Data… Grad School Style

Jenn, from Crazy Speech World, is hosting a “Show Me The Data!” Linky. I wanted to participate, and share the way I took data throughout my first year of graduate school!

This way worked incredibly well for me in our on campus clinic, and hopefully it helps get some of you started! Feel free to leave a comment or 2 or 3 about the way you take data. I’d love to learn more!

I posted a little bit about how I take data in my How to Survive SLP Graduate School post, but here it is again, with more detail (after going through second semester!). I’ve provided affiliate links to Amazon so you can see the exact products I use!

First, you will need to buy a binder and binder pocket inserts. And a good pen! 🙂

Then, find a data sheet you LOVE. My personal favorite is from Let’s Talk Speech-Language Pathology. You can see her data sheet here. I just print the second page and make billions of copies 🙂 I’ll probably make my own eventually, but for now, this one works!

Let’s say for example you have 3 clients. Put one binder folder in a binder for each client. I like to choose a client’s favorite color or something to help keep it straight! In the folders, I put worksheets/some materials I use every week with that client. For kids, it might be a rules sheet or for adults it might be a favorite visual. Then behind the folder, I put the completed data sheets for that client. I keep blank data sheets in the very front of the binder.

Here is an example of what it looks like. The green folder is for a young artic client I had. You can see his data from the first session. Some keys to making this easier:

1) Put the objectives in the same order each time. That what you can flip through the pages and compare performance session to session easily!

2) Calculate and write in percentages in a different color. I chose red. It’s much easier to see!

3) Make a key if necessary. We aren’t experts yet! Sometimes on the bottom of the page, I’d write in my cueing hierarchy with a code for each level so that I didn’t forget how to mark it! (see picture below)

Below is a picture of how I took data for a client with aphasia. As you can see, I wrote down many more subjective notes!

Keeping track of data is really important for all SLPs! This way has helped keep me organized, analyze long-term trends of my clients, and write those SOAP notes!