Effective Strategies for Classroom Teachers to Promote Collaboration with SpeechLanguage Pathologist

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Effective Strategies for Classroom Teachers to
Promote Collaboration with Speech-Language
Pathologists (SLPs)

• Kellie L. Bauer, M.Ed., CCC-SLP.
• Suneeti Nathani Iyer, Ph.D.
• Richard T. Boon, Ph.D.
• Department of Communication Sciences
• Special Education
• College of Education
• The University of Georgia
• Georgia Council for Exceptional Children
  Conference
• February 27-28, 2009
• Athens, GA

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Abstract

• Increasingly, students with disabilities are
  receiving services in the general education
  classroom, and as a result, speech-language
  pathologists (SLPs) are using a variety of
  flexible models to meet the needs of these
  students. While some schools continue to provide
  pullout service delivery models for
  speech-language therapy, many are increasing the
  number of hours SLPs spend in inclusive classroom
  settings (Katz, Fallon, Van Der Linden,
  DiDonato, 2006).
• Collaboration among classroom teachers and SLPs
  is crucial to deliver effective treatment and
  services for students with speech-language
  impairments in an inclusive classroom setting
  (Ehren, Montgomery, Rudebusch, Whitmire, 2007).
  Students at-risk are more apt to receive
  appropriate intervention services and more
  continuity of care when a qualified team is
  establishing academic and communication
  objectives (Prelock, Miller, Reed, 1995 Peña
  Quinn, 2003). Furthermore, Banotai (2006)
  suggests that carryover and the long-term success
  of students with speech-language deficits depends
  on a collaborative approach because it allows the
  student to apply newly acquired communication
  skills in the general education classroom.

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• However, there are many challenges that impede a
  successful collaborative relationship between
  both classroom teachers and speech-language
  pathologists. For example, MacDonald and Speece
  (2001) and Mastropieri (2001) assert that
  effective classroom collaboration is difficult to
  implement and is often limited due to time
  constraints.
• In addition, collaboration is also challenging
  due to scheduling and planning difficulties
  (Kaff, 2004). Other constraints faced by teachers
  include the rigor of their curriculum, large
  class sizes, lack of assistants in the classroom,
  and other responsibilities as faculty members.
  Other challenges to collaboration for SLPs may
  include large caseloads, travel required between
  facilities to provide services, coordinating
  service delivery around curriculum blocks, and
  excessive paperwork (Katz et al., 2006 Whitmire
  Eger, 2003).
• How do we ease some of the challenges and
  difficulties in implementing integrated services
  and make collaboration work? This article
  provides 20 practical strategies for classroom
  teachers and SLPs to work together more
  collaboratively as they strive to meet the needs
  of the individual student in the least
  restrictive environment.

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1. Solicit the support of your administration

• Administrators and principals must promote and
  encourage collaboration for it to be successful
  (Salisbury McGregor, 2002). Invite your
  principal into a collaborative classroom and
  share the progress of students who are benefiting
  from the technique. Offer supporting literature
  or publications that cite the benefits of
  classroom collaboration to administrators to
  elicit their help. Contact professionals from
  other schools who are using collaboration
  successfully, and ask them to share their
  techniques and discuss the benefits of classroom
  collaboration with upper-level administration.

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2. Set aside a time to meet together.

• Although you may have worked together in the
  past, it is a good idea for the SLP and the
  classroom teacher to spend some time getting to
  know each other (Ehren, 2000). Have lunch
  together or incorporate your meeting into another
  scheduled meeting, such as part of a students
  Individualized Education Planning (IEP) meeting.
  Be forthright with one another and discuss any
  reservations you both may have and possible
  solutions regarding collaboration.

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3. Approach one another as professional
colleagues.

• No experts allowed. Teachers and SLPs are
  talented members of the same team and must treat
  one another as capable professionals, each gifted
  in their own areas of expertise (Peña Quinn,
  2003). The needs of at-risk students are best
  served when professionals respect each others
  area of expertise.

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4. Agree upon the specific intervention goals for
the student.

• Both the classroom teacher and the SLP should be
  familiar with the student, his/her history,
  performance in the classroom, and IEP. Teachers
  and SLPs must cooperatively integrate the
  individual needs of the student into classroom
  activities in order for collaboration to be
  effective. Agree on specific goals for the
  student, and then decide how to incorporate these
  goals into the regular classroom curriculum and
  activities without adversely impacting the
  appropriateness and benefits of the curriculum
  for other students in the classroom (Kaczmarek,
  Pennington, Goldstein, 2000).

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5. Keep a therapy register or coordinate one with
your the SLP.

• Keep a record of which students actively receive
  intervention and those who are on maintenance
  programs. The teacher could periodically meet
  with the SLP to determine the status of each
  student (Paul, 2007). A therapy register or log
  with brief goals and description of the services
  provided would help you both target those
  students who are currently receiving services
  more effectively.

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6. Be consistent with the therapy schedule.

• Teachers often report that some SLPs do not
  consistently keep the agreed upon schedule for
  their students, come late, re-schedule without
  notice, or do not come at all. Some SLPs report
  that there are no open time blocks within the
  curriculum for therapy, teachers do not send
  students at agreed upon times, or students are
  unavailable at scheduled times due to other
  activities. Although these may continue to be a
  problem on occasion, it is best to agree upon a
  time and try to maintain that schedule. An
  effective strategy that a classroom teacher could
  employ is to post a calendar in the classroom and
  enlist the student, or a few classroom peers, to
  help remind the student and teacher when it is
  time for speech therapy. Using peers also could
  be a way of promoting tolerance and carry-over
  for the student in the inclusive classroom
  setting (Beck Dennis, 1997 Ehren, 2000). Truly
  implementing integrated services in the classroom
  might also help eliminate some of these
  scheduling conflicts.

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7. Be honest with your SLP.

• Classroom teachers should be honest and ask
  questions about the type of therapy and
  intervention methods the SLP plans to implement,
  whether it is traditional speech-language pullout
  therapy, in classroom collaboration or a
  combination of both. A classroom teacher might
  observe the student in a traditional pullout
  session or view a video-recorded session to
  understand one-on-one intervention goals for that
  student. Since collaboration in the classroom
  brings the SLP into an arena that is typically
  the teachers domain, the classroom teacher might
  ease the transition by inviting the SLP into the
  classroom to observe teaching strategies for
  appropriate subjects, such as reading, and to
  observe how students receiving SLP services are
  performing in the classroom (Peña Quinn, 2003).

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8. Be flexible in implementing an integrated
collaborative approach.

• Be willing to try something different. Both you
  the teacher and the SLP might have unique
  perceptions as to the most effective intervention
  strategy for a student (McCartney, 1999).
  Therefore, it might be very difficult for either
  of you to abandon your intervention methods
  entirely for a few days and try a new approach.
  For example, traditional teacher-centered
  classroom instruction could be altered using
  compensatory strategies, such as gestures,
  written support or visual cues to augment oral
  communication, taught by the SLP (ASHA, 2001).
  Building rapport and a working relationship means
  being open to one anothers ideas for helping the
  student perform at an optimal level. Be willing
  to listen to one another and try multiple
  approaches to reach your goal.

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9. Use the SLP for improving academic skills.

• Inviting the SLP to provide intervention in your
  classroom may also help you achieve academic
  objectives for that student. Furthermore, certain
  skills are best addressed in a classroom setting.
  For example, targeting vocabulary words related
  to the current curriculum by the SLP may also
  improve the students reading proficiency of that
  material. Reading comprehension may also be more
  effectively addressed within the context of the
  classroom as opposed to a separate room using
  materials that differ from the materials being
  used in the classroom (Staskowski Creaghead,
  2001).

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10. Be creative.

• When planning collaborative activities, challenge
  yourself to shake things-up and expect your SLP
  to do the same. Having the SLP in the classroom
  allows you the flexibility to implement some fun
  activities that you would not typically have time
  to plan or could not coordinate alone (Paul,
  2007). For example, bring in outside resources
  and objects, which coordinate with the classroom
  curriculum. In science, bring in nature samples
  such as leaves, shells, or polished stones, while
  in social studies instruction, locate foreign
  currencies or small tokens from travels, or have
  foreign cuisine for a special treat (maybe just
  use chopsticks with lunch one day). This allows
  you to incorporate fun and functional activities
  into the classroom while integrating services. It
  also allows you to grasp an understanding of one
  anothers teaching methods and goals for your
  students.

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11. Consider incorporating carry-over techniques
in the classroom.

• Teaching a student to use the techniques taught
  in therapy across a variety of settings is known
  as carryover or generalization (Prelock, Miller,
  Reed et al., 1995), which is a critical element
  of the therapy process. A student may be able to
  produce a targeted sound in pullout therapy, but
  may immediately lose that sound in conversational
  speech once removed from the therapy room. Since
  the student most likely would receive minimal
  time in therapy each week, the classroom teacher
  may serve as a valuable resource for reminding
  the student of therapy objectives and promoting
  carryover (Moore-Brown Montgomery, 2001).
  During therapy, the SLP might establish a cue to
  help a student correct an error or remember a
  therapeutic technique. The SLP focuses on this
  cue in therapy so the student becomes aware of
  its meaning. You can assist the SLP by using
  these cues in your classroom and thereby attain
  better carryover of the learned skill. For
  example, you could remind a student who is
  lisping and protruding his tongue between his
  front teeth of proper tongue placement by simply
  pointing to your teeth clamped together. In
  addition, because these cues are often discreet,
  it does not reprimand the student in the
  classroom in front of their peers.

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12. View your SLP as an ally.

• Allow the SLP to help you. Using a collaborative
  approach that includes the SLP providing services
  in the classroom setting provides the teacher
  with some additional assistance in the classroom.
  For example, the SLP could create circle time
  activities for literacy and vocabulary. The
  clinician could also offer more individual help
  to those students who need it while the teacher
  continues with her lesson. SLPs can offer
  resources for enhancing language skills in many
  curriculum blocks (Ehren et al., 2007 Staskowski
  Creaghead, 2001). Thus, collaboration could
  serve as a means of curriculum enrichment for the
  entire class, especially those considered at-risk
  (Ehren, 2000).

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13. Share your expertise.

• As different professionals with different amounts
  and types of experience, both you and the SLP
  bring unique perspectives to the educational
  setting. Share your expertise with one another
  and utilize each others strengths (Giangreco,
  2000). Teachers possess expertise in classroom
  instruction, the use of teaching strategies, and
  dealing with large groups of students diverse in
  their learning abilities. Most SLPs do not hold
  this type of experience, but may possess
  strengths and expertise in other areas, such as
  language acquisition and tailoring intervention
  to the individual needs of a student.

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14. Use your SLP as a resource.

• Allow your SLP to function as a resource for
  areas you may have limited experience or
  expertise (Ehren et al., 2007). Your SLP may have
  experience with ESL speakers (English as Second
  Language), particularly those with communication
  disorders and may be able to offer insights into
  multicultural issues. Many SLPs may have
  knowledge of more severe disorders, including
  students with syndromes, cerebral palsy,
  dysphagia (swallowing disorder), compromised
  respiratory systems, and those who use hearing
  aids, choclear implants or assistive technology
  devices. These skills may benefit your students
  and aid you and the SLP in better serving the
  student, even if the student is not receiving
  direct SLP intervention.

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15. Be supportive of your SLP.

• Be supportive of the SLPs and other team members
  who provide services for students in your
  classroom (Friend Bursuck, 2006). SLPs are
  often responsible for large caseloads and may
  travel between several schools to provide
  services to students with various disabilities
  ranging in age from birth to twenty-one. Your
  respectful treatment of the SLP and other team
  members will promote the same behavior when
  witnessed by your students and other
  professionals.

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16. Keep the channels of communication open.

• Address any problems noted to avoid later
  conflict. If scheduling or the successful
  collaboration becomes problematic, meet and
  develop a plan to solve the problem (Giangreco,
  2000). Listen to and communicate with one another
  openly to prevent conflicts in the future, which
  could damage the rapport you have worked hard to
  establish with one another.

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17. Practice being an active listener.

• Collaboration in the classroom brings the SLP
  into an arena that usually considered the
  teachers domain. Building rapport and a working
  relationship means being open to one anothers
  ideas for helping the student perform at an
  optimal level. Be willing to listen to one
  another and be open to the others ideas,
  comments, teaching methods, and even criticisms
  (Hollingsworth, 2001).

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18. Provide feedback to each other.

• Be realistic about which intervention techniques
  are working for the student and which are not
  (Kaczmarek et al., 2000). Offer feedback to one
  another as to whether the students performance
  is improving, especially in the classroom. If
  improvement is observed, continue with those
  activities in the classroom. If not, identify
  changes needed in order to improve service
  delivery and carryover within the classroom.

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19. Locate current sources of information focused
on collaboration.

• Locate current sources of information on
  collaboration including recently published books
  and journal articles across both disciplines.
  Attend workshops, continuing education seminars
  or online training, which focus on effective
  classroom collaboration (Ratner, 2006). These
  resources might provide teachers and clinicians
  with innovative collaboration strategies in use
  for both the classroom and for students with
  speech and language impairments (Prelock, 1995).
• As a classroom teacher experienced with classroom
  collaboration, you might coordinate an in-service
  or a round table meeting. If you are
  inexperienced as a classroom teacher or SLP, you
  might solicit another SLP or faculty member to
  coordinate a workshop or seminar, which in turn
  may provide continuing education hours for
  teachers and clinicians.

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20. Meet the needs of the student.

• Success is the common goal. In order for
  collaboration to be effective, team members must
  work together toward a common objective and that
  should be providing the best service for students
  at-risk no matter what the approach, technique,
  or instructional setting (Friend Cook, 2007).