I absolutely love lazy summer days but I also love taking some time to build my knowledge and skills through summer continuing education. I am going to share my plans this summer and also give you some great ideas on some free and some paid (but affordable) options. Most of them I can do in my PJs after my kids go to bed (so they don't interrupt my pool days).
Why I do CEUs in the summer:
1. I don't have to miss days during the school year and get behind with therapy.
2. I am not trying to squeeze in learning when my schedule is hectic, I find I don't retain as much when I am super busy.
3. It is required by my district for comp. days during the school year.
June
In June I attend my Region's Autism Conference. I highly suggest looking into your area's educational support service center. You can usually find free or affordable continuing education conferences there. Most districts will also pay for course taken locally (check with your administrator to see what your options are). If you don't work for a school district, you probably can still attend courses there, just make sure they offer the continuing education credits that you need (in my case I need either TSHA (TEXAS) credits or ASHA credits). My region always gives away awesome freebies (this year it was a visual task card and a visual timer).
ASHA also has a FREE course the expires June 30, 2018 about Why SLP services are important to Adolescents (1.0hr). I have already completed this one and it was great. Most of my students are in elementary school but I do have about 10 that are in Middle School and High School. Find it by clicking here (must have an ASHA online account to register).
July
In July I have MANY courses on my schedule through an amazing company Speechpatholgy.com. This service is truly phenomenal. If you aren't a member, you really should be.
Here is what I like about it:
1. High quality courses
2. HUGE variety of topics in our field
3. A choice between learning formats (text, live, recorded, and audio).
4. They report to ASHA for you!!
5. It is only $99 for the whole year (unlimited courses!)
6. They keep a course transcript for you!
Here are some of the sessions I will be completing in July from Speechpathology.com
1. Current Best Practices in the Evaluation and Management of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): A Multidimensional Approach. This is a 5 part video series (5 hours total). Course #1 is 8287 if you want to find it!
2. Supporting Young Children's Social-Emotional Literacy (Ages 18 months - 7 years): Effective and Evidence-based PBS Strategies
Course # 8436 (1.5 hours).
3. Pragmatics and Social Communication (3 part series). (Part 1: Course 8335, Part 2: Course 8336, Part 3: Course 8337) 3 hours total
If you want to join, you can do so here with my affiliate referral code: (you won't regret it): http://bit.ly/pandasplink
ASHA's FREE course for July covers Evidence Based Practice with CAPD (0.5hours). Find it by clicking here
August
In August I am planning on tuning in to the 2nd Annual Summer Speech Summit. This is organized by the ladies of the SLP Toolkit and SLP Now. They offer an online conference that you can watch live or watch there recordings later. You can use these hours towards your licensure or certification (although they do not report to ASHA or states directly). The best part...... it is all FREE! They haven't announced the line up yet for this year, but you can follow them social media for announcements.
Get all the info here: https://slpsummit.com
ASHA's FREE course for August is also about CAPD (0.5hours). Find it by clicking here.
If you are in need of more hours, here are few more places you can get FREE or affordable online CEUs.
If you have heard of any other great courses I can take over the summer (that won't break the bank!) let me know in a comment!
As for summer fun, I plan to watch my son play tennis, hang out with my family, go on our annual family road trip (this year Washington DC, Philadelphia, Pocono, Virginia Beach, & more), and recharge!
Let me know in the comments if you have found any other great online summer CEU opportunities!