and experience you will be able to be the mover and shaker behind AI. SLPs are trained in using prompts. AI is all about using prompts. You will have a learning curve but, more than likely, your learning curve on prompt usage to get the best AI product will be easier for you than it will be for other professions.
Artificial intelligence will be your tool to create innovative teaching methods as you develop materials and activities and stories quicker and at much less cost than purchasing materials from others.
Be sure to download freebies of activities created using Artificial Intelligence at https://www.slpstorytellers.com/register-2/. With a subscription there are quite a few articulation stories and accompanying coloring pages to download.