Marisha

Hello, there. I am so looking forward to continuing our conversation around referrals. Last week, we talked about the struggles that SLPs face when it comes to referrals, based on our survey of over 400 school-based SLPs. If you're listening to this episode, you are probably an SLP who is struggling with referrals or at least want to make referrals easier.

And I have five questions to help you start that process and figure out how you can make referrals easier for yourself. Jot down a quick note anytime you say yes to these five questions. It'll help us come up with our game plan for how to move forward. The first question is, do you have to chase down teachers or parents for information every time? When you receive a referral, are you having to run around to get the information that you need to make your decision? This is a struggle that a lot of SLPs talked about in our survey. If you're answering yes to this, you can start thinking about some teacher and parent input forms.

A lot of SLPs said that they use Google forms. We also have this built into SLP now in a HIPAA compliant way. By having a template in the form of a Google form or the SLP Now forms, you don't have to waste time thinking about what questions you're gonna ask. You have the templated way to organize it, and if you're in the habit of using paper forms instead of digital, this can save you time because you have all of the information in one place versus having to organize all of the papers.

One thing that an SLP said in our surveys was that collecting all the background information and accessing the student's academic history is almost more work than an evaluation. A referral should not be more work than an evaluation. We need an easy, streamlined way to collect that information and quickly make those decisions.

By having a streamlined process that includes a form, you can potentially save hours with each referral depending on how much time you're already spending.

Question two is, do most of your referrals result in not eligible or RTI needed first? Are you getting a lot of inappropriate referrals where you are having to say, "No, they're not eligible. They need intervention." We really should be getting high quality referrals that generally lead to an evaluation.

Hopefully there's enough supports upfront where anytime we receive a referral, it is a very high quality referral, when they've exhausted their resources and we really need some help. If you are having a lot of those not eligible or RTI needed first referrals, that is a red flag that, we need to educate our teachers and maybe teach them about developmental milestones and when it is appropriate to refer, or arming them with different interventions that they can use.

And it makes sure that they're supporting students before it gets to a special education decision. A quote from our surveys was that teachers make referrals for every minor speech error and administrators are making language referrals in place of full psych evaluation.

So again, those are some examples of what this might look like, where we're not getting appropriate referrals and we need to do some education. I'm presenting at the SLP Summit , and I am going to be sharing handouts to help you with educating teachers and administrators, in terms of what makes an appropriate referral and what is appropriate for each grade level.

It's an epic bundle of handouts and resources, and anyone who attends my presentation will get this handout. So, head to SLPsummit.com if you wanna check that out. I'm really excited to, share even more tips around referrals, but then also help you, by giving you these free resources that you can use right off the bat.

Question number three is, can you describe your referral workflow in under 30 seconds? In the survey, a lot of SLPs said that they don't have a clear or consistent process. They're reinventing the wheel every time.

One SLP said, no, I'm just winging it every time. The cost of winging it is really so much extra time and so much stress. If you're having to figure out what to do for every referral versus if you have a three step process of I send out the form, I do this, and then I do this, and then the referral is taken care of, it reduces the mental load and decreases the time it takes to manage your referrals. It also improves the quality because every student is getting the same quality of referral and consideration, not skimping on some students versus others. My SLP Summit presentation will walk through, an example of a process and how you can build your own workflow, and it really should just be a couple simple steps. This may vary depending on your district's requirements, but we really should be able to keep it short and simple.

My fourth question is, do referrals feel like a surprise flood? Are there seasons where you are getting tons of referrals, and feeling really overwhelmed? This typically happens in the spring when teachers are realizing that it's time for students to move to the next grade and they're realizing that maybe they didn't do everything that they wanted to.

If you're answering yes to this, you might consider front loading our teacher training, or at least tracking patterns and trying to find ways to make this more manageable. Increasing the quality of our referrals and providing teachers with interventions, they, should be able to more quickly identify students who might need support.

They can consult with you for help on interventions earlier on so that when it gets to the end of the year, they feel confident that the student actually made progress and doesn't need that support. Or they can decide earlier like, oh, I implemented these interventions and it is very clear that this didn't do the trick.

So that is question number four. Do you have a flood of referrals at a certain time of year? You can consider teacher training, proactive screening and other strategies depending on where you are in the journey. If you're feeling like you don't have a process at all, it might be helpful to think about training teachers.

If you have a streamlined process and you're still having floods of referrals and educating your teachers, you might consider doing more proactive screenings or providing more teacher support in specific areas based on what you're seeing.

And that brings us to question number five. Are referrals taking you more than three hours on average? In the survey results, the average time that SLPs indicated they were spending on referrals was about three hours. Ideally the time. you spend on referrals is much less than that but that's where we're sitting as an average.

so there's definitely room to reduce that. A great goal could be to get your referrals done in an hour or less. If you are in the camp of referrals taking 3, 4, 5, or more hours, next time you have a referral, think about what's taking the most time?

Or maybe think back on your past referrals and where have you spent most of your time? Is it the paperwork? Is it trying to hunt down information? Is it the inappropriate referrals? You might also consider the number of referrals. You can ask your colleagues, how many referrals are you getting in the different schools?

And that could be a strategy to think about too. As you're thinking about the steps of your referral process, you can think about, do I really need to do this? Is there a way to make this easier? Or do I need to do some upfront work to, maybe prevent the need for this step?

So those are our five questions. Question number one is, do you have to chase down teachers for information? Question two is, do a lot of your referrals result in not eligible or RTI needed first. Question number three is, can you describe your referral workflow in under 30 seconds or is it a very complicated process? Question number four is, do you ever have a flood of referrals? And then question number five is, are referrals taking you more than five or three hours on average? So how many yeses did you get? I'd love to hear where you're at. One or two or three yeses is a sign that you have some room to tune up your referrals and save yourself some time, and make your work life a little bit easier.

If you are wanting to learn more, please do join me at my SLP Summit presentation. You can sign up at slpsummit.com.

It is free to attend, and I'm going to be sharing a bundle of free handouts for anyone who attends. I'll see you next week as we continue this conversation, and I hope you have a fabulous week.

FAQ

Why does the speech therapy referral process take so long?

For many school-based SLPs, it comes down to a lack of a streamlined system, leading to chasing down teachers for data or dealing with a flood of inappropriate referrals. To learn how to spot these time-wasters and cut this time down drastically, listen to our Referral Audit Framework in episode 223 of the SLP Now podcast.

How can I reduce inappropriate speech therapy referrals?

The key is proactive teacher education and sharing specific developmental checklists before a referral is ever made. We share actionable ways to frontload this training and improve referral quality in episode 223 of the SLP Now podcast.

What should a streamlined SLP referral workflow look like?

A strong workflow should take you less than 30 seconds to describe, typically involving a 3-5 step process starting with a standardized intake form. To get a breakdown of exactly what this looks like, check out the full episode or explore the HIPAA-compliant referral tools inside the SLP Now membership.

The SLP Referral Struggle: 5 Common Challenges (And How to Fix Them)

July 1, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

If you’re spending hours tracking down teacher data and losing your prep time to a disorganized referral process, you are definitely not alone. We recently surveyed over 400 school-based SLPs and found that the average referral takes a staggering 3 hours to process. In this post, we’re breaking down the five biggest referral struggles—from incomplete background info to the dreaded springtime flood—and exploring how we can start reclaiming those 45 extra hours a year with a streamlined system.

You’re not behind, and you’re not doing it wrong. You are simply working within a broken system. Let’s look at the five major challenges SLPs face when navigating referrals and how we can work smarter, not harder, to fix them.

1. The Background Info Black Hole

The #1 struggle? Incomplete background information.

Referrals rely on input from teachers, parents, and admin. Coordinating all of that takes time and a lot of chasing people down. Without a clear system in place, most of us end up cobbling things together on the fly.

→ Ever tried to make an referral decision without classroom data?
→ Or received a form with one-word answers (if it’s filled out at all)?

Yeah. Not great.

We need background info to make good decisions, and we need systems to make gathering that info sustainable.

2. When Referrals Aren’t Appropriate

Another huge theme? Inappropriate or premature referrals.

Sometimes teachers refer students who are simply developing normally for their age. Other times, they refer without trying any classroom interventions first.

Neither is ideal.

And here’s the kicker… Once a referral lands on your desk, the clock starts ticking—whether or not it’s truly necessary. That adds pressure, work, and (often) a full evaluation to your plate.

3. The Wild West of Referral Processes

This one hit home… Most SLPs said they don’t have a standardized referral process.

Not even within the same district.

One school might have an entire team to support the referral process. In another, you’re left guessing what admin expects.

That inconsistency leads to confusion, delays, and way too much mental load.

4. The Springtime Referral Flood

While referrals happen all year, the majority of SLPs reported getting swamped in the spring. It’s like the floodgates open in March and suddenly there are 10+ new referrals to consider, on top of the rest of our already heavy workload!

5. Time. Always, Time.

Here’s the math:

Average time to complete one referral = 3 hours

Average referrals per year = 15

That’s an average of 45 hours of extra work.

And that’s before we even talk about evaluations or IEPs that come from those referrals.

It adds up fast. And if your system isn’t streamlined? That time multiplies.

So… Now What?

If you’ve been white-knuckling your referral process or blaming yourself for falling behind, I hope this post is a giant exhale for you.

You’re not behind.
You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re working within a broken system, and you’re doing your best.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing strategies to simplify referrals, build out systems that work, and reduce the chaos (without adding more to your to-do list).

Because we deserve a process that supports us, and students deserve thoughtful, well-informed decisions.

Ready to Simplify?

📌 Listen to the podcast episode for the full breakdown! (You can find the audio at the top of this post, or tune in with your favorite podcast app!)
💬 Have a referral challenge I didn’t cover? DM me on Instagram at @slpnow. I’d love to hear your story.

At SLP Now, we are hard workers… but we also like to work smarter.

That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

Join thousands of SLPs and get the support you need

Subscribe to the SLP Now podcast and stay tuned for our next series. We’re kicking off September by helping you get your data collection, paperwork, and therapy planning processes in tip-top shape!

Listen to The SLP Now Podcast on Apple ★ Spotify ★ Google ★ Stitcher ★ Castbox or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Transcript

Hello there and welcome to the SLP Now podcast. We are excited to be kicking off a new series all about referrals. We are going to be spending the next month or two diving into this topic, because it's an area that a lot of us struggle with when it comes to our workload.

We sent out a survey to the SLP now email list and 434 SLPs responded and shared their feedback in terms of how they're managing referrals and what it looks like and what the struggles are. And so we have some really, really good data.

We asked the years of experience and the setting and the basic demographics It feels very representative of, the school-based SLP world.

I'm really excited to share this with you. Today we are going to be diving into the five common areas that came up, in terms of areas that SLPs are struggling with when it comes to referrals. the goal of this episode is to set the stage and identify what we're seeing as the trends. Hopefully if you are struggling with referrals, you'll realize that you're not alone in this. We are going to spend the next month, and even more time breaking this down and making it more manageable for all of us, because there are major challenges when navigating our referrals.

Let's dive into the five areas that we identified after hearing from 434 SLPs.

The first challenge was incomplete background information. It's really challenging to collect all the information we need from teachers and parents, to make an appropriate referral decision, and that takes a lot of time to coordinate with the teacher. A lot of us don't have a solid process in place either. sometimes we're trying to track down teachers and figure out what questions to ask them, and we may or may not have a form to help us with that. It is really challenging to get that solid background information to make an appropriate referral decision.

Number two was inappropriate referrals. There are two main types of inappropriate referrals. One is when teachers are over referring because they don't know what's developmentally appropriate or expected, and they may be referring for something that is typical for that age. So there definitely is some education that needs to happen to improve the quality of our referrals. And then the other aspect of that is inappropriate and premature referrals. If teachers are referring students without having implemented any interventions, it can be really hard for us to determine if a student really needs specially designed instruction, or if a simple intervention would do the trick. It's hard to make that. decision on whether we need to evaluate or not, if they haven't done that work, to set things up.

Then the third common struggle was that there's not a clear process. So every school, every teacher, every administrator seems to have different expectations around referrals and how to manage that. Every SLP does it a little differently. Maybe if there's 10 SLPs in the district. Everyone manages referrals differently, and it's different depending on the school you're in. If you're an SLP in a district and working in two schools, the referrals are handled differently from school A to school B, which makes it really hard to manage that.

The fourth common struggle is that we get a lot of referrals at once, especially in the spring. We may get 10 referrals on our desk at the same time. Having the capacity to navigate that on top of all the other things happening during that heavy referral season, which typically sounds like it's this spring.

The fifth common, struggle that SLPs were sharing was time. It is challenging and related to all of these pieces of having incomplete background information, inappropriate referrals, unclear, inconsistent processes across schools. And getting those referrals when our workload is already very high. During especially busy times of year, like when progress reports are due or, when we are having an influx of IEPs and evaluations on top of the referrals. so those are all things that lots of S LPs were sharing about. So if you're experiencing that, you're definitely not alone.

When we looked at the responses, the average time it takes to complete a referral is about three hours.

And the average that we calculated was that, SLPs are receiving about 15 referrals in a school year. If the average referral takes three hours and the average SLP gets 15 referrals, that's 45 hours of additional workload on top of meeting our students' service times and managing IEPs and evaluations many of these referrals turn into evaluations.

If we're getting inappropriate or premature referrals or whatnot, because we received the referral and we have that timeline, we might recommend an evaluation, and those evaluations take even more time. It makes sense why referrals are a big challenge for SLPs. if you have any unique insight or a challenge that you don't think we addressed, please reach out to me on Instagram.

I'd love to hear as we're going through this process and having this discussion. Our goal will be to share different strategies and tips. Some SLPs shared great strategies, in the form we sent out. I've been working on optimizing my own referral process and, helping other SLPs do the same.

So I'm really excited to continue this series. Again, reach out if you have any feedback, or unique experiences that you'd like to share. We'll see you next week to continue the conversation.

Classroom Accommodations for Auditory Processing Disorder

May 4, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

In recent years, the prevalence and awareness of Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) has skyrocketed. As a result, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are receiving more and more referrals to evaluate and treat children who have APD in outpatient clinics and in schools.

So… What is APD anyway?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), “APD refers to how the central nervous system (CNS) uses auditory information.” It is also defined as being “a problem or dysfunction of the auditory system specifically the central auditory, or the portion of the system that runs from the ear to the brain” (Bellis, 2003).

Individuals who have APD do not have ear-based problems such as hearing loss or deafness; rather, they have difficulties with processing information auditorily. Individuals should be careful not to confuse APD with higher-level thinking or attention problems such as intellectual disabilities, autism, or ADD/ADHD. In some cases, however, APD may co-exist with ADHD or other disorders.

More specifically, individuals who have APD demonstrate deficits in the following areas: auditory discrimination and pattern recognition, sound localization, temporal resolution, masking, integration, ordering, and auditory performance with competing signals. In order to receive a diagnosis of APD, deficits must be observed in one or more of the before-mentioned areas. The diagnosis of APD can be made only be an audiologist following an extensive evaluation consisting of several tests and assessments. Additional characteristics of APD might include:

Weaknesses in expressive language, receptive language, and/or literacy skills
Difficulty listening in background noise/environments where there is competing noise
Trouble with following directions and/or recalling information that was heard
Poor organization skills
Frequently asking “what?” or “huh?”
Needing more time to process information/slower processing speed when answering questions

Teachers and parents of children who have APD might report concerns with the child’s ability to:

Discriminate between short and long vowel sounds
Blend (sound out) unfamiliar words
Combine parts of words to make a whole word
Recall the sounds that specific letters make (letter-sound correspondence)
Identify rhyming words
Read sentences/passages with the appropriate rate, prosody, and fluency
Generalize learned reading strategies/patterns of sounds from one moment to the next (working memory)
Perceive similarities/differences between sounds

The Academic Challenges Students with APD Face

School-aged children may have challenges academically due to their diagnosis of APD.

Some of these students may be seen as behaviorally challenged, as APD can often be confused with other attention deficit disorders such as ADHD or ADD. Students who have APD might be enrolled in additional services through their schools, including speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, reading intervention/support, and/or special education services. However, it should be noted that not all children who have APD will qualify for additional services that are offered.

In order to participate in a regular classroom environment at school, many students with APD will likely benefit from having some accommodations in place to help them succeed. Some of these students may qualify for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or a 504 Plan through their school system.

List of Accommodations for Students Who Have APD

A non-exhaustive list of some possible accommodations for students with APD might include:

Preferential seating at the front of the classroom during instruction
- The teacher’s face should be clearly visible to the student and the teacher should be away from competing noise sources
Individual seating in a quiet, separate area for independent work and/or testing
Improve acoustic access by modifying the classroom/changing materials
- Add carpet, room dividers, tennis balls on the legs of chairs, regular pencils instead of mechanical pencils/pens to reduce “clicking” sounds
Reduce background noise
Provide a note-taker (possibly for older students)
- Use “guided notetaking”- teachers can help students learn to identify key information in a lecture and organize it in written notes
- Notetaking during class requires jumping between auditory and visual modalities, which can be distracting for students who have APD
- Allowing the student to get notes from another child or compare notes with the teacher may be a better solution
Repeat or rephrase information during lectures/classroom instruction
Make frequent checks for student understanding (check points)
- Ask the student to rephrase what has been said (sometimes the student can repeat verbatim, yet still not comprehend the message)
- Redirect discreetly and gently
- The teacher might have a “secret sign” or “secret signal” with the student who has APD (teacher waves her finger around, which signals the student to look around to see what the other students are doing)
Extended time on assignments/tests
Utilize visual aids, such as a planner, to help organize assignments, thoughts, important dates, etc. and to make lists of academic tasks to be completed
Encourage the student to maintain a clutter-free work area to reduce distraction and stress; clear/straighten the student’s work area at the end of every day
Try to avoid auditory fatigue
- Allow the student to use noise-cancelling headphones during individual work or testing
- Allow for listening breaks/break breaks periodically throughout the school day
Teach the student to engage in self-monitoring
- The student might eventually learn to ask himself/herself questions like “do I understand this?” or “what do I need clarification/help with?”
“Pre-teach” new information and vocabulary before the lecture
- Before a new topic is discussed, the teacher should provide the student with key vocabulary and critical concepts in writing
- Students with APD demonstrate challenges with filling in the missing pieces/information without knowing the new vocabulary/key points first
Use positive reinforcement
- Teachers should acknowledge strong effort and hard work in the student regularly, which could lead to more motivation, higher self-esteem, etc.
Highlight key information when reading passages/books to refer back to
Teach the student to engage in and practice auditory memory strategies
- Chunking information — breaking down long messages or lists into smaller components and grouping similar concepts/objects together
- Elaborating on what you heard — use of analogies and acronyms
- Rehearsing/verbally repeating information aloud to yourself
- Organizing — outline and relate to what you already know)
- Visualizing — make a visual picture in your mind
- Making acronyms/use first letter of words (JFMAMJJASOND for months of the year)
- Paraphrasing – use different words to summarize what you heard

In certain scenarios, some students might benefit from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) resources to support their academic progress. A non-exhaustive list of some possible AI accommodations for students who have APD might include:

Reading:

Read Along by Google
- Recommended for ages 5-12
- Free, but requires a Google/Gmail account
- AI listens and gives positive feedback
Microsoft Reading Coach
- AI listens to kids read and provides guidance on mispronounced words and fluency
- Provides reading progress reports for teachers and parents
- Free, but required a Microsoft email account
Rewordify
- Paste complex reading passages, and the program will simplify vocabulary and make passages easier to read for emerging readers
- Teaches vocabulary and provides comprehension tasks for older readers
- Free for students, teachers, and parents

Classroom Accommodations:

Microsoft Teams Live Transcription and Google Meet Captions
- Live transcription of verbal speech to written text for notetaking
  - Help students who need to process information visually and need support with note taking
  - No additional personnel support required
    - Google Docs (Chrome Books)
      - Voice in Speech to Text
      - Font and Contrast Customization
        
        Arial and Lexend fonts are easier to read
        
        Chrome extensions: High Contrast and Grayscale
        
        High contrast text is visually beneficial for struggling readers
        
        Speak Feature
        
        Reads highlighted text aloud to students
        
        Organization Tools
        
        Headings, bulleted/number lists and Table of Contents features
        
        Helps organization for clear structure
        
        Can be used offline
        
        Helps with limited internet access

Conclusion:

Students who have APD can be successful in a classroom setting if given the appropriate services or accommodations. No student with APD is the same; different strategies will be used for each individual student, and there is no one treatment approach that is appropriate for all children with APD. School-based SLPs can support teachers by providing useful strategies and techniques to help their students with APD to be successful in the classroom. SLPs can also provide individual speech-language intervention for students with APD so long as an underlying language disorder is present. Some students with APD may respond well to intervention and show improvement with the use of compensatory strategies, while others may seem to deal with these deficits forever. However, with the appropriate tools and use of individualized compensatory strategies, students with APD can learn to utilize their strengths in life as opposed to focusing on their areas of weakness.

Author Bios

Marilyn Owens has been with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology (ASP) since February 2022, serving children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and supervising ASP graduate students. Mrs. Owens provides aural/oral evaluations, auditory training, and aural rehabilitation treatment to individuals who use cochlear implants and hearing aids. She also works with children who have more complex communication disorders who use AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) and children who have Auditory Processing Disorders (APD). She is also fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).

Jestina Bunch has been with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology (ASP) since August 2015. Her specialty is serving children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. She also supervises ASP graduate students. Mrs. Bunch provides aural/oral evaluation, auditory training, and aural rehabilitation treatment to individuals who use cochlear implants and hearing aids. She also has extensive experience working with individuals with complex communication disorders and children/adolescents who use AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication).

Resources/References:

https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/understanding-auditory-processing-disorders-in-children/
Bellis, T.J. (2003). When The Brain Can’t Hear: Unraveling the Mystery of Auditory Processing Disorder. New York, NY: Atria Books.
Bellis, T.J. (n.d). Understanding Auditory Processing Disorders in Children. In American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

FAQ

What is an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?

APD affects how the central nervous system processes auditory information, which can often look like hearing loss or an attention deficit on the surface. To learn how to distinguish APD from other challenges and effectively support these students in the classroom, read our full breakdown on the SLP Now blog.

What are the best school-based accommodations for APD?

The most effective accommodations go beyond preferential seating and include targeted acoustic modifications, guided notetaking, and specific auditory memory strategies. Check out the complete list of actionable classroom adjustments on SLP Now to help reduce your students' auditory fatigue.

Which tech tools help students with Auditory Processing Disorders?

Assistive technology can be a game-changer for reducing cognitive load. Tools like Microsoft Reading Coach, Rewordify, and live transcription apps can support learning without adding extra prep to your plate. For a curated list of our favorite APD tech tools, read the full post on SLP Now.

Speech Therapy for Stuttering: A Joyful Approach for K–12 SLPs

April 24, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

Meet Dr. Danra Kazenski, a passionate speech-language pathologist and stuttering ally who is reshaping how we approach fluency therapy in schools. With nearly two decades of experience and a personal connection to stuttering, Dr. Kazenski brings a deeply empathetic and empowering perspective to her work. She’s the founder of Vermont Stuttering Therapy and the #NormalizeStutteringChallenge, and currently teaches as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Vermont.

In this episode of the SLP Now podcast, Dr. Kazenski shares how embracing stuttering—not fighting it—can lead to more joyful, meaningful communication for students. Her approach blends narrative therapy, playful techniques like naming the stutter, and a “joyful scale” that empowers students to define success on their own terms. This guide captures her insights and practical strategies tailored specifically for K–12 speech-language pathologists.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore fluency strategies or are looking to enrich your current toolkit, this student-centered, acceptance-based framework offers a refreshing way to support students who stutter—by helping them feel heard, understood, and proud of their voice.

The Importance of Stuttering Awareness and Advocacy

Stuttering awareness isn’t just about identifying speech patterns—it’s about understanding the experience of stuttering from the inside out. Dr. Kazenski breaks this down into three powerful levels: personal, community, and societal.

At the personal level, students begin by noticing their own stuttering. What does it feel like? Where do they notice tension in their body? What kind of stutter is it? Tools like the “speech machine” activity and narrative therapy help students explore these questions creatively. Some may draw their stutter as a character—like a fog or a unicorn—giving it a name and personality. This allows them to talk about their stuttering with distance and clarity.

In the community, awareness expands to include trusted people in the student’s life. Dr. Kazenski uses the “Who’s in Your Box?” activity to help students identify who they feel safe stuttering around—and who might join that circle with time and support. She also highlights the crucial role of family, peers, and teachers, encouraging collaboration and education to reduce stigma and foster inclusion.

Finally, at the societal level, stuttering advocacy becomes a call for normalization. Dr. Kazenski shares her vision of a world where saying “I stutter” is as simple as stating your pronouns. Her #NormalizeStutteringChallenge encourages people who stutter—and their allies—to proudly speak up and take space, showing that stuttered voices deserve to be heard and respected.

These layers of awareness form the foundation for self-acceptance and advocacy. As Dr. Kazenski puts it, fluency isn’t the goal—confidence, joy, and connection are.

“Fluency is overrated. We’re encouraging our students to take back their power, be big, make sure they know that their stuttered voice has value. We’re listening to them. They deserve to be heard. They’re not alone.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Danra Kazenski’s Unique Approach to Stuttering Therapy

Dr. Kazenski brings a deeply personal, joyful, and student-driven approach to stuttering therapy—one that prioritizes connection over correction. At the core of her method is a shift from fluency-focused goals to embracing stuttering as part of a person’s identity.

🎨 Narrative Therapy

One of her key strategies is narrative therapy, where students are invited to “draw and name their stutter.” This creative exercise opens up important conversations: Is the stutter a friend or a foe? How do they relate to it? For some, it might be a unicorn with rainbow sparkles. For others, a dark, fearsome figure they want to defeat. Either way, it gives SLPs a window into how students feel—and a safe way for students to express complex emotions.

🌈 The Joyful Scale

Rather than using severity ratings, Dr. Kazenski co-creates a Joyful Scale with her students. This tool flips the typical fluency model on its head. The “top” of the scale isn’t zero stuttering—it’s joyful communication, which may still include stuttering but is free from struggle and fear. Students define what joyful stuttering looks like for them—like talking freely without hiding, or expressing themselves without tricks.

✨ Mantras and Identity

Many students also develop personal mantras that reflect their goals and values, such as “I deserve to be heard” or “Stuttering is just how I talk.” These mantras reinforce identity, confidence, and self-worth—key pillars of Dr. Kazenski’s therapy philosophy.

This unique blend of creativity, empowerment, and acceptance offers a refreshing alternative to rigid, fluency-driven interventions. It puts the student in the driver’s seat—and supports them in building not just skills, but self-acceptance.

“Instead of like a stuttering severity rating scale, I have them work pretty early in the process of creating like a joyful scale… joyful stuttering includes stuttering, but maybe it’s not as effortful. You’re talking to who you want to talk to. You’re not using a lot of tricks, those kinds of things.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Effective Stuttering Treatment Programs

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to stuttering therapy, Dr. Kazenski emphasizes the importance of programs that go beyond surface-level fluency. Instead, she recommends therapies that promote self-awareness, reduce avoidance, and build meaningful communication skills.

🌱 Acceptance-Based Approaches

At the heart of Dr. Kazenski’s practice is Avoidance Reduction Therapy (ART), inspired by the work of Vivian Sisskin. This model encourages students to face their stuttering experiences directly—rather than hiding or avoiding them. It’s about learning to tolerate discomfort and finding confidence through honesty and authenticity.

🧰 Beyond Fluency Tools

Dr. Kazenski is candid about the limitations of traditional fluency tools. Techniques like easy onset or slow speech may provide temporary results, but often aren’t sustainable—especially for young students. Instead, she focuses on building trusting relationships and helping students redefine what success looks like.

📋 Supporting Resources

She also integrates tools like the TASCC questionnaire (Teacher Assessment of Student Communicative Competence) to help identify participation-based needs in school-aged children. This can be a critical step in supporting eligibility for services in educational settings.

Whether it’s through narrative work, joyful communication scales, or community support, the most effective stuttering programs empower students to take risks, reduce avoidance, and speak freely—even when they stutter.

“Generally, tools are annoying and unsustainable… Instead, we need that relationship built and start doing these things to help take risks and accept themselves fully as people who stutter.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

How to Help Someone Who Stutters

Helping someone who stutters starts with listening—really listening. As Dr. Kazenski emphasizes, support isn’t about “fixing” speech. It’s about creating a safe space for authentic communication, reducing pressure, and honoring the individual behind the stutter.

💬 Start with Curiosity and Compassion

Dr. Kazenski encourages SLPs and caregivers to approach each student with curiosity, not assumptions. Ask open-ended questions like “What are your best hopes?” or “What does stuttering feel like to you?” This helps build trust and empowers students to become their own advocates.

🎯 Promote Self-Defined Goals

Rather than imposing goals, let students define what progress looks like. For some, it might be raising their hand in class. For others, it’s ordering at a restaurant or telling a joke without changing words. Helping them reach these moments—on their terms—builds true confidence.

🧠 Reframe the Role of Communication

Helping students see that communication isn’t about perfect fluency—it’s about connection—can be a game-changer. Use positive self-talk, mantras, and role-playing to build resilience and reframe negative beliefs. Reinforce that their voice matters, no matter how it comes out.

🤝 Practical Tips for Supporters

Pause before responding. Give students time to finish.
Avoid “slow down” or “take a breath” prompts. These often feel dismissive.
Acknowledge their courage. Stuttering openly is a brave act.

When support is grounded in respect and empathy, it allows individuals who stutter to thrive—not just as speakers, but as whole people.

“We’re encouraging our students to take back their power, be big, make sure they know that their stuttered voice has value… They deserve to be heard.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Strategies for Speech Stuttering Therapy in Schools

Working with students who stutter in a school setting comes with unique opportunities—and challenges. Dr. Kazenski offers a wealth of practical, student-centered strategies designed specifically for K–12 speech-language pathologists.

🧑‍🏫 Build Trust First

Before diving into techniques, build a relationship. Dr. Kazenski stresses that students must feel emotionally safe before they’re ready to take communication risks. She recommends creating a welcoming space, validating each student’s experiences, and resisting the urge to “fix” too quickly.

🗺️ Create Safe Communication Maps

Use tools like the “Who’s in Your Box?” activity to help students identify who they feel comfortable stuttering with. From there, work together to gradually expand that circle, using classroom interactions as real-life practice opportunities.

🎯 Focus on Participation, Not Perfection

Dr. Kazenski encourages SLPs to prioritize participation-based goals—like speaking in class, joining a group, or reading aloud—rather than trying to eliminate stuttering. It’s about helping students say what they want to say, not how they say it.

📘 Integrate Narrative Therapy and Joyful Tools

Incorporate expressive activities like drawing their stutter, developing a Joyful Scale, or creating mantras. These strategies not only support communication, but also reinforce self-acceptance and reduce avoidance.

💬 Collaborate with Teachers

Empower students to self-advocate with their teachers—whether through writing letters, sharing how they prefer to participate, or preparing classroom presentations. Dr. Kazenski shares that these experiences are not only therapeutic, but deeply affirming.

When therapy becomes a partnership built on trust, creativity, and advocacy, school-based SLPs can help students redefine success—not by fluency, but by freedom of expression.

“Don’t underestimate the power and importance of developing a trusting relationship first… If you’re going to ask them to walk naked through a minefield, they’re going to need to trust you first.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Support Systems and Community Engagement

A student’s journey with stuttering doesn’t happen in isolation—it unfolds within a web of relationships. Dr. Kazenski emphasizes the importance of surrounding students with supportive, informed communities that uplift rather than isolate.

🏠 Engaging Families

Parents and caregivers are often eager to help, but may feel unsure of how. Dr. Kazenski recommends tools like the Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy approach, along with separate sessions to explore parents’ hopes and anxieties. Asking questions like “What does a good enough outcome look like for you?” helps families shift from fear to possibility.

🏫 Partnering with Educators

Teachers play a critical role in a student’s communication environment. Dr. Kazenski encourages students to write personal letters to their teachers—explaining their stuttering, sharing what helps, and outlining participation preferences. This fosters advocacy and builds a bridge between the student’s goals and classroom realities.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Building Stuttering Community

Whether it’s a peer who stutters at the same school, an NSA chapter, or online spaces like Sisters Who Stutter, connecting with others who share the experience is transformative. Dr. Kazenski calls this the “Stamily”—a family forged through shared identity and mutual support.

💡 Coping with Unkindness

Unfortunately, students may encounter stigma or rude responses. Dr. Kazenski equips them with cognitive tools like predicting and checking the evidence to challenge assumptions and reduce anxiety. Mantras like “Let them think what they think” help build emotional resilience.

Incorporating these broader support systems into therapy ensures students are not just learning to speak—they’re learning to belong.

“Many people feel like they’re going through their stuttering alone, but there is a huge—what we call the Stamily—the stuttering family is enormous and very enthusiastic and supportive.”

—Dr. Danra Kazenski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Stuttering Resources

Here’s a curated list of tools, communities, and expert content to support SLPs working with students who stutter. These resources reflect the evidence-based, person-centered approach shared by Dr. Danra Kazenski.

🔗 Featured Tools and Programs

TASCC Questionnaire – Teacher Assessment of Student Communicative Competence
More Info
Avoidance Reduction Therapy – Learn more from Vivian Sisskin at Open Stutter
Open Stutter YouTube Channel
Spero – Video: Nurturing and Empowering Your Child Who Stutters
Watch on YouTube
Stuttering Therapy Resources Verbal Diversity™
Explore the Verbal Diversity Framework
National Stuttering Association (NSA)
Find Support at WeStutter.org
Normalize Stuttering Challenge
Follow and participate in Danra’s ongoing stuttering awareness movement:
@vermontstutteringtherapy on Instagram
Vermont Stuttering Therapy Website
Linktree for Additional Tools

Frequently Asked SLP Questions About Stuttering

To wrap things up, here are answers to some of the most common questions K–12 SLPs have when supporting students who stutter, with guidance grounded in Dr. Kazenski’s experience.

What is the best age to start stuttering therapy?

There’s no universal “right” age—therapy should begin when the student is experiencing emotional, social, or academic impacts. Early intervention is valuable, especially when it’s rooted in acceptance and awareness rather than fluency drills. Even very young children can benefit from playful, supportive exploration of their speech.

How can I improve my child’s stuttering at home?

Focus less on correcting speech and more on creating a low-pressure environment. Use patient listening, reduce interruptions, and model acceptance. Reading books featuring characters who stutter, drawing speech “machines,” and using mantras like “I deserve to be heard” can empower children at home.

What should I do if my student doesn’t qualify for services but still needs support?

Use tools like the TASCC questionnaire to highlight how stuttering may affect social participation or emotional well-being—even if academics appear unaffected. You might also explore general education support plans, classroom accommodations, or connecting families with outside resources.

How do I explain stuttering to a classroom or staff?

Student-led presentations, Jeopardy games, or brief letters to teachers can help educate others and reduce stigma. If the student is willing, encourage them to share their experience with peers. Otherwise, act as their advocate by providing insights and facilitating understanding.

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Transcript

Welcome to the SLP Now podcast. I'm really excited to have Dr. Danra Kazenski with us today. She is a speech language pathologist and stuttering ally who works as a clinical associate professor in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Vermont. She's also the owner of Vermont Stuttering Therapy and the founder of the Normalize Stuttering Challenge. And she's a co-chapter leader of the Vermont chapters of the National Stuttering Association or NSA support groups. And she raises funds for the NSA with two online stores. that was just a small snippet of what all of the things that Dr. Janna Kaczynski is up to. But without further ado, let's just hear from her. Thank you, Marisha. I'll take any excuse to talk about stuttering. So thank you for having me. Yeah. And this is an area that I've been really wanting to learn more about. So I'm really excited and grateful that you're here to share with us today. Thank you. And so I read your bio and shared a little bit of your background. But can you share a little bit of your story and kind of... how you ended up where you are today and what led you down this path? Sure. I had never met a person who stutters until I started working with Barry Gattar at the University of Vermont when I was a student there. His class was a game changer for me because I was really inspired by how many complex unanswered questions there are about stuttering and the- the depth of the counseling skills that are involved with that. And Barry, don't know if you know him or have met him, but he's just the nicest human that ever lived. So if you need a good model of how to connect with people and show, like he's basically walking empathy, is how I describe it. And he's very open about his own stuttering. So I just kind of learned how to try and soak all of that up. And I'm not a person who stutters myself. So I try and do that from the... the non-stuttering angle of that and to be open and not make assumptions, those kinds of things. So after school, I worked for five years in Montreal, and then I came back and did my PhD with Barry, and I have stayed at the University of Vermont since then. So I supervised graduate students working with people who stutter there, but I really missed kind of also doing a lot of the hands-on work myself. And Vermont is a very rural state. And so unless you live up near the university, it's hard to access those services. So I did start a private telepractice to kind of offer services outside, you know, a certain distance from the university. And in the meantime, my niece was born and it turns out that she stutters and we don't have anybody who stutters in our family. So that was really interesting. I was there the day that she started to stutter at Christmas. And to see it from that personal angle after working with people who stutter for so long just brought, you know, just it was a different perspective to have it be in my family. And so then I have done this for about 18 years and I have heard a lot of stories from folks and many of them are uplifting, but a lot of them are very upsetting. So in terms of my drive to kind of take some of these advocacy steps, I've One of the men I worked with said that every time he stuttered as a child, he got punched in the head by his father. And a man that I work with just recently got banned from a coffee shop because of his stuttering. I'm sure that he must have had a lot of secondary behaviors and they thought something else was happening, which is terrible. And I've heard really unfortunate stories of even teachers making fun of kids who stutter here in Vermont. Um, and, uh, I also, and this is a content warning for folks. Um, I have lost two of the folks that I work with or were friends with who stuttered to suicide. And, um, so I am, I get very protective of people who stutter and their voice. And it really charged me up to do more, um, and to step in and to generalize, to normalize stuttering and, you know, not just in our own circles, but globally. And so I'm trying to give a platform to stuttered voices. And so I did create those stores. So I do sell basically stutter advocacy swag. I also sell things for allies, so SLP's and SLPA's and audiologists. But the overarching theme that I try and focus on is to is for just the basic human right to be heard, right? I mean, that's really all the people who stutter want and need is to be heard and to say what they want when they want and to have it be okay that when they say it, it's stuttered. So I definitely take more of an acceptance-based approach to how I run things. Yeah. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. Your heart for all of this just really shines through. It's great to see that. Amazing. I think it's pretty clear, but I guess just to make sure we're all on the same page, what is stuttering awareness? Yeah, love this. Yeah, juicy question. like a juicy one. If it's okay, I want to break it down into some chunks. The way I think of it is the smallest chunk would be personally for that person. And then the wider chunk is the community. And then the biggest would be society and just globally. So on that real personal level, I like to think of it as just starting to be willing and genuinely curious about what's noticing and noticing what's going on with your own stuttering. Like, what is this all about? And as a person who doesn't stutter, I spend most of my time listening very carefully. to their core message and trying not to make any assumptions about what they think about it. So I have to genuinely ask questions. And also with that gauging kind of what they're ready for me to do. Like what is their readiness for this? Cause everybody comes in at a different level and what we're asking them to do is hard. I've had one person describe it as walking naked through a minefield. Like you're asking me to do that? And like, well, You don't have to step into the red zone yet, but what would you consider being okay as a step towards doing that? And so some people are a hard nope, and some people are like, sure, I'm willing to try this thing for now. And then of course that changes over time. But some people don't even realize the kinds of stutters that they have. Like, oh, I didn't know that when I stretch out my words like this, it's called a prolongation. And sometimes I use, you know, Play-Doh to help with kiddos get to understand that, or we can name it something. Like I have some kids call their stutters clones because they're repetitions and they like Star Wars, things like that. And so the more awareness of also like just how we talk, right? You know, and so I'll get kids to lay on the ground and do an outline of their body to do a little speech machine activity to point out, you know, this is how we talk. put little sticky notes where you feel tension when you stutter and you get really interesting unexpected answers. Like sometimes they say, I feel my stuttering in my back or in the back of my brain. And you get to learn a lot more and it allows them to start talking about something that might have hard to talk about. And then just encouraging them to start noticing those things and the, like what kind of eye contact do I make when I talk to people? Am I actually listening to the other person or am I thinking about what I want to say? You that's a common thing that can affect, you know, your connection and regular conversation, just starting to notice it. And how do you feel about those things? And what changes are important to you? And what difference would that make in your life to help them make their own goals? And so I'll ask them what their best hopes are as a person and how stuttering fits into that. I don't know if you've done anything like narrative therapy. That's one strategy that we use. Yeah. I don't know if that's applicable only to stuttering or if it to other areas. But basically, we have them draw and name their stutter, which gives you a real immediate feedback about what their relationship with their stuttering is right away. Like, is this their friend or a foe, basically? So like, I've seen very colorful unicorns with the words coming out of their horn and, you know, the kiddo says, I wanna take my stutter out for s'mores and we're gonna go skateboarding. It's like, okay, cool. And then they've got other kiddos who draw very dark, like bloody with lots of weaponry and they know, they say, I hate him. And that's important to be able to have a way to get that out. And for that kiddo, we ended up drawing a bunch of his stuttering characters, putting them on bottles and shooting them down with ping pong guns and throwing them in the garbage. He wanted to say, I hate you. And that's the stage that they're at. But for some of the kiddos, it's a really positive. I've... I don't know if you've seen that the Stuttering Foundation of America has a really good newsletter where they'll publish anything that a kiddo will draw or say about their stuttering. And we've had like six of them or so go in and the kids are so proud, you know, like, so they're willing to make something that will help other kids too. So I'm just going to keep going because I can talk forever. That's okay until you tell me to stop. No, this is amazing. Keep going. I'm eating that. Okay. and instead of like, you know how they often could use different scales because we want them to kind of be able to participate in this noticing of their stuttering. So instead of like a stuttering severity rating scale, I have them work pretty early in the process of creating like a joyful scale, you know, and having them define what each end of the scale means for them. Because normally the bottom end of the scale if you were doing severity would be no stuttering. But in this case, that end of the scale is joyful stuttering and it includes stuttering, but maybe it's not as effortful. You're talking to who you want to talk to. You're not using a lot of tricks, those kinds of things. So actually it would be on the other end, like if you were totally fluent, but you were just using all kinds of ways to avoid saying what you wanna say, that is not where we're aiming for the kiddos to be. So I also, in that process, they kind of define what is meaningful to them, like what to flip something that might have been negative into a positive. So they might come up even with like a mantra related to joyful talking. And some of the kids that I work with, we actually say those mantras together at the beginning of every session, like, okay, here we go, let's say our mantras. And some of them would be like, I deserve to be heard, I was born that way and that's okay, stuttering is just how I talk, et cetera. And one adult that I work with actually said that he wanted his scale to be what his, he wants to be the person his younger self would be proud of. And so every week when he comes in, I was like, okay, what did you do this week that your younger self would be proud of? So generally with that whole personal sense of self-awareness, stuttering awareness, I want them to start to be aware of everything that's going on for them and to start considering accepting that full identity as a person who stutters instead of like taking on the false role as somebody who does not stutter and learning to let go of it instead of having those strong needs to like control or to to hide. So that was the personal one. Before we move on to the next one, I know that because I think SLPs are always looking for ways of like, okay, I know that, like, because a lot of us are realizing that we should probably be doing like in working through or like, My words are not working today, but like what we learned in grad school in terms of stuttering therapy is a little bit different than what we're learning about today. I think for many of us, I think a lot of SLPs are like, okay, so how do I navigate this? And what does this look like? And you just gave a beautiful, like so many beautiful examples, but I feel like I'm sure that they'll want to know more about the joyful scale. So it sounds like you kind of customize that scale depending on your client or do you have like a resource as with an example of that? I'd be happy to share one after in the show notes too, but literally I can come in with a blank sheet of paper and say, okay, we're going to just find a way. I'm going to check in with you every week about how you feel you're doing. And we, in order to do that, we need to kind of know. how to gauge that. And so you're, I like to give a lot of power to the students to do this, you know, give them a lot of control in general. So yeah, they might not want to call it joyful talking, they might want to use a different word. And I just kind of go with that. And they're going to define what the other side of the scale means. And then I just try and guide them so that gently that the joyful you know, are you okay that the joyful side includes some stuttering? As long as it's easy, you can say what you want and it doesn't interfere with what you want to do or be or say. They're like, oh yeah, that's fine. And you know, so it just, I give some shaping along those lines, but otherwise, you know, the kiddo is going to define it for themselves. And then, yeah, whenever they come in, we use that in their own words when we... talk about their stuttering, once we do a narrative therapy like that naming the stutter, I don't call their stuttering anything else. You know, like, how was Mr. Unicorn today? Did he visit you? When did he come around? How did you, you know, handle that? What did other people do when Mr. Unicorn came around? It's like a nice little way to separate them from talking about it directly for those kids who are a little more shy. and things like that, gives them just a little bit of space. know, like it's not the stuttering is me. It's Mr. Unicorn who comes and he lives in my brain and these are the things he does. And somehow it's easier to then like talk about it and, you know, come up with ways to, you know, cope or adjust or just tolerate, you know, be, just let it be what it is. SLPs are wanting to learn more about narrative therapy. Do you have any favorite resources for that? Well, I can definitely share that, I have some, there's some articles about that. But yeah, it's very similar to how I just described that I get pretty vivid. Like I would take an entire session to do this. And most kiddos, when you all have art supplies and things ready, you know, say, this is weird. you today we're going to talk about something weird, okay? I'm going to ask you to, you you stutter and we've been talking about your stuttering and I would just like to talk to it sometimes, but the trouble is I don't know what it looks like, you know, and only you know what it looks like. So can you help me understand? And they'll kind of look at me like, I don't know what you want me to do, lady. You know, like what is this? I'll say, your stutter have eyes? You know, does it have eyes? And you know, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes people pick a fog and it doesn't have eyeballs. But somehow asking that question, does it have eyes, like leads them to get going. And then you start commenting on, oh, I noticed you picked, you know, yellow and blue crayons here for this color. he's wearing, it looks like he's wearing a cape. What is that cape all about? And it looks like there's stars in the sky. I'm just curious what's happening there. You get them to kind of describe it like vividly, like a movie. And you ask a lot of details about, you know, when does it come around and how does it make you talk differently? And what do you do because you don't stutter all the time. So. You sometimes have them create a second character that is them, that is stronger than the stutterer. And then so what is it that you do? He tries to kick me in the throat and I have this lightsaber that I use to push him away and say, no, I'm going to say it the way that I want to or whatever it is. It's just like a nice. It's very vivid and detailed. And then I always refer to their stuttering by that character name after that. Some of them have created entire comic strips. And, you know, some of those did make it to the Stuttering Foundation newsletter. So, yeah, we try and get as detailed as possible. I love it. I love it as a strategy. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. And then we'll add the... articles that you mentioned in the show notes. think that'll be a great resource. Okay, so just a quick recap. So we're going through the three components of stuttering awareness. So we just chatted about personal and then we have community and society. And for the personal, we talked about like noticing what's going on with our stuttering or the client's stuttering and like the types of stuttering, like the speech machine, where they. where we feel it, incorporating narrative therapy, the Joyful Scale. So that's just a quick recap of some of the things that we went over. So what does the community starting awareness look like? Yeah. So for the individual in the community, I start to have the kiddos talk about, and this is from Vivian Siskin and the avoidance reduction therapy, who I'll talk about a lot because she's my... She and Barry to me are like the people that I would do literally anything they say. But so one activity you can do is called who's in your box. So you have the kiddo identify like who are the people right now that you feel safe and comfortable stuttering openly with. I can have them actually, you know, draw it in a box and put their names and then who are the people just outside the box that you might consider letting in. And then who are the people that are like, wait, nope, not interested in letting them in my box right now. And so part of therapy could be some of their goals, could be creating easy, medium, and hard goals, using that as your framework. So all right, your mom is a person who's in your box. What are you willing to practice with your speech? this week, are you willing to stutter openly with her a few times at breakfast? And you get them to be very specific. Okay, there's a medium person who's just outside the box. Are you willing to talk to them for one five second hello, you know, just to get you a little bit closer to bringing them in your box? And for the outside people, like, or if they have something really high up their hierarchy, they would get like an A plus just for even doing that thing. Like, oh, I never want to give a presentation, but they're willing to do that with their teacher as a starting point. Just because they did it and they were willing to take this risk, that is kind of redefined what their success is. you know, what difference would it make if you were to bring more people into your box or your community? So, I mean, the other people in the community are, of course, their parents and their close family and how they respond to their stuttering. And, you know, there's tons out there with Palin, parent-child interaction and patient listening and low-pressure environment, talking to siblings about interruptions, things like that. But the parents need community, too. So I often will try and connect them with other parents whose child stutters, you know, they have a lot of valid things that they're thinking about. You know, even with a two-year-old, they're like, I don't know if they're going to be able to ask somebody to prom. It's like, okay, this is important to them. They're thinking way into the future. So I ask them their best hopes as well. That's another good cognitive behavioral therapy kind of. discussion where I might even meet with them separately from the child if I see that they're very anxious and I give them a list of or I ask them to say, you know, what's good enough for the outcome of their stuttering? And to kind of rank that from one to 10. If one means it's, you know, not affecting them at all and a 10, like where are you okay? And then Asking them the child's best hopes for their life in general. Oh, I want them to be a good friend and parent and have a job they love, all of those things. And then you can ask them to rate, where are they on their scale to meeting all those best hopes? And if they say, well, he's a four-year-old, so he's like a three, it's like, okay, that's fine, yeah. But what makes him not a zero? and they list all the, he's very clever and creative and independent and funny and smart. And, you know, I have them read that list back. I read it back to them and I say, what does that say about you as a parent? You know, and it's kind of a, and then I asked them again, what is your good enough after that discussion to see if it's changed? And we have seen some dramatic things where they're like, I absolutely want negative five stuttering, don't want it to happen at all. And then after we have this discussion, they realize they've got a great, amazing kid on their hands, it's going to be fine no matter whether they stutter or not. Then they normally adjust that. So that's another really awesome activity for parents that I've found to be successful. And then teachers or other people in the community, of course, I know a lot of SLPs are working in the schools. I encourage my clients to write letters to their teacher and there's a little, you know, there are some templates out there, but mostly it's about to say, you know, these are the kinds of things that I like and this is what my stuttering is like and this is what helps me. And also if they want to talk to them about how presentations might go or. how I choose to kind of raise, I will participate, but please call on me when I raise my hand rather than just like cold calling me. And another member of the community, of course, is teachers. So I work with my kiddos to write a letter to the teacher. So that could say things like, you know, these are the kinds of things that I like. This is what my stuttering sounds like. This is what helps me in the classroom so that you can... so I can participate fully. And then I work with the family to decide, does the kiddo give it to the teacher themselves? Do the parents, are they involved at all? I basically let that be the kiddo's choice, what their comfort is. And then they might have a conversation about, oh, I prefer to raise my hand before you call on me, as opposed to just being cold called, those kinds of things. And so many people may not know. I know a lot of people feel like, They're going through their stuttering alone, but there is a huge, we call it the Stamily. So the stuttering family is enormous and very enthusiastic and supportive. So we have the National Stuttering Association chapter. I've been to the conference like five times. Every time you like vibrate from the energy, I never want it to stop. I totally encourage people to connect with those groups. We allow people to join our group by Zoom. So if anybody doesn't have a chapter and you wanna join our chapter, please just contact me. Friends has great groups that meet. There's lots of camps. I would recommend any way that you can connect anybody to anybody else who stutters because you're definitely not alone. There's this amazing group called Sisters Who Stutter for teens, specifically girls. I love them. Really great advocacy. I highly recommend them. And so, you know, part of this is you're an individual in a community, so you have to also learn to cope with people's responses, which sometimes are going to be rude or not nice. And so part of therapy too is like helping them tolerate that and, you know, get some mantras in your head like, let them think what they think, I can't control how other people react. You know, so we do build in some cognitive messaging around that. I do some predicting and checking the evidence because there's a lot of anticipation anxiety that goes into, they're going to give me the evil eye or I just am guessing that they're going to be rude. We say, okay, yeah, make your prediction and then see what actually happened. If they did give you the stink eye, what else could that have been? It could have been about your speech, but it could be because they ate a weird burrito and they don't feel good. they're late to class or somebody in their family, something happened. And so we just don't wanna always assume it might be about their stuttering. So one activity I do when I leave the clinic with clients is we have this big at University of Vermont, we have this big student center. And so I'll go down to where the people are and I have the person who stutters up on the stairs so they cannot hear me. And I say, okay, you tell me whether I stuttered. just by the reaction of the person that I talk to, right? So they can't hear me, they can't hear if I'm stuttering, they're just looking at the person I'm talking to. And then I'll go up and say, okay, what do you think? Did I stutter or not? They're like, oh, you definitely stuttered because they looked uncomfortable and they ran away from you. And I was like, okay, all right. On that one, I did not stutter. So what else could have been going on? know, oh, they were late for class. We come up with a bunch of different reasons. So anyway, I like that. That's called predicting and checking the evidence, basically, to help learn to undo some assumptions that might be happening. So yeah, that's my community box, I would say. Yeah, I love that. And I love the approach of thinking about, OK, what can we do to educate parents and teachers, but then also helping the clients come up with strategies of because we can't run like, of course, the goal of stuttering awareness would be for everyone to be accepting and all that. But that's likely not going to be the case. So I love incorporating those strategies of just coping with those rude responses, because I think unfortunately, that's just it's life no matter whether we stutter or whatever, whether we have like brown hair, pink hair, whatever it is, there's always going to be that. So I love that. Okay, should we dive into the society piece? Oh yeah, okay, sure. Okay, this is the big one. I know, well, this is a good one in the sense that I think the tide is turning. There's more and more awareness and more people having their voices be heard. So yes, that is the driving force of the normalized stuttering movement. And I've asked people who stutter, you know, when will we know when stuttering is normalized? What is the day where we can be like, okay, we kind of, made it. And so people have said, you know, when there's a person who stutters on a TV show and it's not a big deal, right? And I just heard a podcast because Mark Winsky consulted on the Penguin series. And there is an actor there who does not stutter who he consulted with to help stutter authentically. And I'm like, that is a good baby step because a major production company decided very intentionally to have a character who stutters and they were very good about consulting people who stutter to make it honor and align with what their, as best they could, their real experiences are. So I think that's a good first step, but... you know, where is that actor that's just in a show that, you know, you don't make a big deal, he just stutters and he's just, you know, going about life. And another person said that stuttering will be normalized when we could say that we stutter just as easily as we say our pronouns. You know, and pronouns haven't, that was a relatively recent shift where this is, you know, just what we do. And wouldn't that be great if you could just say, Hi, I'm Dan Rye Stutterer and I use she her pronouns. So to me in the society side of things, there's strength in numbers too. So there's like 81 million people who stutter on the earth. You literally can make the largest nicest street gang ever. Like if you really banded together, you have the power of numbers. And so literally every stuttered voice that comes out chips away at that. So the more the better. So every voice is a baby step to that kind of change of normalizing. So I encourage people to take up space, put your authentic self forward. Don't feel like you have to hide it. You know, do the opposite to the degree that you're comfortable and just step into your full power and stutter. I think that's the actual change. Change making is the actual voices of people stutter and other allies, you know, supporting that and giving that platform to them. So that's why I'm trying to make a dent in that process myself. But yeah, the normalized stuttering challenge was a part of that. So I told you before that we lost a child who stutters to suicide. And so he was 12 years old, devastating, right? This is the kind of thing that like permanently changes your life. And I had worked with him for seven years, and I wasn't working with him at the time. And, you know, there's just so much wrapped up in that that is painful. And I was really motivated because of that. And more recently, an article came out in People Magazine about his death, because his mom is advocating for rights at the state level to protect people from that. And the article came out, so I'm seeing pictures of Ryan, you know, in a magazine that I got off the shelf, you know, from a grocery store. And on that same day, Trump had made fun of Biden's stutter. And so something like changed inside of myself, like this needs to stop, right? Like we need to, as a society, not laugh at these things. Like it's of grave importance. And so the normalized stuttering challenge was for people to take a video of themselves. And if they stutter, they say, stutter and I'm worth listening to. And for allies do say, if you stutter, I'm listening. so I helped spread this out with some colleagues from stutterology, Ezra, Mackenzie from Talking Town Books, who's a kiddo who stutters and she wrote a book. which I'll recommend too, and Martha's speech, who's now from Young Stutters. So we helped spread that and it was amazing. I think on day two, I heard from somebody in Africa who made the video. I mean, it went really fast and so exciting to see people be like, this was really hard for me. I didn't want to do it. I'm never on social media. And those are the voices that stand up. And then the people who love them also making the videos. Anyway, so that I'm kind of like wanting to do more of to keep bringing in, making the community wider in those ways. And I was pleasantly surprised because I think we're all like, oh, if you go on social media, people are going to troll you and be meanies, right, to the people that you care about. And I literally read every message of anybody who did a video because every time they came in, I was like, ah, so excited. No negative messages. anywhere, like literally none. And so I think it was nice to see that if you're brave and you show your authentic self, people respond positively. So I'm trying to come up with something else like that to do the next round of Stuttering Awareness Week. I'm thinking something like, I won't shut up, something like that. You I won't shut up until stuttering is normalized, something like that. But anyway. Yeah, to me, those are the global things that are happening and that people are responding to and willing to do at this point, which is a good sign for society's change, I think. Yeah, I think that's so incredibly powerful. And I don't have personal experience with the stuttering side of things in terms of that being my lived experience, but I've had experiences with other things that I've struggled with and just getting to see I think not feeling alone is the big thing. And then just seeing people navigate it in a positive way, like, oh, this doesn't have to be like a horrible thing. I think that can be really powerful. And I just love your creativity and navigating that. That's great. And then I'll put your Instagram account in the show notes too. So for anyone listening, if you're curious kind of what this looks like. And yeah. Like if they follow you, then they can join in next time you do the challenge and all of that. This is really cool. Okay, so the majority of speech therapists who listen to this podcast are in the schools. So do you have any, and a lot of what you shared is absolutely applicable and can be used, but do you have any like other ideas or suggestions? Cause I feel like, Being in the school community, we have the opportunity to have our own stuttering challenge as one example. But have you come up with any other ideas or anything else you want to speak to in terms of SLPs in the schools navigating this? Yeah, sure. So I'd say number one is first getting them access to the services, right? I know we hear from a lot of people who say, I know they stutter. They do not meet the criteria to be on my caseload. These are smart kiddos who fly under the radar. They're not standing out in any other way. So we talk a bit about adverse effect and going beyond just academics too. That can be sometimes a way to get students in. So for example, there's a questionnaire that we use called the TASCC. So T-A-S-C-C, I'll link it, but the Teacher Assessment of Student Communicative Competence. So that's for kiddos grades one to five. I sometimes give that to the teacher because it helps identify if there are other participation things that are affected at school that could count for adverse effect if needed. So like participation in field trips, after school activities, it's not just the sitting down in class parts. It's anything to do with their day. And we definitely want to help catch that before avoidance behaviors become habits. So anyway, once we get kiddos on the caseload, if you make it that far, which is great, I do everything that we talked about before. So like the speech machine, the awareness, helping them learn about stuttering and expanding their community. being mindful of their readiness levels and toxic positivity. You know, that part, don't, you know, I may come off as rah-rah, but I'm very delicate about those early stages with the kiddos. They need time. And don't underestimate the power and importance of developing a trusting relationship first. You know, they need to, if you're going to ask them to walk naked through a minefield, they're going to need to trust you first. If you want them to be honest with you and raw about their real experiences, you need to validate where they're at and not try and push them too far too fast. So I don't make assumptions about where people are. I need to ask and listen. And generally, tools are annoying and unsustainable. If you're talking about things that the old set of tools like fluency shaping and things like that and do this, do that, it's just not effective in terms of these are little kiddos self-monitoring certain things constantly. It's just not feasible, not for adults. Like I say, think about if I asked you how many times that you blink during a day, it's like, okay, I've made it 12 seconds and now I'm done. Right? So instead, we need that relationship built and start doing these things to help take risks and accept themselves fully as people who stutter. So counseling skills really come into that. And I think that's where student clinicians get very uncomfortable. They're worried about saying the wrong thing. So even though we're speech people, I definitely listen more than I talk. And some of the strategies that are just full proof would be waiting a full 30 seconds after you say something or ask them a question. And that's good for introverts and for any person who stutters because you're giving them the chance to be their own expert. I really resist the expert role. You know, they'll say directly to me, like, well, what do you think? And I like to just boomerang it right back to them and like, this sounds important to you. What was your take on it? I just kind of refuse and give them the autonomy because we want them to be their own clinicians. We don't want them to overly rely on us. And so if you've got a kiddo who's kind of like, you wait the full 30 seconds and they're like, I don't know. I say, well, if you did know, what would you say? And amazingly, most kids answer that second part question. So I just kind of relentlessly put them in the driver's seat, I guess is how I would describe that. I'm also very aware of the language that I use. like instead of how was this week? Because many people would be like, well, I had a bad day on this day and I, you know, whatever happened. So instead I like to frame it as what are you proud of this week? And similar to what that other student said, you know, for him it was what did you do that would make your younger self proud? So I do recommend if people are interested in counseling, they learn a bit about motivational interviewing. There's quite a lot of that in other medical professions. There's a lot of resources. I'm happy to share some of the ones that I have. But it's a way to listen to the core message and reflect back to them and kind of tag it with their values as well. So like if a kiddo says, I want to be fluent before next year, before next school year. you could say, hey, great, and what would be different if that happened? You can turn it into like a discussion point. So they have to verbalize like what all the things that would be different if that happened. And then they might say, oh, I'd walk with my head up high and talk to everybody. And so you've just learned that their value is confidence, right? Right now they're not doing those things, they're hiding away. So that would bring them confidence. And then you can always attach what you're doing and make goals related to that. In schools, I know this is hard, but if you can work closely with the family, I think it's the most effective to not work in a vacuum. That one hour with you a week, ideally, or whatever you're able to do is just, it's gonna be so much better supported if the family's involved. When I was in a school, I met after school at lunch breaks. That would be something that you would have to decide your willingness to do. but I found it to be far more effective. So, and then you can do a lot of the classic kind of supports like the iceberg, know, what's above the surface, what's below the surface. If there's another kid who stutters in the school, even if they're older, I would put them together, you know, as a little mentor relationship. The older one will like supporting the little, the little will be like, wow, look at this cool older person. You know, I'm a middle-aged lady who does not stutter. I am not the cool person in the room, right? So I'm very intentional about if there isn't anybody who stutters in the school. The National Stuttering Association used to have a mentorship program where they will pair you by interest, you know, like a person who loves basketball. And they don't have that anymore formally, but... I know that if you wrote them and said, I'm looking for somebody in Phoenix who likes fishing, I'm sure that they would find a way to put them person together with them. I would really encourage that. SLPs come to our National Stuttering Association meetings with them, and some kids are really shy. And so we say, you don't even have to have your camera on. You know, talk to us in the chat. We just want you to be there and to listen, and it's totally fine. And then eventually they normally kind of get in. there's also lots of really good books for kids who stutter, like I mentioned before, Talking Town book. Daniel the Digger, very cute. I read that with my niece. And she said, oh, I talk like Daniel sometimes too. I'm like, yes. You know, that's so true. So stuttering, you just have to find what motivates them. So sometimes we'll do a stuttering project. That would be good at a school. You know, maybe they want to make a Jeopardy game. You can make that on Jeopardy Labs. Some kids like to make little flyers about how to listen to people stutter. We've had kids make movies or board games, all kinds of things. And if kids are brave enough, they might do a school presentation, you know, so you could definitely facilitate that. They can participate to the degree they want. Some kids like to plan it but not participate. Other kids like to be right up front there. Sometimes I'll bring in a cool older person who stutters to help with that. We have done a Jeopardy game, the finger traps, just like when you're blocking. There's this what would you do video where there's, I think it was, Well, Mark Winsky, the person who helped on the Penguin movie, he was the actor in that and he was being made fun of at a restaurant. And we kind of talked with the kids, what would you do in this case kind of thing. So anyway, I'm a big proponent of focusing goals, even if you're in a school, on the avoidance reduction kind of values, which would be more about joy, sincerity, authenticity, confidence, spontaneity. connection, efficiency, effortlessness. And there's a really great article, Syskin and Goldstein, 2022, which I can share, that has a lot of really good, very practical ideas for how to do these things, which would totally be easy in a school. Yeah. That's amazing. So many incredible resources. Yeah, the show notes are going to be full. And no, but this is amazing because I feel like you did such a nice job of breaking it down and giving really practical examples of what this could actually look like. Because sometimes in presentations, they'll talk about incorporating counseling and it's like, but what does it look like? And I feel like you just gave us a million different examples, which is so empowering. And you did it in such a beautiful way. So before we close out, do you have any last things you wanted to share? Well, I have a few other resources if that helps the SLPs out there. So I mentioned a couple of times ART, so that stands for avoidance reduction therapy. So Vivian Siskin, she has a, it's called openstuttering.org on YouTube and she's done some beautiful videos there. There's also real people. there who have gone through the program. I really encourage people to just go there and listen. She's doing Coffee with Sarah McIntyre. Awesome. I could listen to them all day. Obviously, the National Stuttering Association, totally life changing for many people. You can find them at westutter.org. I know you interviewed Nina Reeves and Scott Yarris. they have stuttering therapy resources and this great verbal diversity movement, which is really in alignment with these things that we've been talking about. And it has a structured way to talk about these things with kids who stutter. And if they're really into art or however they want to express themselves, they can make it however they want. but it gives a nice structure. And then at Sparrow, they have a really excellent video about, families, that I think is good really for anybody to watch, but that's something else that I can link. Talked a lot about readiness. Naomi Rogers from Iowa, great article about that. I can share it as well. And the 8,000 things we're sharing in the show notes. Definitely follow people who stutter who are on Instagram. I like people like Caitlin Cohen who's, you know, a regular person who stutters who just talks openly about it. Sisters who stutter, all kinds of people. Mark Winski's out there, stutterology. There's just a million. I would encourage you to listen. And when you're doing the famous people who stutter, I know that we asked a lot of people who actually don't stutter anymore. And we're kind of moving away from that, right? So there are people like Michael Crest and, know, Emily Blunt, did hear she still, I heard an interview with her. She still does sometimes stutter. George Springer, who's a baseball player. You know, Elvis stuttered his whole life. So I try and find more people who continue to stutter. when we're talking about famous people. So I guess my message too that I hope people who stutter would take from this and maybe you can carry this forward in your work as SLPs is that fluency is overrated. We're encouraging our students to take back their power, be big, make sure they know that their stuttered voice has value. We're listening to them. They deserve to be heard. They're not alone and do not shut up. I think those are my final messages. I love that. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and expertise. This was incredible podcast. Again, chock full of resources. So thank you. And yeah, thank you to everyone for listening to you. And that's a wrap.

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FAQ

What is a joyful approach to stuttering therapy?

The joyful approach shifts the focus away from forcing perfect fluency and instead emphasizes connection, self-advocacy, and authentic communication. To hear Dr. Danra Kazenski's insights and learn how to implement tools like The Joyful Scale in your speech room, listen to the full episode on the SLP Now podcast.

How do you write goals for a student who stutters?

Effective stuttering goals should be person-centered and prioritize participation over a lack of disfluencies. You can focus on functional wins like raising a hand in class, sharing a joke, or expanding a student's comfort zone. For a breakdown of how to write these goals and use activities like The Speech Machine, check out the full guide on the SLP Now blog.

What is Avoidance Reduction Therapy (ART) for stuttering?

Avoidance Reduction Therapy encourages students to face their stuttering experiences directly rather than hiding or masking them, which builds true confidence and reduces the emotional burden of speaking. We discuss how to adapt ART for school-aged students in this episode of the SLP Now podcast, and you can grab related goal-writing resources inside the SLP Now membership.

Gestalt Language Processing: Complete Guide For K–12 SLPs

April 11, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

If you’ve been hearing more about Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) lately, you’re not alone! Whether you’re brand new to the concept or you’re already supporting gestalt language processors on your caseload, this guide is here to walk you through everything you need to know.

We’ve pulled together our favorite resources and podcast episodes into one easy-to-navigate hub, so you can explore topics like:

The different stages of GLP
Writing IEP goals for gestalt language processors
Collecting meaningful data
Supporting AAC users who process language gestalty …and more!

Each section below links out to a deeper dive, so you can bookmark what’s most relevant to you and revisit it when you need a refresher.

Ready to get started? Let’s break it down—starting with the basics.

What is Gestalt Language Processing?

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is a natural way of developing language—just not the way most speech therapy textbooks teach it.

Instead of starting with single words and building up, gestalt language processors begin by learning whole chunks or scripts of language (think: “Let’s go!” or lines from favorite shows). These chunks are called gestalts. Over time, with the right support, children break these down into smaller parts and eventually build flexible, original sentences.

So instead of going from “cookie” ➝ “want cookie” ➝ “I want a cookie,” a gestalt processor might go from “I want a cookie now!” ➝ “cookie now!” ➝ “cookie”—and then work their way back up again in their own unique way.

This is very different from analytic language processing (which is the typical word-by-word route). And understanding that difference is key to supporting these learners effectively.

“Analytic language processors are referred to as ‘word babies’. Gestalt language processors are known as ‘intonation babies’.”

– Jessica Teixeira, M.S., CCC-SLP

Want a deeper dive into how it all works? Check out our full podcast episode on The Journey to Understanding GLP with Jessica Teixeira.

Understanding Gestalt Language Processing Stages

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) unfolds in distinct stages, each marking a pivotal point in a child’s language development journey. Recognizing these stages enables us to tailor our support effectively, meeting each child where they are.

Stage 1: Delayed Echolalia (Whole Gestalts)
Children use entire phrases or scripts they’ve heard before, often tied to specific contexts or emotions. For example, a child might say, “Time to clean up!” after hearing it during classroom transitions.

Stage 2: Mitigated Gestalts (Partial Gestalts)
Children begin modifying or combining parts of these scripts. They might shorten “Time to clean up!” to “Clean up!” or mix it with another phrase.

Stage 3: Single Words and Two-Word Combinations
At this stage, children start isolating single words from their gestalts and using them flexibly. They may say “Clean” or combine words like “Want toy.”

Stage 4: Original Phrases and Simple Sentences
Children create novel phrases and simple sentences using their vocabulary, such as “I want toy.”

Stages 5 and 6: Complex Sentences and Advanced Language
Language becomes more complex and grammatically advanced, with children forming sentences like “I want to play with the toy after lunch.”

Understanding these stages allows us to provide appropriate interventions and support at each level.

As Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP, explains:

“One of the critical aspects of Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is its natural, spontaneous nature. This isn’t anything taught or instructed or a repeat-after-me scenario. It’s picked up voluntarily and used spontaneously in another situation.”

For a more in-depth exploration of these stages, listen to our podcast episode, Gestalt Language Processing Stages: Complete Guide for SLPs with Marge Blanc.

Identifying Gestalt Language Processors in the Classroom

Spotting a gestalt language processor (GLP) isn’t always obvious—especially in a busy K–12 setting. But once you know what to look for, the signs become much clearer.

Here are some common characteristics of gestalt language processors:

They often use scripts or echolalia—phrases they’ve heard in specific contexts (like movies, books, or adults around them).
Their language may sound rich or complex, but it might not always match the situation.
You might hear intonation patterns that seem “off” or overly dramatic (think sing-songy speech or mimicking voices).
They may use the same phrases repeatedly before gradually changing them or mixing them with others.

These learners often shine when supported in the right way—but they may fly under the radar without someone recognizing their unique language processing style.

If you’re unsure whether a student is a gestalt language processor, try observing how they use language:

Are they creating flexible combinations of words, or repeating long phrases?
Do their scripts appear meaningful to them, even if out of context?
Do they repeat things exactly as they heard them, with the same tone and rhythm?

Understanding how to identify GLPs is the first step to supporting them effectively—and making sure their amazing voices are truly heard.

Gestalt Language Processing and Autism

You might be wondering—how does Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) relate to autism?

Many autistic individuals are natural gestalt language processors. That means instead of learning language word-by-word (like analytic processors), they learn in larger chunks or “gestalts”—often tied to specific contexts, emotions, or sensory experiences.

For example, an autistic child might say “Let’s get out of here!” every time they want to leave a noisy environment—not because they were directly taught to say that, but because it felt right in that moment. These scripts are meaningful and functional—they’re just processed differently.

It’s important to remember:

Not all autistic students are GLPs.
And not all GLPs are autistic.
But there’s definitely a strong overlap—and understanding this connection can help us create more affirming and effective therapy.

As Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP, explains:

Supporting autistic gestalt processors means meeting them where they are, honoring their scripts as valid communication, and helping them progress through the GLP stages at their own pace.

When we understand the “why” behind their language, everything shifts—and that’s when the real connection happens.

Integrating Gestalt Speech Therapy in a K–12 School-Based Setting

If you’re a school-based SLP supporting gestalt language processors, you might be wondering: How do I actually make this work within my current school setting?

The good news? You’re probably already doing more than you think. The key is to shift your lens from “fixing” scripts to supporting language development through the GLP stages.

Here’s what that might look like:

Observe and validate scripts instead of trying to eliminate them.
That repetitive phrase your student always uses? It’s not just a “stim” or a filler—it’s communication. Start by listening and identifying what stage they’re in.
Model language that’s one step ahead.
If they’re at Stage 1 and using long gestalts like “Time to go to Grandma’s house!”, you can model shorter mitigations like “Go Grandma’s.”
Create natural opportunities to hear and use new gestalts.
Set up routines, sensory-rich activities, and favorite themes that allow for lots of modeling and repetition.
Collaborate with teachers and aides.
Share simple language modeling strategies they can use in the classroom throughout the day. No fancy visuals required—just consistent exposure and support.
Adjust your data collection and goal writing.
Instead of focusing on how many single words a student can produce, focus on how they’re moving through the stages and using language more flexibly.

The beauty of GLP is that it can absolutely fit into a school-based model—it just takes a little reframing.

And if you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry. The rest of this guide will walk you through writing goals, collecting data, and supporting AAC users who are gestalt processors.

Gestalt Language Processing IEP Goals

Writing effective IEP goals for gestalt language processors doesn’t mean scrapping everything you know about goal writing—it just means tweaking your approach to align with how your student processes language.

Here are a few guiding principles:

Focus on communication functions and stages
Rather than targeting individual words or MLU, goals should reflect the student’s current GLP stage and help guide them to the next one.
Use naturalistic, functional language
Goals should support the student’s ability to use language in real-life contexts—not just during structured therapy sessions.
Emphasize flexibility and variety
Instead of repeating the same gestalt over and over, we want to support the use of varied, spontaneous scripts or mitigations.

For example, instead of:

“Student will use 10 new nouns in 4-word utterances with 80% accuracy…”

You might write:

“Student will spontaneously use 3 novel Stage 2 mitigated gestalts across 2 different daily routines.”

And remember—progress might look different from your typical analytic language learners. But that doesn’t mean it’s not progress!

As Katja Piscitelli, M.S., CCC-SLP, shares:

“What’s important is that we’re writing goals that truly reflect the child’s current stage and give us a path forward. We’re not trying to skip steps or make them sound more ‘typical’—we’re supporting the way they naturally process language.”
– Katja Piscitelli, M.S., CCC-SLP
Listen to the full episode on GLP goal writing with Katja

Data Collection in Gestalt Language Processing

Collecting data for Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs) requires a shift from traditional methods to approaches that capture the nuances of spontaneous language use. Standardized tests may not effectively reflect the abilities of GLPs, especially those in the early stages of language development. Instead, focusing on natural language samples provides a more accurate picture.

Strategies for Effective Data Collection:

Prioritize Spontaneous Language Samples: Engage students in natural interactions to observe and document authentic language use.
Utilize Audio and Video Recording: With appropriate permissions, recordings can capture the context and intonation of language use, offering valuable insights during later analysis.
Implement Structured Rubrics: Tools like Marge Blanc’s Natural Language Acquisition framework can assist in categorizing and assessing language samples effectively.
Collaborate with Families and Educators: Gather observations from various environments to understand the student’s communication skills across different contexts.

Alexandria Zachos, M.S., CCC-SLP, emphasizes the importance of this approach:

“If you know how to take spontaneous language samples, that’s your data. And that’s definitely a mindset switch for SLPs.”
– Alexandria Zachos, M.S., CCC-SLP
Listen to the full episode on GLP Data Collection with Alexandria Zachos

By adopting these strategies, SLPs can develop a comprehensive understanding of a GLP’s abilities, leading to more personalized and effective intervention plans.

The Role of AAC in Gestalt Language Processing

When supporting Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs), incorporating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can be a game-changer. AAC provides additional modalities for communication, allowing GLPs to express themselves more effectively as they navigate through the stages of language development.

Key Considerations for Integrating AAC with GLP

Use robust AAC systems.
Make sure the AAC device or app includes a wide range of vocabulary that supports whole gestalts and the eventual move toward flexible, original language.
Model with natural intonation.
GLPs are “intonation babies,” and even when we’re modeling on a device, it helps to pair those models with expressive tone and rhythm.
Prioritize qualitative data.
Instead of tracking how many words a student says, focus on how they’re using language functionally in real contexts. Are they initiating? Combining? Modifying their gestalts?

As Laura Hayes, M.S., CCC-SLP, explains:

“Gestalt language processing is not a treatment method, but it’s really important to understand because it impacts how we can provide implementation supports and strategies and how someone might move to flexible, autonomous language.”

You can hear more from Laura in our full episode on AAC and Gestalt Language Processing.

With the right AAC supports in place, GLPs have more ways to express themselves, connect with others, and grow their language—on their own terms.

Gestalt Language Processing Examples and Applications

Putting theory into practice is where the magic happens. Whether you’re just starting to support gestalt language processors or looking to fine-tune your therapy sessions, real-life examples can help bring it all together.

Here are a few ways GLP shows up in therapy and the classroom:

Example 1: Early Gestalt Modeling in Circle Time

Let’s say a student consistently uses the script “Let’s go to Grandma’s house!” when it’s time to transition. Instead of redirecting or correcting them, you might model a shorter, related gestalt like “Let’s go!” or “Time to go!” to support movement toward Stage 2.

Example 2: Visual Supports with Favorite Themes

Using visuals tied to a student’s favorite show or routine (like Bluey or lunch time) can help you model gestalts that are meaningful and motivating. For instance, pairing a visual of Bluey with a modeled phrase like “Bluey’s turn!” makes language more accessible.

Example 3: Collaboration with Classroom Staff

A teacher reports that a student says “It’s gonna be a great day!” every morning. Instead of treating that as a “script to extinguish,” you might encourage classroom staff to mirror the student’s excitement and introduce new morning phrases like “Let’s get started!” or “Ready to learn!”

These little tweaks make a big impact—and the more you notice and respond to your student’s current stage, the more progress you’ll see.

More Gestalt Language Processing Resources

Looking to dive even deeper into Gestalt Language Processing? We’ve got you covered.

Below is a curated list of some of our most popular (and practical!) resources, created specifically for school-based SLPs:

The Journey to Understanding GLP
A foundational episode that breaks down what GLP is and why it matters, featuring Jessica Teixeira, M.S., CCC-SLP.
GLP Stages: Complete Guide for SLPs
A detailed look at the GLP stages with expert insights from Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP.
Writing Goals for Gestalt Language Processors
Goal-writing tips and examples from Katja Piscitelli, M.S., CCC-SLP.
Data Collection for GLPs
Practical strategies for tracking progress, with Alexandria Zachos, M.S., CCC-SLP.
AAC and GLP
Learn how AAC fits into GLP therapy, featuring AAC specialist Laura Hayes, M.S., CCC-SLP.

You can bookmark this hub and revisit it anytime. Whether you’re prepping for an IEP meeting, looking for therapy ideas, or just need a little GLP refresher—it’s all here.

Conclusion

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is more than a therapy approach—it’s a lens through which we can better understand how many of our students learn and use language.

By recognizing the stages of GLP, writing meaningful IEP goals, collecting the right kind of data, and considering tools like AAC, we’re able to support our gestalt language processors in ways that are both effective and affirming.

And the best part? You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Each section of this guide links to deeper dives, expert interviews, and real-world strategies that are designed with school-based SLPs in mind.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your GLP support, we’re here to help every step of the way.

✨ Be sure to explore the full GLP series linked throughout this guide for even more tools, tips, and takeaways you can use right away.

You’ve got this!

FAQ: Gestalt Language Processing

What is the gestalt processing of language?

Gestalt Language Processing is a way of learning language in chunks rather than single words. These “gestalts” are often full phrases picked up from conversations, media, or routines. Over time, these chunks get broken down and re-combined into flexible, original language.

Is gestalt language processing autism?

No—but many autistic individuals are gestalt language processors. Not all autistic students process language this way, and not all gestalt processors are autistic. That said, there’s a strong overlap, and understanding GLP can be especially helpful when supporting autistic students.

How do you tell if a child is a gestalt language learner?

You might notice they:

Use long, scripted phrases that don’t always match the context
Repeat things they’ve heard (including intonation!)
Have “rich” language that doesn’t seem flexible yet

We’ve included a checklist in this guide to help you identify potential GLPs in the classroom!

Is gestalt language processing legitimate?

Yes—GLP is a well-documented, evidence-supported way that many individuals acquire language. Research from professionals like Marge Blanc, Alexandria Zachos, and the other GLP experts mentioned in this post, has helped bring this natural learning style into the spotlight, especially in neurodiversity-affirming practices.

FAQ

What is Gestalt Language Processing (GLP)?

GLP is a natural way some individuals acquire language, learning in whole phrases or "chunks" before breaking them down, unlike traditional word-by-word analytic processing. To hear a full breakdown of how to identify a gestalt processor on your caseload, listen to our podcast episode with Jessica Teixeira or read the full guide on SLP Now.

What are the stages of Gestalt Language Processing?

There are six distinct stages in the Natural Language Acquisition framework, starting with delayed echolalia (whole scripts) and moving toward self-generated, complex grammar. To learn how to support a student at each specific stage without burning out, listen to our complete guide episode with Marge Blanc or explore the SLP Now blog.

How do I write speech therapy goals for Gestalt Language Processors?

Instead of targeting traditional MLU or single-word vocabulary, your goals should focus on spontaneous, self-generated communication and moving through the GLP stages. For step-by-step examples and to learn how to write these goals effectively, check out our goal-writing episode with Katja Piscitelli or download the resources inside the SLP Now membership.

The IEP Process for SLPs: Timeline, Checklists + Templates

April 7, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

In the ever-evolving world of school-based speech-language pathology, efficiency and clarity are more important than ever—especially when it comes to IEPs.

The IEP process can feel like a juggling act — from assessments and meetings to writing goals and tracking progress, there’s a lot to manage. For school-based SLPs, efficiency isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential. That’s why we created this guide: to help you streamline your workload and bring more clarity and calm to your IEP process.

In this expert guide, SLP and creator of SLP Now, Marisha Mets, shares tried-and-true strategies to simplify each step — from prepping paperwork to running effective meetings and writing impactful goals. Whether you’re a seasoned SLP or just starting out, you’ll find practical tools and tips to help you save time, stay organized, and feel more confident in your IEP work.

Let’s dive in!

Understanding the IEP Components

As a school-based SLP, getting familiar with the building blocks of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is key to managing your caseload more efficiently. When you understand how all the pieces fit together, the process becomes less overwhelming — and a lot more manageable.

Overview of IEP Parts

An IEP is more than just a document — it’s a blueprint for a student’s educational support. Each section plays a specific role in making sure the student gets exactly what they need to succeed. While formats can vary slightly by district, most IEPs include:

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP): A snapshot of where the student currently is.
Annual Goals: Specific, measurable targets the student will work toward.
Special Education Services and Supports: What the student needs to meet those goals — including time, frequency, and setting.
Accommodations and Modifications: Supports to help the student access the curriculum.
Progress Monitoring Plans: How you’ll track whether the student is on track to meet their goals.
Placement Information: Where the student will receive services.

Key IEP Components Explained

Let’s take a closer look at a few sections that SLPs often contribute to:

PLAAFP Statements: This is your opportunity to summarize the student’s current communication strengths and needs using clear, data-driven observations. It sets the stage for writing meaningful goals.
Goals: Think “EPIC” — Explicit, Purposeful, Individualized, and Contextual. These should tie directly back to the student’s needs as outlined in the PLAAFP.
Service Delivery: Be specific about the frequency, duration, and setting of speech services. Transparency here helps the entire IEP team understand the plan and stay accountable.

“SLP Now can help with all of the forms and assessments.. you plug your IEPs into the system. And then you load checklists based on your students’ needs… the checklist has all of the forms attached. It has the present levels assessments and all the important steps that you can totally streamline the process…”

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

The IEP Evaluation Process

Before an IEP can even begin, we need to determine whether a student qualifies for special education services — and that starts with evaluation. For SLPs, this step is crucial. It’s where we gather the data that drives the entire plan.

How to Get an IEP: Initial Steps

The process typically begins with a referral, which may come from a teacher, parent, or even an SLP during routine screenings. Once a referral is made, the team gets parent consent to begin evaluation. From there, the clock starts ticking — timelines vary by state, but staying on top of these deadlines is key.

Pro tip: Review your upcoming evaluations at the start of each month. If you’ve got 10 due in February and 30 in March, build a plan that spreads the work out. It’s all about working ahead where you can.

IEP Assessment and Testing: Methods & Examples

Once evaluations are greenlit, it’s time to collect data. This can include:

Standardized assessments
Curriculum-based measures
Language sampling
Observations
Input from parents and teachers

And don’t forget: Present levels assessments aren’t just a formality. They’re the foundation for setting realistic and measurable goals. Having a solid process (and tools to support it) ensures you don’t miss a step.

Whether you’re using your own forms or leaning on tools like SLP Now, organizing your evaluation materials and having checklists at the ready can help ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

➡️ For a deeper dive into how to streamline your assessments, check out this expert guide on SLP assessment best practices and tools.

The IEP Development Process

Once evaluations are complete and a student is found eligible, it’s time to put the plan together — and that’s where the real magic happens. Developing an IEP can feel like a heavy lift, but with the right strategies, you can make this process more streamlined and effective.

How is an IEP Developed?

The IEP team — which typically includes the SLP, classroom teacher, special education teacher, administrator, and the student’s parent or guardian — comes together to review evaluation data and determine how to support the student moving forward.

As an SLP, your input is critical when it comes to communication goals and services. This is your chance to translate assessment data into a meaningful, individualized plan.

Steps in Creating an IEP

Review the Data: This includes present levels assessments, input from the team, classroom performance, and any standardized testing.
Draft the PLAAFP: Start with clear, objective information about the student’s current strengths and challenges.
Write the Goals: These should directly stem from the PLAAFP and be specific, measurable, and relevant to the student’s educational needs.
Plan Services and Supports: Define how much therapy time the student needs, and where it will occur (e.g., in the classroom, in a pull-out session).
Progress Monitoring: Outline how you’ll track student growth, including tools, frequency, and reporting methods.

Tip: Creating Effective IEP Goals

Writing strong goals is one of the most time-consuming parts of the process — but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re using a tool like SLP Now, the system can actually recommend goals based on your assessment data. You can also build a goal bank from well-written past IEPs or collaborate with colleagues to create a shared resource.

Use templates and goal-writing frameworks to maintain consistency and ensure your goals are:

Based on objective data
Focused on functional outcomes
Easy to monitor

➡️ For more guidance, check out this expert guide on writing IEP goals for SLPs.

“If you use our present levels assessment, curriculum-based assessments, it’ll recommend goals based on how your students are performing… you can collect that baseline data, have that progress monitoring set up… and we also have evidence-backed materials for all of the goals, as well as strategies to help you target them effectively.”

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

IEP Process Timeline

When juggling a full caseload, staying on top of deadlines is half the battle. A clear understanding of the IEP process timeline can save you from last-minute stress and ensure compliance every step of the way.

Key Milestones in the IEP Process

While exact timelines vary by state, most IEP processes follow a similar flow. Here are the key stages SLPs should keep in mind:

Referral Received: The clock starts here. Once a referral is made, evaluations typically must begin within 30–60 days.
Evaluation Conducted: Assessments are completed and results compiled — this is where your data collection tools come in handy.
Eligibility Meeting: The team meets to determine if the student qualifies for services.
IEP Meeting Scheduled: Must occur within a specific window after the eligibility decision (often within 30 days).
Annual Review: Each IEP must be reviewed and updated at least once per year.
Triennial Re-evaluation: Required every three years to reassess the student’s needs and eligibility.

Scheduling Tips to Stay on Track

One of the best ways to manage your timeline is to plan backward from due dates. If you know you have 10 IEPs due in a given month, block out time weekly to chip away at the paperwork. Even 30-minute sessions can help prevent end-of-month scrambles.

Use a shared calendar with reminders for evaluation and meeting deadlines.
Batch similar tasks (e.g., complete all assessments in one week, write all PLAAFPs in another).
Protect your work time by setting office hours or “do not disturb” blocks.

[Template] IEP Process Timeline

Consider using a simple IEP timeline tracker with columns for:

Student name
Type of IEP (initial, annual, triennial)
Due dates
Current status
Notes

You can create one yourself or explore ready-to-use templates in tools like SLP Now.

“Look at your upcoming IEPs. How many do you have due every month? And just try to work ahead if possible… just figuring out, okay, to keep up with my IEPs, I’ll need to spend about this much time a week and then making sure that we can set aside that time.”

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

IEP Meetings and Communication

IEP meetings are where all the planning comes together — but they can also be a source of stress for both professionals and parents. With a little prep and the right tools, you can run smoother meetings and foster stronger collaboration.

IEP Meeting School Requirements

IEP meetings are legally mandated, and there are specific requirements that vary slightly by state and district. In general, these meetings must include:

A general education teacher
A special education teacher or provider (like you!)
A school administrator
The parent or guardian
The student, when appropriate

As the SLP, you play a critical role in communicating your evaluation results, recommending services, and helping the team understand how speech and language impact the student’s learning.

Enhancing Communication with Parents: The Role of Handouts

These meetings can be overwhelming for families — especially if they’re new to the process. Clear, well-designed handouts can go a long way in helping parents feel informed and empowered. Consider sharing:

A simple breakdown of IEP acronyms and terms
A visual of the evaluation results (e.g., bell curve graphics)
Strategies they can use at home to support the IEP goals
Contact info and next steps so they know who to follow up with

One bonus tip: Keep master copies in sheet protectors and highlight the originals so you don’t accidentally give them away — when you copy them, the highlighter doesn’t show up.

Sidebar Tip: Effective IEP Meetings

Send a meeting agenda in advance
Start with the student’s strengths
Use parent-friendly language
Have visual supports handy
End with clear next steps and contacts

➡️ For more detail, make sure to check out our episode on the IEP Meeting Process.

Streamlining Workloads with Checklists and Templates

Let’s be real: managing IEPs can easily turn into a mountain of tiny tasks — from organizing paperwork to writing detailed goals. That’s why systems matter. Checklists and templates can save hours of time, reduce decision fatigue, and help you keep track of every moving part.

Creating Checklists for Each IEP Step

A solid checklist isn’t just a productivity hack — it’s your lifeline when juggling multiple students and timelines. A well-crafted IEP checklist might include:

Confirm referral and consent
Schedule evaluations and meetings
Gather student work samples
Conduct assessments
Draft present levels
Write goals and services
Final review and submission

Tools like SLP Now allow you to load checklists based on student needs and track progress for each IEP in one place. Or, you can create a paper or digital version that matches your style.

Using Templates to Optimize Workflow

Templates are your secret weapon, especially when it comes to IEP writing. From present levels to goals, having pre-written language or frameworks can help you avoid staring at a blank screen. Here’s how to make the most of them:

Start with a doc that lists every section you write in an IEP
Gather high-quality snippets from previous reports
Save commonly used phrasing or data statements
Store templates in a searchable, organized way

Bonus tip: Use placeholders (e.g., * for names and pronouns) and a Find & Replace function to quickly customize templates.

Tip: Scheduling Strategies for Efficiency

Instead of waiting for big blocks of time that never come, build short, consistent IEP “power hours” into your week. Whether it’s before school, during a prep period, or at a coffee shop with headphones and snacks — find what works for you and protect that time like gold.

IEP Monitoring and Reevaluation

Writing the IEP is just the beginning. Consistent progress monitoring and timely reevaluation are essential to ensuring that students continue receiving the support they need — and that services evolve with their changing needs.

Ongoing IEP Assessment and Monitoring

Progress monitoring isn’t just a compliance task — it’s how we measure real student growth. To do it effectively:

Use goal-specific probes and data collection tools
Set a schedule for checking in on student progress (weekly, biweekly, monthly)
Record data consistently so you’re ready for progress reports and IEP meetings

With tools like SLP Now, you can attach probes directly to each goal, track progress over time, and stay organized with minimal effort.

Reevaluation Process: When and How

Every three years (at minimum), students receiving special education services must go through a reevaluation to determine continued eligibility and service needs. This may involve:

Repeating some formal assessments
Gathering updated classroom data
Reviewing new teacher/parent input
Reflecting on progress made toward current goals

Don’t wait until the last minute — build reevaluation prep into your monthly planning. Use templates and checklists to manage what documents and assessments you’ll need so you’re never scrambling.

“You can collect that baseline data, have that progress monitoring set up for future… like for progress reports and all of that. And we also have evidence-backed materials for all of the goals, as well as strategies to help you target them effectively.”

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Conclusion

IEPs don’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right systems and strategies, you can simplify the process and create more space for what matters most — supporting your students.

From mapping out timelines and using templates to gathering quality data and writing meaningful goals, small changes to your workflow can make a big impact. Whether you’re leaning on tools like SLP Now or building your own systems, the goal is the same: less stress, more confidence, and better outcomes for the students you serve.

Additional Resources

Want to take the next step in streamlining your IEP process? Check out these resources for more tips, tools, and expert insights:

At SLP Now, we are hard workers… but we also like to work smarter.

That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

Join thousands of SLPs and get the support you need

Subscribe to the SLP Now podcast and stay tuned for our next series. We’re kicking off September by helping you get your data collection, paperwork, and therapy planning processes in tip-top shape!

Listen to The SLP Now Podcast on Apple(opens in new tab) ★ Spotify(opens in new tab) ★ Google(opens in new tab) ★ Stitcher(opens in new tab) ★ Castbox(opens in new tab) or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Transcript

Marisha (00:01.656)

Hey there, and I can't tell you how excited I am to continue the conversation on streamlining our workload. And today we are diving into all things IEPs. And the cool part is that a lot of the same things that we've been chatting about apply. So we want just to recap. Last week we talked about scheduling out our IEPs.

Last week was about evaluations, but look at your upcoming IEPs. How many do you have due every month? And just try to work ahead if possible. Like if you have 10 due in February and 30 due in March, then we'll wanna kind of strategize a little bit so we're not struggling a ton. And just figuring out, okay, to keep up with my IEPs, I'll need to spend.

about this much time and then like I'll need about this much time a week and then making sure that we can set aside that time. I know that our workloads are a little bit challenging. So like when I was and we obviously want to it's a tricky balance because

We want to have good work-life balance, but we also want to kind of keep up with our workload. And so it's up to you to decide where you want that balance to be. Like I was in a school district where we had some extenuating circumstances and my caseload got very, very large. And so I made the decision to...

kind of add some additional hours. And I worked with my administration on kind of strategizing behind that. But I worked additional hours to make sure that I could keep up with the workload. And so I scheduled time before school, because after school, I'm so done. And so you can decide if you are putting in extra hours when you want to do that. But I just came in a little bit early.

Marisha (02:26.412)

and I got to use like make copies and do printing and have access to the workroom when I needed it without having to wait in line or whatever. But then it was also a little bit quieter. And so I could just sit down and work on my paperwork. And you can bring noise canceling headphones if you're not able to do it like while it's quieter at school or bring yourself some treats. Like especially I used to

really struggle with Medicaid billing. And so I would have like M &Ms and skittles and things like that. And so for, I just like reinforce myself to help keep myself going. But whatever you need to set yourself up for success, maybe make it a little bit of a vibe, whatever you need to help get that done. And it doesn't have to be, obviously we don't want it to be outside of work hours if we can avoid that. So,

being able to just set aside time in your schedule and protecting that time, like closing your door, putting up a do not disturb sign, putting on those headphones, like whatever you need to be able to get that stuff done. Cause that is a really important part of our job. We need to make sure that we're getting paperwork done. Then the second thing that we've talked about every single episode in the series is like creating a checklist, a process list of all of the steps.

And we've also chatted about strategies to gather forms. for IEPs, we want to do some present levels assessments, present levels assessments. And I've mentioned this before too, but SLP Now can help with all of the forms and assessments. So you plug your IEPs into the system.

And then you load checklists based on your students needs. So we'll have some best practices. And then the checklist has all of the forms attached. It has the present levels assessments and like all the important steps that you can totally streamline the process and you can use our forms or you can use your own, but it just helps make it so much easier to keep track of where you're at with each student and

Marisha (04:51.342)

because you can see how many tasks have been completed, when it'll be due, and it just organizes that whole process, which is really amazing. And if you want to check it out, head to slpnow.com slash pod. You'll get access to a free trial and you can get all the tools to try. Okay. And then, so that is just in terms of...

Organizing your checklist and gathering like forms and present all those assessments. You can totally do this on your own or you can use SLP now to help streamline and have some of that work done for you. And then we inevitably have some physical papers, whether you're doing your all of your forms like using paper or if you're collecting work samples and parent consent in whatever other documents.

There will be some physical papers, so we'll want to think of a way to keep those organized. So some ways that you can do that. If you have a file cabinet, you can just create a folder for each student. And I like to have this separate from their special education records. So I just like to have a folder with all of the papers for the current IEP or evaluation.

Just so I have access, I don't have to dig through a bunch of stuff. I just have access to the things that I need. So you can use file folders. Hanging file folders or hanging file organizers are really nice too. If you just want to keep, like I used to have a hanging file organizer next to my desk so I could see like the top priority IEPs and evaluations. And anytime I sat down to do paperwork, I would just grab the first folder.

in the organizer and do what I could. And then if I got to a stopping point, I would just grab the next one. I would rinse and repeat. You can also use a binder with folders for all of your pending IEPs and evaluations. Or you can use sheet protectors. Like there's tons of options to keep, like basically any tool that helps you keep track of paper organizer or to keep track of papers and keep them sorted and organized.

Marisha (07:14.2)

can help just make it so that you're not having to spend half of your paperwork time digging around your desk trying to find the papers and just pick what feels best to you and what you'd naturally be able to use the most. so that was what we had for, so so far we talked about scheduling it out, creating checklists, gathering the resources, the forums, the present levels, assessments, and then strategies to organize the physical papers.

And last episode, I told you I would share some strategies to make it easier to actually write the IEP. So I have three tips that will make it easier to actually get to that. Like now that we have the process organized, we've collected all the information we need. We just need to plug it into the IEP. So one.

My first big tip is to create templates, especially as a newer SLP. I remember just staring at an IEP and those blank boxes were kind of overwhelming. And I was like, I don't know what to write. I would just procrastinate and waste so much time. And so when it comes to creating templates, so I would start off, just open up a blank document.

and open up a blank IEP and write down all the sections that you have to fill in. And if it's just a drop down section, don't put that unless you like need help and like wanna write tips on helping you decide how to choose the drop down. But I would just focus on adding the sections that you actually have to write information in and then just...

So the first step is to write all of those headings down. And then anytime you're working on an IEP or you're reviewing other IEPs, maybe you wanna like ask your, like just pull up a handful of IEPs that you think were well written to just quickly fill in those sections. But you'll want to like, let's say like for present levels,

Marisha (09:35.886)

the present level section, you can copy and paste present levels from past IEPs or from IEPs as you're writing them if there were sections that you really liked. And so over time, you'll be copying and pasting more great content into all of the sections of the IEP. So then next time you're stuck, you can pull up this document and kind of use some of your

previous like templates to help fill in those sections. And of course we need, we don't want to copy and paste every single IEP. We need them to be individualized, but we want to make sure that we have those core components of, we have an episode coming up about like good present levels and strategies for that and what you want to include. But there are certain

elements that we want to make sure that we include and having those templates can make it easier to get like our bases covered and then have more energy and cognitive bandwidth to really do the student justice and really explain what's going on and what we're seeing in doing that analysis. And so that can be super helpful. And this is a great activity to do with a group of SLPs if possible.

So you can write down, like I said, write down all of the sections that you have to write content in for the IEP. And then just all, you can all copy and paste your favorite snippets so that you can reference them as you're writing future IEPs. And if you have some of those snippets, you can get feedback from your administrator or if you have any like legal support or whatnot, you can get some feedback.

use that to like step up your paperwork too if you want. then so having these templates is really awesome, but the document can quickly get very very very out of hand. And so that's what I came across when I first implemented this. Like I ended up with a hundred page document with tons of things which is probably overkill. But it was a really helpful process for me to kind of

Marisha (12:01.08)

work on narrowing down what, like the most important elements of the IEP and what I want to include. But in some districts have like templates and everything built in. So just use this for the sections of the IEPs that you struggle with. might, if your district has really cool software that has a bunch of templates, you might not have to do a lot of this, but there's likely still some sections or some like little pieces of text where you're always getting stuck.

So this is where this can come in handy, where in terms of creating the templates and then using a text expander. So first, what is a text expander? A text expander is a tool that you can use. So if I type like a shortcut, so it might be like dot I L C and you can decide what the shortcut is, but you want it to be something that you don't typically type.

because if I type .ilc, I can set that up as a template or a shortcut in my text expander. And so when I type that, I can have it expand to say, I love chocolate. So instead of having to type, I love chocolate, every time I just do .ilc and then it goes bloop and then it puts in that whole snippet of text.

and so if you have like a template for a present levels for articulation or like speech sound disorders, like I can make a shortcut called like dot P L.

or dot PL SSD or whatever I want the shortcut to be and when I type that in it goes bloop and then it has like the whole template for present levels for a student with speech-tongue disorders for example. This is pretty easy to set up. I have a blog post with more details and like a little cheat sheet and all of that so I'll link that in the show notes but yeah.

Marisha (14:07.478)

So that saved me a ton of time because it helped me process my massive document and kind of simplify it a little bit. then you can search if you're not quite sure what the shortcut is. You learn it really quickly, especially if you're writing a lot of IEPs. And if you make

Like if you choose smart shortcuts, like if anything related to present level starts with dot PL, then that'll help me out. but then yeah, you can, you can always search your templates if you're like, I'm looking for a present levels one, but I don't remember what I called it. you can just look at your whole list of templates and then they're just like nice little line items and it just makes.

It makes things so much easier. saves so much time. So instead of having to open up my template document and scroll through and find the right section and copy and paste it, all I do is type like dot PLA and then it fills in the template. And then I have the cognitive bandwidth to really customize it for that student and enter their specific details. and it just speed speeds up my report writing by a ton.

One other strategy to help speed things up is to use find and replace. you might not, if you have, it depends on what software you're using, but sometimes you're not able to use this in like a web browser or certain softwares. But I know that it always works in a Word document. if you're like, especially for the bigger sections of the IEP,

Like if you're drafting the present levels, you might just want to start it in a Word document and then like put in your template, like use your text expander, put in your template and start to customize it. And in my templates, I like to use placeholders because there's nothing worse than having the wrong student's name in the present levels or the wrong pronoun. So I remove all names and pronouns from my templates.

Marisha (16:31.372)

and I use placeholders instead. So I like to use three asterisks for students' names. I use two asterisks for subjective pronouns and one asterisk for possessive pronouns. And you can use whatever placeholders you want. when I'm editing that template, will, if you're on a Mac, you'll do command F, or if you're on a PC, you'll do control F.

and then you'll type in, like you'll start with the three asterisks. So you'll type in three asterisks, then that'll search for all of the like sequences of three asterisks in that template. And then you can go to the replace option and you'll type in the student's name and then you'll hit enter and it'll replace all of the asterisks with the student's names. Then you'll do, you'll like search

you'll use the find function to look for two asterisks and replace that with the subjective pronouns and then to like search for one asterisk for the possessive pronouns, et cetera, et cetera. So you just rinse and repeat and then you have all of the correct pronouns and names with just a couple of clicks instead of having to like scroll through and scan and miss them or forget to do that. Cause it's pretty obvious that an asterisk doesn't fit.

fit in there, but if we're using names, that just gets a little messy. So find and replace is an SLP's best friend. And you might have to do that in a Word document, but it's definitely worth it. so that will help. Those three tips are helping us write our IEPs more quickly and have higher quality IEPs.

And then I guess another component related to that is writing Epic goals. So if you're using the SLP now workload feature, like it gives you the checklist of all the items you want to complete for your IEP and it helps you collect that data. but the next thing that we do, if you use our like present levels, assessment, curriculum based assessments, it'll recommend goals based on how your students are performing.

Marisha (18:57.742)

and based on their actual data on those assessments. And so it'll recommend goals. You'll have easy access to probes too for those goals. So you can like actually have accurate baseline data and those probes will always be attached to the goal so that you can have consistent progress monitoring by using SLP. Now you'll have like strategic decision making.

based on your assessments, what goals you want to target. And of course you'll want to factor in like teacher or parent input work samples, all of the things that you're observing to like make the final decisions around goals. But this will help you like go through the recommended goals and you can decide what makes sense and what doesn't. Again, you can collect that baseline data, have that progress monitoring set up for future.

like for progress reports and all of that. And we also have evidence-backed materials for all of the goals, as well as strategies, to help you target them effectively. So it's kind of like all in one solution. and if you ever have, like, if it's, if you're, if you are identifying a goal that you need a refresher on,

Like I said, we have access to courses with strategies. We have evidence sheets with specific strategies. this is super helpful if you're feeling nervous going into the IEP. You can review the evidence sheet super quick, and then you can reference the research if you want, if parents or teachers have any questions. But it's just the ultimate confidence booster and just like.

streamlining tool to make this whole process super, super easy. And then just making sure that you're able to operate at the top of your license without having to break your neck and just having easy access to everything at your fingertips. So if you want to give that a try, head to slpnow.com slash pod and you'll get access to a free trial so you can.

Marisha (21:21.528)

Take it for a whirl and try this with your upcoming IEP. Load your checklist template, go through the paperwork steps, write the easiest IEP you've ever written, and feel super confident about your goals and being ready to jump into intervention. It's just, yeah, great strategy. Okay, and then we talked about this a little bit throughout the other episodes, but I just wanted to make sure that we touched on handouts too.

those can make it really, really easy to have more effective IEP meetings and follow through from the team. So I will link to a post with some examples of my favorite handouts, but it can be really helpful because this is really overwhelming for parents. So having some handouts that just explain the process that like,

all the acronyms that we use and kind of what to expect in terms of like IEP and all of that. And then having information on kind of specific, like if you have resources for any interventions or just explaining what you're working on with a student and why those can be really helpful or like strategies that they can implement at home.

Just any kind of parent-teacher education to help the process go more efficiently can be really impactful. So yeah, if you go to the handouts blog post linked in the show notes, it's in the description, you'll see some examples of sheets that I really like to use. There's like a bell curve visual that's super helpful in explaining evaluation results as well.

And then, yeah, I really like to organize these in a binder, in sheet protectors. And then I mentioned this previously, but I love to highlight the original so I don't accidentally give away my original. And the cool thing is if you highlight a piece of paper and run it through the copier, it doesn't pick up the highlighter. So that's a really great little cheat for us to keep track of our copies and all of that. So.

Marisha (23:51.508)

That is a wrap on the streamlining strategies for IEPs. Just a quick recap, I to make sure that we schedule out our IEPs and just have an idea of how many are coming up and then having time in our calendars to actually move through the IEPs. We'll want to create checklists for our process to make it easier.

and then gather forms and resources to help us complete those checklist items. And then organizing all of the physical documents that we're gathering, whether it's like file folder or a binder or hanging file organizer. Then the last, like we had a couple of tips on actually streamlining the writing of the IEP. So creating those templates.

using a text expander, using find and replace to save yourself some time, and then just having a strategy to write epic goals and kind of thinking ahead in terms of how you're gonna monitor progress on those goals. And then we just briefly touched on having some handouts for the IEP meeting to help things run a little bit more smoothly. So that is a wrap on our...

IEP episode. We have some special guests coming up to help us with like collecting parent input, writing strength based IEPs, writing goals. So we have some more like strategic episodes coming up to help us streamline things. But yeah, that's a wrap. I hope you have a great rest of your week.

Listen on Apple Podcasts(opens in new tab) Listen on Spotify(opens in new tab)

FAQ

How can SLPs streamline the IEP evaluation process?

The most efficient way is to use a standardized data collection system and a step-by-step checklist rather than starting from scratch every time. To hear exactly how to set up your own forms and avoid the end-of-month scramble, check out our full guide on the SLP Now podcast or explore the templates inside the SLP Now membership.

How do you stay on top of IEP timelines with a high caseload?

The secret is working backward from due dates and batching your tasks using tools like The IEP Timeline Tracker. To learn the best scheduling strategies—like how strategic 30-minute time blocks can save your sanity—read the full post on the SLP Now blog.

What makes an IEP meeting more effective and parent-friendly?

Providing structured parent handouts and setting clear agendas before the meeting even starts are game-changers for boosting family collaboration. For a breakdown of exactly what to include in your handouts and how to run a stress-free meeting, explore our complete guide on SLP Now.

SLP Assessment Guide: Best Practices, Tools + Checklist

March 28, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

In the ever-evolving world of school-based speech-language pathology, efficiency and clarity are more important than ever—especially when it comes to assessments. With limited time and growing caseloads, SLPs need a streamlined process that ensures accuracy, saves time, and supports confident decision-making.

In this guide, we’re diving into smart, actionable strategies for optimizing your SLP assessment workflow. From planning and checklists to templates and tech tools, you’ll learn how to build a system that works with you—not against you.

We’ll be drawing on insights from Marisha Mets, founder of SLP Now, who’s helped thousands of school-based SLPs organize their assessment processes. Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned therapist looking for a more sustainable approach, this guide will give you practical tools to transform the way you assess.

Let’s simplify, streamline, and strengthen your evaluation process—starting now.

Understanding SLP Assessments

Speech-language pathology assessments are the cornerstone of informed intervention. They help identify a student’s communication strengths and challenges, guide goal setting, and ensure compliance with educational and clinical standards. For school-based SLPs, these evaluations are essential tools for supporting students’ academic and social success.

What Is an SLP Assessment?

An SLP assessment evaluates a student’s speech, language, and communication abilities. It may include:

Oral language assessments
Speech sound evaluations
Formal standardized tests
Informal measures like observations, work samples, and language samples

These assessments provide a full picture of the student’s communication profile, ensuring that therapy is tailored to their specific needs.

The Role of SLPs in Schools

In K-12 settings, SLPs play a critical role in supporting students’ access to the curriculum. Through assessments, they:

Identify students who may benefit from services
Determine eligibility for special education
Inform the development of IEPs
Track progress over time

Whether you’re evaluating a preschooler with limited expressive language or a high schooler with social communication needs, a well-executed assessment lays the foundation for effective support.

Traditional vs. Streamlined Assessment Processes

Traditionally, assessments could feel overwhelming—scattered data, manual paperwork, and inconsistent timelines. A streamlined approach brings order to the chaos:

Pre-scheduling evaluations
Using templates and checklists
Collecting data from a variety of sources (parents, teachers, observations)
Leveraging digital tools to keep everything in one place

This guide will walk you through each of those steps, helping you build a reliable system that saves time and boosts quality.

“We want to make sure that we’re reviewing past IEPs and evaluations, session data, anything that we might have on kiddos. And we don’t have to completely reinvent the wheel… These evaluations are meant to be a team effort, a team decision.”

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Preparing for Effective Speech Evaluations

A smooth assessment begins long before you administer a single test. The preparation phase is where you set yourself up for success—by gathering the right information, organizing your calendar, and ensuring you have all the tools at your fingertips.

Best Practices for Scheduling Evaluations

One of the biggest stressors for SLPs? Time. That’s why scheduling your evaluations in advance is a game-changer. Most of us know months ahead which evaluations are due, so take time at the start of the school year—or each month—to review deadlines and create a plan.

Review your evaluation list regularly to see what’s coming up
Plot deadlines on your calendar, allowing buffer time for paperwork and make-ups
Block out assessment time each week to avoid last-minute scrambles

Marisha recommends looking ahead to avoid a pile-up: “Do you have one evaluation in January and then three in February and ten in March? If that’s the case, plan ahead a little bit so that you’re not majorly struggling when March comes around.”

Gathering Background Information

Before you begin testing, it’s crucial to collect background data to guide your assessment approach. This includes:

Reviewing past IEPs and session notes
Checking previous evaluations
Talking with the student’s teacher and family for updates on performance and concerns
Gathering any pertinent medical or developmental history

Create a Pre-Assessment Checklist

Use a customizable checklist for different types of evaluations (speech-only, full team, re-evaluations). This ensures you don’t miss any critical steps like:

Parent consent
Observations
Work samples
Input forms from caregivers and teachers

Organized preparation helps reduce errors and gives you more bandwidth to focus on meaningful interpretation later on.

“Make sure that you have a list of your students with all of their evaluation dates… just making sure that you have a plan to get that testing done and just being able to look at it ahead of time versus when we’re struggling in the moment can make it a lot easier to problem solve and come up with strategies to get that testing done.”

— Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Conducting Speech and Language Evaluations: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to carry out the assessment. This phase combines formal tools with hands-on observation and collaboration to create a well-rounded picture of the student’s communication skills.

Step 1: Review Existing Data

Start by pulling together any existing information that can inform your evaluation. This might include:

Previous IEPs and assessment reports
Session data from therapy
Notes from teacher check-ins

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel—leveraging what you already have can save time and give you a strong foundation for new insights.

Step 2: Conduct Classroom Observations and Collect Work Samples

Spend time observing how the student communicates in their natural environment. Classroom observations can reveal:

Participation patterns
How they follow directions
Social interactions with peers
Potential accommodations that may support access to instruction

Work samples are also helpful in showing how language skills are applied academically.

Step 3: Gather Input from Teachers and Families

Evaluations are a collaborative process. Input from others who know the student best offers invaluable context:

Ask teachers about academic performance, attention, and communication needs
Reach out to caregivers to collect medical history, developmental milestones, and their concerns or observations

This input adds depth to your interpretation and ensures a more holistic evaluation.

Step 4: Use Formal and Informal Assessments

A comprehensive evaluation includes a mix of tools:

Formal assessments provide standardized data for eligibility and diagnosis
Informal tools (like checklists, rubrics, interviews) allow for greater flexibility and context

Step 5: Collect a Language Sample

This is a must-have. Language samples offer real-world insight into how a student uses language across multiple domains (grammar, vocabulary, organization). They’re particularly helpful when standardized tools fall short.

Step 6: Synthesize and Analyze Your Findings

Bring it all together by identifying strengths, areas of need, and patterns across your data. This sets the stage for clear recommendations and well-aligned goals.

“We want to identify the strengths, the needs across all of that information and try to draw parallels… because we only have limited time and resources, so we want to make the most of that and come up with the most effective kind of strategies possible.”

— Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Utilizing Tools and Templates for Efficient Speech Screening and Evaluation

No more starting from scratch every time. Leveraging templates, forms, and digital tools can transform your assessment workflow—saving hours and ensuring consistency across evaluations.

Use Templates to Jumpstart Documentation

Start by listing the standard sections you complete for every evaluation. Then, begin saving well-written snippets or go-to phrases that are:

Clear
Evidence-based
Aligned with your school’s expectations

This living document becomes your personal library—ready to pull from and personalize, rather than rewriting everything from the ground up.

Pro Tip: Anytime you write a section you’re proud of—or read one from a colleague that stands out—save it!

Streamline with SLP Now’s Workload Feature

SLP Now’s new workload feature takes organization to the next level. Here’s how it works:

Start a new evaluation and choose a best-practice checklist based on the student’s needs
Automated tasks and reminders walk you through the evaluation process
Attached forms and assessments are ready to send (e.g., teacher/parent input forms)
Once completed, tasks auto-mark as “done,” helping you track progress at a glance

Everything—from observations and checklists to test scores—is stored in one place, making it easy to pull together the final report and make informed recommendations.

Benefits of Using Digital Tools

By integrating tech tools like SLP Now:

You reduce cognitive load (fewer things to remember!)
Your documentation is consistent and aligned with best practices
You can spend more time analyzing data, not hunting it down

“With the SLP Now workload feature, you set up a new assessment or evaluation for a student, and then you can add your own checklist items or use one of our pre-made ones. It’ll map out the different action items—like the forms, assessments, and resources attached to each of those tasks.”

— Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Section 5: Best Practices and Strategies for SLP Assessment in K12

School-based SLPs juggle a lot—caseloads, paperwork, testing windows, and team meetings. But with the right strategies, assessments can become a streamlined and effective part of your workflow. Marisha shares a framework that blends structure with flexibility, helping SLPs work smarter without sacrificing quality.

Start with a System: Schedule → Checklist → Template

Think of this as your assessment flow:

Schedule it out
Map out evaluation due dates and block time for testing and paperwork.
Use a checklist
Tailor your process based on the type of evaluation (speech-only, full team, re-evaluation). Identify common problem spots—maybe you always forget a language sample—and adjust accordingly.
Build and use templates
Save strong documentation snippets and adapt them. You’ll avoid the blank page struggle and spend more time individualizing, not reinventing.

This structure keeps you organized and reduces decision fatigue.

Use Data to Drive Decisions

Once your evaluation is complete, analyze your data holistically:

What patterns show up across formal and informal tools?
Are classroom observations and teacher reports aligned?
Where are the student’s strengths? How do they inform goals?

By looking across all your sources, you’ll develop recommendations that are meaningful and actionable.

Keep Everything in One Place

Having all your data—from parent input forms to language samples—in one system (like the SLP Now platform) makes it easier to:

Reference information during meetings
Fill out documentation quickly
Make confident, data-based decisions

With less time spent tracking down info, you can focus more on planning quality services for students.

“We’ve worked to create best practice checklists… so when you need to collect parent input for an initial evaluation or a re-evaluation, you can just hit send… It’ll help you keep track of where you are across your evaluations. You’ll have all of your data in one piece… ready to go and organized for you so that it’s easy to make those data-based decisions.”

— Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Synthesizing SLP Assessment Data for Best Results

At the heart of every effective SLP assessment is one goal: to make confident, data-informed decisions that support student success. By streamlining your process—from scheduling and checklists to collaboration and documentation—you’ll spend less time scrambling and more time focusing on what matters: meaningful impact.

Using tools like SLP Now and strategies from Marisha Mets, you can build an assessment system that’s organized, repeatable, and responsive to your students’ needs. Every form, every observation, every snippet of input becomes part of a cohesive story—one that drives smart goals and tailored interventions.

Take these strategies and make them your own. Tweak the checklists. Customize your templates. Find what works for your setting. And remember—you don’t have to do it all from scratch.

When your assessments are efficient, your support becomes even more effective.

Additional SLP Assessment Resources

Ready to dive deeper into specific assessment topics or need a few go-to tools to make your workflow easier? Here are some hand-picked resources from Marisha and the SLP Now team to help you continue building your assessment toolkit:

🎧 SLP Now Podcast Playlist: Assessments

A curated playlist of episodes covering everything from formal vs. informal tools to narrative assessment and dynamic evaluation strategies.
Listen on Spotify

🧰 SLP Now Blog Series: Assessment 101

📘 Assessment by Topic

FAQ: Common Questions About SLP Assessments

❓ What is involved in a speech therapy assessment?

A speech therapy assessment typically includes a combination of formal and informal tools to evaluate a student’s communication abilities. This might involve standardized tests, classroom observations, teacher and family input, language samples, and a review of past IEPs or evaluations.

❓ What is the most common assessment for SLPs?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all assessment, as it depends on the student’s needs. However, commonly used tools include the CELF (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals), GFTA (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation), and informal language samples or narrative assessments.

❓ What is an assessment protocol in speech therapy?

An assessment protocol is a structured process that outlines the steps an SLP follows to evaluate a student. This often includes gathering background information, obtaining consent, administering assessments, collecting observations and work samples, analyzing data, and writing the report.

❓ What are the 6 basic components of a speech and language diagnostic assessment?

Review of previous evaluations and IEPs
Classroom observation
Teacher and parent input
Formal testing
Informal assessments (e.g., language samples)
Synthesis of data and recommendations

At SLP Now, we are hard workers… but we also like to work smarter.

That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

Join thousands of SLPs and get the support you need

Subscribe to the SLP Now podcast and stay tuned for our next series. We’re kicking off September by helping you get your data collection, paperwork, and therapy planning processes in tip-top shape!

Transcript

Marisha (00:01.25)

Welcome back to the podcast. And last week we chatted about strategies and tips to streamline your referrals. And today we are diving into assessments and evaluations. So I have a handful of tips and resources. This is a, like an episode with lots of resources to back it up. So I'm excited. so first step is how we can make assessments easier.

So my number one strategy is to schedule it out. We, with the exception of like student transfers and students moving in and out, we typically know how many evaluations we have due every month. So make sure that you have a list of your students with all of their evaluation dates. This is typically in our paperwork system.

but we just want to make sure that you have access to that and then review the list and just kind of Preview what your year or the next several months are going to look like So do you have one evaluation in January and then? 3 in February and 10 in March if that's the case, we're gonna want to plan ahead a little bit so that you're not like majorly struggling in

when March comes around. So just try to work ahead as possible. And also another component of scheduling is just like if you know roughly how many evaluations you have due every month, just making sure that you have some time set aside for testing to actually get that done because that is an important part of our role. And I know

that we have a lot of scheduling constraints and all of that, but just making sure that we have a plan to get that testing done and just being able to look at it ahead of time versus when we're struggling in the moment can make it a lot easier to problem solve and come up with strategies to get that testing done. Then another component, and I talked about this last week when we talked about referrals, but

Marisha (02:25.836)

you wanna make sure that you have a clear process so that you know all of the steps required to complete that evaluation. So you have to get like parent consent and it'll vary depending on if it's speech only or if you're working with a whole SPED team. There's other service providers, but just make some checklists for the different scenarios for the types of assessments and evaluations that you do.

so that you can keep track of that process. And this is again, a great problem solving tool because if you have it all written out, it one just makes it easier to make sure that you're completing everything and you don't forget important steps. Like I always used to forget the language sample until the very last second. So yeah, just having that checklist and then you can see like, man, I am always forgetting this step or

really struggling with this step or this step takes me way more time than it should. And so you can identify those and find ways to make them easier. Then the third strategy is to make templates and make this easier for yourself. And we'll talk a lot more about templates in the next episode. So stay tuned for episode two 10.

where we dive into all of that. But yeah, so we'll talk more about templates next time, but just starting to, like a quick tip to start off is just to write all of the sections that you're required to fill in for the evaluation. And then kind of starting to build, anytime you write an evaluation, you're like, wow, I did a really great job with that. Or if you read an evaluation of like, I really like how they worded that, just keep,

keep a running document with your favorite snippets so you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. Obviously, we want the documentation to be individualized, but having a good starting point can help us do a better job of individualizing that. And I'll share, like I said, more strategies coming next week on how to actually streamline that. And then now I wanna move on to chatting about

Marisha (04:51.798)

important elements to include in your assessment. So we want to make sure that we're reviewing like past IEPs and evaluations, session data, anything that we might have on kiddos. And we don't have to completely reinvent the wheel. We can review some of that information, especially for the case history type of stuff.

We'll obviously want to get an update, we don't need to rewrite all of that every single time. We'll also want to complete a classroom observation and or collect work samples. And so this is really helpful information in determining that academic impact and seeing how the student is performing in the classroom and.

can be a great way to see what accommodations and supports might be helpful and all of that. Another thing we'll want to look at is gathering information from the family and the teacher. So just making sure that we're up to date on pertinent medical history, educational impact, like what these evaluations are meant to be a team effort, a team decision.

And so we want to make sure that we're getting feedback and input from them. And then we'll also want formal and informal assessments. We may want to include dynamic assessment as well. Informal assessment might include a language sample. That gives us a lot of really practical, relevant data. And then once we have all of that information put together,

we'll want to identify the strengths, the needs across all of that information and trying to draw parallels and using that to come up with a game plan so that the data is a little bit organized. And so we can come up, because we only have limited time and resources, so we want to make the most of that and come up with the most effective kind of strategies possible.

Marisha (07:10.03)

So those are the things that we'll want to navigate in our assessments and in the show notes, you can find them in the description of the episode. But we have tons of episodes on specific assessment areas and specific considerations for dynamic assessment, language, narratives, phonological processes, speech sound disorders.

This episode is meant to just be like super broad strategies. But yeah, check out those, check out the show notes for links to more episodes if you're looking for strategies for specific areas. And then in terms of navigating this and keeping it organized, I mentioned this in the last episode, but we have a new workload feature in SLP Now.

that helps organize the entire process. we have, we've worked, our team has worked to create like best practice checklist. And so how it works is you set up a new assessment or evaluation for a student, and then you get to select, you can add your own checklist items, or you can use one of our pre-made ones that has like best practices.

and it'll map out the different action items that you'll want to complete. Like you'll have a list of recommended tasks based on best practices and you'll have like the forms and assessments and resources attached to each of those tasks. So when you need to collect parent input for an initial evaluation or a re-evaluation, you can just hit send.

will send that form to the parents. Once the parents complete the form, it'll mark it as complete. And that's just one example. There's also informal assessments attached based on the area that you're assessing. And yeah, it just really, really helps streamline that whole process. And you don't have to guess which steps are next. And it'll help you keep track of where you are across your

Marisha (09:36.566)

evaluations. And we also have these tools for like referrals and IEPs. So lots of good stuff. And you'll have all of your data in one piece. So that last step that I mentioned on like when you're reviewing all of your data and analyzing like the classroom observation, the teacher input, the work samples, you'll have all of this data in one place so that it's really easy to

fill in the evaluation and complete all the required components. You won't have to be digging for different pieces of data. It'll just all be in one place and you're much more likely to have everything you need. don't have to, because we have that checklist, you'll have all of those items completed and you won't have to be like, I didn't grab this language devil. need to go grab the students so I can do that. Like no, everything will be ready to go and organized.

for you so that it's easy to make those.

database decisions. that is a wrap on our episode on assessments. Next week, we'll talk about IEPs a little bit more specifically, and then it'll be jam-packed with some really cool time-saving tools to make that even easier. So can't wait to see you next week, and I hope you have a good one.

Listen on Apple Podcasts(opens in new tab) Listen on Spotify(opens in new tab)

FAQ

What is involved in a speech therapy assessment?

A speech therapy assessment typically includes a combination of formal and informal tools to evaluate a student's communication abilities. This might involve standardized tests, classroom observations, teacher and family input, language samples, and a review of past IEPs or evaluations.

What is the most common assessment for SLPs?

There isn't a one-size-fits-all assessment, as it depends on the student's needs. However, commonly used tools include the CELF (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals), GFTA (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation), and informal language samples or narrative assessments.

What is an assessment protocol in speech therapy?

What are the 6 basic components of a speech and language diagnostic assessment?

Review of previous evaluations and IEPs, classroom observation, teacher and parent input, formal testing, informal assessments (like language samples), and synthesis of data and recommendations.

The SLP Referral Process: Streamlined Approach

March 21, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

The Importance of an Efficient SLP Referral Process

Managing speech-language pathology (SLP) referrals in a K–12 school setting can often feel like navigating a maze—especially during peak paperwork seasons. But with a streamlined approach, school-based SLPs can turn what’s typically a time-consuming and often chaotic process into a well-oiled system that saves time and leads to better outcomes for students.

An efficient referral process isn’t just about reducing paperwork. It’s about making sure the right students get the right support at the right time. From teacher referrals and parent concerns to screenings and follow-ups, every step plays a role in building a clearer, faster path to services. When communication is proactive, documentation is organized, and everyone involved knows what to expect, referrals become a powerful tool rather than a bureaucratic burden.

In this guide, we’ll walk through a simplified, step-by-step approach to handling speech therapy referrals, offering real-world strategies, templates, and expert advice from Marisha Mets, founder of SLP Now. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune your current process or starting from scratch, these strategies will help you save time, improve collaboration, and ultimately support your students more effectively.

Step 1: Understanding SLP Referrals

Before streamlining the referral process, it’s important to understand what a speech-language pathology (SLP) referral actually is—and why it matters. An SLP referral is typically the first step in identifying whether a student may benefit from speech or language support. It’s how concerns about communication challenges are formally brought to the attention of the school-based SLP.

Referrals can come from various sources—most commonly, teachers and parents. A teacher referral often happens when a student struggles with articulation, language comprehension, or social communication that impacts classroom performance. On the other hand, parent referrals may stem from observations at home or developmental concerns. In some cases, school administrators or other specialists may initiate a referral.

Each district may have its own guidelines, but generally, the referral triggers a structured process: gathering information, conducting observations or screenings, and deciding whether to move forward with a full evaluation.

Do You Need a Referral for Speech Therapy?

In school settings, yes—a formal referral is usually required to initiate services. This helps ensure that all interventions are documented, monitored, and aligned with district policies and state regulations. Outside of schools, private clinics may offer more flexibility, but even then, some insurance providers or healthcare systems require a referral from a physician.

Understanding this foundational step allows SLPs to set clear expectations with both staff and families, paving the way for a smoother, more effective process from the very beginning.

Step 2: Initiating the Referral

Once a concern has been identified, the next step is initiating the referral process—this is where things can either flow smoothly or become a source of delay. The goal is to make this step as straightforward and consistent as possible, not just for the SLP, but for teachers and parents too.

How to Get a Referral for Speech Therapy

The process typically starts with a teacher or parent filling out a referral form. In some districts, a verbal request may begin the process, but written documentation is usually required soon after. It’s critical that the referral form captures key information up front—what the concerns are, specific observations, and whether any classroom interventions have already been attempted.

Here’s a basic step-by-step guide to initiating a referral:

Referral Request: A teacher, parent, or staff member notices a concern and requests a referral.
Referral Form Completion: The referring party fills out a standardized form. This often includes checkboxes and open-ended prompts for clarity.
Parent Permission: Before moving forward, written parent/guardian consent is typically needed, especially for screenings or evaluations.
Additional Information Gathering: The SLP may reach out for more context—teacher notes, previous IEP data, or classroom samples.
Scheduling a Screening: If allowed by district policy, a brief screening or classroom observation may be scheduled.

Examples of Effective Referral Wording

When documenting a referral, clarity and specificity are key. Instead of “struggles with speech,” try:

“Student omits final consonants in multisyllabic words, impacting intelligibility.”
“Student has difficulty following multi-step directions during group instruction.”
“Student avoids speaking during classroom discussions due to articulation concerns.”

These kinds of detailed observations help the SLP understand the scope of the concern and determine appropriate next steps.

Tips for Communicating with Teachers and Parents

Clear communication at this stage can significantly reduce back-and-forth and confusion later. Consider offering:

A quick-start guide for teachers outlining when and how to make a referral
Handouts with common speech/language red flags
Email templates for confirming receipt of a referral and outlining next steps

When everyone knows what to expect, the referral process becomes a collaborative effort—not just another form to fill out.

“having a teacher referral form that helps you gather all of the information right off the bat and making it clear to the people at your school, if you have a referral, we need to fill out this form, this is all the information I need, and then that saves you a bunch of time going back and forth…”.

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Step 3: Documenting the Referral Process

Clear, consistent documentation is the backbone of an effective referral system. Without it, important details can fall through the cracks, leading to delays, miscommunication, or missed support for students. Creating a reliable documentation process not only keeps referrals moving but also helps SLPs stay organized and compliant.

Creating Efficient Documentation

Start by mapping out the steps of your district’s referral process. Document each phase—from when the initial request is received, to screenings, to the final decision. This step-by-step reference acts as your personal checklist, reducing the mental load and minimizing the risk of skipping critical tasks.

Here are a few forms to include in your documentation system:

Teacher Input Form: Captures classroom concerns and observations.
Parent Permission Form: Authorizes the SLP to begin screenings or observations.
Screening Results Form: Records findings and recommendations from initial assessments.
Referral Tracking Sheet: Helps monitor the status, dates, and outcomes of each referral.

Whether you prefer digital or paper systems, consistency is key. Tools like binders with sheet protectors, folder systems, or SLP Now’s digital checklist platform can streamline the process and make everything easily accessible.

Therapy Referral Form Template

Having a go-to template for referrals not only saves time but also ensures that nothing important gets missed. Ideally, your template should include:

Student info (name, grade, teacher)
Areas of concern
Examples of observed difficulties
Previous interventions or supports attempted
Date and name of the referring individual

Make a habit of keeping extra copies on hand—whether printed or saved in a digital hub—so you’re always ready to respond to a new referral without delay.

Speech Referral Example

Let’s say a third-grade teacher is concerned about a student’s articulation. On the referral form, the teacher might write:

“Student substitutes ‘w’ for ‘r’ consistently, which affects intelligibility during oral presentations. Attempts classroom strategies but minimal improvement noted.”

A well-documented concern like this provides the SLP with actionable insight and helps determine whether further steps, like a screening, are necessary.

“You may want a quick form to keep track of your results, like if you do a screening or classroom observation or whatever you might do as part of the referral process. Just having a way to document your results.”

– Marisha Mets

Step 4: Organizing Resources

Having all your referral-related resources in one place can be a game-changer. It reduces time spent searching for forms, cuts down on repeated tasks, and helps ensure no part of the process slips through the cracks—especially during busy seasons when caseloads are high.

Efficient Resource Management

Whether you prefer digital systems or paper-based setups, the key is accessibility. Resources should be easy to grab when you need them and equally easy to restock or update. Marisha recommends using either:

Binders with sheet protectors that hold multiple copies of each form
File folders with clearly labeled tabs
Digital systems with folders and shortcuts for quick access

If you’re using paper forms, consider this hack: highlight the original form using a yellow highlighter. The copier won’t pick up the mark, and it serves as a reminder to never give away your original.

Visual Aids and Tracking Tools

Visual tools can also help you stay on top of your referrals. Try using:

Referral tracking spreadsheets to monitor dates, follow-up needs, and status
Process flowcharts or checklists that outline each referral stage
Digital checklists with built-in due dates and auto-reminders (SLP Now offers these)

The goal is to create a system where everything you need—forms, student info, tracking tools—is at your fingertips. This saves time, reduces stress, and makes it easier to focus on what matters most: supporting your students.

Step 5: Communicating with Teachers

No matter how organized your referral process is, it won’t work efficiently unless teachers are on board. Effective communication is essential—not just when a referral is made, but throughout the entire process. Helping teachers understand what makes a “good” referral can dramatically reduce unnecessary paperwork and ensure students truly in need get timely support.

Proactive Communication Strategies

Start by making the process crystal clear. Share referral guidelines with your staff early in the school year and revisit them periodically. Consider creating a one-page handout or referral guide for teachers that outlines:

What types of concerns warrant a referral
Examples of classroom interventions to try first
How to complete the referral form accurately

Offering a brief in-service or mini-presentation during a staff meeting can go a long way. Walk through the referral process, highlight common pitfalls, and explain what information you need to make an informed decision.

Quick Tips for Teacher Discussions

Use plain language: Avoid jargon when explaining the process.
Offer examples: Use real-life scenarios to illustrate what a strong referral looks like.
Be available: Let teachers know when and how to reach out if they’re unsure whether a referral is appropriate.
Provide ready-to-use resources: Strategies, observation checklists, or communication visuals can be helpful classroom tools.

By educating teachers and opening lines of communication, you not only streamline your workflow—you also foster a team-based approach to supporting student success.

“So just having a handout for teachers on like what would make a good referral and things to consider. And also having some handouts with strategies that they can implement and you can trickle those throughout the year.”.

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Best Practices for Streamlining Referrals

Even with solid systems in place, the referral process can still become overwhelming—especially during high-volume times of the year. That’s where best practices come in. These small tweaks and strategic habits can make a big difference in managing your workload efficiently and preventing burnout.

Expert Tips from Marisha Mets

Marisha Mets, founder of SLP Now, has worked with thousands of school-based SLPs and managed caseloads in the triple digits. Her number one recommendation? Document everything—not just for compliance, but for clarity and consistency. She emphasizes the importance of writing out each step of your referral process so you don’t have to rely on memory, especially during busy seasons.

Other top tips include:

Batch tasks: Group similar tasks together—like reviewing all new referrals once a week—to save mental energy.
Use digital tools: Platforms like SLP Now offer automated checklists, built-in due dates, and pre-made forms to simplify the process.
Reflect and refine: Regularly review your referral process and identify where you’re getting stuck. Then adjust your system accordingly.

Common Challenges—and How to Solve Them

Incomplete referral forms
✅ Solution: Provide clear instructions and examples for teachers.
Missed follow-ups
✅ Solution: Use a tracking sheet with due dates and set regular check-ins.
Overwhelming volume
✅ Solution: Educate teachers about pre-referral interventions and what constitutes a strong referral.

By implementing these best practices and troubleshooting pain points before they become bigger issues, SLPs can reclaim valuable time and create a referral system that actually works.

“The biggest thing that you can do to save your time is just to document that whole process… Over time, you’ll be able to reflect and identify where you’re getting held up, what’s taking the most time, and then just streamline that whole process.”.

– Marisha Mets, Founder @ SLP Now

Additional Resources

Once your core referral process is up and running, you may want to explore advanced strategies and tools to take your system to the next level. These resources can help experienced SLPs fine-tune their workflow, better support their teams, and stay ahead of the paperwork curve.

Advanced Strategies for Experienced SLPs

If you’ve already built a streamlined system, consider:

Customizing your digital tools: Platforms like SLP Now allow you to adapt checklists and forms to fit your exact needs.
Developing mini training sessions for staff: Build quick modules or videos that explain the referral process.
Creating a referral data dashboard: Track patterns in referrals to spot trends and identify areas for targeted teacher support or school-wide interventions.
Building a resource hub: Store intervention strategies, handouts, and templates in a shared folder for easy access by your team or school staff.

Helpful Links and Tools

SLP Now Blog: Referrals – Tips and tools to improve your referral process
SLP Goal Bank – Pre-written goals aligned to referral outcomes
Referral Templates and Checklists – Forms to simplify documentation
Digital Workload Management Tools – Try a free trial of SLP Now’s tools to automate your referral process

Whether you’re just getting started or refining a mature system, these resources will help you continue streamlining your workflow and serving your students with clarity and confidence.

At SLP Now, we are hard workers… but we also like to work smarter.

That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

Join thousands of SLPs and get the support you need

Subscribe to the SLP Now podcast and stay tuned for our next series. We’re kicking off September by helping you get your data collection, paperwork, and therapy planning processes in tip-top shape!

Transcript

Marisha (00:01.538)

I am so ready to kick off this series where we dive into all things referrals, IEPs and evaluations. And today we are starting off with referrals. And this is, so we're heading into one of the busiest paperwork seasons, typically for school-based SLPs. And I know a lot of us get overwhelmed by

all of these components. So I'm really excited to share some of the strategies that have worked for me in managing a caseload in the triple digits and then also working with thousands of SLPs on helping them streamline and save a bunch of time with these types of tasks. So referrals is what's first step. And the first tip that I have for you around referrals,

is to document the steps so that you can kind of inventory the process and by knowing exactly what the steps are, that'll save you a ton of time because you won't be forgetting to do certain steps, which I've definitely done. So you won't be forgetting steps. You'll have like clear process. won't have to think about all the things that you need to do. You'll just have them written out and you can just run through the list.

and get them done much more efficiently. So here's just a brain dump of what some of the steps might include, but I would highly recommend checking out your district's process and checking in with other SLPs or your administrator. A lot of times they'll have a process already written out.

but just make sure that you have that and that you have easy access to it, but some steps are Like a referral is kicked off when a parent or a teacher requests that And so that will look different depending on where you are But maybe it's typically like a verbal type of thing if you don't have the form set up But either you'll get a verbal

Marisha (02:24.654)

request for a referral and you'll have to follow up or the teacher will submit a form and that'll kick off the referral. Then we may need to request additional information. We may schedule screening depending on your state if that's something that's allowed. And then you may be sharing the results with the team and or making recommendations and deciding what the next steps are.

and then we may decide like, no, this doesn't make sense for a referral. referral is cleared or maybe we need to decide to follow up or maybe we're moving them, in a different route. So those are some of the big steps when it comes to referral. And I was purposefully trying to keep it broad because obviously this varies, but hopefully this helps you. Like if you were able to.

of jot down some of your steps as you are listening. That would be super awesome. But yeah, like I said at the beginning, this is a great, like writing out the steps is a great thing to do with your team at the district level or like with other SLPs or with people in your building just so you're on the same page in terms of the process. And then you can share resources to help

streamline and make that even easier. some things that we can do to make that process easier are one, just knowing what the steps are, but then also making sure that we have all of the resources that we need so we're not reinventing the wheel every time. So having a teacher referral form that helps you gather all of the information right off the bat and making it clear to the

people at your school, if you have a referral, we need to fill out this form, this is all the information I need, and then that saves you a bunch of time going back and forth and being like, wait, I needed this and I needed this and can you tell me this? So instead, you'll capture it all on one form. You may need to gather parent permission as well, so you'll want to have a form or process for that.

Marisha (04:50.902)

You may want a quick form to keep track of your results, like if you do a screening or classroom observation or whatever you might do as part of the referral process. Just having a way to document your results. And then one thing that I really like, so you might have a handful of forms and resources. So if you're using hard copies,

I highly recommend just having a binder or like a series of folders and just make sure you have multiple copies so you can just grab and go. You don't have to go to your computer, remember where the file is, hit print, run to the printer, then go. That's a lot of extra steps. So just make sure you have copies of any hard copies that you're any papers that you're using as part of the process. And then one quick tip.

I like to, because it's easier for me to make a copy of something than to try and connect my computer to the printer and do all of those steps. So I tend to use the copy machine for additional copies. And so I like to highlight my original. And if you use a yellow highlighter, the copier doesn't pick up on the highlighting.

So I know that I can never, ever, ever give away a copy of a sheet that has highlighter on it because that's my original. So anytime I run out of copies, that highlighter is a reminder for me. And then I run to the copy machine, make a handful of copies and like replenish that. So I've had file folders with these extra copies or binders with sheet protectors with extra copies in them.

because the sheet protectors fit like a handful of sheets. So those are some ways to keep those things organized so that you have easy access to everything that you need. And then you might want to have a sheet where you can keep track of all of the referrals and like their status and their dates. And you can have this just be written. So

Marisha (07:13.664)

You just have the student's name, the date they were referred, and then the date that you want to follow up, and maybe their status or whatever. So you can have just a printed table that you use. I really like to do this digitally. And I'm super duper excited because we have a feature in SLP Now where it has pre-made checklists. So we've done like

The step one that I shared of documenting the steps, we have a checklist of the common steps that you'll need to complete a successful referral. And then we have all, like we have digital versions of all of the forms that you can send off and it helps you keep track of what you've completed. You like check off the steps, the resources are attached, whether you're using like

teacher forum or collecting information from the parents or whatever it might be. You just click to send it off and the system takes care of it. You check off the steps that you have to do manually and then you can enter in like due dates and statuses so that you can quickly sort your list of students. So it helps organize all of those pieces for you, which I think is super cool. It's saving SLPs a lot of time.

and then yeah, I, one of the things that is also super helpful is having handouts. and so kind of at the very beginning of the process, what makes an effective referral. so if you are getting a ton of referrals and you're not feeling like they're the best referrals, some, did,

episode with Lacey, a handful of episodes back where we talked about communicating with teachers and that's one of the things that we discussed. But if you didn't listen to that episode, one strategy would be to like share handouts with teachers or to do a quick in-service where you talk about what makes a good referral and give teachers some strategies that they can implement because

Marisha (09:36.622)

They really should be implementing some interventions before making a referral. And so, yeah, that's one tip. And then just having, so having a handout for teachers on like what would make a good referral and things to consider. And also having some handouts with strategies that they can implement and you can trickle those throughout the year. And then on the tail end of the referral,

or kind of in the beginning, like resources for parents as well on things that they can try and just some education on the process and all of that. so having those resources helps streamline a lot of the communication as well. And then, yeah, so I think that those are all the tips. So just a quick recap is the biggest thing that you can do to save your time.

is just to document that whole process. as you're doing that, you can look at it. You don't have to streamline everything right off the bat. But if you're seeing those steps on paper, and then you can be like, well, I always forget to do that. So what can I do to help myself? Or, my gosh, I'm getting so many referrals that don't make sense. And so you can look at that and kind of address the very beginning stages.

And over time, you'll able to reflect and identify where you're getting held up, what's taking the most time, and then just streamline that whole process. And so those are my recommendations for navigating referrals. And then, just some keeping track of the copies or managing paperwork digitally.

having a list so that you can easily keep track of who you need to follow up with, whether that's on paper or digitally. Like there's tons of options on, there's 5 million ways that you could organize this and actually implement it. But I think those are the biggest principles. yeah, and if you're wanting to check out the SLP Now workload tools to help streamline your referrals and all the other pieces of paperwork, head to slpnow.

Marisha (12:01.774)

and you'll be able to sign up for a free trial and check out all of those tools and use them as much as you want for two whole weeks. So that is a wrap and we'll see you next week when we talk about assessments and evaluations.

FAQ

Do you need a referral for speech therapy in schools?

Yes, in school settings a formal referral is usually required to start the process. This helps ensure interventions are documented, monitored, and aligned with district policies and state regulations.

Who can make an SLP referral?

Referrals most commonly come from teachers and parents. Teacher referrals often come up when a student struggles with articulation, language comprehension, or social communication that affects classroom performance, while parent referrals often stem from concerns at home.

What information should a referral form include?

A strong referral form captures the student's info, the specific area of concern, examples of observed difficulties, any classroom interventions already attempted, and the date and name of the referring person.

What are the basic steps in the SLP referral process?

A referral request is made, a referral form is completed, parent permission is gathered, additional information is collected from teachers or past records, and a screening is scheduled if needed before deciding on next steps.

How to Write IEP Goals: An Expert Guide for SLPs

March 17, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

Writing effective IEP goals is a crucial skill for school-based Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs). Clear, measurable goals guide intervention, track student progress, and ensure compliance with legal requirements. However, crafting goals that are both meaningful and achievable can feel overwhelming.

In this guide, Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan shares expert strategies for writing IEP goals that truly support student success. With years of experience in special education, literacy, and executive functioning, Dr. Karen provides a structured approach to goal writing that simplifies the process while improving outcomes.

This guide will cover:

The essential framework behind effective IEP goals.
How to write clear, measurable goals using a simple syntax.
The difference between goals and accommodations (and why it matters).
Strategies for addressing language and executive functioning in goal writing.

By the end, you’ll have a step-by-step process for creating strong IEP goals with confidence.

Dr Karen’s IEP Goal Writing Resources

Before we get started, here are additional resources from Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan to support IEP goal writing:

And some more IEP Goals resources from SLP Now:

Understanding IEP Goals

What Are IEP Goals?

IEP (Individualized Education Program) goals are specific, measurable objectives designed to support a student’s unique needs. These goals outline the skills a student will develop and serve as a roadmap for intervention. For SLPs, IEP goals often target language, communication, literacy, and executive functioning skills.

IEP Goals vs. Accommodations

A common challenge when writing IEP goals is distinguishing them from accommodations. IEP goals focus on what the student will do, while accommodations describe the supports provided to help them achieve those goals.

For example:

IEP Goal: The student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities.
Accommodation: The student will have access to a vocabulary reference chart during language-based tasks.

By clearly separating goals and accommodations, SLPs can ensure students receive the necessary support while maintaining measurable objectives.

“I’ve seen people get carried away with putting what the clinician does in the goal, rather than what the child should do. I always recommend people start with what you want the child to do—that’s what the goal is.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Framework for Writing IEP Goals

The Essential Components of IEP Goals

Before writing an IEP goal, it’s important to understand the framework behind it. Dr. Karen emphasizes that strong goals follow a simple but effective structure:

Client will do X (observable behavior) with Y (level of accuracy).

This structure ensures that goals are clear, measurable, and focused on student outcomes. Instead of using vague terms like “demonstrate understanding,” goals should specify actions that can be observed and measured, such as “define and describe a word using two to three attributes.”

Why Your IEP Writing Framework Matters

Jumping straight into goal writing without a clear framework can lead to vague, inconsistent, or ineffective goals. Dr. Karen recommends that SLPs first identify the skill they are targeting—whether it’s language, executive functioning, or another area—before structuring the goal.

By using a structured approach, SLPs can ensure that each goal aligns with the student’s needs while maintaining clarity and compliance.

“I always start framework before we get to goals… because in order for you to understand what is meaningful and relevant and how to measure, you have to understand what you’re working on.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Syntax and Structure of IEP Goals

Once you have a strong framework, the next step is structuring the goal effectively. Dr. Karen recommends using a simple syntax:

Client will do X (observable behavior) with Y (level of accuracy).

For example:
✅ The student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities.
❌ The student will improve vocabulary skills. (Too vague—what does “improve” mean?)

Choosing Measurable Behaviors for IEP Goals

A well-written IEP goal should be based on behaviors that are:
✔ Observable: The skill can be seen or heard (e.g., answering a question, writing a sentence).
✔ Specific: Avoid broad terms like understand or comprehend.
✔ Measurable: The goal includes a clear accuracy level, such as a percentage or number of trials.

For complex skills, such as writing or executive functioning, using trials instead of accuracy percentages may be more effective. For instance, instead of measuring 80% accuracy, an SLP could track whether a student completes all required steps in a process.

“The basic syntax of a goal is: client will do X, which is your observable behavior, with Y, which is that level of accuracy. The place that I have people start with first after the framework is thinking about what is that observable behavior.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Types of IEP Goals

IEP goals can be categorized into different areas based on the student’s needs. Understanding these distinctions helps SLPs create targeted, effective goals.

1) Academic IEP Goals

These goals focus on language and literacy skills.

Example: The student will identify and define three new vocabulary words per week with 80% accuracy

2) Behavioral IEP Goals

These goals address social communication and self-regulation.

Example: The student will initiate a conversation with a peer at least once per session in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

3) Functional IEP Goals

These are goals that support life skills and executive functioning.

Example: The student will independently organize materials using a checklist in 3 out of 4 trials.

Each type of goal should be specific, observable, and measurable, ensuring that student progress can be accurately tracked.

“I think about writing goals for language and executive functioning a little bit differently… With language, we can often define those observable behaviors, but with executive functioning, we have to think beyond external behaviors to the internal processes that drive them.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Specialized Goals for SLPs

Speech and Language IEP Goals

For SLPs, IEP goals often focus on language development, articulation, fluency, and executive functioning. Dr. Karen highlights the importance of choosing goals that address both observable behaviors and the internal processes behind them.

Examples of specialized SLP goals:

Language Processing IEP Goals: The student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities.
Syntax & Grammar IEP Goals: The student will produce grammatically correct sentences using past-tense verbs in 4 out of 5 trials.
Executive Functioning IEP Goals: The student will use a self-questioning strategy to plan and complete multi-step classroom tasks in 3 out of 4 observed opportunities.

By focusing on both the skill and the process needed to achieve it, SLPs can create goals that lead to meaningful progress.

“When we’re thinking about executive functioning, you can’t just focus on the external behavior. You have to consider the internal processes—how the student plans, organizes, and self-monitors—because that’s what truly drives success.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

IEP Goal Setting Best Practices

Techniques for Effective IEP Goal Writing

Crafting strong IEP goals requires more than just following a template. Dr. Karen emphasizes several best practices to make goals meaningful and achievable:

✅ Start with a Framework – Ensure goals align with the student’s needs and intervention plan.
✅ Focus on Observable Behaviors – Clearly define what the student will do, rather than vague skills like “improve comprehension.”
✅ Keep Goals Measurable – Use clear criteria (e.g., 80% accuracy, 3 out of 4 trials, independently in 2 sessions).
✅ Differentiate Goals from Accommodations – Accommodations support goal achievement but should not be included in the goal itself.
✅ Consider the Learning Process – For executive functioning, goals may need to include both strategy use and task completion.

By following these principles, SLPs can write goals that are clear, effective, and support student growth.

“I always start with simple, clear goals. You can make them more specific as you work with the student, but if the goal is too complex from the start, it becomes harder to track progress effectively.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Utilizing IEP Goal Tools and Generators

IEP Goal Generators as a Resource

While manually writing IEP goals ensures customization, IEP goal generators can be useful tools for inspiration and efficiency. These tools provide templates based on evidence-based frameworks, helping SLPs craft structured and measurable goals quickly.

Pros of Using IEP Goal Generators:
✔ Save time by offering pre-written goal structures.
✔ Ensure goals align with best practices for measurability.
✔ Provide examples for various speech, language, and executive functioning needs.

Cons to Consider:
⚠️ May lack personalization—goals should always be tailored to the student.
⚠️ Can lead to over-reliance if used without critical thinking about framework and intervention.

When used strategically, goal generators can enhance an SLP’s workflow while still allowing room for professional judgment and customization.

Real-World IEP Goal Writing Examples

IEP Goal Best Practices in Action

Seeing well-written IEP goals in real-world settings can help SLPs refine their approach. Dr. Karen emphasizes that strong goals should be clear, functional, and adaptable based on student progress.

Example 1: Vocabulary Development

Before (Vague Goal): The student will improve vocabulary skills.
After (Specific Goal): The student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities.

Example 2: Executive Functioning

Before (Too Broad): The student will stay organized in class.
After (Measurable Goal): The student will use a checklist to organize materials in 3 out of 4 observed trials.

By structuring goals this way, SLPs ensure that progress can be tracked effectively while keeping intervention aligned with student needs.

Monitoring and Revising IEP Goals

IEP Goal Progress Monitoring Techniques

Tracking student progress is essential for determining whether an IEP goal is effective. Dr. Karen recommends:

✔ Using Clear Data Collection Methods – Take data on observable behaviors, using trials instead of accuracy percentages when appropriate.
✔ Documenting the Level of Support – Note whether progress was made independently or with prompts.
✔ Adjusting Goals as Needed – If a student is consistently meeting or struggling with a goal, modify it rather than waiting for the next IEP meeting.

When to Revise an IEP Goal

SLPs should regularly evaluate whether a goal remains appropriate. Consider revising the goal if:

The student has mastered the skill ahead of schedule.
The goal is too challenging, even with accommodations.
The student’s needs have changed due to new assessments or interventions.

IEP goals should be flexible enough to adapt as the student progresses while still maintaining structure and accountability.

“You don’t have to panic and rewrite all your IEP goals at once. Make small adjustments based on what’s working, update as you go, and ensure your goals remain meaningful and achievable.”

– Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Conclusion

Writing effective IEP goals is both an art and a science. By following a structured framework, focusing on measurable behaviors, and distinguishing goals from accommodations, SLPs can create meaningful objectives that drive student progress.

Dr. Karen emphasizes the importance of flexibility in goal writing—SLPs don’t need to start from scratch every time. Instead, they should build upon existing goals, refine them as needed, and ensure they align with the student’s evolving needs.

With these expert strategies, SLPs can approach IEP goal writing with confidence, clarity, and efficiency—ultimately improving outcomes for the students they serve.

FAQ: Writing Effective IEP Goals

1. What are some examples of IEP goals?

IEP goals should be specific and measurable. For example:

The student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities.
The student will use a checklist to organize materials in 3 out of 4 observed trials.

2. What should an effective IEP goal include?

A strong IEP goal follows this structure:
Client will do X (observable behavior) with Y (level of accuracy).
Goals should focus on what the student will do rather than what the clinician will provide.

3. How do I write a new IEP goal?

Start by identifying the skill area (language, executive functioning, etc.), then use the structured syntax:

Define an observable behavior (e.g., answering questions, writing sentences).
Choose a clear measurement method (e.g., accuracy percentage, number of trials).
Avoid vague terms like “understand” or “improve”—be specific.

4. How do I write measurable IEP goals?

To make a goal measurable:

Focus on observable behaviors (e.g., stating a word definition instead of understanding vocabulary).
Use numbers to define success (e.g., 80% accuracy, 4 out of 5 trials).
Consider using trials instead of accuracy for complex tasks.

5. What’s the difference between an IEP goal and an accommodation?

IEP Goal: Describes what the student will do. (Example: The student will answer WH-questions with 80% accuracy.)
Accommodation: Describes the supports provided to help the student succeed. (Example: The student will have access to visual cues for WH-questions.)

6. How can I adjust IEP goals over time?

If a student is meeting a goal too easily or struggling significantly, modify the goal by:

Increasing difficulty (e.g., requiring more accuracy or independence).
Breaking it into smaller steps if it’s too challenging.
Shifting the focus if the student’s needs change.

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Transcript

Marisha (00:01.208)

Hey there and welcome to the SLP Now podcast. I am really excited to have Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan with us today. We are going to be talking about strategies to write effective IEP goals. And Dr. Karen is the founder and owner operator of Dr. Karen LLC and it's a...

a company focused on empowering therapists and educators to design interventions that support language literacy and executive functioning. And a little bit about her background, we're going to turn this over to Dr. Karen in just a second so she can share her story. But she has a doctorate in special education and director of special education and assistive technology credentials from Illinois State University. And she also has her

masters and bachelor's from Illinois State University in speech language pathology. And she spent 14 years in the school systems and she has filled various roles. She's also a fellow podcaster. So even that bio that had a lot in there, but I feel like it hardly does her story justice. So Dr. Karen, welcome to the podcast.

Karen (01:09.878)

Yeah.

Karen (01:15.095)

Thank you for having me.

Marisha (01:16.974)

and would you mind just telling us, so we're focusing on IEP goals today. and I'm just curious to hear a little bit more of your story, because you share so many amazing resources on your website and on your podcast and you just have a wealth of knowledge. so can you just share a little bit of, I know you might have to pick and choose the snippet, but

Karen (01:23.565)

Mm-hmm.

Karen (01:43.381)

Yeah!

Marisha (01:44.686)

Just kind of what led you to create all of these resources and a little of your joining me.

Karen (01:50.303)

Yeah, so I guess I can kind of start at the beginning. So I started off in the schools in the early 2000s and I originally thought I was going to be medical. And then of course, it was easier to get a job in the school. So I ended up there, thought, you know, I'll just finish my CF here and then move over to the hospital. But of course, I ended up staying that position for 14 years. And I really did not enjoy my language disorders course in in grad school because it was so

They threw so much information at you and it really probably should have been three or four courses. that was really, once I got into the schools, that's a huge part of your caseload is language. And then you have to think about literacy on top of that. And it seemed like some of the other areas of therapy that we treat with articulation, fluency, voice, or even some of the things that you might address in adult cognitive rehab, just being in the schools was just,

there were so many different elements that I didn't feel like I knew how to deal with. so I quickly realized that I had to figure out how to handle language therapy and really figure out what my role was on that special ed team, really in literacy, because I kind of felt like I was just grabbing random things off of my shelves. And then you get to the end of the IEP and it's like, what did we even do here when you're filling out your progress updates? I, that,

That's part of why I went back to get my doctorate in special ed. And what that really allowed me to do was kind of customize what I was studying. It's a little bit different when you compare communication sciences and disorders to special ed, because when you're thinking about special ed, you're really thinking about the whole team and all of the whole cluster of special education services and how you fit in within the team. And so that's really where I...

I focused, but my area of research was about vocabulary and metacognition and how we can put supports in place, both in the schools or just what are those language skills that we need to build in order to support comprehension. And so obviously I was focused on literacy. I was in the schools during the time that we were switching from the discrepancy model of identifying students with learning disabilities. So I was really involved on my school team with

Karen (04:13.335)

figuring out what interventions needed to be in place and then was also working on my doctoral work at the same time. And that's really where I put together the first framework that I created that was kind of the first suite of courses that I created for my business. And then I also have expanded that to focus on things like executive functioning, which is really, you're talking beyond the SLP's role, but also just how you work together on that school team.

because really when you're thinking about executive functioning, which applies to language as well, but with executive functioning, you can't not focus on other service delivery models outside of direct intervention. So yeah, that kind of, and then I also have an administrative role right now in the Department of Children and Family Services. doing some other roles in leadership with figuring out how to take, just kind of thinking beyond what do we do when we have

students or clients in front of us and how do we create change in a bigger organization.

Marisha (05:15.514)

that's amazing. You're like the ultimate SLP problem solver. You're helping us figure out how to do intervention and you're helping us figure out how to implement changes in the systems as a whole. That's so cool. I love that. What a fun story. And thank you for...

Karen (05:19.373)

Thank you.

Karen (05:31.531)

Yeah, I like to say I just get bored easily. So I always, you know, have to keep evolving and figuring out a new way to do things. So.

Marisha (05:39.47)

But that is such, like those are such amazing ways to impact the field. So we're lucky to have you. We're lucky that you get bored and that you're like looking at all these different avenues. Yeah. I love it. Okay. So now let's circle back because you have some amazing frameworks that really help reduce the overwhelm for SLPs and help us provide.

Karen (05:47.501)

Thank you. Yeah, a blessing and a curse.

Marisha (06:06.248)

more effective intervention, operate at the top of our license, all of that good stuff. And part of like one of the questions that I get all the time, and I know that there's so much that goes into this, but I wanted to talk a little bit about IEP goals and just kind of, I know you're going to share a little bit of your frameworks and everything as we go through that. But when we're thinking about IEP goals, what does an effective

Karen (06:19.648)

Right.

Karen (06:23.744)

Mm-hmm.

Marisha (06:35.598)

goal look like or what should it include? What are some of the big things that we need to be thinking about as we start, like as we're sitting down looking at an IEP, deciding what the goals are.

Karen (06:44.587)

Yeah, so that's it's I also get that question all the time. So definitely relate. get how do I write goals for this and how do I evaluate whenever I share a framework? It's like, this is different. But so how do I switch my goals? So I when when people ask me that question and I will share some specific set of questions or principles that you can think about when writing goals, because that's where I really like to start rather than a gold bank. Not that I think all gold banks are bad, but I think that if you

jump right to that before you understand the process, then sometimes it can be kind of a bandaid. So just wanted to say that. But where I always start with people before we get to goals is the framework, whether it's language, whether it's executive functioning, because in order for you to understand what is meaningful and relevant and how to measure, you have to understand what you're working on. Now, obviously, it does make sense to start with evaluations. But a lot of times people who come to me

There are clinicians, they're already practicing, so they at least have some knowledge on how to do an evaluation. So I don't feel like I need to start there. Really what we need to do is kind of zoom out and back up. So that's why I don't start with the goals and evaluations. I give the framework first and then it's like, okay, once we understand what we're working on and we can start adjusting your therapy, now we can start working on these goals and now we can start figuring out what you have and how to adjust it. So.

Whenever I teach a framework, what I do with people and how I recommend that they start making updates to their entire system is just because you're doing a new thing in therapy, you're changing the vehicle to get to the end destination, which would be your goals or your outcomes. But just because you're changing the vehicle, like your therapy technique or your framework, doesn't mean you have to change the end destination. you don't have to just...

know, panic and feel like you need to rewrite all of your IEP goals. You can make little adjustments and then update as you go. So that's what I recommend for people. What I really focus on helping people do is figure out how to write goals and just really do intervention for language and executive functioning. And I think we can, I think about writing goals for those two things a little bit differently.

Karen (09:09.213)

where I usually start with people. So I guess I can go through my questions and sort of my highlights of what I can cover today and then we can dive into each specific. So I would say things like language and some of those other things that you're addressing in therapy can be a little bit different than thinking about executive functioning. That would be the first thing. The second thing would be the actual syntax and structure of your goal. And then the other things are how you think about

what should be in the goal versus what should be in accommodations that might help you get to the goal. And then also thinking about, do I want to address a strategy or a specific task or do I want to teach the child to do a specific strategy? And so I want to come back to that last one because I think I'll have to give some more context for people to understand. So

Yeah, should we start with the syntax of goals? So syntax about goals about syntax being really meta here.

Marisha (10:11.502)

I love it. Let's do it.

Karen (10:13.973)

Okay, so, and I actually don't like to, in practice, spend a ton of time thinking about goals, but I get that it's such a headache for people. I always, my philosophy on goals and data is that you want to make sure that you're compliant. You want to make sure that you are, you know, getting enough information that you can make good decisions.

But beyond that, there can be diminishing returns. So you don't want to take away from your therapy. So that's why I like to be really efficient with the frameworks. really, can start with the basic syntax of a goal is client will do x with y. So client will do x, which is your behavior or observable behavior, with y, which is that level of accuracy.

And so I always start with that. And so when you have that basic syntax of the goal, the place that I have people start with first after the framework is thinking about what is that observable behavior. So with something like language, what I usually give people is just kind of a set of things that can go with the specific framework that I teach. It's a lot.

smaller and more condensed than a goal bank, because when you start with just maybe five or six observable behaviors, then you can kind of tweak and customize and go from there rather than having huge drop downs. for example, and I can actually link to some resources rather than getting into really specific things here, but if you're wanting to build vocabulary, one of the goals that I commonly do is just defining and describing

words. So that's something that you can physically see. We're not saying things that are vague that you can't necessarily observe, like comprehend or understand, but defining and describing words with two to three attributes. I can actually see somebody doing that. Or even, and I know this sounds super basic, something like syntax. How can you tell if someone has their syntactic skills intact? They're saying a sentence or they're writing a sentence.

Karen (12:27.755)

Like that's your base observable behavior. Now, of course you might put a specific sentence type in there, but that's what you physically want to see. Or maybe we'll answer a question about a sentence. We'll pull out a morpheme in a word or explain what different word parts mean. We'll be able to segment a word into morpheme. So again, just some basic behaviors that we want to see in order to

show those language skills. And obviously, all of those examples that I gave might make sense to people, obviously, if they're an SLP, but it would make more sense if they had the whole framework. But really, the key takeaway here is what is that observable behavior? And then we can move on to what level of accuracy makes sense here. And I think that where I tend to err is I like trials better than accuracy because

When we think about language and when we think about executive functioning, sometimes it's really hard to measure level of accuracy. So like, if you are working on writing, almost, it almost makes more sense to figure out what are the elements of, of, that I want to see in this paragraph and go and see if they've done all of those elements. And you're kind of like, well, maybe they did the introduction, but not the conclusion and their syntax.

you know, wasn't intact, they, they, cause they sometimes do some, but not all. And so it almost makes more sense to say, like, did they complete the task? Cause you can get through the whole thing maybe once, maybe twice in a therapy session, you're not going to get, you know, all these different trials where you could do 80 to 90%. So when you have those bigger, bigger chunks of things where you're only going to have maybe one, maybe two, three trials per session, it almost,

more often than not, it's easier to track if you go with trials. Now, obviously things with articulation, you can get a lot of trials and then it does make sense to do that percentage, but that's where I go with some of those bigger things where it's a process with a lot of steps. just some things to think about within that syntax.

Marisha (14:42.828)

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So the basic goal is client will do X with Y. X is the observable behavior and then Y is the level of accuracy. And then yeah, you have lots of other great tips in there, but I won't recap all of them because we have good comprehension here. OK, so that's the syntax side of things. Are we ready to chat about?

Karen (14:51.127)

We'll see.

Karen (15:01.611)

Yes, I hope so.

Marisha (15:10.904)

what should be a goal versus an accommodation.

Karen (15:13.345)

Yes, and I think that kind of that can is a good piggyback to the syntax conversation. So what I've seen people do and get carried away with, and I'm not saying you should never do this because sometimes it's appropriate, but what people sometimes do is put what they do in the goal, like what the clinician is doing versus what the child is doing. So where I recommend people start is what do you want the child to do? That's what the goal is.

And then when people start to put things like given assistance, given a prompt, given, and then they'll start listing out the accommodations that they need. I've seen people write a goal that is a paragraph long with all these accommodations in there. And sometimes that is appropriate. Sometimes you do need to say, this client needs a phonemic cue or whatever it is. Sometimes you might have

they want, they're going to do all of these steps in the task. And the goal is that you want to have them complete the entire task and fade the prompts rather than trying to make the task progressively harder, especially with executive functioning. sometimes does make sense to have the goal be to fade the prompts rather than to work up a hierarchy, which you kind of have to toggle back and forth with some things that we're working on. But,

In those cases, it is appropriate to say with fading prompts. Where it gets really tricky is one, the goal gets really wordy and you almost can't read what the goal actually is. Two, it's kind of vague, which sometimes we do have to settle for things that are a little bit vague, but sometimes I'm like, I ask people, what are you trying to accomplish by putting that in that goal? Are you just...

Do you feel like you need to put it in there? Is it really adding something? Would another clinician pick up this goal and know what that means? Now, of course, again, we can't always guarantee that somebody's gonna pick up your paperwork and know exactly what's happening, but I always, I just encourage people to, when they feel the urge to do that, just figure out what am I trying to accomplish here? Because again, sometimes it's appropriate, but I've seen people get carried away with it.

Karen (17:30.293)

And then the other thing that happens is that people try to put in all these, their accommodations sometimes, like given visual supports, given, you know, a queue, given multiple modes of communication. And they're almost putting things in this goal that you should be just doing anyways, that almost should be more of an accommodation on the IEP that's just globally applied to the student's plan. And they're putting it in all the goals and it's just making the goals wordier. So again, not saying that you should never

link a support or a specific cue to a goal. But I always encourage people to think, hmm, should this be in the goal or should this be an accommodation? And why am I trying to put it in the goal? I think sometimes people are almost, they're putting it in the goal because they're worried that the student is not going to get all the support that they need. Which if that's the case, you don't have a goal writing issue, you have an issue with the team and the leadership and which of course is a much more challenging problem to address. But

But yeah, I always say don't try to fix an issue with your team by trying to focus on your paperwork. Again, this is where it's so, it just depends. And that's why I always encourage people to ask themselves a set of questions rather than be like, this is the way that you do it. Because I used to be more of a, this is the way that you do it person. And you always find situations when that you've got to just understand the nuance.

Marisha (18:57.876)

And there's so much gray in what we do. And then, because I use a similar approach with my goals too. I like to focus on the observable behavior. I just feel like, cause especially it's hard to clearly describe the support. And I feel like a lot of my, I've had a lot of very transient students and I want to make sure that we're having like consistency and continuity across SLPs and.

Karen (19:00.278)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Karen (19:19.511)

Mm-hmm.

Marisha (19:27.65)

that just felt like the easiest way to accomplish that. But then I know there's a lot of, so when you're like, if you're, I'm just curious in your practice, like when you were writing these types of goals for kiddos, did you, when you're doing progress monitoring, if you have the supports and the accommodations, do you provide the accommodations when you're progress monitoring for the goal or do you do that without support?

Karen (19:30.817)

bright.

Karen (19:57.141)

It kind of depends on where I want the student to be. I mean, to be honest, in practice, you kind of toggle back and forth. It's because in your session, you're always just, you're right there and it's like, do I need to jump in? Do I need to back up? And so we do that in practice anyways. And that's another thing where it's, well, this is what you should be doing in therapy. So you don't necessarily have to explain all of it in your goal. The goal should be something that is a meaningful.

Marisha (20:16.355)

Mm-hmm.

Karen (20:26.421)

way to give a picture or a snapshot. You know, I, if when I was actually in just like practicing, I would usually do both in the session and have both depending on where the child was. And then the goal would just be like, would, I would take the data and actually write down what was actually relevant to what was on paper.

Now, I would say if I knew the child was going to get such a low level of accuracy without the support, I would be asking myself the question of one, should I actually be taking data and putting a prompt in the goal or should I making the goal easier? Again, that's the question of does it make sense to try to get the child to do it and have the goal be to have them do the whole task?

Or does it make sense to expect less and take the prompting out of the goal or change the level of accuracy? And so a specific example that comes up for some of the students or the SLPs that are going through My Language Therapy Advanced program is that if we're doing semantic feature analysis and we're doing like state in the category and the function and the attributes and we're trying to get students to use self questioning to describe

multiple things about a word and the goal is maybe you want them to give you at least three to four different attributes. A lot of times people are like well should I make the goal to be just do one? Should I only make goals about categories? And I usually start with see if you can get as many different attributes at once or like see what you can get from the students even though we know that there's a hierarchy within those skills. We know that category is more difficult than stating a function.

for example. So, but just see what you can get from students and then, you know, let that be your guide for determining how much needs to be in that goal as far as like you make it difficult, more or less difficult. And I think the other thing that I would add in here to help you figure out some of these questions is that you can do therapy and try some of these things as part of your evaluation in addition to the formal assessments.

Karen (22:53.567)

as part of a dynamic assessment is measuring things like test, retest, and the ability to respond to some interventions to see what would be an appropriate goal for this task. And that's why it's important to have your framework first because sometimes your framework can actually give you additional processes that you can use in your evaluations, especially with executive functioning, where it's even harder to measure that the language.

I actually have a couple tools that I teach where I recommend that be part of your evaluation because you're really going to get a very limited picture from rating scales and standard assessments that are available for executive functioning, which of course is true for language as well, but is even more true for some of those other cognitive skills. I think you asked me the question of, I think you asked me about, I take data on

Marisha (23:42.446)

Yeah.

Karen (23:49.429)

if I did the prompt or not. Yeah, I mean, I always took as much, like gave as much information as I thought was relevant within that context. Like what is gonna give a good picture of the progress that we've made, so.

Marisha (24:05.526)

Yeah, and I like to, I feel like we have a similar approach, but I like to have that data without the support because then like every SLP will, especially if like it's a really clear goal, every SLP will be able to take data and it'll be pretty consistent. So then we have like a better measure of progress over time. And then

Karen (24:23.841)

Right.

Marisha (24:31.17)

Like in my therapy sessions, I'm always documenting what types of supports were helpful. And, yeah, so I like having both of those pieces of data. I think there's benefits to having both. I also like having like a nice simple goal because it just, it's easier to keep track of.

Karen (24:43.906)

Yeah.

Karen (24:47.915)

I know. Yeah. I mean, I always start with simple, you know, start with simple and then you can make it more specific as you work with the client.

Marisha (24:56.002)

Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, and I know there's different youth. Like, we get to live in the gray a lot, as SLPs. So that makes sense that there are definitely cases when we do want to do things a little bit differently.

Karen (25:04.525)

Mm-hmm.

Karen (25:12.365)

And that's another way that you could, when people are like, how do I avoid writing the same goal every year? Is, you know, then you might specify, like for the example that I gave, define and describe using the category or take the prompts away. Like that's another way you can make the goal harder, but still be working on the same skill.

Marisha (25:17.358)

Mm-hmm.

Marisha (25:31.886)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And we do want to see change in our goals over time. We could also increase the level of accuracy or like the trials, like providing one out of five descriptors or whatever, however we want to word that. But yeah, so we have, and we have so many options and we get to be problem solvers and figure out all the things. Okay. So that makes sense.

Karen (25:41.057)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Karen (25:47.885)

Mm-hmm.

Karen (25:54.007)

Yeah.

Marisha (25:58.71)

I love that distinction between the goals versus the accommodations and that as a strategy to consider. So the third thing you mentioned was, we addressing a strategy or teaching a specific task? So can we dive into that a little bit?

Karen (26:15.201)

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I have changed the way that I teach this over the years. So I went, so I had my, again, communication sciences and disorders where we are very much like, you know, 80 % accuracy and it was very structured. And then in the special ed program, it was very much about smart goals and observable. And so that idea was reinforced.

in me and, you know, multiple programs. And I, when I first started teaching my language therapy framework, I even went to the level of specificity, which I actually still use this explanation, but I give additional context. But I would say, here's a bit, here is a verb that you can observe. And here is a verb that is a little bit clearer, but not as much. And then here is something that is really vague. Cause people would say things like,

will demonstrate understanding, which is kind of vague. Instead of saying, well, point to a picture, we'll identify a picture, we'll say a word, things that you can actually observe. Those principles still apply for many things. With language, we can often define those observable behaviors, like are they saying a sentence, are they writing a sentence or a word?

Are they saying sentences with certain sentence types or giving you specific attributes? Or I'm trying to think of a couple other ones. Again, even following directions, which again, following directions goals that can be a whole conversation about the purpose of them and when they're appropriate and whether you're just focused on vocabulary or compliance, whole other conversation. But again, you can still observe somebody doing that. And if you understand what you're working on, that could be appropriate because you're assessing comprehension now.

So all of those things, and that's where I start with language. But where it gets trickier is with executive functioning, because when people think about executive functioning, they're so focused on the external behavior. Is the folder organized? Did they complete the steps? Are they able to wait their turn? And are they able to stay on topic? Which it's not that those things are irrelevant, but

Karen (28:37.227)

They are very, again, external symptoms of things that are internal processes. And if you're focused on those behaviors and you don't really understand that really when we're working on executive functioning, we're thinking about our ability to use self-talk, our ability to sense the passage of time and think into the future and utilize episodic memory to go back, think back on past experiences and apply them to future and then use language to visualize steps.

and say language to ourselves about those steps to engage in that goal, directed behavior and envision this end goal and figure out what should I be doing now to get myself to this end goal. So it's very internal. so while I used to be a person that was like, just like I used to say for writing, which is something that involves a lot of executive functioning, I would say, so a graphic organizer and the getting ready is just like,

That's the process, the end goal is that we want to have the five paragraph essay or whatever it is. And I used to say, this is your end goal, this is what you should write on the IEP. And, cause I would see goals for like, we'll fill out graphic organizer or, know, things like that. And I used to say, don't worry about the process, just worry about the end goal. Now I say, think about both.

especially when you're working on executive functioning, because the reason that kids can't get to this end goal is because they have a difficult time with the planning and the thinking and the brainstorming and the gathering of materials and the articulating the steps in a process. So that's where I have changed how I explain goals and where I, I would say it's even more important to think about the external end product that you want.

and the process and the strategy that you use to get to the end goal. Now you could use the same philosophy for language as well, but it is really important with executive functioning because people tend to be very focused on the wrong things if you only focus on the end or tend to be so focused on writing this essay that you don't realize that you're prompting your students so much with constant questions when they should be.

Karen (31:01.341)

using self questioning and planning and using strategies to do that themselves. And that's where we get into, you know, either making students, not giving enough support for students and leaving them very frustrated or prompting them so much that they never learned to be independent. So yeah, that's the soap box there. So where we want to think about both, but again, you always want to ask yourself the question, what is the point of what I'm doing? Like, does it make sense to focus on

a strategy to get to this end product or do I focus on the end product or do I focus on both?

Marisha (31:38.338)

Yeah, that's great. and so, cause I love how your, your, like what you teach has kind of evolved over the time, over the years. And as we get new information and as we get to see more examples and all of that, but yeah, that makes sense that we want to think about the, the process and the end goal. And we may.

Karen (31:50.829)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Marisha (32:06.784)

or may not want to include both of those intervals.

Karen (32:09.033)

Mm hmm. And sometimes you might be, you know, collaborating with your team members, like writing. A lot of times the special ed teacher was working on that, but I knew she was working on it so we could figure out who's doing what. And, you know, how are we both supporting this in different ways?

Marisha (32:27.118)

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So was there anything else that you wanted to add around...

Karen (32:34.34)

well that could be a whole other podcast, I mean, can share what I wanted to do. I can share a couple of resources to just give some more specific examples. Cause we've talked a little high level. I know I've given some examples of goals, but it really does help when people can see what are specific examples of executive functioning goals and tasks and frameworks. So.

What I can do is that I can share some resources where people can start to learn about the framework, which is where I always start. And then I can also share some links of articles and things that will give some specific tips about goals and specific examples, which is what I also do after I teach the framework. So I do have my language therapy training. People can sign up for that at drkarenspeech.com backslash language, and then the executive functioning training.

People can sign up for that at drkarendudekbrannon.com backslash EF leadership. And those are both free trainings. And then there's information about some of my paid trainings at the very end for people who are interested in learning more.

Marisha (33:43.694)

Perfect. So we will add those links to the show notes. Yeah, I think I love a good framework and I think you've got some really great resources for SLPs to help them because you're so right. We need to have that framework built and then we can implement the strategies. And I think it'll just make this whole conversation make just a little bit more sense. Cool. So.

Karen (33:54.957)

Thank you.

Karen (34:06.101)

Right, exactly.

Marisha (34:10.976)

Yeah, no, this was super helpful. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time. It's always a pleasure to get to learn from you. And then, yeah, thank you to, if you've listened this far, thanks for joining us and hanging out with us as we nerd out about IEP goals.

Karen (34:20.151)

Thank you.

Karen (34:29.537)

Thanks for having me.

Marisha (34:31.052)

Yeah, have a good one.

FAQ

What are some examples of IEP goals?

IEP goals should be specific and measurable. For example: the student will define and describe words using at least three attributes in 80% of opportunities, or the student will use a checklist to organize materials in 3 out of 4 observed trials.

What should an effective IEP goal include?

A strong IEP goal follows this structure: client will do X (observable behavior) with Y (level of accuracy). Goals should focus on what the student will do rather than what the clinician will provide.

How do I write a new IEP goal?

Start by identifying the skill area, like language or executive functioning, then use the structured syntax: define an observable behavior, choose a clear measurement method, and avoid vague terms like "understand" or "improve."

How do I write measurable IEP goals?

Focus on observable behaviors instead of vague ones, use numbers to define success like a percentage or number of trials, and consider using trials instead of accuracy for more complex tasks.

What's the difference between an IEP goal and an accommodation?

An IEP goal describes what the student will do, like answering WH-questions with 80% accuracy. An accommodation describes the support provided to help the student succeed, like access to visual cues.

How can I adjust IEP goals over time?

If a student is meeting a goal too easily or struggling significantly, modify it by increasing difficulty, breaking it into smaller steps, or shifting focus if the student's needs change.

Parent Input for IEPs: Questions to Ask Families

March 3, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

Welcome to another episode of the SLP Now podcast!

Today, Marisha and Wendy Taylor discuss how to effectively collect parent input!

In this episode of the SLP Now podcast, Marisha and Wendy Taylor discuss the complexities of special education, focusing on the importance of parent input statements in the IEP process. Wendy shares her journey as an educational therapist and the challenges parents face when navigating IEP meetings. The conversation emphasizes the need for effective communication between parents and educators, strategies for gathering valuable feedback, and the significance of collaboration to support students’ needs.

Takeaways from This Episode

Wendy Taylor emphasizes the importance of parent input in the IEP process.
Parents often feel overwhelmed during IEP meetings, even if they have a background in special education.
Data-driven decisions are crucial for effective IEPs.
Parent input statements should be submitted in writing to ensure they are included in the IEP.
Parents should articulate their child’s short-term and long-term goals during IEP meetings.
Building trust with parents is essential for effective collaboration.
Gathering data from various environments (home, school, community) is important for a comprehensive understanding of the child.
Using creative methods like video documentation can provide valuable insights into a child’s behavior and needs.
Regular check-ins with parents can enhance communication and support.
The ultimate goal is to create a supportive environment that fosters student growth and independence.

Wendy’s Additional GLP Resources

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That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

Join thousands of SLPs and get the support you need

Subscribe to the SLP Now podcast and stay tuned for our next series. We’re kicking off September by helping you get your data collection, paperwork, and therapy planning processes in tip-top shape!

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Transcript

Marisha (00:01.332)

Hello there and welcome to the SLP Now podcast. I'm really excited to introduce our guest for today. We have Wendy Taylor joining us and she is a certified educational therapist, Orton Gillingham practitioner and IEP coach. And she does some really amazing work empowering families and professionals to help them navigate the complexities of special education.

she also has an amazing podcast, special ed strategists. So go check that out if you haven't already. know you're going to want to hear more from her after listening to this episode. and she's also the founder of learning essentials. And I mean, there's, won't be able to do her bio justice in this. so I'm going to turn it over to Wendy. So first of all, welcome to the podcast.

Wendy Taylor (00:57.016)

Thank you so much for having me. think it's an important conversation that we're going to have today. So I'm looking forward to chatting and hopefully passing on some knowledge that your listeners can then impart to the folks that they support, whether it's their own personal kiddos or the kiddos that they support out in the professional realm.

Marisha (01:15.976)

Yeah. and then I'm curious, cause I read a little bit of your bio, but I'd love to hear from like interviewees on just like how they got to where they are today. so what led you to become like an educational therapist and kind of diving into this niche of supporting parents and professionals. yeah, just tell us a little bit about your story and how you got.

Wendy Taylor (01:42.786)

Let's do it. All right. So my background is in special education. My first gig was high school juvenile delinquents in the special education self-contained. And I loved it. I loved that no two days were the same. I loved being consistent and supportive of these kiddos and the families that were part of these kiddos' lives. Fast forward, I am a mama of three when I first had our first son, who's now 19.

I was just really actually tutoring and supporting families for kind of grocery money. kind of kid on that one, but yeah, just kind of, got stepped away from the direct day-to-day in the school system. And then my phone kept ringing. So after a second, the phone kept ringing. My husband's like, know, build a business. And so I really took that to heart of kind of more of this holistic approach in bridging learning gaps and helping families access special education services.

Fast forward a little bit more, our middle son who is now completely healthy, he was five and he's a brain cancer survivor. And so at that moment, I then had to sit at this IEP table as a parent and I knew going in, right? You know the players, you know that it's like walking into a cocktail party and everybody stops and looks at the parent and I knew all of this and I knew that

who was going to be at the table. knew the actual paperwork, the whole process, and I was a wreck. It is very hard when you come from that place of fear and love as a parent. And that really just ignited my desire to further help parents coordinate special education services. And where I found a gap was there's lots of IEP coaches, there's lots of advocates out there that help parents with their actual IEP, but so many

families were coming to me and saying, my kid didn't qualify because they had good grades. They didn't qualify for an IEP because they had good grades. And I was like, all right, this is a void in the market of understanding how to advocate as a parent, right? Because when we think about getting an IEP, you think about bell to bell and thinking about all the elements that impact a student. And so really thinking, how can I better serve parents?

Wendy Taylor (04:06.154)

in this capacity and then what we're talking about today in terms of parent input statements so that you can really make a support for your kiddo that truly reflects who your kiddo is. And I think that's incredibly important. So that's kind of what got me here today.

Marisha (04:26.11)

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for sharing that. And it's, I think this is really important. I mean, a lot of what you shared is, I'm, I don't know, there's so much gold in there, but one thing that really stood out to me was you had experience in special education and you had done the paperwork and gone through all of those steps as a professional.

but it was still overwhelming as a parent and you knew all the acronyms and the lingo and all of that. So like to then I think that helps us put ourselves in parent's shoes if they don't have that background and there's still all of the emotion around their like have that IEP process for their child. Like that's really important to think about.

Wendy Taylor (05:16.8)

It really is. I think it is because you think about your kiddo at school, right? And whether they have an active IEP, you're seeking an active IEP, seeking an IEP as a parent, you have to be able to articulate beyond just emotion. You have to be able to sit at that table and really think of it, which sounds kind of disorient not disoriented, but you know, disconnected in the sense that it's

It really is a business meeting, right? Because it's based in law and data will drive placement, data is going to drive needs. And so if you come in as a parent with your own data through your parent input cement, that's incredibly powerful for you to then have some leverage at the table, even though it is nerve wracking, it is anxiety filled.

even to the best of us, right? So to have that information and again, thinking about Bell to Bell, you think about, you're, and folks that are listening are probably like, well, I'm not in school with them. And so I'd like to kind of just talk about how to collect data so that you can then create a strong parent input statements. But when I say Bell to Bell, think about your kid from the time they get to school, if they're on the bus.

Think about the bus ride. Think about hallways, transitions, the classes that they're taking. I want you to think about lunch, recess, specials, any of those things and thinking about processing memory and attention as it relates to that school setting. But then also think about your kid in the home and in the community, right? So if we think about those three areas, how do they...

respond and react and all of those things at home and at school and in the community so that you can start to pull all that information together. So that when it's time to present that to the team, you have it in an articulate form that they can, you can start to pull data from.

Marisha (07:34.196)

Yeah, that's great. then, so, because today we're going to chat about, you started diving into it a little bit, but we're going to chat about parent input statements. And I love what you said about like parents can contribute their own data because the decisions are data-based. But just to like make sure we're all on the same page, like what is a parent input statement? Where does it go in the IEP?

and just like from, and we're speaking to school-based SLPs, so I think we have some idea, but just to make sure we're all on the same page.

Wendy Taylor (08:13.57)

Right, so a parent input statement is going to be asked because of our federal law IDEA, parents need to be part of the process, whether it is seeking an IEP or a current active IEP. And so prior to an IEP, you should receive something that is a form depending on your district that's asked.

for how are things going? Like what are you thinking? And if it's a kid transitioning, what's going on? And kind of getting some general idea. I, through my years, have had parents say, I've never received that, or they didn't really ask a lot. Does it really go in the IEP? There's a place in the IEP, again, depending on your state and your district, where it should go. But it should be, if you think about our...

baseline for starting an IEP evaluation, meaning like your yearly or annual or whatever, present level of performance. So the school is going to come together. They're going to say, this is where your child is performing in the school day. And then parents should have their input as well. And I think you can, if you did not receive anything, I would encourage you to reach out to that IEP coordinator, case manager, whomever you are in contact with.

about your kiddos IEP, ask them, is there a specific way for me to submit my parent input statement? And I say that because I want you to submit it in writing so that it can, and request that it is part of that IEP so that it becomes a part of the living document that will then be reflected and measured throughout the year and then passed on from years prior for moving forward, I should say. And so making sure that it's in

writing would be the key and making sure that you as a parent then have the time. So now that if you're listening to this and you're encouraging your parents to do this, so they have time to really form their thoughts and how they see their kiddo. And I always say, think about short term. So big picture, little picture, think about six months. Where do you see your kiddo? Where do you see your kiddo in a year? Where do you see your kiddo in three years? Where do you see your kiddo in five years? And we know that we have an annual IEP.

Wendy Taylor (10:32.194)

but I think it's important for parents to start to put that down. So if there are services or elements that need to be on a wait list for, or if you're not sure about moving forward, if you're transitioning from, know, transitioning into kindergarten, into sixth grade, ninth grade, and then after you graduate so that you're really starting to be forward thinking in where this kiddo's growth should take place, needs to take place, where we want to see the kiddo

and how independent can we have our kiddo. So these ideas and people on the team may have different ideas from you. And so kind of coming to that collaborative piece of this is my baby, I'm the consistent person at the IP table. This is where I see my kiddo again in the short term and long term areas. And of course that's gonna change, right? As our kiddos master skills and build and grow, we want those visions to change.

but as a parent really ensuring and then hopefully eventually your kiddo can be that advocate and speak of where they want to go and where they want to see each other so that you're mapping out the courses, you're mapping out the resources, you're mapping out what do you have in the community so you can really start to build this broader support system.

Marisha (11:49.416)

Yeah, I love that. so you talked about how like federal IDAA law says that we need to involve parents in the process. So that's obviously a strong reason for why we want to have those parent input statements. And then you're also saying that if parents are able to share like their vision for their child, like what are the short and long term goals?

Knowing what's important to the parent can help the IEP team, like the teacher and the speech therapist, the OTPT, whoever's involved, that can help direct our goal setting to make sure that it's really meaningful and impactful. Are there any other reasons why you think that the parent input statements are particularly important, or do you feel like that covers it? It's required by law and it helps direct the team.

Are there any other benefits?

Wendy Taylor (12:47.992)

So it's also a great way because as a parent, I may, you know, in my family, we may see a different direction for our kiddo that may differ from what the school feels like they see. And so that's one part, right? So that you can then make sure we're aligning that conversation. Then there's times where there's a lot of things to work on, right? So the kid, like you just mentioned, a kid may have...

as speech services and OT services and maybe behavioral services. So they may have this big comprehensive IEP. And I think it begs the question of what are we prioritizing? Because we can't work, if we put goals on everything for multiple goals on many different areas, sometimes they kind of get washed out. So I think it begs the question for parents of, I was asked like, if you had a magic wand, right?

Again, once you start collecting the data in the areas, and we can talk about that, like the different areas again, a little bit more focused on. But once you have that data, what do we want to prioritize? Whether it's for this IP cycle, but maybe it's not even the whole cycle. What do we want to prioritize now? And then can we reconvene? So what can we do? What do we want to prioritize as our focus to help us get to this bigger picture goal of where

we, kiddo included, see themselves moving. And then from there, we can really make sure that we are drilling down on our goals and the services and the accommodations and the support for that student. And so even as an SLP, as you're calling a parent to say, hey, know, I see we have this IEP scheduled, I'll be at the meeting, you know, I've collected this, you know, however you want to say it, asking, what do you see as a priority?

and us working together with your kiddo. And I think that's really important. Sometimes when we as providers, and I even I say that just being a part of the public school system for a long time and writing IEPs and supporting families, sometimes it surprises you of like, what do you see as a priority? And so having that engagement also then broadens this trust.

Wendy Taylor (15:10.196)

of this conversation with a family. They're going to say, okay, well, they're really listening instead of just saying, all right, here's the data, here's what your kid can do, here's what your kid can't do next meeting. And so I think it really then opens up a broader relationship of trust and conversation so that we can ultimately better support a student.

Marisha (15:33.886)

Yeah, that's huge. Cause you mentioned at the beginning that even as someone with a background in special education, the IEP meeting was still really overwhelming. But if you can walk in and know that your input was taken into consideration and that it's actively being discussed and reviewed and integrated into that discussion and into the IEP, I bet that would really alleviate some of that anxiety.

Wendy Taylor (16:02.966)

Yeah, absolutely. Because I think as parents, again, you have that fear and love and you may not understand the whole process and you may lean to the school for it. But I, it does, you know, I think about the IPs that I've been in as a parent, and how important it has been for me to have a resource provider or an IP team member reach out and say, you know, what are you thinking? What are you seeing? Or I you know, what would you like?

to be a part of it. And that makes you feel more of a team player than this like, I'm on an island, I'm in this, you know, silo operating by myself. And it is a lot that especially if you have a complex kid, whether it's medical needs or just a complex learning pattern. Oftentimes parents feel overwhelmed and exhausted because they are now if especially if you have private therapist, then you have your school based therapist and you're really trying to be that quarterback for your kiddo and

pulling all this information together. But I think having that knowledge of writing a powerful input statement and really keeping it organized. using the notes app on your phone, you can just put something in. But I think it's really important to kind of think about who your kiddo is and what that looks like and how do we prioritize that to then get better services for that kid.

Marisha (17:28.734)

Yeah, I love that. And you've already shared some tips around like gathering input from parents. So I love the and not every parent will get to work with you and have your support in building that statement. And I like I personally really like to send out a form to parents because I feel like the majority of parents if I were to say, OK, send me your input statement, they would be like, and super anxious.

Wendy Taylor (17:55.278)

And that's what it is, right? Yeah, that input statement when you see it, it's just going to be a couple of lines like, how's your kid doing this year? It's more open-ended and it seems overwhelming. having a form ahead of time and hopefully somebody's taking notes and just kind of thinking about these elements to document the data for your kiddo.

Marisha (17:58.61)

you

Wendy Taylor (18:24.782)

which does again, sound kind of counterintuitive when it's your baby and you just want to love up on them and snuggle them and make everything roses and unicorns and to then have to be more sterile and be like, I've got to cut that data. It doesn't have to be that, but I think you parents do need to understand all of this element, like the shell again, bell to bell so that you can then have a stronger IEP and stronger IEP goals.

Marisha (18:51.358)

Yeah. Yeah. And I love the idea of like, I'm going to make sure that this is included every time I send out an input form. And I think it might, it, depending on the parent, it might be, cause just for time sake, I think it is easier to send out a form. And then that helps scaffold it, but we can ask follow up questions like during the IEP and or just like,

a quick phone call or whatnot to fill in some of that extra detail. But I love the question of like, where do you see your student in six months or five years and kind of thinking short term and long term. I feel like that would give us some really, really great information that we can use to help parents craft that. And then I love the question you posed, like if you had a magic wand, like what?

Wendy Taylor (19:36.558)

Yeah.

Marisha (19:47.968)

How would you use it or what would it look like? Like what would you do for your student? Is there anything else that you would, like any other types of questions or things that, like strategies that SLPs can use to like get that really valuable feedback from parents?

Wendy Taylor (20:06.882)

Yeah, I think both as an SLP and a parent, thinking about kind of behavior and emotional regulation, right? So are there triggers? Are there coping strategies? What are the kiddos' emotional reactions? What are the teachers saying? I think that's important. I think when you're thinking about if a student is on medication,

What does it look like when they're off medication? What does that look like when they're on medication? Especially during homework time, think that's a really valuable part as well. And that kind of leads me into thinking about that academic component with learning needs, right? So is there a subject specific challenge?

Is it difficulty with reading or writing? then specifically as a parent, if you understand that, or even as an SLP, if you're working with a kid, is it reading fluency as a comprehension? What are you seeing that you can add to their present level of performance, which is going to help that parent input statement for that guidance? If a student, as a parent, if you have a student and you're seeing these needs, you can also do a quick little video of them reading.

or a quick little video of them getting frustrated with writing or their physical aspect of writing so that you can then show the team of like, this is what home looks like for us. Because we also have students that mask during the day and come off as not as impacted, but then they get home and they're tired. And so really thinking about how we can better put in accommodations and support so that they don't have to be so

tapped out by the time that they get home, right? And then what does homework completion look like and understanding and also thinking about at home, you know, what is nice to know? And if we're having to do homework, what is nice to know what is needed to know? So in the event that, you maybe we can reduce some of this workload for the kiddo and then thinking about sensory, physical and movement means having those conversations. So if you are with your student,

Wendy Taylor (22:15.832)

during the day providing services. As an SLP, are they a sensory seeker? Are they a sensory avoider? Do they become overwhelmed? What does that look like in the cafeteria or tactile or classroom materials? What are their physical comfort and needs? What do their motor skills look like?

And even I think as an SLP, can still observe those skills, right? So we're not necessarily an OT or a PT when we're talking about this, but I think it's important to bring to the table because again, bell to bell, community and home, it's all gonna come together needing support, right? And then cognitive processing and executive function, right? What does task initiation look like? What does memory look like and attention?

planning, organization, and time management. These are all life skills that can receive support under NIAP. And then what is their self-advocacy and independence? think as a parent, that's really important to add to that parent input statement. Are they able to complete tasks independently? Are they able to seek help? What does their daily routine look like? And what I find as parents then

say, I'm actually doing a lot for them. I'm structuring their time. have a landing pad for them when they come home and they put all their stuff and then they set it up the night before so then they can leave with all their organized information. Or taking a shower, I've had to do a picture chart for my kiddo so that they have these hygiene skills built in. expressing that to the team.

so that you can then think creatively of what support can we, know, free and appropriate education, of course, but what can we do in a school setting to build these capacities? And then, you know, obviously as an SLP, you're thinking of that verbal, nonverbal communication. Do they have an AAC device? What does their listening comprehension look like? And then thinking about peer relationships. What does unstructured time look like? You know, go out and see what recess looks like.

Wendy Taylor (24:30.83)

If any of you have been on the recess, out at recess or even in the cafeteria, sometimes it's a little bit like Lord of the Flies. So just seeing how that kiddo interacts, but I think those conversations are important for parents and then to be part, but also as your parent input statement, having that information in there so that it is documented. And then emotional regulation, mental health, what are some triggers, coping strategies, concerns?

And then, like I said, know, do a time lapse documentation if you're thinking about out of the box data tracking strategies, maybe a photo journal, again, a medication and behavior correlation. So kind of start putting your sleuthing hat on of what does that look like and thinking that through. And like you said, then from there, asking those questions, we've now we've painted a picture of this student.

Right? We've got a lot. Now, not all categories are going to fit for every kid, but at least it kind of hopefully gets some juices flowing for parents and providers to think about these things that really make this whole approach and support for a student. And then asking those questions of, okay, from this information, we have our strengths and our pockets of vulnerability. From those pockets of vulnerability, you know, I've even had parents take sticky notes and write on

like what, you know, each sticky note would have one item that they wouldn't want to work on and then have kind of that sticky note party concept of like, all right, I'm going to make a vision board and I'm going to kind of again, prioritize of like, if this is my area of communication, this is what I would like as a parent, I really want to work on, you know, X, Y, and Z. If this is education, academics, this is what I want to work on. And then

again, then you can prioritize. then you're really empowered when you come to that table as a parent. You can say, here's all the areas. This is what we see at home. This is what I'm seeing when this child comes home. This is what I'm seeing in the community. This is what I'm seeing at homework time. we need to, how do we better support this? And then kind of come up with some out of the box ways so that I'm always thinking of trying to support families in the sense that they don't have,

Wendy Taylor (26:51.278)

educators would love something that they're not recreating the wheel, right, or providers. And so as a parent, what can we do to support a kid with free and appropriate education in a way that is not an extra added task on that provider's plate? And so how can we really support this kiddo and the provider at the same sense of understanding and grace?

That was a lot of information I just threw out.

Marisha (27:22.376)

Yeah, no, this is a great list of like areas to look at and questions to ask. and I love the ideas of different types of data that parents can share. like as an SLP, I would love to see a video of, cause I request that for some evaluations, especially for younger kiddos, like for language sampling purposes. But it would be, I feel like it would be helpful for any age just to get to see like.

Wendy Taylor (27:50.828)

Yeah.

Marisha (27:52.094)

what does it look like at home? just to get some, like that's a beautiful data point. And the same thing with the photo journal and.

Wendy Taylor (27:59.63)

And I would say as a parent, I would recommend you do it when the kid's not knowing that they're being recorded because your response is going to be more authentic, right? And then if they're not, you know, if you're like, hey, I'm going to start to record you reading, then their response is very different. You know, it could be an anxiety producing or whatever that may be. But I think if you can kind of put it on the slide. And so then you really see the true environment at home and what the kiddo is trying to navigate.

Marisha (28:05.672)

Okay.

Marisha (28:13.738)

Thank

Marisha (28:29.694)

Yeah, no, that's great. And then I think this will be my last question, but just as a parent, kind of, because you've gone through the process as a parent, like did anything stand out to you that anyone did during the process that like was particularly helpful in like including your feedback or just anything that stood out to you?

Wendy Taylor (28:57.164)

Yeah, I think it's important. I really appreciate the providers that got us I got a sense that they understood my kid, right. And I got a sense that they were on my kiddos side, right. And so, you know, when you're asking kids to do hard things, they may not feel as warm and fuzzy with their energy towards you.

And that can be complicated, but I would, I think it's really important to highlight that communication piece from a parent of communicating again to whether it's the provider, the SLP, the OT, the PT, or the school, the IEP coordinator, the classroom teacher of what is going on so that there is an ongoing dialogue.

And so that that parent input statement is really having a conversation and a growth of an organic process throughout the time. So it's not just like, I haven't heard from, you know, so and so's mom, but here's the IEP or parent, here's the IEP time and let's get all this information. So I think having that flow of communication and that check-in of, you know, not even, you know,

before the quarterly progress notes are gonna go home, right? And so that way you can have like, hey, know, checking in, whether it's monthly, you know, but I do recognize SLP, you guys have a ginormous caseload and it really is not always the easiest to be able to check in with a parent. But I think if you can kind of set up some sort of organized system to check in with that parent and have a little bit of a conversation.

whether it's before the IEP, before you see their parent input statement, and just even looking at before progress notes go home of like, hey, this is what we said we wanted to work on. We've highlighted this, we're making progress. Hey, can we add another objective or goal to broaden what we're doing? Or, hey, we have this goal set and I'm not seeing that we're getting much progress. Can we kind of have a conversation and maybe break that goal down a little bit?

Marisha (31:20.968)

Yeah, no, I love that. And I keep saying that. You have so many good pieces of information. But yeah, I...

Wendy Taylor (31:28.014)

I feel like I'm going on a contingent. I know we're talking about one thing, but I'm like, and then this thought, this thought, but yes.

Marisha (31:33.554)

Yeah, so good. And I think that some of the takeaways that I had here were just that, like, and there's different ways that we can accomplish this. But I think it really is important that parents feel like we understand their kiddo and that we're on their kiddo side. And I think asking these questions and listening and incorporating their feedback are all ways that we can do that.

And yeah, I really appreciated you kind of sharing that experience. And I think it makes a lot of sense to check in. Like another way that we can accomplish that is checking in not just right before the IEP when we need to have this, just like fill in this slot on the IEP. But if we're able to check in with parents throughout the year. And we actually have an episode.

or we have some episodes where we've talked about communicating with parents. So I can add those in the show notes. And Wendy, if you have any other resources, I can link those as well. Yeah, this episode, go ahead.

Wendy Taylor (32:42.914)

Yeah, because I've done some solo episodes of a parent input statement and talking about the quarterly progress as well, that that may be of help.

Marisha (32:55.36)

Okay, yeah, yeah, so I'll link to those episodes for sure. And then, yeah, this episode has been full of so many great tips and resources. Is there anything that you wanted to share before we close out?

Wendy Taylor (33:12.658)

I think just trying to make those connections with the family and just thinking about that parent heart as well. again, I know when we're head down and trying to get all the paperwork done and, you know, collecting all your data as an SLP and a professional, it then can sometimes seem like one more added thing. But there's a lot of cool technology that we can also utilize that I'm sure you talk about in terms of having those conversations with parents, whether it's

an app or electronic folder or something of that nature to kind of really keep and then your programs that you offer so that SLPs can then communicate with other SLPs so they don't feel like they're recreating the wheel is empowering.

Marisha (33:58.846)

Yeah, and I think we can definitely build systems to make this process a lot easier. And then it does take some time, but it is required. So it's something we have to do. We have to incorporate the parent feedback. So we might as well do a good job. I think it can really, by having all of this data right off the bat, I think it can really help.

make the IEP process much easier if the parent is feeling hurt, if they're at ease, it'll be just like an easier, more collaborative process. We'll be able to like help the student make faster progress and just come up with a better plan together. So I think it really is a very valuable use of our time. And it's.

Like it's a really meaningful activity. It's not just like, let's check this out. Like we can really use this to our advantage and have it make a really meaningful impact. So.

Wendy Taylor (35:02.446)

And we need more folks that think that way at an IEP table just to kind of, again, as a parent, just kind of, you know, lower the anxiety and feel like, yeah, they get my kiddo and they're ready to, let's work together on this, that we're a team.

Marisha (35:21.15)

Yeah, yeah, and these, this whole episode has been full of strategies to accomplish that. And then, yeah, like I said, I think that can really make our IEP meetings more effective and it just makes it a better process for everyone involved. Yeah, Wendy, thank you so much for your time today. This was really helpful and I'll link to your, like,

to your podcast and your website. You have a great Instagram account as well. So I'll share all of those resources in the show notes. And yeah, thank you again for your time and thank you to everyone who listened.

Wendy Taylor (36:04.095)

Thank you for having me, but my pleasure. Thank you.

AAC and Gestalt Language Processing: How to Support GLPs Who Use AAC

February 25, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

As school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs), we often encounter students with complex communication needs. Understanding and effectively supporting these students can require a deep dive into both Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Gestalt Language Processing (GLP).

In this episode, we’ll explore expert insights from Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP, a specialist in AAC with over 15 years of experience in school and medical settings. Laura has played a key role in educating SLPs about the intersection of AAC and GLP, emphasizing the importance of robust AAC systems, rich intonation, and qualitative data collection.

“We need to remember that gestalt language processing is not a diagnosis. It’s more than just spoken scripts. It’s how someone actually processes language.”

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

Laura’s AAC Resources:

Laura’s Website

Laura’s Instagram

AAC In the Cloud

AAC Course by Meaningful Speech

What is Gestalt Language Processing?

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is a way some individuals acquire and use language. Unlike analytic language processors who learn language by stringing together individual words, gestalt processors learn in chunks or scripts before breaking them down into smaller, more flexible units.

As Laura Hayes explains:

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

Key Characteristics of GLP:

Learns language in whole phrases or scripts before breaking them down.
Uses intonation and melody as primary cues rather than individual words.
Often repeats favorite media phrases or social scripts before forming original speech.
Moves through distinct stages of language development.

Understanding these characteristics is crucial for SLPs working with minimally speaking or non-speaking students, as well as those using AAC. In the next section, we’ll break down the stages of Gestalt Language Processing and how to recognize them.

What is Gestalt Language Processing?

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is a unique way some individuals acquire and use language. Unlike the more traditional analytic language processing, where children learn language word-by-word, gestalt processors acquire language in larger chunks or “gestalts”—such as phrases, scripts, or entire sentences.

Why is GLP Important for SLPs?

Understanding GLP is crucial because many autistic individuals and other students with complex communication needs process language this way. Instead of focusing on single words first, these individuals extract meaning from longer phrases and eventually break them down into smaller, flexible word combinations.

“Gestalt language processing is a natural process of how someone can learn language… It’s not a treatment method, but it’s really important to understand because it impacts how we can provide implementation supports and strategies.”

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

To support these students effectively, SLPs must recognize the stages of GLP and adapt AAC strategies accordingly.

Stages of Gestalt Language Processing

Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) happens in stages, moving from memorized scripts to flexible, self-generated language. Instead of learning words individually, gestalt processors acquire language in chunks before breaking them down into smaller, meaningful units.

Here’s a quick overview:

Stage 1: Uses whole scripts or echolalia.
Stage 2: Begins mixing and modifying scripts.
Stage 3: Uses single words and early word combinations.
Stage 4: Produces flexible, self-generated language.

For a detailed breakdown of each stage, including examples and AAC considerations, check out our complete guide on GLP stages here:
➡️ Gestalt Language Processing Stages: A Complete Guide for SLPs

Importance of Robust AAC Systems

For Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs), a robust AAC system is essential for supporting their unique language development. Unlike basic communication boards or single-message devices, robust AAC systems offer a full range of vocabulary and customization options to support students as they progress through the stages of language acquisition.

Why Robust AAC Matters for GLPs

Many mainstream AAC systems are designed for analytic language processors—those who learn language word-by-word. However, GLPs process language in chunks first, meaning they need personalized, script-based support to match their natural learning style.

As Laura Hayes explains:

“For early Gestalt Language Processors, their scripts are highly individualized… That individualization is not going to be found in any AAC system that comes standard out of a box.”

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

Key Features of an Effective AAC System for GLPs

✔ Customization: The ability to add personal scripts that hold meaning for the student.
✔ Motor Planning Consistency: Layouts that remain stable, helping the user learn where words are over time.
✔ Rich Intonation Options: Voices that offer natural-sounding intonation to support GLPs who rely on prosody.
✔ Support for Both Whole Phrases and Single Words: Allows users to transition from scripts to flexible language.

💡 SLP Tip: Choose an AAC system that allows both phrase-based modeling and word-by-word language building as the student progresses.

Modeling Language in AAC

For Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs), modeling language on an AAC device is about more than just teaching individual words—it’s about demonstrating meaningful communication in a way that aligns with their natural language development.

What is AAC Modeling?

AAC modeling (also called Aided Language Input) means using the AAC system while speaking to the student. By consistently modeling phrases, scripts, and eventually flexible word combinations, SLPs and communication partners help students build confidence and understanding in AAC use.

How to Model for Gestalt Language Processors

1️⃣ Start with meaningful scripts – Model short, highly relevant phrases instead of isolated words.

Example: Instead of just modeling “go”, model “Let’s go!” or “Go outside!” if that aligns with the student’s needs.

2️⃣ Use rich intonation – GLPs tune into prosody (rhythm and melody of speech) more than individual words.

Speak expressively while modeling on AAC, mimicking the way they process language.

3️⃣ Follow the child’s lead – Pay attention to their interests, movements, and nonverbal communication.

If they’re excited about a game, model a phrase related to it, such as “This is fun!”

4️⃣ Provide multiple examples – Repetition is key! Model the same phrases in different contexts to help generalization.

Example: Model “I got it!” when grabbing a toy, catching a ball, or taking a turn.

Adjusting AAC for GLPs

🔹 Ensure scripts and phrases are easily accessible in the AAC system.
🔹 Use a combination of core words and personalized phrases to support both early and advanced GLP stages.
🔹 Respect how the student naturally communicates and avoid forcing them to use individual words before they are ready.

💡 Key Takeaway: Modeling on AAC should feel natural and engaging—it’s not about “testing” the student, but about showing them how AAC can help express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas.

“We also need to model rich intonation child-led within child-led activities that we can, especially if we think they’re in early stages around those meaningful experiences.”

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

Qualitative Data in Communication Assessment

When assessing progress in AAC and Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), qualitative data is just as important as quantitative data. While traditional data collection often focuses on the number of words used or AAC activations, qualitative data helps capture true communication intent and progress.

Why Qualitative Data Matters

✅ Captures meaningful communication – Not all progress is measured in percentages. Observing how a student engages with AAC provides a more complete picture.
✅ Highlights intent and engagement – Even if a student isn’t using their AAC device in a conventional way, gestures, eye gaze, and intonation can show that they are processing language.
✅ Informs intervention strategies – Understanding how a student interacts with AAC helps adjust modeling, vocabulary, and device setup to better support them.

As Laura Hayes explains:

“It can be more important about what happens before or after someone activates something on a device than what they actually said on the device… It shows intent, it shows progress, it shows that they’re engaged.”

– Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP

For a Deep Dive on GLP Data Collection

For specific strategies, sample data sheets, and examples of qualitative tracking, check out our full guide here:
➡️ Gestalt Language Processing Data Collection

Challenges and Solutions for GLPs

Supporting Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs) who use AAC comes with unique challenges. Traditional AAC approaches often focus on single-word communication, which may not align with how GLPs naturally acquire and use language. Here are some of the most common challenges—and strategies to overcome them.

Challenge #1: AAC Systems Aren’t Preloaded with Personalized Scripts

🔹 Why it’s a problem: GLPs in the early stages rely on memorized scripts with emotional connections, but most AAC systems focus on core words.
✅ Solution: Customize AAC devices by adding meaningful phrases and scripts that reflect the student’s experiences (e.g., favorite sayings, song lyrics, or show quotes).

Challenge #2: Standard AAC Modeling Doesn’t Align with GLP Stages

🔹 Why it’s a problem: Many SLPs model individual words on AAC, but early-stage GLPs learn through whole phrases first.
✅ Solution: Adjust modeling strategies by demonstrating rich, phrase-based language rather than isolated words (e.g., “Let’s do it!” instead of just “do”).

Challenge #3: Limited AAC Prosody and Intonation

🔹 Why it’s a problem: GLPs often tune into the rhythm and melody of speech, but AAC-generated voices lack natural intonation.
✅ Solution: Choose an AAC voice with the most natural prosody available, and use expressive speech when modeling.

Challenge #4: Difficulty Transitioning from Scripts to Flexible Language

🔹 Why it’s a problem: Some GLPs stay in Stage 1 or 2 of GLP and struggle to move toward more flexible communication.
✅ Solution: Gradually model variations of their favorite scripts, introducing core words while keeping the meaning intact (e.g., “I want to go home” → “I go home” → “Go home.”).

💡 Key Takeaway: By customizing AAC, adjusting modeling strategies, and supporting prosody, SLPs can help GLPs communicate in a way that aligns with their natural language development.

AAC Goals for Speech Therapy

When working with Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs) who use AAC, goal setting should reflect their natural language acquisition process. Many traditional AAC goals focus on single-word communication, but for GLPs, it’s essential to incorporate meaningful scripts, intonation, and gradual flexibility in language use.

For a detailed breakdown of AAC goal writing, including sample goals and expert insights from Rachel Madel, check out our full guide:
➡️ AAC Goals for Speech Therapy

Key Considerations for AAC Goal Writing

✔ Prioritize meaningful, phrase-based communication – Early goals should support a student’s ability to use whole gestalts, not just single words.
✔ Incorporate qualitative progress tracking – Instead of only measuring accuracy, document engagement, intent, and spontaneous communication.
✔ Support the transition to flexible language – As students move through GLP stages, goals should include breaking down and recombining gestalts for more independent communication.

Conclusion

Supporting Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs) with AAC requires a tailored, student-centered approach. Unlike analytic language processors, GLPs acquire language in meaningful chunks before breaking it down into flexible, self-generated communication. By understanding the stages of GLP and adapting AAC strategies accordingly, SLPs can bridge the gap between communication needs and effective AAC use.

Key Takeaways for SLPs

✅ Ensure access to robust AAC systems – Customization is key! Preloaded vocabulary may not meet GLPs’ needs.

✅ Model meaningful phrases and scripts – Follow the child’s lead and use rich intonation when modeling language.

✅ Use qualitative data to track progress – Observing intent, engagement, and nonverbal communication is just as important as tracking word use.

✅ Support the transition to flexible language – Recognize when a GLP is ready to move beyond scripts and introduce core word combinations.

As Laura Hayes reminds us:

“AAC is a marathon, not a sprint… Start slow, try to be consistent, and take meaningful steps forward.”

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We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

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Transcript

Marisha (00:01.304)

Hello there, and I am super excited to continue our series, our GLP series today. We have Laura Hayes with us. She is a speech language pathologist who specializes in augmentative and alternative communication. And she has over 15 years of experience, AAC experience, in both school and medical settings. And...

I'm not going to be able to do her background justice, so we're going to turn it over to her in just a second. But a couple of things I wanted to highlight, she helped author the GLP and AAC course for meaningful speech. And so we just got to chat with Alex last week, which was awesome. And then you can also find her on Instagram at AAC underscore innovations. She has a great account with a ton of great resources. I'll add the link to the show notes too, but

If you're listening to her as we go through and like, I need to find out more. Definitely go to AAC underscore innovations to find out more. but without further ado, hello, Laura.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (01:08.828)

Hi, thanks so much for having me. So glad to be here.

Marisha (01:10.67)

Thanks for being here. And so I did like super quick intro, but I'm really curious. Can you tell us just a little bit more about your story? Like what led you to focus in on AAC and specific, like what was your process for like the entering into the GLP world too?

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (01:29.608)

Yeah. So I always tell people that I started kind of doing the SLP thing when I was a kid. I was like an honorary SLP. I have a sister who has complex communication needs. She's speaking, but very low intelligibility. And I kind of just naturally fell into that role. So when I went off to university, I was kind of exploring different things. did like the complete opposite to start. I was an international marketing major and was like, this is not for me. So when I was exploring, said, oh.

Communication disorders. What's this? And then the rest is history. So I went down that path I started in the medical field of pediatrics and I started as an outpatient therapist and I just kind of felt like I start well Let me step back for a second because I remember taking an AAC class in college and I was like, my god I'm never gonna do AAC. This is not for me There's too many things like this doesn't feel like something that's natural and so I kind of pushed it aside

Fast forward to when I was an outpatient therapist and I had this just kind of curiosity and draw to working with autistic patients and their families. And turns out a lot of them had complex communication needs too. So what does that equal? It equals AAC. And so then I started learning from our AAC team and I started having more and more patients that needed AAC and speech generating devices.

And so then I kind of fell into that role on the inpatient and outpatient AAC team at the hospital. Did that for several years before transitioning into a role for a local school district here in St. Louis. And I'm now a facilitator for them where I support multiple districts and training staff and families and supporting students there with communication devices and doing a lot of trainings. Well, COVID hit.

And when COVID hit, you know, the world shut down and I just felt this draw to, well, there are so many people out there that have nothing like a facilitator to help them learn and coach. we know coaching is so important with devices and with AAC, there's a lot of knowledge gaps. And so I was like, well, why don't I just do that? Why don't let me try to educate and to provide resources for that family that's

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (03:50.927)

maybe out there on an island and feeling like they just need something to help them. So that's how it started. And that's how I got to connect with Alex because I was kind of doing, I was doing a presentation on stimming in AAC for AAC in the cloud, which is a great free, if you want more information in general on AAC, it's a free conference that they do every year. So I did that presentation.

And one of the things I talk about in that presentation is about scripting and how it can equate to gestalt language processing. But that was kind of the tip of the iceberg. I didn't dive into it. I didn't have the strategies to talk about it and supports. But within that, I kind of went down some educational rabbit holes and digging. And that's how I found Alex. And we connected. I had her on my podcast and kind of the rest is history. We just kept being in contact and

I learned from her, she learned from me. We kind of built this relationship and that is how I became the author of the meaningful speech course for AAC and GLPs. And so we're continually learning, continually finding resources and just trying to kind of give back those supports and how it relates to Gestalt language processing. Cause it's another layer. It's another layer of how we can support them.

Marisha (05:08.844)

Yeah, it is a whole other layer. And first of all, I love your story. That's super inspiring. like your passion just like, it's like, I don't know how to say that, but your passion really shows. So, I'm so excited to continue diving into this conversation. and so hopefully this is a good place to start, but how do you know, like kind of backing up? Cause we've been talking about salt language processors.

this whole series, but how do we know if a GLP needs AAC?

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (05:43.709)

Yeah, so let's, I know if you, let's say you haven't listened to any of the other episodes, if this is your first time, of, well, let's go, I know about, a little bit about it. know, AAC is augmentative and alternative communication. And then, let's start with gestalt language processing. We need to remember that gestalt language processing is not a diagnosis. It's more than just spoken scripts. It's how someone actually processes language.

It's a natural process of how someone can learn language, right? Like I always talk about left-handedness and right-handedness. It's natural. It's just how our brain is processing the language. It's not a treatment method, but it's really important to understand it because it impacts how we can provide implementation supports and strategies and how someone might move to flexible, autonomous language, what that journey might look like.

All of that is still true for someone with complex communication needs, right? Their barrier is that they're struggling with expressive language and expressive spoken communication. So if we think, well, there's two kind of groups that I talk about with GLP that might benefit from AAC. The first is someone with spoken language and that we know they're a gestalt language processor. We've taken language samples. We feel like, hmm, yeah, they are.

But how do we know they benefit from AAC? Well, I always say we all use forms of AAC. We all do. We all use texts and writing and emails and all of those things. So good chance if you're asking yourself the question, would my student or son or daughter or patient, would they benefit from AAC? The chances are yes in some form. But the questions you can really dive into and ask yourself, like do we need to trial robust?

AAC and maybe a speech generating device or app. We need to ask ourselves, are they not really developing spoken language despite good positive GLP strategies? Are they not intelligible all the time where we're not understanding their spoken language or scripts? Are they not easily understood by maybe even unfamiliar communication partners? We know what they mean, but then someone else who's in the community doesn't.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (08:04.328)

Excuse me. Are they not able to achieve self-generated language? And that's really important because that could be something consistent or that could be intermittently depending upon their regulation level or the environment. And really the crux of what I think of is are they showing signs of frustration or communication breakdowns that they're not repairing successfully? That is what I really think of when I think of someone who has spoken words but

could still benefit from AAC. I'm sorry, I'm gonna grab a drink.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (08:45.065)

Hold on, I think it's Okay. Nope, hold on. So sorry. So sorry, my friend. You'll edit all this out, I hope. Okay.

The other category that we might think of when we think of a GLP who could use AAC is someone who is non-speaking or minimally speaking. How do we know they're a GLP? So that's kind of like a different subset of individuals, right? So I would ask myself these questions. Well, how do I know? They may already have robust AAC and they may not, but if you're answering these questions, like they could be a GLP.

chances are they're gonna need AC and we're gonna need GOP strategies. So some of those would include, are they showing gestalt cognitive processing signs overall where they have hold apart thinking, they have episodic memory where they're thinking about an event as a whole, if something breaks from a whole event, they get really upset or dysregulated. Those are kind of cognitive processing signs that show that they are a hold apart thinker. They also could show that

within their gestures. So there's something called eco-praxia where they could actually act out scripts with whole body movements. Lots of, I shouldn't say lots, but some of my kids actually will do that with scenes from their favorite shows. They may be highly musical where they're drawn to songs and melodies and maybe even replaying some of the media that they have access to. That can be a really good indicator. They could be a GLP or jargon.

jargon that's not understood, but rich in intonation. This is one that I'm constantly telling SLPs and teachers that I support. I'm like, did you hear that? Like it's really rich in intonation. It kind of sounded like happy birthday, or it kind of sounded like door of the Explorer. Are you hearing that too? These are things to me that just go, Ooh, maybe, maybe they're a GLP. And last but not least is if I have been giving them positive AAC supports, and I know that they've had those supports for a while.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (10:55.079)

and they're just stuck, they're stuck in single words and they're having a really hard time with two word combinations or they're stuck and those words are not generalized across an activity. So for example, they're saying goldfish every time snack is presented to them, even though they don't really want the goldfish, they actually want something different. That tells me that they might be a GLP because we know in language,

once we have about 50 words, 50 to 100 words, we should start combining those words. And if I see a lot of single words and they're not combining them, it tells me, hmm, what something, something that's not connecting for them. Maybe they are not a bottom-up processor. Maybe they are a GLP or maybe we just need to explore it.

Marisha (11:43.982)

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. You did such a great job breaking that down. That was amazing. And so you broke down kind of why we might want robust AAC for our kiddos who are.

Like you gave us a bunch of reasons for the kiddos who are producing that communication as well as what to see for our non-speaking GLPs. And then you kind of touched on this already, but what are some common issues with kind of like the mainstream AAC or like how would a GLP approach look different?

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (12:28.914)

So mainstream AAC is kind of, it's a really loaded question too, kind of like the first question, right? Because when we think about our AAC systems, there's a lot of components on the backend that I don't think people realize. Even SLPs, they're like, I never realized that this was set up this way because, and so that can take learning on its own. So then you have this added layer of, well, now they process language differently. So I'm not really fully understanding.

how this AAC device was chosen or why the symbols look the way they do, why it's organized this way. We could talk just about Lampwords for Life and that probably in its own podcast because it's so complex and unique to the AAC system itself. So the first thing you need to know is that all AAC apps are designed differently. They have different pragmatic organizations or different types of organizations. So some are organized syntactically, some are organized

with motor planning in mind and how someone might learn or acquire language can be different. And so we feature match to figure out, well, what components of a system would really benefit this individual? And so they all look different. And so we might teach them differently. But we also need to know that for Gestalt language processors,

who might be in early stages, let's say stage one or stage two, where their scripts are highly individualized, highly, not customized, but highly experiential. So again, thinking about how they might have had an emotional tie to an event that's very specific and individualized for that person who's learning language and attaching meaning to something. That is not necessarily or not likely

that individualization is not going to be found in any of our AAC systems that come standard out of a box. And we don't know what that individual is tying meaning to because they are not able to autonomously tell us that yet. so oftentimes we'll see them trying to creatively communicate with us. So it's really our job, especially for early Gestalt language processors, to

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (14:50.717)

try to help both build connection and also figure out how they are creatively communicating with us. And I think that is at the crux of like why it's so complex and hard for us to wrap our minds around because it's just not, it's not out of the box, right? When we have someone with spoken scripts, we're like, okay, I know exactly what to acknowledge. I can build off of this. can really figure out what their interests are and follow that lead.

It's not as simple and straightforward when it comes to AAC. They also have the added component of learning a new language. Some AAC users are processing spoken language and are just kind of deciphering where those words are on a device. Like that's kind of the individual where you pull it out of the box and you're like, wow, they just took off because they're seeing where the words are. They might take an entire page of a device and hit all the buttons on there and they're learning that and they're learning that to memory.

and then figuring out, okay, this is where this word is, I heard this word. And then other individuals who are learning AAC devices are not processing that language as easily. And so it takes time to learn that new AAC language. They are not simultaneously processing it with the spoken word. And so we have to teach that. So we have to teach the new language system while also acknowledging how we think they're processing and showing us communication.

It's a lot of things that we have to figure out simultaneously to see, and we're figuring out which features they need in a device. So a lot of components. The last thing I'll say is just that prosody and intonation are super duper important when we're thinking about early GLPs. We talk about them learning and experiencing the soundtracks of their lives. They're tuning into the prosody and intonation. They're the intonation babies.

They're not focused on the words in those early stages yet. So if they're focused on the sound train and they're focused on that original audio source, our AAC systems out of the box are not set up with that in mind. They're not yet really that great. Even if you listen to the voices on AAC devices, they're getting better. They're definitely better than they were 20 years ago. But they're still not.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (17:11.386)

as nuanced as someone who is an early stage GLP might need. And so that might also require customizations too.

Marisha (17:22.178)

That was such a great overview of some things to consider. And again, you did such a beautiful job explaining that. So thank you. Gosh, and I feel like this, because how many hours is your AAC course?

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (17:36.969)

So currently, it's over 11 with all of the bonus modules, and we're adding a new one soon. So depending upon when this is released, there's another new bonus module coming. So that's one of the nice things about it is that we're constantly adding. So as we grow and as we learn and as new updates come out, we're staying on top of that so that anyone who is in the course has access to all of those updates.

Marisha (18:03.15)

Yeah. And Alex was saying that it's lifetime access, so you can revisit at any time, which is amazing. But I'm just, cause we try to keep these episodes pretty short and sweet. And I feel like I have 5 million different questions, but it's like, we're not going to cover everything. We can go to the course if we want to learn more. And that is a phenomenal resource. Um, and then yeah, for people who aren't ready for the course, like just following Laura on Instagram, I think is a great.

step two, just to like get your feet wet and start wrapping your head around this. But okay, so there is so much that we could cover, but maybe we can wrap up this episode just by chatting about just some suggestions to help SLPs kind of get started and to like start wrapping their heads around this. Do you maybe have like...

one or two tips or suggestions or things to think about, because I feel like you did a really great job of setting the stage for us. I'm just curious, what would you like to leave SLPs with?

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (19:12.167)

Yeah.

Marisha (19:12.204)

like other than go take the course and learn all of the things. There's so much into this.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (19:14.984)

You know, it's so funny. There's so much and that when we were creating the course, I said, I feel like we need different people to contribute to this. So like, just know that if you take that course, you're not just going to be listening to me, you're going to be listening to a variety of AAC experts who have many, many years in the field. I've been honored to be alongside them to help write some of those bonus modules and

I just, can't say enough how important those bonus modules are because we really dive into, well, if you have Proloquo2Go, how does that look? Because that looks very different than what we might do in support and even just what's templated in the devices already that we might explore when we're getting started. Then let's say a Lambo for life or a TD snap. And I know, you know, even parents, it's overwhelming. And like, how do we incorporate it into our daily?

routines, like all that, we really try to dive into that and give people some actionable steps in the course. So if I was coaching someone and I was like, okay, like we're in this together, you're my SLP in the line of fire, we're ready to go, what do you need in your toolbox? So a couple things, I try to make it digestible, right? So like if I was starting and I needed something in my AAC toolbox,

to with a GLP, the first thing I would do is make sure they have access to robust AAC. It sounds very simple. It can be a long process or a quick process depending upon funding, but we have to have access to robust AAC. We just have to. Having just like a simple core board or a flip book or even a phrase based overlay is just not gonna be enough. Like we really need to have access to robust AAC.

We also need to model rich intonation child led within child led activities that we can, especially if we think they're in early stages around those meaningful experiences. They could be a combination. Oftentimes what I'm doing is I'm modeling a combination of words that exist on that homepage of the device or near the homepage, something like, I got it or I like it. This is so fun. Something like that.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (21:38.811)

It's awesome while also considering what are some more customizable things that have high meaning, high intonation and programming those again, depending upon the device organization, programming them somewhere where I can easily model them in a variety of routines and child led experiences. And then last, we can't take for granted just acknowledging the communication. I mentioned earlier that

AC users are still communicating. They're just creating, communicating creatively. So if I see them using media and rewinding it, if I see them using gestures, if I see them using eye gaze out of their periphery, I'm going to honor that. And I'm going to provide symbolic language to accompany that so that they, they feel acknowledged. They know that we are communicating and that we can then support them through.

symbolic communication on a device. So if you have the potential to take a language sample, great. If not, you can take something called an unaided communication sample, which I walk you through in the course, which looks at how they are communicating, how they're using their body, how they're using their eye gaze, how they're using their gestures and facial expressions, and maybe even just what we call proxemics, body awareness within their environment, how they're using that to communicate. And I think

there's little nuance things that we can look at that show us that they are responding to a device, whether it be eye contact, direct or indirect, returning to the device, returning to something that you're talking about on the device. All those can show us that they're connecting, even if it's not in the way we might expect in like a traditional analytic language session. So I think that, and then just, you know, again, don't try to...

Figure everything out all at once. Know that it'll be overwhelming and AAC is a marathon. So start slow, have your family start slow, try to be consistent, pick a few things to start off with, and then see how they respond. And that's just part of dynamic assessment. That's something that we all learn about as therapists, and it's something that, you know, it helps us to take those meaningful steps to where we need to go.

Marisha (24:00.374)

gosh, that's so helpful. So just a quick recap, some action items based on what we talked about. So we want to make sure that kiddos have access to robust AAC. We want to model rich intonation in child led activities, incorporating that AAC, and then always acknowledge communication. And I feel like those are things that are super doable. Like we can do this. We got this.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (24:26.024)

Yep.

Marisha (24:26.766)

And then we want to look for signs that students are responding to the device, even if it's not the way that we'd expect. And you gave some really nice examples of what that looks like. And I love how you said AAC is a marathon, not a sprint. And so just take it slow and one step at a time. wow, that was like, feel, I was like, there's no way we're gonna leave feeling like.

I don't know, but you just did such a great job of giving us some strategies. I was like, okay, we can, there's a lot to learn and there's a lot of complexity here, but there's some simple things that we can do right off the bat. And then hopefully if we have, especially if we have a lot of these kiddos on our caseload, I think it is really important to take some time to learn more and to build our strategies. And, you've shared some really great resources.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (25:25.224)

Let me add one little final takeaway, one final takeaway just because I'm an SLP. I can't help myself. I want to say, like I kind of alluded to it. It's almost more important. I know we're all about taking quantitative data, right? And we're all about percentages and like I got to have my data. Also consider qualitative data. It can be so important to think about.

Marisha (25:25.454)

Yeah, okay, go ahead. Let's do it.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (25:49.287)

I always tell my teams, it can be more important about what happens before or after someone activates something on a device than what they actually said on the device. Like, what did they do before they told you Goldfish? Or what did they do before they said goodbye? And what did they do after they said goodbye? Did they look at you and smile? Did they look at you out of the corner of their eye? Did they walk up and leave the room? Like, these are things that you're not gonna take a percentage point on necessarily.

But I'm going to document it because it shows intent. It shows progress. It shows that they're engaged. It shows meaningful connections, even if it's not a quantitative, like, I got 20 % out of the opportunities that I was given. So.

Marisha (26:34.914)

Yeah. And that can help be huge in like navigating treatment and figuring out strategies and just like that data could be way more impactful than having the number of they activated this many symbols. So I love that you added that. my goodness. Thank you so much, Laura. This was incredible. Like so many great resources. I feel like I could talk to you for.

hours and hours and hours on this. But hopefully this was a nice primer for SLPs listening. Again, check out the show notes for the link to Laura's Instagram and her course and all the things. But yeah, this was phenomenal. Thank you so much. Yeah, and thanks to everyone for listening and I'll see you in the next one.

Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP (27:21.18)

Thanks so much for having me.

FAQ

How do I know if a gestalt language processor needs AAC?

Look for signs like a student not developing spoken language despite good GLP strategies, spoken language that isn't intelligible or understood by unfamiliar communication partners, difficulty achieving self-generated language, or frequent communication breakdowns that aren't repaired successfully.

What makes an AAC system effective for gestalt language processors?

An effective system allows customization for personal, meaningful scripts, keeps a stable layout for consistent motor planning, offers rich and natural-sounding intonation, and supports both whole phrases and single words as the student progresses.

How should you model language on AAC for a gestalt language processor?

Model short, meaningful phrases instead of isolated words, use expressive and rich intonation, follow the student's lead and interests, and repeat the same phrases across different contexts to support generalization.

Why does qualitative data matter for AAC and GLP progress monitoring?

Qualitative data like gestures, eye gaze, and intonation can show a student is engaged and processing language even when they aren't using their AAC device in a conventional way, and it often reveals more about intent and progress than word counts or activation percentages alone.

The Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms for School Districts

February 25, 2025 by Marisha Leave a Comment

In this guide, we’ll explore the multifaceted benefits of inclusive classrooms and provide actionable strategies for school districts to implement effective inclusive practices.

Drawing from the expertise of Dr. Paula Kluth, a renowned advocate for inclusive education, we’ll delve into practical approaches that can transform your educational landscape.

Understanding Inclusive Classrooms

An inclusive classroom is more than just placing students with disabilities in general education settings. True inclusion ensures that all students, regardless of ability, receive the support, accommodations, and opportunities they need to succeed together.

What is Inclusion in Education?

At its core, inclusion is about removing barriers and creating equal opportunities for learning. This means:

Students with and without disabilities learn side by side in general education classrooms.
Educators use flexible teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
Schools foster a culture of belonging, respect, and collaboration.

Models of Inclusion

Inclusive education is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Schools use different models to ensure success:
✅ Co-Teaching: A general education and special education teacher work together to support all students.
✅ Push-In Support: Specialists (e.g., speech therapists, occupational therapists) provide services inside the classroom.
✅ Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Lessons are designed from the start to accommodate a range of learning needs.

These models help increase engagement, improve outcomes, and create a more equitable learning environment.

“Inclusion isn’t just about what we’re doing in the space or where kids receive services, but thinking about the spaces differently. It’s about removing barriers, assessing bias, and systematic reform to create the best possible spaces for all kids, including those without identified needs.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

The Benefits of an Inclusive Classroom

Inclusive classrooms don’t just support students with disabilities—they create a better learning environment for everyone. Research consistently shows that all students benefit when schools prioritize inclusion.

Academic Benefits

📚 Higher Achievement – Studies show that students with disabilities make greater progress in inclusive settings compared to segregated programs. Even students without disabilities experience academic gains due to differentiated instruction and increased collaboration.

🎯 Personalized Learning – Inclusion encourages the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and co-teaching models, helping educators tailor lessons to different learning styles.

Social & Emotional Benefits

🤝 Stronger Peer Relationships – Students learn to respect differences, develop empathy, and build friendships that extend beyond the classroom.

💬 Improved Communication Skills – Inclusive environments naturally encourage students to support and engage with one another, fostering stronger language and social skills.

Long-Term Benefits

🏆 Better Post-School Outcomes – Research shows that students who learn in inclusive settings are more likely to be employed, live independently, and participate in their communities.

🏫 A More Supportive School Culture – Inclusion fosters a sense of belonging and equity, making schools more welcoming for all students.

“Kids who are included are more likely to belong to a school group, have competitive employment, and live independently. That kind of flies in the face of some of those messages that folks are getting—that you can either have inclusion or life skills, but not both.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

Accommodations and Modifications in Inclusive Classrooms

Creating an inclusive classroom means adapting instruction to meet the needs of all students. This often involves accommodations and modifications, two key strategies in special education.

Modification vs. Accommodation: What’s the Difference?

🔹 Accommodations change how a student learns the material but not what they are expected to learn. Example: Allowing extra time on tests.

🔹 Modifications change what a student is expected to learn. Example: Simplifying assignments to match a student’s skill level.

Both approaches help ensure students receive the right level of support while remaining engaged in the classroom.

Common Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities

✅ Extended time on tests and assignments
✅ Audiobooks or text-to-speech software
✅ Preferential seating for focus and accessibility
✅ Visual schedules and graphic organizers
✅ Use of assistive technology (e.g., speech-to-text tools)

Accommodations for Dyslexic Students

📖 Dyslexic-friendly fonts and materials
🎧 Access to audiobooks and speech-to-text tools
✍️ Alternative response methods (e.g., oral responses instead of written)
📝 Chunking assignments into smaller tasks

Challenges in Implementation

Ensuring teachers have proper training on accommodations.
Balancing fairness and flexibility while maintaining high expectations.
Providing adequate resources and support staff.

“We have to constantly talk about what we mean by inclusion because we could be having a dialogue for ten years and not even be on the same page. Part of that conversation is understanding the difference between accommodations and modifications and how they support students in meaningful ways.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

Strategies for Implementing Inclusive Education

Successfully creating an inclusive classroom requires intentional planning, collaboration, and ongoing professional development. Below are some key strategies school districts can implement.

1. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL is a framework that helps teachers design lessons that work for all students from the start, rather than retrofitting accommodations later. UDL encourages:
✅ Multiple ways to engage students (e.g., hands-on activities, group discussions, tech-based learning).
✅ Flexible options for demonstrating learning (e.g., verbal presentations, written reports, creative projects).
✅ Adaptable learning materials (e.g., audiobooks, visual supports, interactive digital tools).

2. Co-Teaching for Inclusion

Co-teaching is one of the most effective ways to support diverse learners. It involves a general education teacher and a special education teacher (or specialist) working together in the same classroom.
Popular co-teaching models include:

Station Teaching – Students rotate between different learning stations.
Parallel Teaching – The class is divided, and each teacher teaches the same material in smaller groups.
One Teach, One Support – One teacher leads while the other provides targeted support.

3. Professional Development & Collaboration

Train teachers in inclusive teaching strategies like UDL and differentiated instruction.
Encourage collaboration between educators, therapists, and administrators.
Provide ongoing coaching and mentorship for teachers new to inclusion.

By implementing these strategies, school districts can create learning environments where all students thrive.

“Inclusion isn’t just about where kids receive services, but thinking about the spaces differently. It’s about removing barriers, assessing bias, and systematic reform to create the best possible spaces for all kids, including those without identified needs.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

Inclusive Teaching Activities and Collaboration Techniques

Creating an inclusive classroom requires engaging activities and strong collaboration among educators. By using interactive, student-centered strategies, teachers can support diverse learning styles while fostering a sense of belonging.

1. Engaging Activities for Inclusive Classrooms

✅ Peer-Assisted Learning – Pairing students of different abilities to support one another in reading, writing, or problem-solving.
✅ Flexible Grouping – Using small, rotating groups to encourage collaboration and social interaction.
✅ Project-Based Learning – Allowing students to work on real-world projects with multiple ways to demonstrate understanding.
✅ Choice Boards – Providing a menu of assignment options so students can pick activities that match their strengths.

2. The Role of Co-Teaching in Inclusion

Co-teaching is a powerful tool for inclusive education. When educators plan and teach together, students benefit from multiple perspectives and teaching styles. Effective co-teaching includes:

Clear role-sharing (e.g., one teacher leads while the other provides small-group instruction).
Consistent collaboration between general and special education teachers.
Flexible lesson planning to address diverse needs.

3. Tools for Effective Collaboration

🔹 Shared planning time for teachers to discuss strategies.
🔹 Professional learning communities (PLCs) to share insights and resources.
🔹 Technology tools like Google Docs or co-planning apps to streamline collaboration.

“100% of the adults in the school should be there for 100% of the students. Inclusion is about creating a true community where every educator plays a role in supporting every learner.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

Addressing Common Challenges in Inclusive Education

While inclusive education has clear benefits, school districts often face barriers to implementation. Understanding these challenges—and how to overcome them—can help schools create sustainable, effective inclusion programs.

1. Lack of Training & Support

🚧 Challenge: Many educators feel unprepared to teach in inclusive settings.
✅ Solution: Provide ongoing professional development, coaching, and mentorship on inclusive teaching strategies like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and co-teaching.

2. Resistance to Change

🚧 Challenge: Some educators and administrators may be hesitant to shift to a more inclusive model.
✅ Solution: Focus on research and legal requirements rather than personal beliefs. Studies show inclusive classrooms improve academic and social outcomes for all students.

3. Resource Constraints

🚧 Challenge: Schools may lack funding, staff, or materials to fully implement inclusive practices.
✅ Solution:

Advocate for district-wide support and funding.
Use assistive technology to enhance accessibility.
Encourage collaboration among teachers, specialists, and administrators to maximize available resources.

4. Balancing Individual Needs

🚧 Challenge: Teachers may struggle to accommodate a wide range of learning needs in one classroom.
✅ Solution:

Use flexible teaching strategies like UDL to make learning accessible to all.
Implement co-teaching and small-group instruction for targeted support.
Foster a collaborative culture where educators share strategies and solutions.

By addressing these challenges with proactive planning and collaboration, school districts can build successful, inclusive learning environments.

“Inclusion is not a one-shot deal. It’s aspirational and ongoing. We have to constantly talk about what it means, how we implement it, and how we evolve our practices to meet the needs of all students.”

— Dr. Paula Kluth

Dr Paula Kluth’s Resources for Building Inclusive Classrooms

Dr. Paula Kluth has developed a wealth of resources to help educators, administrators, and school districts implement inclusive practices effectively. Below are some key tools and materials that can support your journey toward stronger, more inclusive learning environments.

1. Co-Teaching Kickoff Program

📌 A yearlong virtual training program designed to help educators build strong co-teaching partnerships and improve inclusive instruction.
🔗 More details available at InclusionRules.com

2. Books by Paula Kluth

📚 You’re Going to Love This Kid! – A guide to creating inclusive classrooms for students with autism.
📚 Don’t We Already Do Inclusion? – A deep dive into common misconceptions about inclusion and how to improve practices.
📚 30 Days to the Co-Taught Classroom – A step-by-step guide for educators transitioning to co-teaching.

4. Professional Development & Consulting

Dr. Kluth offers customized training, workshops, and consulting for school districts looking to enhance their inclusion programs.

She works closely with educators to provide practical, research-backed solutions that fit their specific needs.

By leveraging these resources, school leaders can take actionable steps toward more equitable and inclusive education for all students.

Make sure to check out her website InclusionRules.com.

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That means we’re constantly improving our materials, therapy planning resources, and the ways we support SLPs like YOU — so you can skip the hard work part and just work smarter. 👇

How is that possible, you ask?

We’ve talked about so many activity options during this series… but there are even more literacy-based ideas and evidence-based resources waiting for you on the other side of SLP Now. 🤗

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Transcript

Marisha (00:01)

Hello there and welcome to the Special Ed Leaders podcast. I am really looking forward to another episode. Today we are focusing all on inclusion and co-teaching and we have Dr. Paula Cluth with us. She is the founder of Inclusion Rules and she is a consultant, author, advocate, independent scholar.

And she works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. And she has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience. She's worked as a K through 12 special educator. She's also worked at the university level. And this bio does her absolutely no justice.

But let's hear a little bit from Dr. Pollack-Cluth on her story. So, hello. Hi.

Paula Kluth (01:03)

Hi,

I'm really excited to be with you. I know we've been had many months in the planning. This is great. And that's already just a fantastic bio. But I'll just add the more personal piece to it is, you're right, I've been working as a teacher and working in education settings for a long time. And that's the course of piece that I'm most proud of. And I've been working in teacher ed for quite some time.

Marisha (01:09)

Okay.

Paula Kluth (01:32)

most recently doing in-service work with folks. I really, I love telling kind of my origin story with this because I feel like it's so relevant for what we do in schools. I really got started in, my interest in this because when I was a senior in high school, kids with kind of more complex support needs were brought back from kind of a separate setting into my high school. I wouldn't call it exactly inclusion.

But I became connected, I got connected to that teacher because she was so good at reaching out to kids and she had a great big influence on me. I always say that she wasn't even supposed to be my teacher and she was my best teacher and so think that's a lesson for all of us. We're not gonna probably get into this this workshop, but in this session I should say, but I always say that 100 % of the adults in the school should be there for 100 % of the kids, at least in ideology and.

in the sort of the spirit. And so she was really there. those were also my first friends with disabilities and she was responsible for that. So kind of got the bug. And so I always talk about when people say, are the, what's the impact of inclusion on other kids? Like I, I'm so passionate about that. Cause you could say I'm one of the other kids and it's just given me this great, great experience and career. But we'll of course go beyond some of the anecdotal evidence as we chat.

But yeah, I've been doing kind of a little bit of everything. And as you said, I was at the university, most recently Syracuse University. And so I am interested in those elements of research. And I've been very interested in practice as much or more so in the last few years. But basically everything I've been doing is coming into schooling environments.

and helping folks to either solve problems or kind of have a vision about what environments, what we can do in school settings to open our doors wider and create like sort of the healthiest and most accessible and appropriately challenging learning experiences for all kids. And so that's, guess, what brings me here to be chatting with you.

Marisha (03:47)

Yeah, what an incredible mission. I love that. so for, so it sounds like you do some really amazing consulting work and supporting with districts, but some districts might not be as familiar with inclusion and all of the things that we're talking about today. So can we make sure that we're all on the same page and chat about like what the, your definition of inclusive?

an inclusive classroom or an inclusive education is and kind of what that might look like.

Paula Kluth (04:19)

Sure.

So, you know, think that most, the shared definition I think that most folks have is that, you know, inclusion is about bringing students with and without disabilities into a shared context, you know, of course, with supports and services, you know, as we are reminded of in the law. But a lot of times that language is about, you know, just space itself.

And that kids learning together, not just in the classroom, but in all kinds of contexts, right? In extracurricular activities and even beyond. So that's important and thinking about placement, but there's also sort of a spirit to this work too. So what's sort of the, you know, the essence of it or your goal? And so what's really exciting in the last decade or so as the United Nations has even weighed in on this, which again, it's mind blowing how much evolution there's been since I started.

And the United Nations have talked about barriers. They've talked about the sort of the social model of disability. so in reminding us that inclusion isn't just about what we're doing in the space or where kids receive services, but thinking about the spaces differently. So that's about, you know, we want to think about the removing of barriers. Inclusion is about assessing bias in, you know, in these spaces. It's about systematic reform. It's about, you know, creating the

best possible spaces for all kids, including those kids without identified needs. So it's about how we think about families, you all families and being welcoming. So I'm paraphrasing, of course, from the UN, but I like that idea that it's not just about, you know, the focus isn't just on families, you know, of kids with disabilities or kids with disabilities, but like, what is the, you know, the universal design of it all? Are we thinking in advance about, is this truly a community for all?

And so that's really helpful. And then I also think there's an element of like looking at just communities and democratic learning communities and looking at inequities. so, you know, I just finished, did, I have a book called, You're Gonna Love This Kid, which is about autism and inclusion. And so I just had to kind of rewrite the definition and it was really nice to see after, you know, all these years like,

That definition has really evolved a lot from thinking about sort of the basics to thinking about a dynamic. It's like what we do as educators and then how we're thinking about kids and it's about sort of not just, you know, what those elements about planning, but it's also about having a vision about what is possible. Can I add one thing to that? I know I'm talking a lot about the first question.

But one of the things that we had talked about as we were prepping is you said, do you think there's confusion about the definition? And I just always like to add that I think it's really important. So the answer is yes, because I thought that was a really good question that you had. And the answer is yes. And I think it's really important to always be talking about what we mean by inclusion, even if we're two colleagues. Like I'm a special ed director and you're a principal.

What do you mean when you say inclusion because we could be having a dialogue for ten years and we're not even on the same page and we don't even realize it and in fact I mean, this is this sounds like a shameless plug, but it's really just I'm really just trying to say how much I think about this is I have a whole book called don't we already do inclusion because I found that everybody was saying this is inclusion or that's inclusion or don't we already do this and really it came down to the shared definition, so I always say

your definition might not be mine. So it's really important that not only we have a shared definition, but that we have to realize, yes, we're doing inclusion, but that target is a moving target. And this work is aspirational. And what I mean by that is the technology is changing and how, and it is helping us to uncover ability in so many kids. You know that as an SLP, what we thought was possible 10 and 20 years ago, what we're seeing kids, what they're able to do on some of these, you know.

augmentative communication systems that they're now getting access to, it's a different person. And so that technology is evolving. The law is actually changing and evolving. Our definitions are evolving. Our understanding of these principles, like justice, are evolving. we're, I always say, I'll borrow from Nike, we, there's no finish line. We're just always gonna be looking at this target. So we have to constantly talk about it.

Marisha (08:51)

Yeah. And it's interesting because I've had some conversations in previous episodes regarding inclusion from a legal perspective. And that is about as clear as mud when you're analyzing that. So I love that you were able, like, this will be a really great snippet to remember of just when we're thinking about what inclusion is and how we're implementing it and that there is no finish line. I love that.

Paula Kluth (09:06)

You

That's right.

Marisha (09:21)

why is inclusion so important for SPED administrators to focus on? We obviously have the legal aspect.

Paula Kluth (09:33)

Yes. Well, and I think that's one of the most important. I mean, I think this is a very good snippet. And I know that you have a lot of administrators listening. I always think that what's really hard for administrators is that there can be a misconception. I'm not saying everywhere that I have to get everybody on board and we have to believe in this work. And even if that term isn't used, it's sort of.

you know, it's sort of lives there a little bit in some spaces. So I even work with this and I'm telling you, incredible administrator. And she had a whole event that was like, you know, it was sort of focused on this idea of like buy in and beliefs. And I love that. I mean, I'm not going to lie. Inclusion is part of my own value system. So I'm not going to lie about that. That's true. However, if we as administrators are focusing our, you know, our energy,

around this idea of getting the buy-in in the way that we're talking about in terms of values, that might be some wasted energy because the minute I meet somebody that says, I'm so sorry, that's just not part of my, I'm not into that, I'm not into inclusion. We are defeated in a sense, right? So there's nothing wrong with sort of putting your ethic out there, but really this boils down to two things. And whenever I feel like push comes to shove or somebody says I'm in it with this particular, I'm in it with a, you know,

another professional and they're challenging me around this. I say, take all that stuff out of it about your own. Go right to the two core elements, the research and the law. And that's where you live. That's all it is. We don't have to debate it because the as you said, there is a lot of there's, the law can be there's some wiggle room there. On the other hand, it is a solid of a foundation as we have right now. And

there's a lot of nice language in there. I mean, starting with FAPE, of course, but also looking at LRE and even some of the more recent circuit court decisions. There was a great, I don't wanna go too far down this road, but if your listeners don't know about the Hyde decision, H-Y-D-E, Hyde, the Luca Hyde, I think I'm saying that right, decision, that's a circuit decision that's a handful of years old. And I wanna say it's...

I'm not going to guess. I think I know where it is, but I'm not going to guess. But I, this judge was so clear about what LRE means in terms of this was a child with Down syndrome. But essentially the district was making the claim that this child could not be included because he's basically, he's not anywhere near the other students. He's not, he doesn't look like them. doesn't act like them. his, standards he is accessing are different.

that kind of thing. And they fought and fought and this went on for years. And finally the family prevailed, actually twice there was an appeal. And the judge essentially said the yardstick is not about catching up. You don't have to be even close in terms of grade level. The yardstick is can the child achieve growth and success in their own IEP, in their own personal goals. And of course these kids are gonna be accessing general ed standards as well.

but that's one of the more recent victories. And so I think there is some legal language that we can hang on to there. And then the other element going to the research is there's just such exciting research right now. And so I don't have to get blue in the face like I had to maybe 30 years ago. The study that I think everybody needs, the two studies I think everyone should know about, and I normally wouldn't do this on the podcast, but you know your district administrators want these because they don't have time, right?

But the Sandy Cole study, COLE out of Indiana, and there's a couple there that are actually incredible. And it's sort of a, it's a long-term tracking of these, I call them sort of developmental twins, kids that were matched on all kinds of criteria. And they looked at this group of kids that looked very, very similar in elementary school. They caught up with them later in late middle school. And they looked at these kids that were identical nearly.

in terms of these characteristics. And then what did they look like later and what were their placements? And they found that the kids that were included far outperformed kids that were not included and that was across all disability groups. I can't do it justice, but if you look up the Cole study, think Edutopia, I think did a nice piece on it. There was a high school study that was paired with that that showed very similar things. And then the other study that I think everybody needs to know about in terms of...

inclusion is the Cathy G study, GEE. And that's a piece that looked at kids with complex support needs. So these kids are not at grade level. They're not taking those assessments. And so they had to do a lot of observation over the years. I think, I believe the Cathy G study on inclusion and inclusion environments was a 2019 or 2020 study. And again,

Same kind of thing. We're seeing kids that aren't, they're not at grade level, they're not even close. And their outcomes in terms of all of these measures, academics, what they could assess, but also related skills. And so that's where we have to keep the conversation. It's not like it's not, I mean, I love to connect with others that have those values, but really when we're in the schools making these, especially in public schools making these decisions, that's where we have to center everything.

As you can tell, I feel quite passionately about that because you run into lots of barriers and so it's a safe space in many ways.

Marisha (15:20)

Yeah, and I really appreciate this conversation too, because I've heard a lot of conversations on the other side where you have to get your staff in alignment with your values. Like you have to hire in alignment with that. But you're saying that, no, it's the law and there's research supporting it. so we don't have, I mean, it's always nice to have in alignment. Yeah.

Paula Kluth (15:42)

That's right. It's always like, you don't always pick your staff. And there is

a difference between, think somebody could have like really great values around kids, but just for some reason, not know the research or not understand the law and think, I think this is, they're the kind of person that you want, but they just, they're unaware of that. And so that happens too. So I don't disagree with the idea of building culture. I guess I should clarify that or having folks that have similar ways of thinking about the work that all makes sense to me.

Marisha (16:01)

Mm-hmm.

Paula Kluth (16:12)

I guess I'm just trying to say that if we're always having a conversation about inclusion as it, then it's just my values against yours. Like we have to take it down to the same place that we take literacy instruction or any other conversation is why are we ignoring this, these two bodies.

Marisha (16:28)

Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense. And then what are some of the best, and we, so I think you already shared these, like the Sandy Cole study, the Cathy G study. Do you have any other favorite examples of like the documented benefits of inclusion? Okay, let's talk about it.

Paula Kluth (16:47)

Do I? How long do you have? Yes, well,

the other, I I am, I'm not even like a big, know, I'm not like as, I should say, like as severe as some of my colleagues about like scrolling away research, but I do like, I do love collecting this because it ends up being the bread and butter for a lot of other conversations. So those are studies that I'm super excited about at the moment, but you know, there's also this,

I just have to go back a little bit in my history. So my history is that I am a teacher by training of kids with complex support needs. when I, I'm 55. So when I was getting my certificate, it was in severe and profound, you know, that's what we called it. And so all of these families that I would meet through those first, like especially 20 years, they would be sold a story. And the story was you can either have really great, you know, training for life.

I mean, that was sort of the language. can, we can either teach your kid how to live, you know, interdependently or independently. We can teach your kid life skills. We can teach your kid functional skills, or you can have inclusion. But you can't have both. And so that, even if that wasn't said, it was always the spirit of this. And I mean, I've worked with so many parent groups and if I've heard this once, I have literally heard it a thousand times. Is like, have, you know, we have to, we.

We can't be focused on all of those things, essentially. And so parents would sometimes feel almost bullied, like I can't have it, so they're telling me, so you don't want your kid to have a good life? You just wanna put them in inclusion? So they would be like, what should I do? And so it's always hard to guide a parent because I'm not there working with that school and I'm not that teacher and things like that. But what's so nice now is to have this research that is very much flies in the face of that way of thinking. So there was this...

analysis, I guess an Australian consortium or something like that, that put together this great collection of inclusion resources a handful of years ago. And one of the

the, I guess, pieces of information in their, in that collection is this glimpse at benefits for kids with disabilities that go beyond academics. So things like kids with disabilities are, who are included are less likely to have a disciplinary.

Kids who are included are more likely to belong to a school group. Kids who are included are more likely to have competitive employment. Kids who are included are more likely to live independently. So that kind of flies in the face of some of those messages that folks are getting. And the other piece that I think is interesting is, know, we just keep seeing other, I don't spend a ton of time in those circles around like, you know, transition. I mostly work with school-age kids.

But there is a researcher named Leslie Shaw, and I just emailed her this week. She's in Cornell, at Cornell, and she did a study, or she's engaged in a project, I should say, that looks at transition and outcomes and success, specifically in autism. That's what she's doing.

So I just asked her, there a white paper yet? And she said, we're working on that part. We're working at getting the data out. So I just found a press release and she said that it will come, but we don't have it yet. So it's Leslie Shaw at Cornell for those who are listening. And she looked at all of these markers. So like, what are all of the things that help somebody have a successful post, you know, post-school outcome? And it was over like something like two dozen things that they looked at.

and what is the number one element that pointed towards this positive outcome, inclusive education. So that was another, so I asked her, said, I need that information. She said, it will come, it's coming. But again, just another tally in the column to say, like, this is really important for families to know as much as it is for teachers to know. So it's important for all of us to understand that it can feel sometimes, you know, that,

you know, that this is sort of a path away from preparing for living for certain kids, but we just don't have that kind of data. We also see other kinds of outcomes, you know, for you being an SLP, that Cathy G study that I referenced, amazing outcomes around communication for kids with complex support needs, kids that learned new systems, new vocabulary, had more language.

And that makes sense to me when you're in this robust context. I wrote a whole book, this is like old, this is not even a recommendation, but I wrote a book called A Land We Can Share. was like maybe the first book on autism and literacy. And so we wrote all about like, what does that context mean for kids, especially kids with complex support needs or higher needs. And so it wasn't surprising to me at all to see that data, that kids who were eavesdropping on conversations, kids that were having, they were with competent communication partners all day long.

Other kids are interested in the tech, so they're modeling some of these things. That wasn't a surprise to me at all to see some of that. So we see achievement. There was a study from Jenny Curth at Kansas a handful of years ago looking at literacy outcomes for kids with disabilities. that was autism. And again, just the same kind of story over time. So I think, again, it's really important to understand that this isn't just about academics and then

just about, or just about some of these adjacent outcomes, like they're all important to talk about and they're all relevant to this conversation.

Marisha (22:52)

Yeah, I absolutely agree. thank you for kind of, I'll add to the different articles and things that you've mentioned in the show notes for anyone who wants to dive in deeper, but having these resources as a jumping off point is beautiful. I love it.

Paula Kluth (23:03)

Yes. And I can help you too, Marisha.

We can build some of those other links in that for the show so that if we, if you can't find anything, let me know.

Marisha (23:12)

Okay, awesome. And then, so you talk a lot about co-teaching. So where does that fit into all of this?

Paula Kluth (23:20)

Yes.

Yeah,

you kind of understand my background now, so what I do. So I do a lot of work with schools around inclusion. This is definitely an area of study for me and a lot of work in universal design for learning and co-teaching. the strands here are that inclusion's at the center, but all of these other elements kind of feed in because it got to a point where I'm sort of on the soapbox, as you can imagine.

Marisha (23:54)

Thanks

Paula Kluth (23:54)

about

inclusion and then it comes to but how do you do it? So that got me down, also I was a co-teacher so that got me down that road as well. excuse me. So one of the things that, you know, really got me interested is I go in and talk to teachers and I would see what was possible. Again, also being a co-teacher.

see what's possible when there's that constant dialogue because a lot of these things, you we are teaching in silos a lot of the time. And what I found that there was somewhat of a loneliness as an inclusion facilitator to like bringing my kids from space to space, but never getting to kind of be involved in the lesson design or learn about what was happening in general education. And so that I, you know, in those ways, I couldn't always support my colleagues.

to solve a certain problem because I wasn't in on some of those conversations. When I was in on those, we could, it was very dynamic. There's lots of room for some growth there. So I got really into that. later in my career, was teaching about co-teaching. I taught at Syracuse University most recently. So I was teaching about that. then I was just getting a lot of, like people would, I would come in and talk about.

inclusion, but then I would sort of stay to talk about collaboration and co-teaching. So I ended up writing about that as well. I wrote about a book about that with my colleague, Julie Costin, and just got very interested in what are the possibilities. Again, it can be a very lonely profession when we come together to not only think differently about the possibilities for kids. know general education teachers and SOPs and OTs and school psychologists like in my collaborative roles.

Marisha (25:18)

Thank you.

Paula Kluth (25:43)

expanded my ideas of what was possible for kids, but also helped me become a better lesson designer, better at classroom management, all of those things. So now I do a lot of work in collaboration and co-teaching. That's a big part of my work life.

Marisha (26:02)

Yeah, and so what are the skills that are most important for teachers to start looking into co-teaching?

Paula Kluth (26:13)

Well, I think there's a lot of things that not only teachers can kind of profit from when they get into those environments and share with others, and then there's a lot of things that can be learned. But there are some skills that are really helpful just to kind of bring into that interaction. So things like,

I think collaboration in general, we assume that two teachers can come together and we know how to work together. But the fact of the matter is, most, many of us, I shouldn't say most, but I think for a great majority of folks, there's not room for another class on collaboration. So in other fields you might learn, and certainly when you're becoming an administrator later, you might learn techniques for collaboration. I didn't, I mean, my first job, I had nine paraprofessionals on my team, nine.

I didn't know a thing about like, you know, communication or I mean, it's mind blowing to me to say nothing of working with my teachers. So that idea of just not assuming that I will know how to sit down and solve a problem with you, that we have techniques for, you know, even just for running a meeting efficiently and effectively. That's just a very simple concrete thing. So I have this...

co-teaching event, which we had talked about earlier, this co-teaching kickoff, which is like a virtual event. And I have these sessions where I break down just some of these sub skills because I think, again, it's, when we talk about co-teaching, it's like, okay, here are some different structures you can use to co-teach. And I'm like, yes, and let's back it all the way up to like the simplest of like introduction, getting to know you and what are some of the ways in which we.

we'll know how to interact, not only when we hit a problem, but even just on the day to day. The other skill set that I think is helpful is just understanding how to not only plan together, but again, we're used to being in our own spaces. We are taught typically about how to design those lessons on our own, not with another adult. So this idea of being able to design with somebody else opens up a whole bunch of possibilities.

so that teachers need to understand and get support around, yeah, you can use like typical co-teaching structures like station teaching and parallel teaching and one teach, one assist, but there's also all kinds of other ways to use those, to sort of exploit these all different people in my classroom, different roles. How do we work together in a really smart way when students are in book clubs? What if they're engaged in project-based instruction? What's your role as an SLP, Marisha?

So what are interesting ways to work with our paraprofessionals so that it's like the best bang for our buck? So even that kind of conversation I think is really helpful and that's a skillset that, where would we have gotten that? Because we mostly learned how to plan on our own. And then things like even role sharing, which I'm kind of dipping into there. So what can I learn from you as an OT? What can I learn from you as an SLP? What can I learn from you as a general?

So how do we start to take on some of those other roles? And that gets us back to something that I talked about earlier, which is 100 % of the adults in the school are there for 100 % of the students. But that also, that doesn't have to mean we're all like role sharing everything, but that we are sort of not only having a mindset that, you know, this is our community, but also that over time I'm learning from my colleagues, that there is sort of an ongoing professional development, even very subtly.

that I'm curious about what you're doing, I'm seeing what you're doing, and I'm getting a little bit better because you're near me.

Marisha (30:07)

Yeah, and I absolutely love that quote. 100 % of the adults at the school are there for 100 % of the students. That's a really great mindset of it being our community and we're working together as a whole. And so, and you touched on who can co-teach. It's not just classroom and special education teachers. We've got SLPs, OTs.

Paula Kluth (30:09)

you

No.

multilingual teachers, school psychologists.

You know, some of these folks, like your school psychologist, they're not gonna co-teach all the time, but a lot of those social workers, they're already in the classroom doing mini-lessons with kids. So like, what can we learn from them? Are there opportunities to have a co-teaching lesson now and then so that we're all whetting our whistle about what that looks like? Could we bring somebody in in a stations context so that they can offer extra support now and then, but we learn from them.

So I think like thinking differently, kids can actually co-teach as well. That's a whole nother taught for a whole nother day. But these are skills that are sort of lifelong, life skills, know, they're forever and can be very powerful. The collaborative teams are just a powerful asset to any inclusive school.

Marisha (31:15)

Yeah, and you've talked a little bit about, or you often talk about the benefits of co-teaching to the adults and the students. So what does, can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Paula Kluth (31:31)

Sure, I mean, I think there's, when you are operating at that level where, you know, you're, are two teachers together, they're sharing planning, they have a vision for themselves as a team. So this is not like I'm teaching and you're texting or something, you know, where we're really given time to support, to support each other. And there's a, you know,

When we have a true co-ta classroom where it's not just one teach, one float, but we have teachers who are playing together and there's lots of different structures being used in ways that adults are are jelling and working together, we see these academic outcomes. There's a study that I think is around high school kids that's fairly recent.

that looks at just engagement, like engagement is higher with two teachers because I think naturally you get to use a lot of different formats, ways that you wouldn't get to engage otherwise. So we see, you know, that the potential of academics, but we also see that there's an opportunity for kids to learn other things. There's a lot of opportunity for kids to, if I'm in there and I'm having to work with kids around social emotional kinds of things, then there's a model there. Even just two teachers.

So like, let's just say we decide that we're social studies teachers and we want to, we get to co-teach. So every now and then we're gonna model what like respectful discourse looks like. You know, you might disagree or we might model how to give an appropriate compliment because there's two of us. So there's all kinds of these other like tangents, right? That can be actually very helpful and we can be purposeful about that. We wanna show what it looks like to.

talk to somebody else and to ask questions in a certain way. And so another adult is there and that's all possible. So I think it's also just super helpful for teachers. One of the things that I talk about in my sessions is that every co-taught team should be selfish and that they should, we're gonna, like if I was working with you all year long, we would be learning things from each other. Like that we know that. But what I could do is say to you, I could be even more pointed than that.

And I could say, Marisha, really, I know that you're doing something with language when you're with students and I watch you in those literacy lessons. And when you are actually, I know that there's some really subtle modeling going on when you're working with those kids at that center. I wanna learn what you're doing over there. Can you teach me about that? Or I might say like, you are making those anchor charts while you are actually teaching a lesson and I've never.

How do you do that? I've never had a chance to do that. Or you're so good at like when kids are having a hard time and I see that you just step up. Can you like by the end of the semester or year, can I get better at that? You're so organized. So like you can be turned down of course, but this is a perfect opportunity to actually say, it's up to you, but like I know I could learn that from you. You're so tech savvy.

So I always say in addition to just on the spot professional development, we can even be a little bit more selfish and say, I'm gonna ask for something from you and you can ask for something from me and let's get better together.

Marisha (34:36)

Yeah, and so just to recap, you talked about some of the benefits for students, their study showing those improved academic outcomes, the engagement, and there's opportunities to learn things that we might not get to address, like the social-emotional aspects that you mentioned. So those are really great benefits for students, but then it's also really beneficial for the teachers involved or the staff involved.

because it allows them to like continue building their skills. They're not working in a silo. I bet it's a much more fun way to work. Like I love I've loved it when I've been in more collaborative settings because I have more fulfillment in my job and like I've learned so many O.T. and teaching strategies and I'm a much better educator as a whole because of that opportunity to work with other professionals. So yeah, thanks for guiding us through that.

conversation of some of the benefits for students and adults. And at the end of the day, it just makes for a way better results for our students because if teachers are engaged and operating like at the top level that they can, just is like the benefits just keep rolling in.

Paula Kluth (35:55)

Yeah, and I always say, you know, it can be more spirited for sure. And the opposite is also true. Like, I think when COVID hit, I was working with lots of co-teaching teams and they were saying, like, I can't imagine doing this on my own. Like, I'm so glad I have a co-teacher. And so the other is true too. Like, this is a very hard job. Like, let's not.

even try to think it is like anything but it's very, hard. It's very challenging. So having like having somebody to kind of lean on, I don't know if I did that right, you know. And so I love the idea of being able to lean on somebody when it's like I just that was really tough. Like, you know, like I mean, I'd be in tears a lot in, you know, in school. Somebody threw a chair at my head once, not an adult, you know, child. You know, it's very upsetting and if somebody there with you and saying like you did this

best job that you could do, that's so helpful too. And I always say then it's also the other piece is just having somebody, this sounds weird to say, but I always talk about there's even some of their to admire your work, you know, in a sense where it's like, sometimes you just nail it, you just get that lesson, right, something small, you just you were funny, you

the kid just like did something right there and you saw the skill just develop and there's somebody else to say, especially if you talk about doing this for each other, you know, a little slow clap in the back of the classroom, which you, and I know that's kind of funny to say, but I believe it. And so I always say, talk about being those kinds of team members for each other. Cause those are some kind of not so commonly addressed benefits.

Marisha (37:31)

Yeah, that's amazing. So this all sounds really great, but I know conversations that I've had with administrators and educators, it's like, how do we do all these things? And it can feel, when our plates are already full, it can feel like, this is another, just an other thing to add on. And hopefully talking about the benefits got, cause I know a lot of us in the schools are.

heading towards burnout if we're not already there. And so this could be like a really amazing tool for us as well. But what, because I know you have tons of resources, but what recommendations do you have for ongoing professional development and like starting to work on applying this and especially in the context of like overwhelmed teachers and administrators?

Paula Kluth (38:24)

Well, you

I love that you said that it can be really a lot for folks. was I did a virtual session yesterday with a district and one of the it was just such a the only word I can use. It was very warm. You know, I just really had a nice afternoon with these this elementary elementary teachers. And one of the words that we talked about as we were reviewing some of that research that I referenced was that they said it was comforting.

And why was it comforting? Because a lot of teachers just want to know they're doing, you know, a lot of people think teachers don't want to do inclusion. It's not true. You know, a lot of administrators I know will be like agreeing with me. Yeah, there might be some resistance, but for a lot of teachers, it's different. It's not that they don't want to do it. They just have to know that this is hard. It's imperfect in so many contexts. And so just tell me that I'm doing the right thing for kids and I will run with this, but I need to know it's the right thing for kids.

So they were saying they're doing some really sophisticated things in this district and they said that research was really comforting for us. That legal element was really comforting. that was nice. So don't always assume that providing more information will be overwhelmed. So the first thing I say is inclusion is not a one-shot deal. Don't we already do inclusion? know, that book, that whole book was written on the idea that yes, we are doing it, but it's again, it's aspirational and it's ongoing. So that if you had quote unquote,

training on inclusion, like there's probably lots of updates, like whether it's a steering committee, whether it's a group that's constantly having a conversation about related needs, that's not something that we're gonna educate and then move on. That's gonna be constant. How do we create schools for all? That's never-ending conversation. And then of course, along with that, I know we had to limit ourselves today, but I do a lot of work in that area of universal design for learning, so that comes up a lot. That can be another.

question and answer to the question of how do we do this? And so where a lot of folks are saying I can't possibly bring this child in it's not working for this space or what we're doing. Sometimes I'm not going to say every teacher is going to say wow this is super comforting to learn something new but it can kind of help us because instead of saying we're going to try to figure out how we're going to do this for this kid and this kid and this kid you know this language and this model and framework of universal design for learning is going to help us maybe think differently.

about how we can design upfront so there'll be less to think about, you know, down the road. How can we make the space more accessible to begin with? What do we do in our school to make sure that there's already entry points, you know, around activities? And so some of that work gets done upfront and then we don't have to do it, you know, down the road. So that's kind of another way to think about that. And then of course, you know, I'm a broken record on this, but I think everybody needs to have that content on collaboration because

No matter what you're doing, we talk a lot in the Coteach kickoff event about every role, there's collaboration involved. So I talk about even this strategy that I call spotlight co-teaching or collaboration where even if we can't co-teach formally all day, you might say to me,

you know, I'm an eighth grade teacher. cannot figure out this, these two kids, they cannot do the warmups, the bell ringers, they're just lost. And so I just need a solution for that every day. And so I might say, let me get in there and work with you on that for, you know, maybe a couple of times a week for a while. And let's try to find materials or a change in format or some tech that we can infuse or a way that we can strategize around this or.

What's something to point to I can give to a paraprofessional that's in there. Let's try to kind of like spotlight that one idea and then I'll float out and work on something else for a moment. But we have to be able to know how to like even if it's in the small moments how to kind of come together to do some of that problem solving. So I think that's probably got to be part of a conversation for just about every staff.

Marisha (42:29)

Yeah, and you mentioned the co-teaching kickoff. Can you tell us a little bit more about what that is?

Paula Kluth (42:34)

Sure, yeah, so that's like one of my, I don't know, that's kind of one of the centerpieces of the work that I do. It's because it's my only event that's ongoing. So if people go to my website, which is just inclusionrules.com, like inclusion rules, like yay. That's where you can contact me, that's where you can find everything out about me.

Marisha (42:52)

Thank

Paula Kluth (42:57)

But if you go there, that event runs, we have two versions. One is that you can sign up for just the fall. And then we have another one that goes all year long. And so if you were joining, say if this podcast is probably gonna drop in the winter, people can join anytime until I think April or May or something. So it goes all year long and every year it runs. so it's a set of, it's asynchronous. We have like 20 videos.

And you can watch with a partner, you can watch on your own time. there's lots of materials with each session and we've got all kinds of folks. We have high school teachers teaching together, we have administrators, have sessions on, the idea was to go beyond the structures, right? Most people get collaborative training and they understand how to, again, one teach, one float, station teaching, how do we do anchor.

And so we wanted to say those are helpful and we need to know those, but there's so much more to know like lesson planning, like meeting, like how, what are some ideas for high school math? You know, so we wanted to collect that in a place where you could kind of customize. You might only have five sessions that you're going to watch, but you're to watch some of those a few times. And so we put these together and we run it every year with slightly different content, but it's kind of just having co-teaching support in your pocket.

That was sort of the idea because I was getting called to run around and do these same sessions everywhere. And even when I was going in person, even for three days, I didn't get to half of this stuff. So I wanted to make that available so that you can find out more about the co-teaching kickoff and frankly, other stuff, other events, sort of online offerings, all of that's on inclusion rules. And by the way,

There's lots of stuff over there that you don't have to spend a dime on. There's video over there that you can use if you're an administrator and you want to do a mini PD on something. There's video over there. There's lots of downloads that you could use for activities, brown bag lunches, know, internal kinds of meetings. There's little articles and things like that. And you don't have to ask. It's there for you to use.

Marisha (45:05)

Awesome. Yeah, and I shared a link to the website as a whole and then the code teaching kickoff and I mean, your top navigation bar makes it really easy to find all the things. yeah, that'll be an amazing resource for any administrators who are wanting to learn more. Yeah, so was there anything that you wanted to close out with or?

Paula Kluth (45:18)

good, I will tell the tech guy.

You know, I just,

first of all, thank you for having me. And I just want to extend my gratitude to anybody that was listening because I know, again, this is one of those topics where you might say, you know, again, we're doing that already and I've got some grounding there. So I think anybody that's, you know, again, such an overworked role is the director. So I just have lots of gratitude for folks in those spaces and for what they're able to do. And I'll just say this.

All of those outcomes that we're seeing, whether it's the work of Kathy G that I referenced or the work of Sandy Cole study or even the work of Jenny Curth there at KU, all of that research that looked at kids in these inclusive contexts, somebody made a decision at the district level to make that happen. And so when I say that I extend my gratitude for the work that folks are doing every day to give kids these possibilities to see that.

that we have never seen some of these stories and these potential, these possibilities for many of these kids with disabilities. The kinds of stories that we're seeing now, absolutely incredible, some of these opportunities, and that's all because of somebody initially at a district level giving a thumbs up. And so lots of gratitude out to folks who are part of that decision making and to you too, Marisha, for taking this topic on.

Marisha (47:01)

Oh, well, thank you so much for being so generous with your time and expertise. This was such a treat and, um, yeah, a great conversation. So thank you. And yeah, I have second the thank you to the, and the gratitude to the administrators who are doing the work out there because it is not easy. So props to you for listening and soaking this in and considering the information and continuing to brainstorm and figure out how to.

Paula Kluth (47:21)

now.

Marisha (47:31)

do our best for our students. So yeah, thank you and see you next time.

Paula Kluth (47:35)

Thank you. Thanks for having me. Bye everybody.