While your child is a student, the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will help teachers understand and implement general strategies to increase success in areas of speech and language development.  This could include coming into the classroom and doing whole group story lessons, discussing vocabulary, and supporting curriculum through question and answer.  

The SLP and the teacher work together to identify students that might have some struggles with speech and/or language interaction in the academic setting. You might hear from the teacher or the SLP about the concerns and a screening or additional observations might be requested. 

After seeing the student and completing initial screenings, the SLP then reviews the screening information with that student's parents and with give some suggested strategies to help at home, review strategies with the teacher for the classroom, and may try a short period of typical therapy-style interventions to see if they are successful (Response To Intervention).  The SLP may also suggest making a referral to the special education team if more significant concerns are identified.  (Parents are an integral part of the special education team).

If the team feels that more testing should be done to better understand the student's identified concerns, an evaluation can be started.  The SLP will then administer more comprehensive testing in a formal setting.  The SLP and any other team member completing testing will have a report and we will get the team back together to go over the results. 

Using the results of the testing that was done, the Special Education Team (including the Parent) makes a determination if the student's needs could benefit from additional supports that are not readily present in the general education classroom and how to best describe those needs to others (e.g. in the event you move to a new school). 

When the team agrees to move forward, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is created.  This includes who, where, when, why, how, and what will be done to help the specific student catch back up with peer and grade level expectations and perform at their best in the classroom.  This may involve special service providers in addition to the SLP.  It also includes specific measurable goals set up for the calendar year that the SLP (and others) will work on during direct or indirect treatment sessions. 

Each step in the special education process is based on specific timelines for completion.  If time expires, items are not completed, or specific signatures are not obtained, then the supports end and the entire process would have to start back up at the referral stage.  IEP's are reviewed yearly and Eligibility has to be determined at least every 3-years.