Lunch & Learn: Prevailing Service Delivery Model for Articulation Disorders in Saskatchewan Schools

1. Lunch & LearnSaskatchewan SLPs and Articulation Sask. Rivers Public Schools in PA February 2013

2. Prevailing Service Delivery Model for Articulation • Identification: • Sp and Lang Screens completed for all PK and K students by first week of Oct. • From screens students needing speech or language interventions are identified • Students in higher grades 1-12 are identified by teachers

3. Prevailing Service Delivery Model for Articulation continued… • Programming: • Priority for direct SLP intervention is given to PK and K students with phonological disorders • Increasingly, parents of PK & K students identified with artic disorders on the screen, receive a letter indicating which sound(s) they have in error and list of general strategies & links to resources (on SRSD SLP website): https://sites.google.com/a/students.srsd119.ca/language-speech-and-hearing/home-programs • PK & K students are then put on a “wait list” for school services. • Depending on SLP’s time at a particular school students with articulation disorders may receive: • Universal strategies delivered by a classroom teacher • Specific home programming set up by SLP • Direct intervention with an EA (rare) • Direct intervention with an SLP (more rare)

4. General Notes on SRSD119 Speech and Language Services • We currently have 7 FTE SLPs for 30 schools (9,000 students) in a 220 km radius. One SLP is on Mat. Leave. We currently have one full time admin assistant. • We screen approx. 1,000 PK and K students in the fall and again in the spring • We have approx. 700 students referred each year, about 380 receive direct intervention, primarily from PK & K as well as some grade ones. • Approx. 78% of those students receiving direct Tx have phonological disorders • The rest would be students in need of augcomm, fluency Tx, and langTx, artic Tx, or who have autism, selective mutism, or other less common but severe communication disorders. • We are just beginning to do hearing screenings for all students K-5 • There is a growing expectation that SLPs will “be in the classroom”. • We have yet to define what we would be doing in the classroom… • Working directly with students or teaching teachers to work with students and which students, those with articulation disorders, phonological disorders, or language disorders? • Or would we be working with students or teaching teachers to provide general stimulation in articulation, language or phonology or provide reading or reading readiness strategies? • We provide inservices on a wide range of topics. • We maintain a website and lending library, collect data, and write grants • We participate in ed support teacher meetings, consultants meetings, intensive needs meetings, diversity meetings, student support services meetings, etc….

5. Systematic Approach to Prioritze Students with Articulation Disorders? • No. • Articulation disorders are not a priority. • These students are put on a “wait list”. • They will receive tier I, II or III services as SLP time allows. • Very few students receive service.

6. Engagement with Families of Students Who have Articulation Disorders • We have held parent evening inservices. • We have attended parent/teacher meetings. • We meet with parents upon request. • We discuss with parents over the phone. • We have suggestions posted to our website. • https://sites.google.com/a/students.srsd119.ca/language-speech-and-hearing/ • We send home general suggestions following screening. • We send specific home programs upon request. • We have done a monthly general S & L article in school newsletters. • K and PK Orientations upon request. • Participate in Family Evenings at Schools upon request • Parents are invited to attend therapy sessions with their child

7. Successful Tier I Strategies? • Screenings are accurate in identifying students with articulation disorders • Some success having teachers remind students who are already stimulable to say target sounds in class • 90% of students with lisps receiving no direct therapy are still lisping in grade 3 • Question: Once a student is found to have an articulation disorder are they automatically in tier II or III?

8. What to do if Child Shows no Improvement with Artic Intervention? • Previously,upon parent request, SLPs have written letters of supportto help families get outside therapy so that parents could access their insurance • Currently School Division does not allow SLPs to make recommendations for outside services in writing but SLPs can still talk to parent’sabout their child’s needs.

9. Top 6 Universal Strategies for Speech • The following strategies were developed by Julia Drable and her Sask. SLP working group in June of 2011 • Provide repeated models • Encourage use of target sounds • Provide feedback • Teacher should slow his/her speech • Provide visual/physical cues • Use cloze phrases

10. Other Universal Strategies • Julia and the Sask. SLP working group also recommended these strategies that SLPs can use in conjunction with parents and teachers: • Articulation screenings • Hearing Screenings • Parent information and education • Give teachers information