Data collection is a critical part of any speech pathologist’s job. It is important to find a method for taking data that is efficient. With each student having different goals, I have found that a “one-size fits all” data-sheet is not always the best. From articulation to language to pragmatic goals, there are a variety of ready-made data sheets that may make your data collection (and life!) easier. I have found these data sheets and others on Teachers Pay Teachers and use them regularly. The links are provided here for easy access.
- For articulation, this data sheet by The Dabbling Speechie makes it easy to keep track of correct and incorrect sound productions. There are two different versions—one for word/sentence level and one for conversation/carryover.
- Another option for conversation and carry-over data collection is this data sheet by Autumn Bryan-Speech Language Investigator. This chart is my go-to when I have students working on articulation at the conversation level. It’s easy to make tally marks of correct and incorrect productions as I listen to the student talk. This also helps identify if there is a breakdown at a certain word position.
- This data sheet by Speech Rocks is a time-saver for students working on producing /r/. Just check the variation, position, and context you are targeting each session and you are good to go!
- For students with goals for expanding the mean length of utterance or using language for a variety of purposes, this data sheet by My Speech Pocket is perfect. You can keep a tally of the number of words in each utterance and keep track of the function of the student’s communication.
- This data sheet by IEP Pages is a great option for students working on pragmatic skills. It can be edited to include any social skill you might be targeting. Just mark if a student does or does not demonstrate the skill or behavior. It can also be given to teachers for monitoring social skills in the classroom.
Using the right data sheet can make all the difference in keeping data that is accurate. The data sheets described above and more are readily available on Teachers Pay Teachers. When you are preparing your data sheets, consider using different versions that are specific to the goals being targeted for efficient data collection.
Author: By: Mary Lowery, M.S. CCC-SLP
