Pacing Board Practice
Use a pacing board to control speech rate.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Let the child do the touching. An adult moving the finger sets the pace externally, which produces a well-paced utterance and no learning — the point is the child controlling their own rate. Alternate between the word-level and syllable-level cards rather than doing all of one; they build different things, and the syllable ones are the harder. The fading card matters most and is the one most often skipped.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses a slow, even rate on their own. Listen without reminding.Log as correct
- Visual reminderPoint to the picture or card that stands for the technique.Log as cued
- Verbal reminderSay a short reminder, such as 'Slow and even.'Log as cued
- ModelSay it yourself using the technique; the student copies, then tries the card again.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to shorter turns: single words or two-word phrases.
Move to longer turns, a new listener, or a little time pressure.
Matching IEP goal
Student will use a slow, even rate in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual reminder.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve pacing tasks alternating between words and syllables: touch one dot per word for I — want — juice and my — name — is — Sam; one dot per syllable for ba — na — na, com — pu — ter, el — e — phant and re — fri — ge — ra — tor. The last two cards fade it: say it with the board, then again without, and use the board for a whole sentence about your day.
What to listen for
Watch whether the rate holds when the board goes away. A pacing board is a scaffold, and a student who is fluent with it and not without it has not yet internalised anything — which is normal early and is what the last two cards address. Notice whether the touching becomes rushed, since a fast finger produces fast speech and defeats the purpose.
Carrying it home
Any row of dots on paper works, or the fingers of one hand. The point is one touch per unit and the child doing the touching, both of which travel anywhere.
What's in this activity
- Touch one dot per word: I — want — juice
- Touch one dot per word: my — name — is — Sam
- Touch one dot per syllable: ba — na — na
- Touch one dot per syllable: com — pu — ter
- Touch one dot per word: can — I — go — outside
- Touch one dot per syllable: el — e — phant
- Touch one dot per word: the — dog — is — big
- Touch one dot per syllable: bi — cy — cle
- Touch one dot per word: I — went — to — the — park
- Touch one dot per syllable: re — fri — ge — ra — tor
- Now say it with the board, then again without it.
- Use the board for one whole sentence about your day.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through fifth grade, for rate control in fluency work and for children with unintelligible fast speech.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve tasks play with no account.
- Does the board have to be a physical object?
- No. Five fingers work, or five dots drawn on paper. What matters is one touch per word or syllable, and the child controlling the pace themselves.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.