Ms. Shani's Speech Room

Introduction

Hi there! My name is Shani O'Brien and I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and Certified Autism Specialist in Boulder Valley School District. I have worked for BVSD for 10 years in various wonderful settings, but my heart is all about teaching social communication and 21st century skills to all students. I have also worked as the Speech-Language Impairment Specialist in the Colorado Department of Education. Use this website as a resource to answer your questions about Speech-Language Therapy, Special Education, Autism, and more!

Questions? Answers!

What do Speech-Language Pathologists do?

Speech- Language pathologists (also known as speech-language therapists, speech therapists, speech teachers, etc.) help students gain the most benefit from their education by increasing their ability to access, understand, interact with and respond to the curriculum, their teachers and their peers. As it says in the name, we work specifically in the areas of speech and language. 

In the area of speech: we work on speech sound articulation (pronunciation), stuttering, vocal tone and quality, and more. 

In the area of language: we address listening and reading comprehension, following directions, understanding concepts, explaining and self-expression, attention, social skills, and more.

How can my child receive speech-language therapy in school? 

If you are concerned about your child's speech, language, cognitive or physical development and would like to talk to a professional about an evaluation, please contact the Special Education team at your school, or contact Child Find at (720) 561-5078. Child Find evaluates children Birth-21 years old. 

An special education evaluation may lead to you and your child's educational team deciding that they qualify to receive specialized instruction through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This document describes your child's current strengths and needs, goals to address those needs, and who will work with your child to help them meet those goals, and much more.

You might see speech-language services on your child's IEP if they have an identification of: Speech/Language Impairment (SLI), Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Delay (DD), Other Health Impairment (OHI), Significant Emotional Disability (SED), Vision or Hearing Impairment, etc.  

Where can we find you?

This school year, I will be embarking on a new adventure at Monarch High School, serving students in the ILC and ICAN settings. I am excited to get to know my new students and help them make successful transitions into the classroom and beyond, into productive, fulfilling and independent adult lives.