Speech Therapy Data Collection Ideas: So many options to choose from – here are some great ones I have come across.
We all know how important it is to collect data on our students and clients. It’s essential to measure progress to judge the effectiveness of our treatment approaches and our students’/clients’ growth. This helps us know when we need to revise our therapy. We also need to know when it is time to discontinue.
In my years as a speech-language pathologist, I have learned that there are many many ways of collecting and documenting data. It can depend on the personal style and preference of the therapist, the requirements of the job setting, and the time available. Many speech-language pathologists take data using the old-fashioned paper and pencil method while others prefer digital methods. Keep reading for some ideas.
Pen and Paper Style Data Collection
I use these free SLP data sheets regularly. I’ve been using a speech therapy binder system for a couple of years now. To do this, I print out a two-sided data sheet from the set above for each student. On each form, I can include their name, grade, classroom teacher, therapy minutes, goals, and date of birth at the top of the form, and then list goals in a box provided. Then there are plenty of boxes to add quantitative and qualitative data for each goal and session. Organize these sheets by grade level within my binder.
On top of each data sheet I also keep a year-long attendance sheet for each student. The attendance sheet has a place for student name and grade, and gives suggested codes. This has come in handy for me multiple times! Download this free editable attendance sheet and see if it works for you:
This attendance calendar allows you to see the whole year at once. Easily indicate student absences, SLP absences, holidays, testing days, and more. This data collection tool is editable, allowing you to adjust the dates and reason codes.
I also really like these paper-based forms:
Speech Therapy Attendance Calendars and Daily Notation Logs by Panda Speech
Back to School Speech Therapy Attendance Forms and Data Collection by Activity Tailor
Mailing labels for data collection? These Avery mailing labels can be super helpful in data collection. I have never tried this method but I know others who love it. They say it is an easy, time-saving way to gather group data. Check out this blog post from Jenn Alcorn at Crazy Speech World for information about this method.
Students can collect their own data!
Another great idea that I have tried is having students keep track of their own data and progress. These simple and free student data tracker sheets from Speech Things are great to try out. Students are really motivated when they monitor their own progress. I have even had my students listen to each other and determine correct vs. incorrect productions in speech sounds. It’s really nice and heartwarming to see kids encourage one another. Also be sure to check out the clickers below. Kids love these!
Helpful Tools
I keep this data collection cheat sheet from Speechy Musings close by when I am entering data in my data collection forms. It’s free to download and I promise it is super helpful!
Try these cute clickers They are super fun and functional. Use one yourself for keeping track of data or allow your students to keep track of their own!
Digital Speech Therapy Data Collection Tools
SLPNow: Fantastic tool for therapy resources, data collection, and much more.
SLPToolKit: Progress monitoring, data collection, present levels, and much more.
Swivel Scheduler: Great tool for setting schedules and data collection
What have you tried? What are your favorite tools for data collection in speech therapy?
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