What is a Speech Language Pathologist?

A Speech-Language Pathologist, often referred to as an SLP, is a specially trained professional who works with students to assess, diagnose and treat communication and swallowing disorders. Communication difficulties in a school environment range from difficulty with articulation of certain speech sounds, comprehension of written or oral material, expressing thoughts in speech and writing, speech dysfluencies (stuttering) and challenges during social interactions. In a school setting, the SLP is a part of the team identifying when a child has additional needs in communication which are adversely affecting their educational performance. The SLP then provides intervention and specialized instruction in pull-out, push-in, and/or co-teaching environment targeting specific speech and language skills so that the student is better able to communicate and perform at their potential within the school environment.

This year at IHM, I provide reading intervention services to students in grades K-1 and speech-language services to those students moving through our RTI process. You will find me using researched based techniques, within game-like tasks, in small groups, or one-on-one outside of the classroom. In addition, you will also see me inside classrooms co-teaching. Co-teaching is a model in which a specialist (such as an SLP) provide differentiated instruction within the classroom and/or small group setting to ensure that students with a wide variety of learning styles will have access to the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment. I work collaboratively with the classroom teacher to design and implement this differentiated instruction. I have a strong passion for co-teaching, as it provides a unique learning experience for students by providing more than one teacher to address the variety of learning needs/learning styles. In addition, co-teaching opens up even more opportunities for creative and fun teaching techniques. Frequently, you will find myself, the classroom teacher and our students laughing and having fun, all while learning. I am so excited and privileged to be a part of IHM's co-teaching model!