Speech & Language services at StanbridgeStanbridge Academy provides speech and language services to students who need support with their articulation, receptive and expressive language, and/or social cognition (pragmatic language). Our speech and language pathologist, Tricia Keener, collaborates with classroom teachers and the counseling staff to help integrate tools, support, and associated language to ensure consistency across all environments.
These services include assessment, individual and/or group therapy, and regular consultation with staff members and parents. Students are pulled out of classes for individual and small group therapy and larger groups follow a push-in model within the classroom. Size of groups and frequency of therapy is determined by need. In addition, elementary and middle school classes participate in a weekly social learning class. All goals are written and updated quarterly or as needed. Tricia also incorporates Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking and Leah M. Kuyper’s Zones of Regulation curriculum within her therapy and takes the lead in developing and implementing targeted social thinking lessons for all grade levels throughout the school year (see below). In addition to push-in/pull-out services, our speech and language pathologist also leads and consults peer social groups for students on a regular basis. These groups include "Girls Group" for female middle school and high school students, as well as "Guys Group" for male middle school and high school students. These student groups often meet during lunchtime to discuss issues important to the participants and are co-led by our counselors. For more information about our speech and language services, please contact Stanbridge Speech & Language Pathologist Tricia Keener, MS, CCC-SLP at 650.375.5860, ext. 602; or via email at tkeener@stanbridgeacademy.org. |
Tricia Keener, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist Tricia comes to Stanbridge with 28 years experience assessing speech and language impairments and providing therapy to improve communication. Her experience includes working with students in preschool through high school, as well as adults with developmental delays and challenges. Tricia has trained with Michelle Garcia Winner and Sarah Ward for social learning and executive function, and her career has focused on working with moderate to severe disabilities including autism, learning differences, processing impairments, cerebral palsy, brain injuries, and other cognitive impairments. |
Social Thinking and Zones of Regulation
Through Stanbridge Academy's Social Learning program, students learn the thinking strategies required to foster social skill development. The speech-language pathologist and school counselors use a variety of resources, including concepts and vocabulary from Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking methodology. Social learning concepts teach students to become better social observers and help deepen their understanding of their own and others’ thoughts and emotions. With a wide range of ages at Stanbridge, social learning topics and concepts vary depending on groups. These skills allow them to relate and connect to others as well as navigate the social world around them.
Stanbridge incorporates Leah M. Kuyper’s Zones of Regulation curriculum schoolwide. The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts.
By addressing underlying deficits in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and social cognition, the framework is designed to help move students toward independent regulation. The Zones of Regulation incorporates Social Thinking concepts and numerous visuals to teach students to identify their feelings/level of alertness, understand how their behavior impacts those around them, and learn what tools they can use to manage their feelings and states.
Before classes, teachers do a “zones check-in” to make sure everyone is in the right space to learn. If they are not, there is discussion about tools that the student can use to get back to the “green zone” before starting the activity. Examples of ways Stanbridge staff and students may use the Zones language at school throughout the school day are:
The Zones of Regulation works in conjunction with helping students to meet their S.T.A.R. behavior goals, and assists teachers and counselors in monitoring and addressing students' variable emotions throughout the day. For more information on S.T.A.R. goals, student behavior expectations, and counseling services, visit our site's Counseling page.
Stanbridge incorporates Leah M. Kuyper’s Zones of Regulation curriculum schoolwide. The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts.
By addressing underlying deficits in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and social cognition, the framework is designed to help move students toward independent regulation. The Zones of Regulation incorporates Social Thinking concepts and numerous visuals to teach students to identify their feelings/level of alertness, understand how their behavior impacts those around them, and learn what tools they can use to manage their feelings and states.
Before classes, teachers do a “zones check-in” to make sure everyone is in the right space to learn. If they are not, there is discussion about tools that the student can use to get back to the “green zone” before starting the activity. Examples of ways Stanbridge staff and students may use the Zones language at school throughout the school day are:
- "I have so much housework to do today and feel like I don't have enough time. I'm in the Yellow Zone right now"
- “I can see that you seem frustrated. What zone are you in?”
- “I noticed that your tone of voice sounded a little bit angry. What zone are you in?”
- “Have you noticed that your zone can change my zone and how I react to you?”
- “What kind of thoughts do we have when you’re in the green zone?”
The Zones of Regulation works in conjunction with helping students to meet their S.T.A.R. behavior goals, and assists teachers and counselors in monitoring and addressing students' variable emotions throughout the day. For more information on S.T.A.R. goals, student behavior expectations, and counseling services, visit our site's Counseling page.
