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There is a shortage across the nation of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools, which has caused some districts to choose virtual speech therapy, which, according to current research from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a professional association for SLPs, can be as effective as traditional speech therapy. One reason for the shortage, says Deborah Dixon, director of school services at ASHA, is that, although there are an adequate number of students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the field, a master’s degree is required to be an SLP, and there are not many openings in graduate schools. Virtual speech therapy offers a solution for students with mild to moderate impairment since the flexible hours are appealing for those who want to work part-time and for retired SLPs.

A rural Washington school district has found a new way to better support students needing speech therapy. Moses Lake School District 161, a 7,000-student district located in Moses Lake, WA, recently adopted PresenceLearning, a live online speech therapy service, to lighten the caseload for its staff of speech-language pathologists, according to Darcy Johnson, special services director for the district, in a prepared statement released today by PresenceLearning. More than 70 students are participating in the new program.

Dear families, "I am a speech language pathologist with 20 years of experience working with children that struggle with speech and language delays. This site is designed to help empower parents (or caregivers) while providing children with the articulation assistance that they need."

Reece Barnes meets with his speech therapist every week. He walks down the hallway at his rural Burney, Calif., school and chats with her one-on-one, even though she is four hours away in another part of the state.

Something magical happens in the Jefferson School classroom on "Scouty day," because words suddenly come easier for autistic and special needs preschoolers and the air is filled with the joy of reunion.

A parent must request, in writing, that their child be assessed by their school district. Assessment areas include social/emotional, academic, occupational, recreational and physical therapy, speech and language, physical education, vision, and hearing. Assessments are determined by the unique needs of each child. The district must provide an assessment plan within 15 days of this request. The district has 60 days from receipt of the signed assessment plan to conduct the assessments and hold a meeting. After the district has completed its assessments, and if a child qualifies, an Individual Education Plan is developed at a meeting with the district assessors and parents. The types of areas discussed at an IEP meeting include results from the assessments, eligibility, goals, related services and placement.

A new study shows that assistive technology employed by a team of occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and educators has a significant impact on helping students with disabilities achieve their academic goals.

The research was published in the January/February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: This course is designed to help you develop a more integrated approach, working within the classroom, educators and therapists collaborating to develop therapeutic intervention programs that can be implemented within students’ daily schedules. Participants will: Develop a tool kit of classroom based inter-vention strategies to support students within general education classrooms Discover the three components in class-rooms that have the greatest impact on student learning Uncover simple, movement based strategies to facilitate whole brain learning Decrease unnecessary referrals with a pro-active screening process Learn practical strategies to make visual media more accessible everyday for stu-dents who struggle with maintaining atten-tion How to introduce motor learning labs for reading and writing that can be easily intro-duced with core curriculum Learn strategies for positioning to enhance student performance at near point and far point learning tasks Receive an extensive resource handbook with dynamic intervention strategies Who should attend: Occupational Therapists OT Assistants Physical Therapists PT Assistants Special Education Teachers Regular Education Teachers School Psychologists Speech and Language Pathologists School Administrators When: October 20-21, 2011 Where: Hampton Inn Great Falls 2301 14th Street. SW Great Falls, Montana 59404 Contact: Deb Davison by email at deb_davison@gfps.k12.mt.us