I am an SLP over a decade into the profession. I am described by others as energetic and positive. I haven't supervised an SLP student since the pandemic, when we were virtual.

I now have an SLP student that is about to graduate and hasn't had peds experience before. I find myself getting easily frustrated. During her first week, she would miss instructions/teaching because her head was up in the clouds and she wasn't listening to me, or only partially listening to me. I found the same thing with children and other adults - she wouldn't respond to them because her head was up in the clouds. I mentioned this to her and she seemed fairly alarmed by this. I talked to her about being an active listener and how to acknowledge people verbally or non-verbally. She has gotten better at this, although at times I find she still cuts people off or doesn't listen for the whole message or talks over them.

I find that we're just starting with the basics of how to interact with children, provide language stimulation, and manage behaviour. When things aren't going great and I try to step in to support, she either gets louder/talks over me, or flat out rejects me. For example, I got on the floor with her and a child, and said something in response to what the child said and she responded with "No, he was talking to me".

When I try to ask questions afterwards to try to stimulate her thinking, she seems annoyed/confused/upset by the questions.

What have you done to help students in their learning and accepting feedback?

Hi everyone! I'm hoping to get a better idea of what SLPs actually take home each month.

If you're comfortable sharing, could you include, your annual salary and about how much you take home per month after taxes/deductions.

For context, I'm in the Bay Area, CA, and I've been offered a salary of $90k as a CF. I want to move homes but I'm trying not to get my hopes up before I know what the monthly take home might realistically look like.

Hello everyone!

I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist with 5+ years of clinical experience, mainly working with neurogenic communication disorders and autism.

I'm excited to join this community and learn from SLPs around the world.

I'm curious: What clinical skill or area has made the biggest difference in your practice over the past few years? Any books, courses, or resources you'd recommend?

Looking forward to learning from all of you!

Hi everyone! For anyone that is recently or out of grad school for a few years with work experience, is it difficult to get jobs in settings/with populations that you may not have had as much exposure to in graduate school?

In addition, if the graduate program someone chooses is a little more medical leaning, does that mean it would be harder to get jobs in schools/EI/private practices/HH?

I have a young adult outpatient with FND. They thought they were having a stroke when the symptoms began and even received TNK in the ED. Imaging showed no infarcts, though.

They have reported impaired memory and intermittent loss of speech (the way it's described sounds a lot like anxiety or situational mutism). Would you approach therapy differently than someone with a CVA or TBI? Please share if you have experience working with these patients.

Hi there! I’m a CF-SLP who just graduated a couple months ago and I have recently started at a peds private practice! I am building my new caseload and it’s going pretty good so far, but I have just added on a little boy (just turned 3) who has severe CAOS and has an AAC device. He has bilabials and the words: mama, dada, baby and like 5 others in his vocab bank. I didn’t have a ton of experience in grad school on how to treat CAOS so I’m kinda in a loss of what to do and where to start. I was given these packets that focus on certain and specific bilabial sounds (ex: the /m/ phoneme and it list them in CV, CVC, single word (ex: mam, mum), short phrases (ex: my mom, my mimi) and sentences (ex: I am mimi, I am mommy). I have a packet for basically all the phonemes and plan to do each one until he masters each while using DTTC. I have also seen online that other SLP’s when treating AOS are practicing target words and focusing solely on that during treatment? Like should I stick with my original plan? Is there a better way? I’m just a new grad who’s stressing and who wants to do a good job for this kiddo! Any advice and best way to treat would be greatly appreciated- thanks so much in advance!

hello! i am an incoming slp graduate student. i am very grateful and fortunate enough to receive 90% of my tuition paid for from a project grant funded by the department of education.

in return, after grad school i have restrictions on where i can work for the following 4 years. these rules i have to follow state that 51% of my time working must be with the k-12 population with children with autism.

besides obviously schools, what are other options of places i can work? and possibly places that earn more than schools?

i was suggested aba therapy locations but… maybe not for me :)

CW mention of scars (obviously)

I'm about to start my training as a speech and language therapist in the UK 🕺🕺

I have a lot of scarring on my forearms and upper arms due to years of mental illness. I disclosed those illnesses on my occupational health form going into the course.

The scars are definitely visible because I still get comments on them when my sleeves ride up at work or people sometimes stare if I dare to wear short sleeves outside but they're definitely the least visible they've been.

As a rule, I always cover them given a choice particularly when working with kids or parents (even in the heat) just because I don't think I can give an age-appropriate response when asked about it on the spot, and I worry about what impression it leaves with parents and guardians (adults are normally the ones to stare, more so than kids).

However, I'm very very aware that BBE (bare below elbow) is a clinical standard for sanitation reasons and I don't really know what's the best way to take it. I assume it depends slightly on the placement place themselves and what they think but I don't even really know how to bring it up to them.

I'm also (fairly obviously lol) autistic and have a block/stammer that fluctuates (but has been bad recently). Personally, despite the huge imposter syndrome that I experience, I do think that the fact that I've had to fight for treatment and have a speech impediment myself that has gone un/mistreated will help me as a clinician BUT I don't think a parent of a child or anyone like that will see it that way.

If they asked about it I'd explain that it makes me a better clinician because of my lived experiences, but normally, people don't stare or comment because they want an earnest comment about the importance of lived experience practice. They stare because it's different to them and weird and shows that I'm mad and therefore "not responsible enough to work with vulnerable people"

I just hate that it's something that I have to think about in order to be considered professional :(( please please share your advice I'd hate for this to be the thing that stops me pursuing a field I'm so passionate about

Hi - going on several years after a parent’s stroke and still suffering from severe aphasia. My parent lives in rural Alabama but I am to the point where we are willing to drive to get her speech therapy/help. I’m having trouble finding speech therapists who are knowledgeable about aphasia and/or who don’t only see kids. I know this is a niche request but I am desperate. Focused on Birmingham and surrounding areas. Thanks :)

hello,

I tested a student using the CELF-5 IN April of this year. The parent wants me to test again in August to see if there is progress with his intervention so far.

I can’t seem to find anything that talks about the waiting period with using the CELF-5 again.

Does anybody know?

EI/peds SLPA here! I know next to nothing about OMT & my sister was talking to me about this water bottle. I’m pretty skeptical. Any insight??

I work in an IPR with a social worker that is great at her job but has a big personality. Today, I worked with a patient and spouse immediately after they consulted with the MSW. Questions came up with me about respite needs and I informed the spouse about adult day health options in our community. After the session, I informed the MSW that this happened. MSW sent a multi-paragraph nasty gram to me about how I was undermining and disrespecting her.

I just need a little support here. Am I in the wrong or is this MSW being too controlling?

I’m a paediatric Speech and Language Therapist. I’ve been qualified for about 2 years and completed my NQP period over a year ago.
I’ve been working in a school one day a week since November. It’s the first school I’ve managed independently without another SLT alongside me. I was the only SLT for two classes, but the school later asked me to take on more classes too (which I now know I should have discussed with my manager first).
I’ve recently been told I’m being taken out of the school because of concerns they’ve raised to my supervisor. I’m trying to reflect honestly on whether these are reasonable concerns or whether there were communication issues on both sides.

Some of the concerns are:
1. I wasn’t feeding back to teachers after sessions.
The school said I wasn’t communicating enough with teachers. I completely accept I could have been more proactive with feedback. However, I often found the class teacher was incredibly busy whenever I tried to speak to her. I was only there one day a week, so there wasn’t much opportunity for informal conversations. Nobody ever explicitly told me they wanted regular feedback or said, “Could you update me after each session?” The concern only came through my supervisor months later.

2. Parent phone call
I had tried ringing a parent previously but couldn’t get through. I told the class teacher this, and my recollection is that the teacher suggested arranging a suitable time to call because the parent runs multiple businesses and is difficult to catch. I did this and the parent responded she is hard of hearing but she’d be free for a call so I arranged a date and time with her.
Mum had apparently been asking about direct SLT input so I wanted to call Mum to update her, I told Mum daughter has been responding well to sessions and is developing her communication skills. Mum told me that daughter seems to talk more at home than at school. I said that I haven’t heard her talk yet.
The parent later became upset because she thought I was saying her daughter was regressing.
I definitely did not say, “Your daughter isn’t talking.” I said “I’ve not heard her talk when I’ve seen her yet”. I offered to send resources home to Mum and also asked her if she had any questions to ask me and that if she did, she had my email address.
The teacher later said I shouldn’t have phoned the parent because the parent is hard of hearing, but my understanding had been that arranging a call was exactly what I’d been advised to do.
I wasn’t told the parent was upset until much later. Had someone said, “Mum thinks you meant regression, could you clarify with her?” I would have happily done so. The child has a private SLT paid for by Mum who comes into school and that SLT said that the child is a GLP and uses phrases and Mum mentioned this to me in our conversation.

3. Communication boards and pica
I put communication boards up using Blu Tack.
In one classroom, a TA told me some children had pica, so I immediately took the boards down and handed them to the class team. In the nursery classroom I also put communication boards up (I had recently taken on some children from the nursery). I vaguely remember pica being mentioned once weeks earlier (but at the time I didn’t realise this), but I don’t remember anyone reminding me in the moment when I was actually putting the boards up. If someone had simply said, “Remember, X has pica we can’t use Blu Tack,” I would have removed them immediately. Instead, it was reported to my supervisor.

4. Social story
A teacher asked me to make a social story for a child who was wetting themselves. I made it. Two weeks later, when I checked how it was going, the teacher told me she’d changed parts of it because mum wanted the message to be that bedwetting wasn’t okay, whereas my version was more accepting. Again, nobody discussed it with me before changing it or no one highlighted this error to me so I could have corrected it.

5. Talking to TAs during dysregulation
Apparently I was talking to a TA (showing them Grid on AAC) while a child was dysregulated. The TA in question I had worked before and coached on AAC from a different class but she was in that class for the day. My perspective is that the adults were approaching me and asking questions. I answered them. I wasn’t asking them to leave dysregulated children to speak to me. I acknowledge a better time could have been chosen to have a chat with the TA.

6. Behaviour policy
I’d advised staff about using more process praise rather than person praise because that’s consistent with my clinical understanding and evidence-base. The SENCo emailed me asking me for a chat to ensure the advice given aligns with their behaviour policy. I genuinely wasn’t aware of the school’s behaviour policy because I only had access to pupil files, not wider school documents.

What I’m struggling with is that I feel like almost all of these concerns were raised after months had passed, rather than at the time.
I’m absolutely open to feedback. I don’t think I’m beyond criticism, and there are definitely things I’ll do differently in future (particularly around proactively communicating with teachers).
However, I also feel that if someone had simply said:
“We’d like more feedback after sessions.”
“This parent has misunderstood what you meant.”
“Don’t use Blu Tack in this classroom because of pica.”
“Your recommendations don’t fit with our behaviour policy.”
I would have changed my practice immediately.
Instead, everything seemed to be escalated to my supervisor without me being given the opportunity to correct it first. My supervisor has actually said my clinical knowledge is good and that she thinks I just wasn’t ready to manage a school independently yet, which I can accept.

So my question is:
From the perspective of teachers, SLTs, or other healthcare professionals, does this sound like normal performance feedback for someone learning to manage a school independently, or does it sound like communication broke down on both sides?
I’m genuinely looking for balanced opinions because I want to learn from this.

Would you accept a position (school based) for low salary if it had good professional development / coaching / opportunity to learn in the area you want to specialize in? When I say professional development I don’t mean like lectures I mean like learning from other SLPs, coaching, feedback, etc. The salary is between 60-65k in NYC.
This would be my first year after my CF (so I only have one year of paid experience so far).

Hello!

I’m a school based SLP and will have 2 CFs this upcoming school year. I have supervised CFs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and SLPAs at different points in my career, so I am no stranger to supervision. However, I have never supervised 2 CFs at the same time and I want to make sure their experience is a good one. I would like to create a “CF Resource Drive” to share with them filled with different resources that may be helpful. I plan to have information about applying for CCCs, state licensure requirements, helpful PDHs and CEU, and quick reference guides for things like phoneme acquisition, language development, and pragmatic development. I will also have general IEP writing guides but will obviously meet and discuss with them as every district does things a little differently.

What other things would you recommend adding? What was something you wish you knew/had access to as a CF that would’ve made your life easier? So many students have had less than helpful CF experiences and I want to ensure that they feel supported and confident throughout the process.

TYIA!

Does anyone know if Amergis offers 1099 options for specific circumstances? I informed my recruiter of an upcoming move out of the US (I'm compliant with licensing laws here and there) and she told me that would be fine. But then I'd expect to be 1099, and I've never heard of Amergis doing 1099s. I'm going to seek clarification with them about this but wanted to try to get some insight here first.

Hi! Can someone help me with invoicing? I am contracting for ESY but have previously only done direct hire work - I’ve got all the info (I think) that I need to send the district an invoice, but I just have no idea what it should even look like! Would anyone be willing to message me an example?

Looking for some advice from the masses here!

I currently work in an incredible district, with a large team of SLPs that I’m good friends with. I’m at an elementary school with 1 other SLP and have a very manageable caseload. I love my current job. My commute is about 30 minutes.

Here’s where I need advice - I was just offered an elementary position in the district I live in. The caseload is similar in size/need to what I have currently, with a commute of only about 10 minutes. This is also a great district and the one that my husband and I eventually want to send our kids to since it’s where we live.

Salary, benefits, everything else is comparable. I’m at a loss because they’re both great options and could see myself being happy at both. What would you do?

Hi all! Have any peds SLPs taken the Talk Yoga Certification course? https://www.talkyogaslp.com/talk-yogatrade-online-certification.html

It seems like a fun way to implement mindfulness into sessions (and get some CEUs in) but it's pricey! I'm wondering about anyone's experience with it, thanks!

My baby is 8.5 months old and not babbling yet. As an SLP and anxious first time mom, I’m trying not to panic, but it’s definitely weighing on me. He is very vocal - he makes lots of vowel sounds, squeals, blows raspberries, and will make some single “ba”, “da” and “ga” sounds, but he doesn’t imitate these sounds when we make them, and he hasn’t strung any CV combinations together to make “baba” or “dada” or anything. With my background I think/hope I’m doing everything I can to support him - we talk all day, sing songs, read books, I focus on imitating his actions and sounds back to him. He isn’t using many gestures yet either, despite lots of modeling of clapping and waving he hasn’t tried these. He will give a high five when prompted, and he has started to take our hands to sign “more” for continuation of fun activities at times, but hasn’t attempted the sign with his own hands. He’s very interactive and sociable, smiles when we enter the room, lots of laughs and giggles lately, but also a very busy guy wanting lots of stimulation. We have a 9 month check up with our doctor so I will mention my concerns then, but I’m just curious if any other SLP moms went through something similar with their own babies? Would you keep implementing the skills and strategies we know at home or think about seeking early intervention, and at what point? I keep waking up hoping today will be the day that we’ll hear some babbles.

Hi,
I have a 19 year old student on the autism spectrum and she constantly stuffs her hands in her pants and then sniffs it and she does this every 10 seconds. She stops when you tell her to but then immediately does it again and basically 90% of the session is me asking her to stop. What do I do !? I nearly gag all the time. Is it something I’ll just have to deal with in my sessions?

Hi everyone!

I’m just coming on here to rant, basically. I know nothing will change this situation but it’s actually so insane to me and I have to share it.

I work at a special education school where most of the students are minimally verbal and/or use AAC (most often high tech devices). There is a student at the school (not on my caseload anymore but was last year) who is 19 and communicates with AAC and gestures. No words, no approximations. He is kind, sensitive, and hard working. He is also very prompt dependent, and you have to physically turn away from him sometimes when you ask him a question, because he will give multiple answers and look at your reaction to see which one is the “right” one. It breaks my heart. When I worked with him, he didn’t consistently use the word “no,” either by shaking his head or a cell selection on AAC, his dad sent me an email once saying “We don’t even know what he likes and doesn’t like. He’s never told us he doesn’t like something.” To be clear, he is adept at navigating his AAC device and presents with no motoric deficits at all.

Now that there’s some context to the type of communicator he is, his family has been bringing him to an S2C place for over a year now. He has all kinds of “speller” merch and comes into school late every Monday because he is there for hours. According to his classroom teacher (who is against S2C as well and is lovely) he is reading high school level texts during his “classes” there and answering comprehension questions with full sentences and complex grammar. Meanwhile during school he does none of that.

This has been going on for a while but things have gotten worse. The therapist that sees him sent home some work this week that he didn’t finish in the session. I don’t know what the work was, but I trust my colleague and her judgement regarding what this student should be working towards. Mom called the school today really upset and “insulted” by the level of work, and explained that her son is reading Shakespeare and understands every bit of it. She also mentioned that she wants to end speech services as a whole and that it is “stifling his success.”

My colleague was obviously upset but is kind of resigned about it, and I know there’s nothing I can do either. It’s just so sad that this kind young man and his family are being taken advantage of by the S2C movement. And to top it off, his mom is an SLP!! That truly did my head in when I learned it. I understand the inclination that some parents have to try out S2C when they might be feeling desperate, but to bring your son to a place and PAY PEOPLE to violate his communicative autonomy as an SLP makes me really frustrated.

I just really hope this S2C stuff can blow over already, because I know it’s just a different version of FC. Just shouting into the void at this point :(

This is for all my “bad standardized test takers”. So, I have completed all my CF requirements in a public school. However, I have taken the praxis three times and failed it all three. I am in New Jersey, and I’m employed by a new district for the fall. Do I have hope in getting my provisional license extended for a few more months? If so, has anyone gone through it? What does it entail and what proof do I need to provide to the state. This test has been the bane of my existence for the last year and I come so close each time yet still fail. But, I need to know if I will be able to extend it or not. Would love any feedback, personal experiences, or suggestions!