Speech Pathologists (SLPS) work with children who have a variety of disabilities; language, voice, fluency or stuttering, and articulation .

Language Disabilities Include: • Slow development of vocabulary, concepts or grammar • Inability to use different communication styles for different situations • Poor building blocks of understanding/expressing ideas, social development, learning, reading, and writing.

Voice Disorders Include: • Speech that is too high, low, or monotonous in pitch • Interrupted by breaks • Too loud or too soft • Harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal.

Fluency or Stuttering Problems Include: • Interruptions in flow or rhythm • Can include hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations • Can affect sounds, syllables, words, or phrases

Articulation Disorders Include: • Saying one sound for another (wabbit for rabbit) • Omitting a sound in a word (i-cream for ice cream) • Distorting a sound (thee for see).

SLPs Have Many Roles in Schools

• Prevention of communication disorders • Identification of students at risk for later problems • Assessment of students’ communication skills • Evaluation of the results of comprehensive assessments • Development and implementation of IEPs Documentation of outcomes • Collaboration with teachers and other professionals • Advocacy for teaching practices • Participation in research projects, Supervision of assistants • Supervision of graduate students and clinical fellows • Participation in schoolwide curriculum and literacy teams

SLPs Work With Children in a Variety of Ways

Combine communication goals with academic and social goals – Integrate classroom objectives – Help students understand and use basic language concepts – Support reading and writing – Increase students’ understanding of texts and lessons

Services can vary depending on students’ needs – Monitoring or periodic screening – Collaborating and consulting – Classroom based services – Small group or individual sessions – Speech classrooms