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June 2017
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.auSpeak Out
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Respondents reported:
• The hours spent in schools ranged from once a term to three
days weekly.
• The number of schools serviced weekly ranged from 1 to
more than 10 schools.
• The hourly rate charged ranged from $65 to $200.
• The percentage of time spent in schools conducting
assessments, report writing, screening, therapy, consultation,
collaboration and professional development varied
considerably and no obvious themes emerged.
When asked what would have been useful when commencing
work in schools, the main themes reported were professional
development, a speech pathology in schools special interest
group, mentoring and supervision.
Professional development topics
included:
• curriculum guidelines, types of educational programs and
terminology;
• SPA guidelines regarding best practice interventions for
educational speech pathology which includes in-class
support, team teaching, response to intervention and
collaborative practice, literacy and links to oral language;
• workload/caseload management, appropriate fees, individual
education plans, service agreements, negotiating with school
leadership teams;
• knowledge of developmental norms for primary and
secondary students;
• best ways to communicate with parents including home
programs;
• appropriate workshops for teachers.
We asked, you responded, your views!
AS PART OF THE SPEECH PATHOLOGY IN SCHOOLS PROJECT SPA CONDUCTED A NATIONAL SURVEY OF
SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS WORKING IN EDUCATION. THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THE SURVEY
ACROSS AUSTRALIA WITH 715 RESPONDENTS; 70 PER CENT WERE SPA MEMBERS AND 30 PER CENT WERE
NON-MEMBERS!
Speech Pathology
in Schools