Survey Says……..(with comments)

Survey Says……..(with comments)...

Oct 29, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Thank you to the Speech Language Pathologists who participated in this speech and language assessment survey. I received responses from 9 people. Granted that isn’t a large number but I’ve read scholarly papers written with less data. I’m using the acronyms in this report since we all know what they are:). Sorry about the comments but I couldn’t help myself. It is my survey so I can do that. Please feel free to share your comments and questions. What is your standard test battery? The CELF-4 was the overwhelming test of choice for most therapists. The CASL and the OWLS were most frequently mentioned as second choices. For vocabulary testing most preferred the PPVT/EVT combo to the ROWPVT/EOWPVT. Then there is the good old Goldman Fristoe. What else could you use for articulation? It’s...

When does a Middle School Child need a Speech and Language Evaluation-reprint...

Oct 27, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Hi Everyone. I have to apologize for being so lax about posting. I had the grandest plans for this month, writing about the speech and language assessment process. Well to make excuses, I can tell you that work has exploded. I work part time for a school system doing evaluations and they’ve decided to move up their time line on all of the evaluations. I actually think it’s a great idea but it shoves more work into my limited time. And lets not forget those pesky report write up that mostly take place at home. I also picked up another wonderful part time job at a vocational high school which will be a new experience for me. They too have me testing to meet deadlines. Since I love evaluating I don’t mind being busy...

Easy Report Writing?

Oct 14, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Is there such a thing? If you think I have the answer you’d be wrong. You haven’t heard from me in awhile because I am in the throws of report write ups. When you’re a school therapist you don’t have the luxury of clinics who will take months sometimes to write up a report. We have deadlines and they have to be met. However, I am a procrastinator and almost always wait till the last minute to pull things together. Luckily the due dates for the report write up and the actual meeting are usually a few days apart because unlike clinics that drop their reports off at our doorstep, we still have to write up the educational plan in time for the meeting. Even after so many years of experience report writing is...

Assessing Children Adopted from Abroad...

Oct 6, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

I came across this article on ASHAsphere and wanted to share. The article Relationship and Communication Development in Children Adopted From Abroad by Deborah HWA-Froelich focuses on the uniqued differences in overall language development in children who are adopted from other countries. I’ve worked with children who have come from other countries who speak both languages in the home and those that acquired english early on after listening and possibly speaking (or beginning to speak) in another language. As Ms. Froelich points out, the foreign adopted children experience a disruption in language development. I know from experienced that these children, when brought to my attention, are clearly more language disabled than the typical ESL/ELL child. ESL/ELL children have their own set of issues. I see a lot of splinter skills in their vocabulary and...

Evaluations are Key to Improving Special Education Programs...

Oct 1, 2012 by Teresa Sadowski MA CCC-SLP

Many years ago I started a new job in s school district that was rumored to have some problems in their special education department. I was able to confirm the rumors almost immediately. While going through the caseload files I noticed that there were a high number of students who had gone out for their speech and language evaluation. Comparing dates I noticed that the outside speech and language evaluations were either part of the initial request or requested after a speech and language was completed through the school. Now we have all had this happen. A parent or the team isn’t happy with our findings. This happens when we find problem and when we actually rule out problems. We’re never going to make everyone happy 100% of the time. However, something was different...