Long Term Substitute: Speech Language Pathologist

General Statement:  Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, school-based speech-language pathologists provide prevention, assessment, and remediation services for students who exhibit difficulties in the areas of language, speech, voice, and fluency. These services are designed to help children meet their educational goals.
Responsibilities: 
Major Function: Planning and Oversight 

• Organizes a program that addresses local school speech-language goals. 
  • Contributes to the development of program guidelines as appropriate. 
  • Cooperates with local education agencies, community and/or state programs to affect comprehensive services.
• Works cooperatively with school personnel to accomplish the goals and objectives of the local education agency. 
  • Attends meetings, such as faculty meetings, special education meetings and parent teacher conferences. 
  • Serves on committees, such as curriculum development committee, school-based committees, and/or speech-language program development meetings. 
  • Schedules interventions using a variety of service delivery models, including classroom intervention, consultation/collaboration and pull-out as appropriate to meet student needs in the least restrictive environment
  • Applies a systematic workload model to facilitate the organization of the speech-language program within the school.
• Coordinates speech-language services with student services provided by other school personnel. 
  • Collaborates with school personnel, such as teachers and psychologists, to best meet the needs of all students. 
  • Meets with related school personnel to coordinate specific objectives for individualized educational programs.
• Maintains records of the speech-language program and prepares periodic reports as required. 
  • Keeps data for program planning and decision making for students.  
  • Submits reports which meet local and state requirements
  • Maintains current files for use by authorized school personnel. 
  • Safeguards confidentiality of student records. 
  • Completes records for third party reimbursement accurately and in a timely manner as appropriate.
• Adheres to established rules, regulations, laws and appropriate ethical standards. 
  • Provides services which hold the well-being of each student paramount. 
  • Guards against conflicts of professional interest. 
  • Demonstrates knowledge of federal, state and local rules, regulations and laws. 
  • Complies with established lines of authority within the parameters of professional standards.

Major Function: Screening, Testing, Diagnosing and Advising 

• Conducts speech, language and hearing screenings. 
  • Serves on student intervention team/Individualized Education Program (IEP) team as appropriate. 
  • Works with other professionals to carry out the screening process. 
  • Uses appropriate screening instruments.
• Administers formal and informal (ongoing & curriculum-based) assessments. 
  • Observes students in educational environments. 
  • Selects appropriate assessments based on individual student needs. 
  • Administers tests according to acceptable procedures. 
• Obtains additional diagnostic information from appropriate persons and available records for speech-language purposes.
  • Obtains pertinent case history. 
  • Obtains data from other professionals and parents.
• Analyzes and interprets information to make recommendations regarding the need for speech-language services
  • Integrates data from a variety of assessment techniques and sources
  • Determines the effects of the student’s impairment in regard to accessing the general curriculum. 
  • Presents and explains data to the IEP Team

Major Function: Liaison 

• Provides consultation to parents, teachers and other appropriate school personnel. 
  • Consults with parents and teachers relative to identified and non-identified students. 
  • Consults with other personnel such as the principal, nurse, occupational therapist, physical therapist, psychologist, director of exceptional children, social worker, home-school coordinator, guidance counselor, other speech-language pathologists and special educators. 
• Seeks the assistance of teachers, parents and others to meet the communication needs of students. 
  • Gives written information to teachers, parents and others on ways to foster speech-language growth. 
  • Talks with teachers formally and informally about individual student’s needs and progress. 
• Consults/communicates with non-school agencies to enhance services. 
  • Requests specific information on individual student’s receiving services from non-school agencies (e.g clinics, hospitals, physicians, health departments, day care centers, etc.) with signed release of information. 
  • Gathers general information about services offered by non-school agencies. 
  • Coordinates students’ therapeutic service with those provided by non-school agencies by telephone, written communication and/or formal meetings. 
• Makes recommendations and referrals for audiological/medical and related services. 
  • Determines needs for referrals, collaborates and consults with audiologists regarding hearing services.
  • Performs hearing screenings in a timely manner. 
  • Collaborates appropriately with other allied health professionals (e.g., physicians, therapists, etc.)

Qualifications:

• Experience:
  • Prior experience working in a school setting is preferred. 
• Education:
  • Must possess a Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution. 
  • Must possess an Advanced degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Certification: 
  • Must meet the current RI Department of Education requirements and or certifications as Speech Language Pathologist.

• Authorized to work in the USA
• Current national background check without disqualifying results at time of hire.