#20. Digging Into Boundaries and SLP Guilt with Published Author Mindy Hudon
It’s no secret that speech-language pathologists are feeling overwhelmed by heavy caseloads, loads of paperwork, and not enough time in the day. One SLP is setting out to help both students and colleagues take back control of their time.
Today, I’m sitting down with published author and fellow speech-language pathologist Mindy Hudon to discuss some of the most common time management challenges that both students and speech pathologists are facing. Mindy’s vast experience working in different settings and her specialty in executive functioning skills both make her the perfect person to shed some light on what busy speech-language pathologists can do to make the most of our time. Here are some highlights from the interview. To listen to the interview in its entirety, check out Episode 20 of “Your Speech Path: Mindful Time Management for the Busy SLP.”
Executive Functioning Challenges
Some common executive functioning challenges that students experience include difficulty with sustained attention, self-control, impulsivity, time management, and difficulty with transitions. What is so important for adults to understand is that these challenges often appear to be behavioral in nature. Parents, teachers, even speech pathologists might observe a child having difficulty with things like remaining on task, shouting out in class, initiating a task, etc and think that the child is misbehaving or unmotivated. In reality, however, many times these issues are a result of executive dysfunction.
Teaching Children How to Manage Their Time
Time management starts with time awareness. Many children are too young to conceptualize the meaning of warnings like “Five more minutes.” Older children who are able to tell time may still struggle with “time blindness,” where they lack the internal awareness of how much time has passed and how much time remains. Mindy noticed this issue and created a solution for it: the Bee a Time Keeper(R) clock. She uses it in every therapy session and has found it to be effective for children as young as two years old.
Time Management Tips for Adolescents (and SLPs too!)
Mindy co-created her private practice to specialize in serving children and teenagers struggling with executive functioning skills. As she started to use her Bee a Time Keeper clock more often, it naturally led her to publish a graphic novel called Kodi’s Adventures: How I Learned to Defeat the Time Snatcher. This book is filled with simple yet highly effective time management tips for pre-teens and adolescents, including:
Create Zones in Your Workspace: Zones are designated areas with a specific purpose and can help you to keep your space organized. This reduces time spent looking for things and also cuts back on decision fatigue when it comes time to put things away.
Take Photos of Your Organized Space: Once your space is organized, take a photo and post it near the areas you need organized. You can reference that photo to help you remember where things belong and to make sure that nothing is missing from its proper place.
Create a Time Chart: Consider creating a chart of the small steps involved in routine tasks, such as getting ready for school in the morning or for bed at night. Estimate how long each step will take, try it out, check for accuracy, and then edit as needed.
Advice for Busy SLPs (Especially in the School Setting)
As a school-based SLP, Mindy experienced firsthand the fast pace and high demands on speech-language pathologists. She has a ton of suggestions for busy SLPs struggling to keep up with it all. Here are some of her best tips:
Set Boundaries: Be clear with yourself and with others about things like when you’re available to meet, when it’s ok to be interrupted, and what amount of work (if any) you’re willing to bring home.
Create Systems: Set up simple systems for repeatable tasks. For example, if you often field questions or referrals from other teachers, create a system for how you staff can refer students to you and make that system known. If you conduct evaluations, create a system for all of the repetitive steps such as collecting background information, reviewing records, interviewing family members, etc. Systems are clear, and Brene Brown says “Clear is kind.”
Use a Sign on Your Door: If you deal with frequent interruptions, consider putting a sign on your door that lets people know when it is ok for them to knock and when you cannot be interrupted.
Which of these tips will you try implementing? Let us know in the comments!