As a school-based SLP, I’m always looking for ways to streamline therapy planning, keep my sessions engaging, and (let’s be honest) save time wherever I can. Between planning activities, writing reports, and tracking data, speech therapy can feel like a never-ending to-do list. Here are some ways I use ChatGPT in speech therapy!
That’s why ChatGPT has become one of my go-to tools! No, it’s not replacing my clinical judgment, but it is helping me brainstorm, create materials, and cut down on planning time—so I can spend more energy where it really counts: with my students.
If you’ve ever wondered how AI can fit into your speech therapy routine, here are 10 practical ways I use ChatGPT in speech therapy—plus a bonus tip at the end that my articulation students love!
1. Generating Themed Speech Therapy Ideas
Running low on inspiration for your next theme? Whether it’s apples, winter, or farm animals, I can type in a quick prompt like “Give me five speech therapy activities for an apple theme” and ChatGPT gives me a list of fresh, engaging ideas. It’s like having an SLP brainstorming buddy on demand!
2. Creating Custom Stories for Narrative Therapy
We all know the power of storytelling in speech therapy, but finding the right story that matches our students’ goals? Not always easy. ChatGPT helps me generate short, simple stories tailored to my students’ needs—whether I’m working on sequencing, problem-solving, or story grammar elements.
3. Expanding Core Vocabulary Practice
When I’m targeting core words like “go,” “help,” or “want,” I need a variety of ways to model them across different activities. Instead of coming up with ideas from scratch, I ask ChatGPT for a list of ways to use the word in different contexts, like play-based activities, books, and movement games.
4. Creating Visual Supports & Social Scripts
For my AAC users and students working on social communication, I use ChatGPT to generate functional phrases and structured social scripts. Whether we’re practicing requesting, turn-taking, or problem-solving, it helps me draft quick, ready-to-use scripts that I can tweak as needed.
5. Adapting Books for Speech Therapy
Some books are so perfect for a theme… but the language is way too complex for my students. Instead of skipping them, I use ChatGPT to:
✅ Simplify the story into shorter sentences
✅ Highlight key vocabulary
✅ Create a repetitive version for my early language learners
It’s an easy way to make books more accessible while keeping the same theme and engagement level!
6. Generating Minimal Pairs for Phonology
If I need minimal pair words for fronting, stopping, or final consonant deletion, ChatGPT does the heavy lifting for me. I just ask, “Give me 10 minimal pairs for stopping,” and I get a ready-to-go list—no more digging through phonology books or pulling words together manually.
7. Writing Parent Handouts & Emails
Parent communication is so important, but writing detailed handouts for every speech and language topic can be time-consuming. Instead of starting from scratch, I ask ChatGPT to help draft clear, parent-friendly explanations about:
- AAC and how to model at home
- How to support language development through play
- Speech sound development milestones
Then, I personalize the wording, add any key details, and boom—done in half the time!
8. Scripting Role-Play Scenarios for Social Skills
When I’m working on conversation skills, problem-solving, or expected vs. unexpected behaviors, I use ChatGPT to create quick, realistic role-play scenarios for my students. It’s a great way to:
✅ Practice turn-taking and perspective-taking
✅ Build confidence in real-world situations
✅ Give students a structured way to rehearse social skills
9. Creating Themed WH- Questions
If I’m using a book or theme-based activity, I like to have a set of who, what, where, when, and why questions ready to go. Instead of writing them all myself, I ask ChatGPT to generate WH- questions that match the theme. This saves so much time, and I can always adjust them based on my students’ levels.
10. Brainstorming IEP Goals & Objectives
Let’s be real—writing IEP goals can be a process. If I need help wording a goal more clearly or coming up with goal variations, I use ChatGPT as a starting point. Of course, I always tweak the goals to ensure they’re appropriate for my student, but it’s a great tool to get the ideas flowing faster.
⭐ Bonus: Creating AI-Generated Pictures for Articulation!
Here’s a super fun one: If you pay for ChatGPT Plus (like I do), you can also generate images—and my articulation students are obsessed with this!
I have students:
🎨 Use their articulation words in silly sentences
🎨 Describe their sentence out loud
🎨 Generate an AI image based on their sentence
They love seeing the wild, creative pictures that come up, and it keeps them engaged while practicing their sounds. It’s hands-down one of my favorite new ways to make articulation fun and interactive!
How Can You Use ChatGPT in Speech Therapy?
I don’t rely on AI for everything, but using it as a tool to save time, get unstuck, and generate ideas has been a game-changer. It helps me spend less time on the behind-the-scenes work and more time doing what matters—helping my students communicate!
💬 Have you tried ChatGPT in your speech room? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear how you’re using it!
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