Slow Rate Conversation Topics
Open topics run at a deliberately reduced rate, each card naming the pacing constraint to hold while the conversation continues.
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
Read the rule aloud before the topic and model it for a sentence. On the partner's hand goes up card, raise a hand when the rate climbs and have the student slow down without restarting. The say it quickly then slowly card is useful for students who do not yet feel the difference in their own speech. Rotate rules across the session rather than staying on one. Fifteen minutes covers four or five cards.
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 structured conversation 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
Ten conversation topics, each with a pacing constraint to hold while talking: tell me about your morning and stretch the first word of every sentence; describe how to get somewhere and pause at the end of each phrase; talk about a person you admire at the rate you would use for a voicemail; say it once quickly then again at half the speed; wait one full second before answering. The topic keeps the student talking; the rule is the actual practice.
What to listen for
Listen for the rule lasting past the first few sentences. Most students hold it briefly and drift back to their usual rate once the topic gets interesting. Watch for slowing that sounds robotic, which is harder to keep up outside the room than a natural slower pace with pauses. Note which rule the student finds easiest to keep, since that is the one to build on.
Carrying it home
Pick one rule, such as a one-second pause before answering, and use it as a family for one meal. When adults slow down too, the student is not the only one doing something different, and the slower pace becomes normal at the table.
What's in this activity
- Tell me about your morning, from waking up to arriving at school. Stretch the first word of every sentence.
- Describe how to get somewhere you go often. Pause at the end of each phrase before you take the next breath.
- Talk about a person you admire for two minutes. Keep the rate you would use to leave a voicemail.
- Explain the rules of a game you play. If your partner's hand goes up, slow down and keep going without restarting.
- Tell me about the last thing that made you laugh. Say it once quickly, then again at half the speed, and say which felt easier.
- Describe what is in the room around you. Use a full breath for every two sentences.
- Answer three questions about your weekend. Take a pause between the question and your first word every time.
- Talk about a job you might want. Keep your rate steady even when you reach a word you would usually rush.
- Give a two-minute set of instructions for something you know how to do. Slow the rate down further in each minute.
- Have a conversation about food. Every time your partner finishes, wait one full second before you begin.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Third through twelfth grade, for rate control and carry-over goals.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all ten cards play free in the browser. An account adds session data and goal scoring.
- Is slow rate the goal?
- It is a tool the student can choose to use, not a way everyone has to talk. The cards practise switching it on in conversation so it is available when wanted.
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.