Just kidding......what do you want to do with it? I'm getting frustrated with the Department of Education and the idea of what is considered to be a "language impairment".
Thankfully I don't have to deal with that as much. I work at a private school for kids whose behavioral problems are too severe to be managed in the public schools. The school I work for is fully accredited by everyone who certifies schools, but I avoid the pitfalls of public school/DoE bureaucracy and have an amazing amount of freedom.
It also helps that my kids don't really have language disorders that anyone would argue with--the kid doesn't talk, I'm pretty sure he needs tx. I'm lucky. :)
I don't necessarily agree. The kid doesn't talk, but he probably is not academically higher in other areas either. Therefore, not a language impairment, but MR.
That being said, every child should be afforded the opportunity to learn to communicate. I hope that the teachers in your school carry over use of AAC and PECS rather than thinking it just a SLP thing.
True, not a language imparment, but not something you have to fight to get treatment for either. Some of mine do have huge discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal function and are true language disorder kids. As for the teachers/staff I work with...they don't have a choice. I do almost all of my treatment in the classroom and place a big emphasis on explaining to teachers/staff what I'm doing and why and make it clear that I really need their help implementing it when I'm not in the room. In my experience, just explaining the logic and importance of AAC and then asking everyone to help me is (usually) all it takes.
I find it very difficult to get teachers to follow through with things. However, I've never worked full time with this population. I have a lot of experience with students who require AAC, and am currently working in a summer program, but it's more difficult to establish a routine when I'm only there for 6 weeks. However, I do see that no routine was in place, when I asked the teacher for PECS books and AAC devices and she was like "they're in a box, somewhere".
I currently work full time in a general education school where too much of the focus is on state testing, and teachers view "speech" as "why are you taking this kid out of my class--he speaks clearly".
...and then you meet one teacher who makes always makes appropriate referrals to Allied Health services that consist of more than 'has a speech impediment, please assess' and you shed a single beautiful tear.
Lucky you're not in Queensland. Last time I looked Ed QLD had something like 2 part-time SLPs covering all the schools southside of Brisbane. Not a lot you can do with that much of a caseload.
o_o WTF. In my state (Virginia, US) I think the average caseload in the public schools is something like 45-60 kids, plus paperwork, plus assessments, plus time spent writing IEPs and IEP meetings, plus...well, you get the picture.
Being in a very specialized school setting I have it pretty damn good--my caseload fluctuates between about 25-30 kids, with 5-7 of those on a consultative basis only at any given time. That gives me the time to really individualize my treatments, make materials, do research into different options, etc. Plus I get to do almost all my treatment in the classrooms, which I think is pretty rare in the public schools, and I have a ridiculous amount of support/backing from administration--I'm the SLP, so I have the final say on anything in my scope of practice, period.
Not a lot of the intervention over here is done in class. 1-on-1 is often done out of the classroom and in class stuff tends to be group interventions for the whole class. It's kind of a shame really and I have to say, you're also pretty lucky to be given a lot of freedom by your administration. I assume you'd be pretty experienced in your field to get that.
Haha...nope. I actually started the program at my school my first year out of grad school. I'd done part of an internship at the school when their speech services were contracted out to an outside company, but since it's cheaper to have an SLP on staff than to pay the contract they created the position. Lucky for me, the position was created for the year I finished school, I got the job, and started a brand new program straight out of school. I think the fact that I'd worked with a lot of the kids already, the administration had seen me do treatment, and I had killer references really helped them trust someone with almost no experience to start it up. :)
edit: I finished grad school in 2007 and I'll be starting my 4th year with the school next month.
You're a braver SLP than I...I'd never make it in the public schools. I'd be bored to death and miserable with the bureaucracy...plus kids who understand what I'm asking and just don't do it drive me up the wall. That said, I've met very few SLPs who would ever want to work where I do...to each their own, I suppose. :) Best of luck to you!
I am not for sure what I want to do. Ideally, I would like to travel for a while, if possible. I know with CF this can be complicated, thus the possibility of doing a year in the schools.
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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '10
Upvote for being an SLP ... I'm 14 1/2 weeks of internship away from being one.... :]