For Speech-Language Pathologists

Group of elementary students gathering hands in an inclusive school
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Supporting Children with Autism at Home
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Portraits of Struggling Readers
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Meet four children who are learning to become strong, confident readers
Target the Problem!
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Understanding a child's reading problems — and practical ways to help
Learning the relationship between sounds, letters and words
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 Tips for parents of children with speech and language problems
Reading Together
Tips for parents of children with speech and language problems
 New Roles for Speech-Language Pathologists
Are You an RTI School?
New roles 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. School SLPs help children with speech sounds, spoken language and literacy, social communication, cognitive communication, and assistive technology. 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 difficulties and with children who are experiencing academic failure
  • Provide training to parents, teachers, and administrators to help support students' academic and social success

For more information, see the ASHA Back-to-School Digital Toolkit from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The toolkit includes the helpful resources and videos shown below.

Getting to Know Your School’s Speech Language Pathologist (ASHA)

A Parent’s Guide to Speech, Language, and Hearing Services in Schools (ASHA)

 

Emiliann’s IEP Team

Sit in on this IEP meeting with Emilann's mom, Jennifer, and the committed team from her daughter's school — including the speech-language pathologist.

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Launching Young Readers
"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. " — Neil Gaiman