Chattiepants

06/15/2026

Day in a life of a CDA « Monday » version.

06/13/2026

06/11/2026

Although I wasn't able to attend in person due to vertigo, I was truly honoured to serve as a keynote speaker for the 30th Anniversary Celebration of CDAAC- Communicative Disorders Assistant Association Of Canada at Georgian College in Barrie.

Being a Communicative Disorders Assistant has been much more than a career for me. It has been a passion and a privilege for the past 26 years. Throughout my journey, I have had the opportunity to support countless children and families, mentor fellow clinicians, and advocate for our profession. It is a role that continues to inspire me every day.

I am incredibly grateful for CDAAC for including me in this special celebration and for accommodating my circumstances by allowing me to present virtually. Thank you as well for the thoughtful gifts that arrived in the mail today. Your kindness and generosity meant so much to me.

To everyone who reached out following my presentation with comments, feedback, and words of encouragement. THANK YOU! Knowing that my message resonated with fellow CDAs was truly rewarding.

A special thank you to the amazing North Bay CDAs (Pauline, Jen, Deanna, Nicole, Shelley) who made the trip to Barrie and were there to cheer me on screen during the virtual presentation. Your support, friendship, and dedication to our profession mean more than you know.

Congratulations to Communicative Disorders Assistants Association of Canada on 30 years of leadership, advocacy, and support for Communicative Disorders Assistants across Ontario. I am proud to be part of this profession and excited to see what the future holds for the next generation of CDAs.

Thank you :-)

06/10/2026

Hello Chattie Community!

06/09/2026

You DON'T Need to Be PERFECT.

One of the biggest misconceptions in our field is that experienced clinicians have all the answers.

They don't.

The best clinicians I've met are still learning, still asking questions, and still seeking support.

As CDAs and SLPs, we put so much pressure on ourselves to have the perfect therapy plan, the perfect data collection system, or the perfect response in every session.

But professional growth doesn't happen because we're perfect.

It happens because we're willing to reflect, learn, and continue developing our skills.

If you've ever left a session thinking, "I wish I had handled that differently," congratulations—you care about your craft.

That mindset is exactly what helps great clinicians become even better.

At Chattiepants, I support CDAs and SLPs through coaching, practical resources, and real-world strategies that can be applied immediately in therapy.

Because you don't need to be perfect.

You just need to keep growing. 🌱

Chattiepants

06/07/2026

Let’s be honest, as a CDA sometimes, we really want to say to our colleagues….

« Well... I won’t be doing that. » Lol

Instead, let’s try this.

1. Can you help me prioritize my workload? 

Instead of silently drowning, ask for support.

2.I’d like to protect my lunch break whenever possible. A reasonable boundary is not a lack of dedication.

3. I’m finding it challenging to keep up with documentation. Do you have any tips? 
Experienced clinicians often have shortcuts that aren’t taught in school.

4. Can we discuss what realistic productivity expectations look like? 
Many new clinicians don’t know what’s reasonable and what’s not.

5. I want to do quality work and maintain a sustainable schedule. 
Because burnout should never be the goal.

When I started, I thought being a good clinician meant saying « yes » to everything.

Many of us learned the hard way that skipping breaks, eating lunch in the car, and catching up on notes at night wasn’t sustainable.

Today’s clinicians are teaching us something important:

You can be dedicated AND have boundaries.

Which one would you have been afraid to say as a new grad? 👇

When I started, I thought being a good clinician meant saying « yes » to everything.
Many of us learned the hard way that skipping breaks, eating lunch in the car, and catching up on notes at night wasn’t sustainable.
Today’s clinicians are teaching us something important:
You can be dedicated AND have boundaries.
Which one would you have been afraid to say as a new grad?

06/06/2026

My entire day is spent using tactile cues to help produce sounds. What is your fav tactile cue ?

06/05/2026

Spent all day talking to kids. Tonight’s agenda: absolute silence. Twenty five years later, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

06/05/2026

There was a time in my career when I thought being a dedicated clinician meant always doing more.

I skipped lunch breaks.

I ate in my car while driving between appointments.

"Rest and recharge" looked a lot like cleaning therapy toys, creating resources, and prepping for the next day.

I was constantly trying to catch up on notes.

And if I wasn't working, I felt guilty.

What I eventually learned is that burnout doesn't happen because we don't care enough.

It happens because we care so much.

As Communicative Disorders Assistants and Speech and Language Pathologists, we spend our days supporting others.

But we can't pour from an empty cup.

Setting boundaries isn't selfish.

Taking breaks isn't lazy.

Rest is productive.

The best clinicians aren't the ones who work every spare minute.

They're the ones who learn how to sustain a career they love.

Which work life balance tip do you need most right now?

06/05/2026

One book. So many therapy opportunities!

Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright is one of my favorite books to use in speech and language sessions.

With just one story, you can target a wide variety of speech sounds, vocabulary, describing words, WH-questions, sequencing, retelling, and narrative language skills.

The best part? Children are having so much fun with the story that they don't even realize how many goals they're working on.

If you are heading to a session, here are my target words I use when working on spécifie sounds and ways I incorporate langage goals.

Speech Sounds You Can Target
• /s/ blends – sneeze, said, skunk, snake, stop, sky, spinning, swinging, stormy, stuff, scarred, slammed
• /z/ – sneeze, buzz
• /b/ – big, bear, bunny,
• /m/ – mouse, mama, more
• /n/ – no, nap, nose
• /t/ – two, tell, time, tickle
• /d/ – don't, did, down
• /k/ – can't, come, came, cough, kicked, awake
• /g/ – geese, go, goodbye
• /f/ – fell, fall, find
• /h/ – help, hear, hibernate, hi (say hi) to the animal each time.
• /r/ (prevocalic)-rabbit, roar, right, raced, Ready-set go, read
• /r/ vocalic bear, swirled, hammer, carefully, turn ( turn the page)
• /l/ – little, look, like, loud, leave, lake, fell, light
• /l/ blends – flapping, flew, blew, please
• Sh - shh!, should shout
• Ch – achoo! (Great VCV combo)
• Animal names throughout the book provide many opportunities for early speech sounds
• Rounding goal (motor) – what, achoo, will, woods, whenever, wind, you, shook, oh no, wow.
Language Goals You Can Target
📖 Vocabulary / Describing words
• Animal names (geese, rabbit, bear, trees, grass, wind, mushrooms, apples, hill,leaves)
• Fall Theme
• Winter Theme
• Describing words: Big/small, Loud/quiet, Sleepy/awake
ING
• Thumping, watching, sneezing, walking, holding, stacking,
Wh- Questions
• What happened to the apples?
• What is the rabbit doing?
• Where is the bear?
• Who did it?
Sequencing and Retelling
• Big Bear sneezes
• Something in nature happens
• Big Bear assumes he caused it
• The wind reveals the truth
• Big Bear heads home to hibernate
This structure is ideal for retelling and narrative language activities.
• First, the animals tried...
• Then...
• Finally...