As a parent you may have recognized that your son or daughter was not meeting the developmental milestones during infancy or childhood. You have made it through the process of having your son or daughter identified as having a special need or in this case having difficulty with their speech. You meet a new IEP or Individualized Education Plan team member, the speech-language pathologist. Not only are you trying to figure how to find services to meet your child's needs, but also figure out who a speech- language pathologist or SLP is. A speech-language pathologist is a trained individual that can assist children that are having difficulty with their speech, developing language, utilizing correct tone and frequency of their voice when speaking and swallowing. They may work at a hospital, school, or office setting.
What Does a Speech-Language Pathologist Do for Children with Special Needs?
A speech-language pathologist works with children that may struggle with the following: articulation (how well the child can be understood by others), stuttering, inappropriate pitch or tone of voice, developing an output of language (how well they can communicate with others whether verbally, sign language, pictures, technology devices, etc.), attention problems, memory problems, problem solving difficulties, and swallowing difficulties. They can provide services either at a child's home or childcare provider's home (for infants and toddlers) or school. The speech language-pathologist can provide services directly to the child where they would work with him or her in a one-on-one setting or small group setting.
What Does a Speech-Language Pathologist Do for Children with Special Needs?
A speech-language pathologist works with children that may struggle with the following: articulation (how well the child can be understood by others), stuttering, inappropriate pitch or tone of voice, developing an output of language (how well they can communicate with others whether verbally, sign language, pictures, technology devices, etc.), attention problems, memory problems, problem solving difficulties, and swallowing difficulties. They can provide services either at a child's home or childcare provider's home (for infants and toddlers) or school. The speech language-pathologist can provide services directly to the child where they would work with him or her in a one-on-one setting or small group setting.
Speech-language pathologists try to provide services to children with special needs in their natural settings (i.e. classrooms, playgrounds, home, outings with friends/peers, etc.). They can also provide services indirectly through a consultative approach with the child's family, childcare provider, and teachers. This can be done through providing materials, techniques, and methods that those individuals can carry out or utilize. For children that may need to use assistive technology (i.e. voice output devices), pictures, or sign language; additional training may need to be provided to the child, his or her family, childcare providers, and teachers. This can be provided directly from the speech-language pathologist or the speech-language pathologist may recommend how this training can be provided. Your child may be receiving services from multiple service providers (i.e. occupational therapist, physical therapist, assistive technology coordinator, etc.), it is important to have open communication with all of your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team members.
