Speech Language Pathologist Role

This position reports to the Pupil Services Division and school principal in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. The Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist) will work with teachers, parents, and school leaders to develop plans and strategies. Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist) will possess the competencies necessary for serving the linguistic and educational needs of children, adolescents and families. This position requires a high degree of culturally responsiveness, continuous reflection and creativity when it comes to addressing the needs of students.

Speech Language Pathologist Expectations

• Work across all levels to provide appropriate speech-language services in Pre-K, elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools with no school level underserved.
• Serve a range of disorders as delineated in the ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and federal regulations - work with students exhibiting the full range of communication disorders, including those involving language, articulation (speech sound disorders), fluency, voice/resonance, and swallowing. Myriad etiologies may be involved;
• Ensure educational relevance by determining whether the disorder has an impact on the education of students. Therefore, address personal, social/emotional, academic, and vocational needs that have an impact on attainment of educational goals;
• Provide unique contributions to curriculum based on focused expertise in language. Offer assistance in addressing the linguistic and metalinguistic foundations of curriculum learning for students with disabilities, as well as other learners who are at risk for school failure, or those who struggle in school settings;
• Highlight language/literacy by contributing significantly to the literacy achievement of students with communication disorders, as well as other learners who are at risk for school failure, or those who struggle in school settings;
• Provide culturally competent services by ensuring that all students receive quality, culturally competent services. Use expertise to distinguish a language disorder from “something else.” That “something else” might include cultural and linguistic differences, socioeconomic factors, lack of adequate prior instruction, and the process of acquiring the dialect of English used in the schools. Use expertise to ensure a more accurate and appropriate identification of student needs. Also be prepared to address the impact of language differences and second language acquisition on student learning and provide assistance to teachers in promoting educational growth;
• Help students meet the performance standards of a particular school district and state;
• Engage in preventing academic failure in whatever form those initiatives may take; for example, in Response to Intervention (RTI). SLPs use evidence-based practice (EBP) in prevention approaches;
• Engage in conducting assessments in collaboration with others that help to identify students with communication disorders as well as to inform instruction and intervention, consistent with EBP;
• Provide interventions that are culturally responsive and appropriate to the age and learning needs of each individual student and is selected through an evidence-based decision-making process;
• Engage in designing schoolwide programs that employ a continuum of service delivery models in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities, and provide services to other students as appropriate;
• Engage in data-based decision making, including gathering and interpreting data with individual students, as well as overall program evaluation are essential responsibilities;
• Ensure compliance with federal and state mandates as well as local policies in performance of their duties. Activities may include Individualized Education Program (IEP) development, Medicaid billing, report writing, and treatment plan/therapy log development;
• Engage in collaboration by working in partnership with others to meet students' needs;
• Complement and augment those services provided by other professionals who also have unique perspectives and skills. Work collegially with general education teachers who are primarily responsible for curriculum and instruction. Work closely with reading specialists, literacy coaches, special education teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school psychologists, audiologists, guidance counselors, and social workers, in addition to others. Work with school and district administrators in designing and implementing programs is crucial;
• Develop relationships with universities to exchange shared knowledge and perspectives;
• Develop community relationships with a variety of individuals and agencies (e.g., physicians, private therapy practitioners, social service agencies, private schools, and vocational rehabilitation) who may be involved in teaching or providing services to children and youth;
• Develop relationships with families by engaging families in planning, decision making, and program implementation;
• Develop relationships with students by engaging them in goal planning, intervention implementation, monitoring of progress, and self-advocacy appropriate to age and ability level;
• Provide direction in defining their roles and responsibilities and in ensuring delivery of appropriate services to students;
• Advocate for appropriate programs and services for children and adolescents, including reasonable workloads, professional development opportunities and other program supports. Also work to influence the development and interpretation of laws, regulations, and policies to promote best practice;
• Play a vital role in inducting new professionals;
• Design and conduct professional development;
• Provide training to parents of students of all ages with regard to communication development and disorders. Strive to create a language- and literacy-rich environment;
• Participate in research to generate and support the use of evidence-based assessment and intervention practices.

Speech Language Pathologist Key Qualities

• Able to be empathetic by caring, understanding, and cultivating an empowering environment for all students;
• Demonstrates patience with serious issues, students and families;
• Able to be dependable in ways that develop trust with students;
• Able to implement an organizational system to support both case management and student needs simultaneously;
• Being able to observe with skill and listen closely;
• Being able to make impartial informed decisions on behalf of students and families;
• Ability to be persistent and resilient when dealing with setbacks;
• Willing to be flexible and multitask as needed on demand;
• Ability to use a culturally responsive approach to develop relationships and execute interventions with fidelity; 
• Willingness to learn, in order to be relatable, flexible, personable and adaptable;
• Engages in continuous self-care.