Speech Services

All Speech-Language Pathologists in D155 are certified under ASHA’s certificate of clinical competence which they maintain through yearly Professional Development approved through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

D155 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) deliver a free and appropriate public education program (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for students with communication disabilities in schools.

Service delivery is a dynamic process whereby changes are made to:

treatment setting (classroom, therapy room, job site and other school environments);
format (individual, small group);
intensity (the amount of time spent in each treatment session);
frequency (the number of treatment sessions over a set period of time); and
duration (the length of treatment received).

Determining which model to use within the general education classroom is based on student need and collaboration with the teacher. A variety of in-class models are in use (Cook & Friend, 1995):

D155 SLPs provide services to support the instructional program at a school. SLPs’ unique contributions complement and augment those made by other professionals who also have unique perspectives and skills. It is essential for SLPs to work collegially with general education teachers who have the primary responsibility for curriculum and instruction. D155 SLPs also work closely with reading specialists, literacy coaches, special education teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school psychologists, audiologists, guidance counselors, and social workers. Working with school and district administrators in designing and implementing programs is also crucial.

Student involvement in the therapeutic process is essential to promoting personal responsibility and ownership of communication improvement goals. SLPs actively engage students in goal planning, intervention implementation, monitoring of progress, and self-advocacy appropriate to age and ability level.

D155’s SLPs fulfill a distinct set of roles based on their focused expertise in language. They offer assistance in addressing the linguistic and metalinguistic foundations of curriculum learning for students with disabilities, as well as other learners who are at risk for school failure or struggle in school settings.

D155 SLPs address personal, social/emotional, academic, and vocational needs that have an impact on attainment of educational goals.

Assessment — D155 SLPs conduct assessments in collaboration with others that help to identify students with communication disorders as well as to inform instruction and intervention, consistent with EBP.
Intervention — D155 SLPs provide intervention that is appropriate to the age and learning needs of each individual student and is selected through an evidence-based decision-making process. Although service delivery models are typically more diverse in the school setting than in other settings, the therapy techniques are clinical in nature when dealing with students with disabilities.
Program Design — D155 SLPs configure schoolwide programs that employ a continuum of service delivery models in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities, and that they provide services to other students as appropriate.

Collaboration — D155 SLPs work in partnership with others to meet students' needs .

References: asha website