Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist

Contact: Brenda Addington

A speech language pathologist (SLP) is an oral communication specialist who works with students that have speech and language impairments. They evaluate and remediate a student’s difficulty with speech sounds, oral language skills, voice, or fluency skills. The SLP focuses on a wide variety of skills which include improving a student’s ability to:

-use oral language to meet daily needs and classroom needs

-understand and use curriculum vocabulary & non-literal language

-comprehend material and directions presented orally

- use appropriate grammar and sentence structure

- follow rules of conversation

-produce appropriate speech sounds

-reduce dysfluencies/stuttering

-use appropriate vocal parameters when speaking (pitch, loudness, reduce hoarseness & nasality)

Oral communication skills are paramount to academic success. The SLP can work with the classroom teacher to improve their students’ content, form and use of oral language to be successful in the classroom. The SLP can recommend and provide a variety of modifications and therapy strategies that will help teachers to improve their students’ ability to become successful oral communicators in all settings. The SLP also works with students who cannot communicate orally in determining a means of functional communication that will best suit the needs of the student. For more information, refer to assistive technology team definition or your school’s SLP.

Assistive Technology Team

Contact: JELV at 858-0868

Team Members: Gerald Abner, Judy Owens, Brenda Addington, Dana Taylor

Jessamine County’s Assistive Technology Team is a group of specialists who evaluate and recommend technology that helps students in accessing the general curriculum at school. The team consists of an assistive technology practitioner, special educator, occupational therapist and speech-language pathologist. The team can provide consultative services or complete evaluations, depending on the needs of the student. The team looks at recommendations for computer software for students who have low reading and writing skills, positioning for computer usage (for students with physical disabilities), equipment needs (such as communication boards, voice output devices or computers), and alternative computer access (such as alternative mouse, onscreen keyboard, switch access) for students with severe disabilities that cannot access the curriculum by other means. The team also accesses need for communication devices or alternative communication systems (such as picture exchange systems) for students unable to use oral speech as a means of communication.

While the team mainly works with students who have severe impairments, they can also provide recommendations for remedial software programs to provide extra practice for students with low academic skills. For students with severe impairments, the team provides recommendations for single switch software applications, skill building programs, and a variety of alternative software applications. The team also provides instruction to teachers in usage of various software and switch access programs. They provide periodic support to students as designated on their IEPs, direct instruction and support for teachers upon request, and are available for consultation or evaluation of students by request at the student’s ARC meeting. The team also has a lending library that allows teachers to try software and applications before purchasing it with the school’s funding.

School-Wide Support Team/School-Wide Assistance Team

Coordinator: Charlotte Reid

The School-Wide Support Team is a group of professionals that include: the school guidance specialist or social worker, speech-language pathologist, school psychologist, the student’s classroom teacher and special educator or principal if needed. This group meets monthly to discuss students that are struggling with academic, social, behavioral, communication, vocational, or physical issues in the classroom. Teachers that have concerns with students make a request to the school’s guidance counselor/ social worker to meet on a given student. The teacher is provided with a support team questionnaire to identify their concerns about the student. When the team meets, the classroom teacher can discuss issues with a team of professionals that works together to develop a plan of interventions that could include modifications, behavioral plans and instructional strategies. Various screenings by the school psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist or physical therapist may also be recommended. The interventions are tried in the classroom and documented by the classroom teacher. A second meeting is conducted after interventions are tried and screenings are completed. If the student continues to have issues impacting their academic success or have issues relevant to special education, a referral for a special education evaluation is completed by the classroom teacher and SLP, school psychologist and school guidance counselor/social worker.