S-3 The Missing Link: Leveraging SLP Expertise to Promote Literacy Development
Presenter
Formats and Times
- In-Person Training: 4 hours (8:30-12:30)
- On-Demand Webinar: 2.5 hours
Content
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has clearly defined roles and responsibilities related to dyslexia and other written language disorders, which fall within our scope of practice. Despite this, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the schools are largely not targeting literacy. With enormous caseloads and other professionals "in charge" of providing reading and written language instruction, many SLPs are reluctant to get involved. Research has shown that children with language disorders and/or speech sound disorders often struggle with learning to read and write, and many are at-risk for persistent learning problems related to literacy. As SLPs, we are uniquely qualified to support struggling readers and their educational teams given our knowledge of the components of language and the structure of its sound system. Students with learning disabilities and concomitant speech and language disorders would benefit from a transdisciplinary approach to literacy instruction. Often times, students have made limited progress in both speech and literacy because they have never received coordinated, systematic intervention where they are consistently cued by all team members in order to link sounds and symbols to meaning during reading and spelling tasks.
Please note: The webinar and live trainings cover the same content, but the in-person version is longer, allowing for more in-depth analysis, collaborative case studies/activities, and interactive discussions, questions, and answers.
Intended Audience
Speech-Language Pathologists and Speech-Language Pathology Assistants (SLPAs)
Participants Will
- Understand the rationale for supporting literacy skills for students on your caseload who are struggling with reading and writing, including those with Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, and/or Speech Sound Disorder.
- Identify practical ways to build literacy skills into existing therapy sessions.
- Learn specific strategies to strengthen the core language skills that will enable your students to become better readers.
