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ABOUT speech / language THERAPY
ABOUT speech / language THERAPY
What is the purpose of speech/language therapy?
What is the purpose of speech/language therapy?
The purpose of school based speech therapy is to help students benefit from their special education services inorder to improve their educational performance (academic and social). Children who have speech sound disorders (articulation & phonology), fluency disorders (stuttering), voice disorders, expressive and receptive language deficits, and pragmatic delays (social communication) may need speech/language therapy. Learn more about all these different areas by checking out the resources page.
People may need speech/language therapy throughout their lifespan, from babies to senior citizens. Speech/language therapy can work on the above mentioned things, but also cognitive-communication skills (like organizing thoughts, problem solving, and remembering) and swallowing disorders (dysphagia).
Where can I get speech/language therapy services?
Where can I get speech/language therapy services?
A child with an individualized education program (IEP) can get speech/language therapy services in their school, but speech/language therapy doesn't just happen in schools. SLPs work in hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, private therapy practices, nursing homes, and rehabilitative service centers in addition to public schools and pre-schools. They may also provide speech/language therapy services in their clients' homes, like for Early Intervention and parent/caregiver training.
about SPECIAL EDUCATION
about SPECIAL EDUCATION
What is special education?
What is special education?
Special education are free services provided by a school system to students who need extra support in order to have an appropriate education.
My child only needs speech therapy services, why do they need special education?
My child only needs speech therapy services, why do they need special education?
Special education covers speech/language therapy services because special education includes any specially designed instruction or related services that is beyond the regular school curriculum and program. In the schools, speech therapy is a type of special education.
Who can have special education services?
Who can have special education services?
To qualify for special education services through their school system, a child must meet a set of criteria in one of the following thirteen areas of disability: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic, impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment (including blindness) --- and it is shown that this disability is negatively impacting their educational progress.
To learn more about the process of identifying children who need special education services, from referral to evaluation to eligibility to programming, please visit this link from the Center for Parent Resources and Information.
Who can have speech therapy?
Who can have speech therapy?
Students can receive school speech/language therapy services if they have an Individualized Educaiton Program (IEP) and have speech, language, or communication needs that impact their educational progress. To have an IEP, they must first qualify in any of the thirteen areas of disability. Some students may need only speech/language therapy services for their special education program. Speech or Language Impairment (SLI) includes four areas of communication disorders: Articulation, Fluency, Voice, and Language.
How do I find out if my child needs school speech/language therapy?
How do I find out if my child needs school speech/language therapy?
To find out if your child qualifies for school speech/language therapy, you make a referral to the school that you would like your child to be evaluated due to your concerns about their speech or language skills. And then there's a whole process that follows. To learn more about the process of identifying children who need special education services, from referral to evaluation to eligibility to programming, please visit this link from the Center for Parent Resources and Information.
Who is my child's case manager?
Who is my child's case manager?
The case manager is the person in charge of managing your child's special education files, overseeing the IEP process, and making sure that the IEP services are being implemented. It's usually the person who provides the most services to them. For children who receive academic and/or special education services, it is usually their special education teacher. For children who only receive speech/language services as their IEP services, it is their speech-language pathologist.
about speech-language pathologists/speech-language pathology
about speech-language pathologists/speech-language pathology
What is a speech-language pathologist?
What is a speech-language pathologist?
A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a trained professional who works to assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
What does the "pathologist" part of "speech-language pathologist" even mean?
What does the "pathologist" part of "speech-language pathologist" even mean?
A pathologist is "a scientist who studies the causes and effects of diseases," so a speech-language pathologist studies the cause and effects of diseases/disorders related to communication. That P in SLP means that we are trained to evaluate and diagnose communication disorders.
What are all those letters you sign after your name?
What are all those letters you sign after your name?
All those letters indicate our professional qualifications.
M.S. = Master of Science and CCC-SLP = Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.
Have a question?
Have a question?
Get in touch! We're happy to help you find the answers you're looking for.
Get in touch! We're happy to help you find the answers you're looking for.
Contact your child's SLP via email.
Please note, the information on this site is by no means exhaustive or fully comprehensive! These are just a few tips and resources to help you along the way. For more information, please speak to your child's speech-language pathologist or other related professional.
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