Aligning speech-language therapy goals with classroom learning objectives.
Engaging general education teachers, special educators, and administrators to provide holistic student support.
The management of communication disorders in schools cannot be siloed. As academic standards rise and classrooms become more diverse, the "medical model" of pull-out therapy offers diminishing returns. By embracing collaborative scenarios—integrating therapy into the curriculum, addressing social skills in natural settings, and advising on systemic policy—SLPs can ensure that students with communication disorders do not just learn to speak, but speak to learn. As academic standards rise and classrooms become more
The review highlights that teachers are not just referrers but active agents in intervention. França proposes collaborative scenarios such as:
Understanding when a student’s communication struggles warrant formal evaluation. In the school setting
Balancing academic, social, and emotional development through pooled resources and expertise. Practical Strategies for Educators and SLPs
| Scenario | Participants | Goal | |----------|--------------|------| | | SLP + teacher | Identify times of day when disorder most impacts learning (e.g., group discussions) | | Differentiated response protocols | Teacher + student | For selective mutism: non-verbal responses allowed until verbal confidence grows | | Social narrative co-creation | SLP + teacher + peers | Write and rehearse scripts for recess interactions for a child with pragmatic deficits | | Progress monitoring by teacher | Teacher + SLP | Weekly 2-minute fluency rating; adjusts classroom demands accordingly | addressing social skills in natural settings
Communication disorders—including articulation deficits, language delays, fluency disorders, and hearing impairments—pose significant barriers to academic success and social-emotional development. In the school setting, the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) has traditionally operated under a "pull-out" model, remediation where students are removed from the classroom for isolated therapy sessions. While effective for specific deficits, this model often fails to generalize skills to the classroom environment.
Traditionally, speech and language services were delivered in "pull-out" sessions. However, Franca and Boyer advocate for a model that embeds support directly into the academic curriculum. This approach ensures that students with developmental language or speech disorders can apply their communication skills in real-world classroom scenarios. Key elements of this collaborative framework include: