Presenter: Rosslyn Delmonico, MA, RSLP, CCC-SLP
This online course presents evidence-based teaching methods and ‘hands-on’ learning activities that can effectively support the acquisition of three conversation skills: greetings, chitchat, and long conversations with embedded topics. The lesson activities, primarily intended for children ages 5-14 years, can be implemented within a variety of treatment settings (individual, small group, classroom).
This course highlights the value of social language instruction as it can powerfully impact a child’s social-emotional wellness and ability to learn. It addresses how we, as professionals, can become influencers for change within our workplaces, our homes and our communities through our own modeling of healthy social interactions. Lastly, it discusses the need to educate others about social communication as a whole because it is a relevant component to a healthy society.
Offered for 0.25 ASHA CEUs – 2.5 contact hours.
Course Overview – Run Time: 2:30:23
– B.W., prior course participant
This presentation will include information on the "Color My Conversation Program" for teaching children the elements of the conversation. Other treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture. Presenter financial and non-financial disclosures may be found in the Presenter & Disclosures area.
Video PowerPoint presentation with author narration & downloadable handout. Stop and re-start the course at any point. Learners retain access to course content after completion for ongoing reference and review.
"I liked The Color My Conversation program. Amazing examples of activities to teach social skills." K.H. (Nov. 2024)
"Conversation stones were helpful to discuss. I liked the visual explanation." D.L. (Oct. 2024)
"The conversation path was a beneficial topic. I enjoyed the tips and real-life applications." L.S. (Sep. 2024)
"All topics were pertinent. Loved the organization, clear and concise explanation, videos, and visual representation of concepts." G.S. (Aug. 2024)
"This course was thorough in explaining how to improve social communication. The part about finding our shared and unique topics was interesting, and I will use it with my older students." S.L. (Aug. 2024)
"The presenter was wonderful and the material most helpful. The structure of the discussion was so organized and clear." L.R. (Jul. 2024)
"The topic of advancing conversation through the use of instructional strategies for building social communication was beneficial for increasing the clinical toolbox. The videos were helpful to supplement the information as it relates to utilizing the stones for conversation building." C.R. (Jul. 2024)
"The various levels of feedback for different patients for teaching structured conversation were helpful. I liked the ideas of specific activities to carryover skills to the therapy room." A.G. (Jul. 2024)
"I found all of this information useful. I enjoyed learning different techniques and games. I was interested and refreshed about the information in the subtopics." N.A. (Jun. 2024)
"The conversational stones that are used to help the students keep the structure of the conversation straight were helpful. I liked seeing how the conversational stones work and ideas and strategies to use during therapy." B.L. (Jun. 2024)
"Activities such as the stones, mix and mingle, and meet and greet are useful for me to apply to my own practices. I liked the video examples of explaining the conversational stones." A.C. (Jun. 2024)
"The types of practical activities I can use to teach conversational skills were beneficial." N.G. (Jun. 2024)
"I love this course. It teaches students how to have conversations in a very explicit and systematic way that is enjoyable. I like that it is very structured." C.P. (Jun. 2024)
"The whole course was beneficial as I implement conversations into my therapy. I liked that this is a systematic way to teach conversations." R.R. (May 2024)
"Keeping a visual of topics for children to guide themselves was beneficial." S.M. (May 2024)
"I liked the applicable activities that were given." M.W. (Apr. 2024)
"Use of the conversation stones was helpful. I liked the practical application through videos and case studies." R.H. (Apr. 2024)
"Helping the students identify how to build their topics of conversation, show reciprocity, and develop a curiosity by asking questions of others interests in long conversations. I liked the video examples and the various descriptions of using each of the steps of conversation for various settings." S.B. (Apr. 2024)
"The Conversational Path utilizing the ball activity as a whole was the most beneficial. I enjoyed learning how the presenter set up the path and used it with different children in varying scenarios. The information on how to implement reciprocity, meet & greets and conversation recipes and scripts was also very informative." C.F. (Apr. 2024)
"I enjoyed this course. I liked the variety of activities presented on how to build social and emotional skill competencies through the use of verbal and nonverbal communication pathways. The presenter was well-spoken and communicated her ideas well." C.F. (Apr. 2024)
"The social activities to increase communication were beneficial. I liked the video and the downloadable material." P.G. (Mar. 2024)
"Ideas/examples to use immediately. I liked the ease of following the lessons and great slides." D.G. (Mar. 2024)
"The discussion that was most beneficial was on being a mood setter, a person of interest, a curious learner, a keen observer, an opportunity taker, and an influencer. This course can help my work with students and also help every communicator." S.G. (Feb. 2024)
"Implementing the conversation path with the ball was helpful. I liked the kinesthetic aspect of this program, the videos, and the graphics of conversation path." R.K. (Feb. 2024)
"Conversation pathway was beneficial. I liked the variety of examples at different stages, the chronological development of building early attachments, and the videos." B.S. (Jan. 2024)
"Lots of specific examples of concepts and activities. Good foundational explanation of social communication/interactions. The activities such as using the ball, errorless learning with the stones, creating conversation recipes, and creating topic libraries were beneficial." L.M. (Dec. 2023)
"Functional for everyone. The hierarchy and therapy ideas were helpful." C.U. (Dec. 2023)
"The gathering activity was beneficial and provided good examples." S.P. (Nov. 2023)
"I liked the videos and practical clinical implications. The use of the communication ball and the breakdown of conversation was beneficial." D.R. (Oct. 2023)
"Practical suggestions for therapy. The conversation "path" with color-coded stepping stones is a wonderful suggestion." L.K. (Oct. 2023)
"The ideas for conversational goals were beneficial." E.P. (Sep. 2023)
"I liked the therapy ideas. The visuals for social communication were helpful." K.T. (Sep. 2023)
"I loved the creative ways shown to present the lessons to students to support each skill for chit chat and long conversation. I liked all the videos with examples of the strategies. I also liked the suggestions for therapy." S.Q. (Aug. 2023)
"Practical applications and suggestions to implement. I liked the visual supports and practical knowledge." E.D. (Jul. 2023)
"How important social connections and communication are to society was a beneficial topic." C.T. (Jun. 2023)
"I thought the topic library poster project was a great idea to use with students." L.D. (Jun. 2023)
"Scaffolding the conversation to build into more complex forms was beneficial." M.H. (Jun. 2023)
"Learned new ways to help children communicate. I liked the suggestions for conversation and incorporating grammar, regulation, and executive functioning." T.D. (Jun. 2023)
"I found the discussion pertaining to conversational elements and how they develop to be beneficial." C.M. (May 2023)
"I liked how the presenter gave you specific steps to follow in clinical practice. So many times, presenters have a strong emphasis on the theory behind things, and then you have to figure out the clinical application on your own. This course was not that way." C.M. (May 2023)
"Strategies for students and families were beneficial. Easy clinical application." N.F. (May 2023)
"I liked the color-coded conversation stones." J.F. (Apr. 2023)
"The Conversation Path was beneficial - especially the distinction between short conversations and long conversations. I particularly appreciated the comprehensive application of this approach to the four areas: receptive/expressive language, pragmatics, social cognition, and social interactions." D.D. (Mar. 2023)
"This approach clearly is holistic. Using it will help clients be kinder, happier, and richer people." D.D. (Mar. 2023)
"I liked the communication stones. And the different activities offered to help different clients." A.P. (Mar. 2023)
"I liked the topic library, classroom management, and my topic inventory. Slide examples were helpful." K.C. (Feb. 2023)
"I liked the therapy ideas - easy to implement." M.T. (Feb. 2023)
"Good suggestions and information. I liked the ideas for keeping conversations going." A.K. (Jan. 2023)
"I liked her explanation of the conversation path and how to use it in therapy." C.S. (Jan. 2023)
"I am looking forward to trying the conversation path. Liked that I was given a strategy to initiate conversations with some of my students who have social issues. I think some of them will like the conversation ball." C.S. (Jan. 2023)
"I liked the video clips showing how to do the activities with the children." S.L. (Jan. 2023)
"This broke down conversations into practical teaching steps. I liked the stepping stones and the way to make it errorless learning. I also liked the topic inventory/topic library." K.M. (Dec. 2022)
"I liked the activities and strategies. Easy and informative." K.S. (Dec. 2022)
"The topic library is a great way to build awareness of all the possible conversation skills. I liked how it can be leveled up and built upon." K.M. (Dec. 2022)
"I found the videos to be useful. Course was well balanced with videos and examples, and had practical tools that I can easily use." V.Z. (Dec. 2022)
"Good examples provided and ideas for applying the lessons to the classroom setting. I found the most beneficial ideas/topics to be the breakdown of how different parts of a conversation are taught and the whole class activities to ensure every student is engaged." G.T. (Dec. 2022)
"Gave ideas and walked you though processes in a slow meaningful manner. I liked the consistency, format, wrap-up, referencing back to build on topic and help retain information." E.W. (Dec. 2022)
"Easy to listen to and follow along. Good ideas." J.E. (Dec. 2022)
"Breaking down conversation into different parts was beneficial." M.U. (Nov. 2022)
"I thought the handout was so helpful and complete. I liked use of the color coded materials." S.B. (Nov. 2022)
"Detailed activities that are reproducible!" C.P. (Nov. 2022)
"The format with videos, examples, etc was good." J.Z. (Oct. 2022)
"I liked the ideas for lesson planning. Course had good pacing and organization." H.N. (Oct. 2022)
"I will benefit from this content daily." H.A. (Sept. 2022)
"I loved the idea of the stepping stones and conversation ball. I liked how interactive the course was and how there were video examples." E.S. (Aug. 2022)
"I liked the idea of inventories to complete as you move through sessions." H.R. (Aug. 2022)
"Good strategies to improve eye contact, greetings and goodbyes. I liked the visuals / videos provided with examples." A.S. (July 2022)
"I liked the explanation of how conversations build social relationships. Great examples of activities to use to build conversations." T.E. (July 2022)
"Clearly presented. Useful and easily put into use in therapy." K.M. (July 2022)
"Practical and easy to follow! Lots of ideas to implement – not just theory and knowledge." B.W. (July 2022)
"Interesting examples and suggestions to teach social communication that are relevant to everyday life. I liked the strategies used to teach Chit Chat." C.P. (July 2022)
"I loved it all! I especially liked the conversation stone visuals and walking the conversation path. I also like how to integrate receptive-expressive language while teaching social communication." B.W. (July 2022)
"I liked the visuals and the ideas on implementation were good." K.C. (June 2022)
"I especially liked how conversations were broken down into steps with some possible scripts for each. I liked the videos that explained and showed each piece." J.G. (June 2022)
"I liked the therapy ideas and the activities provided." M.I. (May 2022)
"I liked the functional examples provided, and description of how we can all become more effective and interactive communicators." C.R. (May 2022)
"It was very relevant to my current caseload! The videos were very helpful in explaining the conversational stones and how to use them." A.H. (May 2022)
"Course was easy to listen to and understand. I liked the ideas for teaching conversation starters." A.B. (May 2022)
"I enjoyed the discussion of generating a topic inventory to help children understand that there are shared and unique conversation topics for each individual. It's a good way to help build insight and perspective-taking." C.R. (May 2022)
"I liked the discussion of conversation specifics: greeting & farewell, chit chat, and long conversation." J.C. (Apr. 2022)
"Great organization of program & ideas – nice visuals. I liked the topic library!" K.G. (Apr. 2022)
"I have kids of my own – so practical for everyone all season – love the tree visual." L.A. (Mar. 2022)
"I liked how the presenter made the conversation very visual for the child." K.H. (Mar. 2022)
"I liked the conversation ball activity and inventory topics to increase conversation – these were very beneficial." D.S. (Mar. 2022)
"I love the conversational blocks with the ball and will try that this week with my older students." J.W. (Mar. 2022)
"Gave examples of practical activities to introduce in the classroom. I liked the discussion of taking others perspectives and for students to realize others interests may differ from their own. Then find some middle ground/common interests." D.B. (Mar. 2022)
"I liked the videos to show examples of what the speaker was referring to. I also liked the help with goal writing." M.D. (Mar. 2022)
"The organization, visuals and video examples, as well as the therapy activity suggestions were all very good." K.L. (Feb. 2022)
"I liked the breakdown of conversation: greetings, short conversation, long, etc. and the visuals that we can use during our sessions to help our kids." M.K. (Feb. 2022)
"I liked all the examples, they were very helpful for me to understand and use during therapy." S.B. (Feb. 2022)
"I liked the use of the stones, conversation ball, and other visuals to help students with key conversational features." M.C. (Jan. 2022)
"I liked everything. I think the activities were great and the examples of how each part of the conversation applies to every day life and also how it affects future interactions with people was so incredibly powerful and useful." W.D. (Dec. 2021)
"I liked the 'color my conversation' stones, which can easily be implemented in therapy sessions with various levels of communicators." A.S. (Dec. 2021)
"It was great knowledge and I liked the ease of accessing." P.G. (Dec. 2021)
"The simple dissecting of a complete conversation into it's component parts was beneficial for my daily practice." J.M. (Nov. 2021)
"I liked the clear examples and video clips." A.S. (Nov. 2021)
"I liked the good examples of activities I can try right away." D.M. (Nov. 2021)
"I especially liked the social emotional connections. Rosslyn presented the topic in a clear and organized way which made it easy to imagine ways I can incorporate these ideas into my therapy sessions. I especially enjoyed seeing how she loved her students and made them feel special, as with the young girl who learned her birthday. What a great world we would have if all kids (and Adults!) could learn to be empathetic communicators. Thank you Rosslyn!" C.C. (Nov. 2021)
"I liked the examples of how to make the communication skills interesting and meaningful for children and suggestions for modification." M.E. (Oct. 2021)
"I appreciated the breakdown of the conversation pathway. The visuals and idea of errorless learning to teach these skills was great. The course was clear and moved at a good pace." H.H. (Oct. 2021)
"The effortless learning model was very helpful." S.A. (Sept. 2021)
""Extremely pertinent for 4 students on my caseload this year." S.F. (Aug. 2021)
"I liked the video examples on topic conversation (conversation starters and stoppers) for my language and AU groups. The videos, and the speaker has a very pleasant voice." G.G. (Jul. 2021)
"I liked the conversation stones which form the conversation path and the examples and videos." S.L. (Jul. 2021)
"Learning how simple chit chat can be so powerful to create belonging." T.K. (Jul. 2021)
"The specific ways in which to engage others in conversation maintenance are beneficial for my practice. The desire of the presenter to help the upcoming generation to engage with people as opposed to technology, i.e., phones, was wonderful!" K.N. (Jul. 2021)
"I liked the visual and physical aspect of the stones making up a pathway to follow. I often use the analogy with my clients that a conversation is like taking a walk together down a path or trail and its up to each one of us to make sure we don't lose the other person by going off topic unexpectedly, stopping the conversation abruptly, etc. The way the speaker/author always grounded what she is ultimately doing is creating relationships & belonging and in different communities of love and trust. She's like the Mary Poppins of social & emotional skills!" S.M. (Jun. 2021)
"Examples of activities and videos with visuals (bracelets, colored conversational path w/various examples) were great! I liked that it incorporated applicable material for all ages." H.R. (May 2021)
“The long conversation was the most beneficial. I liked the ideas, such as the topic inventory and topic library. I also liked the way to provide feedback, 3 praises, and 1 to think about. I liked the different examples of activities that could be done at each level, such as making scripts from magazine pictures, different games, and making a bead bracelet to remember the conversational steps. There were a lot of good suggestions.” P.C. (Jan. 2021)
Rosslyn Delmonico, MA, RSLP, CCC-SLP, has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for over 40 years both within the private and public school systems and has had her own private practice since 1991. Through her years of experience, she has worked almost exclusively with school-age children, with her main focus of interest being on those with language impairments.
Rosslyn saw a need for a connected and comprehensive social language program, one which would take language-impaired children from a basic greeting to the most complex conversation that they were capable of having. In 2006, she started developing a speech-language therapy tool for children within her caseload called Color My Conversation. Since that time, it has continued to emerge as a social language based program applicable to both special needs and general education children.
Rosslyn discovered that her best teaching practices developed over her years of experience included movement, color, song, and hands-on learning. If the children were having fun, they were engaged. When they were engaged, they were learning! Her multisensory approach to teaching has proven to be highly effective with her students. Rosslyn's personal philosophy is that all children are special, can learn, and have something to give the world through their unique personalities.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial — Rosslyn Delmonico is a presenter of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.
Financial — Rosslyn Delmonico is the author of "Color My Conversation" published by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.
Nonfinancial — Rosslyn Delmonico has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
This program is offered for 0.25 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area).
ASHA CEUs: NSS online courses are registered with ASHA and are offered for ASHA CEUs. The number of ASHA CEUs is noted above. Note that 0.1 ASHA CEU = 1 contact hour = equals 1 CEE.
ASHA CE Registry: During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.
ASHA CEUs: Attendees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to be eligible to earn ASHA CEUs:
If an attendee is not an ASHA member or CCC holder but meets any of the above criteria, they may inform the ASHA CE Registry of their eligibility by visiting this site.
Licensing Boards: Most state licensing boards DO accept CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some state boards do, however, place a limit to the number of credits that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any credit limits related to home-study courses prior to registering for this course.
Additional accrediting agencies by which Northern Speech is an approved CE provider:
Course Completion Timeframe:
You have unlimited time to complete our online courses. You may log off and log on as often as you’d like to in order to complete all sections of a course.
However, completion dates are based on Eastern Standard Time. Therefore, if you need your CEUs by a certain date, be sure to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on that date. For example, if you need CEUs before January 1st, you will need to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on December 31st.
Content Access:
Access to course materials and content does not expire, even after completing the post test. You may continue to review course material by logging into your NSS account, clicking the My Online Courses tab, and then viewing your desired course.
Certificate of Completion:
On successful completion of the post test (80%), a certificate will be immediately available for download and/or printing. This certificate will include your name, date of completion (based on Eastern Time Zone, USA/Canada), and number of contact hours (CEUs / CEEs). Please note that CEUs are awarded on the date of successful test completion, not the date of course enrollment. Please ensure that you successfully complete the post test prior to any licensure renewal dates.
ASHA CE Registry Submission:
During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.
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Purchase orders are currently not accepted for online orders, if you wish to submit a purchase order please do so at info@northernspeech.com or fax to 888-696-9655.
What is an Online Course?
Our Online Courses consist of video, audio, and/or text content and are offered for ASHA CEUs. Unlike a webinar, which requires participants to be logged on and at a computer at specific times, our Online Courses are available to you at any time, from any device, via your NorthernSpeech.com online account. You may work at your own pace and start and stop your course as you wish. Your course will conclude with a short post test. On successful completion of the post test (>80%), a printable certificate of completion is presented to you.
Receiving CEUs:
Northern Speech is an ASHA CE Provider and our online courses are registered with ASHA and offered for ASHA CEUs. Please note that successful completion of the online post test is required prior to the awarding of CEUs. Please contact your state licensing board for acceptance policies related to CEUs earned online. Please note that courses offered for university students are not applicable for CEUs.
Registering for an online course:
You may browse all online courses by clicking the Continuing Education tab above, then Online Courses. Once you find a course, click Enroll Now, and you will be asked to either log into your existing Northern Speech account or create a new online account. Once you’ve entered your account information and provided your credit card payment, your course will be immediately available to you.
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You will be able to access your online course by logging into your Northern Speech account and then clicking the My Online Courses tab on your profile screen. Click the course you would like to start or to resume. From there, proceed through the course sections until you are ready to complete the post test. You do not have to complete your course all at once. You may log on and off as you wish.
Testing requirements:
Each online course concludes with a post test consisting of multiple choice or true & false questions. Scores of 80% or greater are required for successful course completion and awarding of CEUs. You may revisit course materials and retest as needed to achieve a passing score.
Number of CEUs offered:
We offer courses from 1 to 21 contact hours. Each course will note the number of CEUs offered. Please note that 0.1 CEU = 1 contact hour = 1 CEE.
State licensing boards and online CEUs:
NSS is an ASHA CE Provider and most state licensing boards DO accept ASHA CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some boards do, however, place a limit to the number of CEUs that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any CEU limits related to home-study courses prior to enrolling in an online course.
Course formats:
Our course formats include: text, audio, video, and PowerPoint with author narration. Each course will note the format on the course description page. Most courses include closed captioning.
Course handouts:
Most of our online courses provide a link to download the accompanying handout as a PDF file.
Group discounts:
Groups of 3 or more are eligible for a 20% discount on each registration on most of our online courses. To receive this discount, registrations need to be processed together via the "Group Rates" tab on the Online Course of your choice.
Computer requirements:
For our online courses to function best, we recommend that you update your computer to include the newest version of your Internet browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.) and newest version of your computer's operating system. Also a high-speed Internet connection is recommended (cable or DSL). Speakers or headphones will be required for many of our courses as many contain audio components.
Course Cancellation Policy:
A purchased online course can be exchanged, refunded, or transferred to another individual if contact is made with NSS (via phone or email) within 30 days of purchase and the course materials have not been viewed or downloaded.
Special Needs:
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