For Speech-Language Pathologists

Speech-language pathologists and reading achievement

Literacy is an essential prerequisite to students' academic achievement, social wellbeing, and lifetime opportunities. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have the specialized knowledge and experience that's needed to identify communication disorders and provide the help that children need to build their language literacy skills.

SLPs play an important role in both special education and regular education settings:

• Provide classroom-based services
• Co-teach with classroom teachers and reading specialists
• Work with students who are at risk for reading and learning difficulties and with children who are experiencing academic failure
  (see article Responsiveness to Intervention: New Roles for Speech-Language Pathologists)
• Provide training to parents, teachers, and administrators to help support students' academic and social success.

Free resources from ASHA

Literacy Gateway
Take a look at ASHA's resources that emphasize literacy and the role of the speech language pathologist. These literacy resources are all conveniently gathered in one place.

ASHA Leader Online
This online version of the award-winning ASHA Leader newsletter provides full-text access to selected articles.

Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI)
Information on the role of the Speech-Language Pathologist in RTI, journal articles, continuing education opportunities, and links to related resources and organizations.

Free resources from Reading Rockets

The following resources are available from Reading Rockets as well as our sister websites — LD OnLine, which focuses on learning disabilities and ADHD, and Colorín Colorado, which provides information on teaching English language learners to read.

Download our Top 10 Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists flyer to print and distribute.

Developmental Milestones
This area of Reading Rockets features articles that discuss typical developmental timelines by age.

Speech Sounds: Watch and Learn
These four short video clips from Reading Rockets offer you the chance to watch effective speech sound activities.

Topics A-Z: Speech, language, and hearing
This area of Reading Rockets features articles that speech, language, and hearing issues and how they relate to emerging reading skills.

Research & Reports
Reading Rockets has gathered some of the most important research and reports about reading in one place.

LD Topics: Speech and Language
This area of LD OnLine features articles about speech and language disabilities.

Common Questions About English Language Learners
This Colorín Colorado article features frequent questions teachers have about English language learners.

Information to share with parents

• Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents
• Suspect a Problem?
• Target the Problem: Auditory Processing
• What's "Normal," What's Not: Acquiring English as a Second Language
• Children and Bilingualism
• Helping Children with Communication Disorders in the Schools
• How Does Your Child Hear and Talk? (also available in Spanish)
• Effects of Hearing Loss on Development
• Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development

The IEP team

Watch an IEP team at work in this segment from Empowering Parents, part of our PBS series Launching Young Readers. Watch video clip >

Professional listing services

You can advertise your professional services on the following websites:

• LD OnLine Yellow Pages
• ASHA's ProServ