Purpose:  Speech and Language Support Services (SLS) in public school settings are provided to facilitate the development of effective and efficient communication skills so that students, ages 5 to 21 years, can access their school curriculum and participate as fully as possible in educational, social, and vocational endeavors.  Students are identified for special education services, such as speech-language support, through the IEP team process.  School-based SLS are provided only when a communication disorder directly impacts a student’s educational performance and requires the specially designed instruction from the speech and language specialist.

Services: Public schools are assigned a speech therapist based on individual school need.  LIU#12 speech therapists provide a continuum of services, following Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and PA Chapter 14 guidelines to support students in the least restrictive environment, to include: classroom observations, screenings, evaluations, classroom collaboration and/or therapy, small group and individual therapy.  As members of school-based teams, LIU#12 speech therapists provide these services for communication disorders that include: articulation, language, fluency, and voice.  Additionally, LIU#12 speech therapists serve on teams to provide assessments, trainings, and consultations in the areas of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), feeding and swallowing problems,  Autism spectrum disorders, and head injury. 

SLS are also available for children ages 3-5 through the LIU#12 Preschool Program. 

Delivery: These services are provided via an itinerant program where the speech therapists travel among schools and centers delivering support based on a variety of factors including the type and/or severity of a student’s communication disorder, the impact on a student’s ability to access the curriculum, and the integration of services with educational needs and environments.  Service delivery is a dynamic concept and changes with the needs of the student. Speech therapists collaborate with teachers, other educators, and families to support students’ functional communication skills in the classroom. Students receive SLS as outlined on their IEPs.  Services are:  curriculum based, outcome oriented, evidence-based, integrated with educational tasks and needs, and designed to ensure access to the student’s curriculum.

Certification: All LIU#12 speech therapists hold a Pennsylvania Department of Education teaching certificate. Additional certifications include the Pennsylvania Professional Speech-Language license, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competency.

Other SLS program features include:  supervision within the discipline, specialized staff development, speech therapist networking, specialized SLS lending library of assessment tools and materials.  Through LIU sponsored workshops and other trainings, Speech-Language Pathologists are able to earn the required continuing education units for maintenance of their professional license and ASHA certification.