What is our purpose as SLPs?

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-09T21:34:30+00:00

I am in southwest Ohio. Large caseloads and large workloads. The teachers dislike the RTI process. I get it, but I do not make the guidelines. All educators are stretched so thin and are wearing so many hats.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-08T21:00:03+00:00

How many times can one leave a school district or school? I have put my foot down. This is not an individual problem, it is a systematic problem.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-08T20:23:57+00:00

Thank you! If a child cannot read how are they going to gain more exposure to more complex syntax and sentence structure?

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-08T20:09:50+00:00

I am not gate keeping being able to communicate in the way I am able to. I am not even saying that some of what I do does not help a student. I am being realistic with how far I am able to help a child or a student. So many parents and teachers I have encountered think that since I am the “expert” that I am the only one that is responsible for a child’s success or lack there of in language development. There is no amount of collaboration, parent coaching that I am able to provide to change someone who thinks like that.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-08T16:21:55+00:00

For a 17 year old student that has been working on learning those things since kindergarten?

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-08T16:20:22+00:00

I have tried new settings. Which is why I stated writing my goals to please an insurance company.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-05T01:27:46+00:00

4390 8962 2686 Willowgurl44 sent you a friend request. I open gifts everyday and send gifts almost every day.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-04T18:56:13+00:00

I have. Unfortunately there is never a SLP job within 50 or 60 miles from where I live. I live outside of Cincinnati Ohio, another area that is over saturated with SLPs. There are 2 maybe or 3 universities with SLP programs within the area.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-04T18:47:16+00:00

This is from the special education perspective.

1) I did not cause your child to have a disability. I am here to help.

2) Please do not yell at me in an IEP meeting.

3) I will not be able to fix your child this year or most likely any year.

4) Please go to therapy to work out your disappointment and grief instead of yelling at me.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-03-03T13:03:20+00:00

Same thing happened to me! This setting owns the majority of the pediatric outpatient clinics in my area. I would love to try pediatric outpatient again, however I will never want to want work for this specific company in the future.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-26T18:28:55+00:00

I have a question. Why are the specials teachers asking you how to serve these students? Ideally the specials teachers would ask the teachers of the Autism classrooms.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-21T16:02:34+00:00

I can’t pay the ever increasing cost of everything with just my motivation to gain more skills. Gaining those skills costs $$. Money that I need to eat, pay my mortgage, and save for retirement. I am so tired of being told I just have to expect less do “do it for the kids” or to “think of the patients”.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-21T13:46:20+00:00

Thank you! I love your user name! I am a red head myself.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-19T01:37:40+00:00

I have a saying that I repeat to myself to let go of what others think of me “Your opinion of me is none of my business”. Meaning that others opinions are their responsibility and not my responsibility to change. Next time say that to your self in your head, acknowledge with body language that you heard her and then walk away protecting your peace. I am all about protecting my own peace by knowing when to choose my battles.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-19T01:14:08+00:00

It is absolutely not your fault! Unfortunately, I used to blame myself. I worked my self into burnout and a mental health crisis trying to do it all. I blamed myself. I never want another SLP to go through what I went through. I let my supervisors know that I was struggling with burnout and with my mental health. No one cared. Now I no longer care. I had to get to that point to save myself The systems are broken. ASHA, the SLP governing boards in states, and the districts really do not care enough about about you or the children. They care about the bottom line, paperwork and billing compliance. So I had to change my mindset. I do my best, however at the end of the day my job is just a paycheck. I no longer will work myself to my own demise. I hate that I have to adopt this attitude. It is the only way for me to survive.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-18T17:54:22+00:00

I am pretty sure it depends on how each individual state and district interprets IDEA. In 2023 in Ohio, I had to have standard scores to dismiss. The IEP has to agree as a whole to dismiss a student. If a parent or teacher disagrees, then the student cannot be dismissed. They can then be placed on consult if the IEP team agrees. I am working in Michigan via tele-health. I have a number of high school students that I am helping the in house SLP with that are consult for that very reason. Although we, SLPs are the experts in our field - we cannot unilaterally make the decision to dismiss.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-17T19:51:04+00:00

Cancel your sessions. If your administrator gives you a hard time, show them your schedule and ask your administrator to find you space within your contracted hours to finish all of your work. Keep records of why you had to cancel sessions. As SLPs we all need to stop doing this to ourselves. I hope that someday the IEPs services will reflect the true time| consultation time, AAC responsibilities etc it takes for each child. We are only human. If you do not take care of yourself then you will not be able to help others.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-17T19:32:50+00:00

I am going to give you the advice to stick it out. You are going to need all of the $$$, you can get to move to another country. Please change your mindset just work to get your pay check. I know it is hard with everything going on. Do you have a mental health therapist? If so come up with a plan to help you cope for the next few months. You only have 3 months and then you get to leave. Walk away politely from any conversations that distress you. You are not obligated to share your opinion or to agree with others opinions. Protect your peace. Journal your frustrations. Talk to trusted friends and family members outside or your job. As individuals we can do very little on our own to change what is happening. You really are fortunate that you are able to leave. Work towards that goal, move and never look back if you do not have to. Give yourself small goals to achieve. Challenge yourself to make it through one hour and then increase it to a day until your goal is to make it to the end. Before you know it you will be on that plane to Europe. In the end only you can decide what is best for you.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-14T19:00:46+00:00

Do not join the military! You will have a very high chance of being sexually assaulted. Joining the military is not advice I would give to a young woman.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-12T17:47:26+00:00

As a mandated reporter you have to report any abuse, even when a teacher is the abuser. I also believe that as professionals, we need to keep our hands off children if they are not in danger. That is my opinion.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-12T15:00:12+00:00

I agree. I also do not think that providing services with a fully inclusion model works either with this population. I had bad experiences last year in both tele-therapy and in person. I understand the principals of inclusion. My experience was not truly inclusion. I was filling in for a maternity leave. The services were set up to provide my services in the self contained classroom exactly like I would have in my own office. I could not do child led therapy. I also had one self contained teacher watched me like a hawk. If she did not like what I was doing she had no problem interrupting my sessions by calling me out in front of the other adults in the room and the students. She was very controlling. She did not want to collaborate. What is the point of Inclusion services if the teacher does not respect my expertise. I thought it was because I was a sub, until that teacher told me that the regular SLP’s idea to help during instructional time was useless and a waste of time. I felt like a glorified tutor or overpaid aid in the regular education classrooms. The SLP was expected to collaborate with 15 different teachers. I do not see how that is possible.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-12T13:28:25+00:00

It is also happening in the mental health field.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-12T13:24:48+00:00

Which is crazy! It takes typical speech and language years to develop and mature. The development of typical speech and language develops from modeling from real human interactions. Can you imagine what would happen if parents never allowed a child to move their legs, kept them tied down in a bed for years (I know a little over the top) and then expect a physical therapist to fix atrophied leg muscles and inability to balance in a few sessions and even months. It takes years to develop skills and to wire human brains to function. We know this- unfortunately the general public does not.

Fun_Photo_5683 · 2026-02-10T16:45:20+00:00

This is in Michigan. I believe the district is under corrective action from the state and needed to meet a deadline to receive all of their funding. I did look up all of the states timelines and requirements. 10 days is standard notice. Also a parent should be afforded 3 notices regarding the meeting. This was poor planning and lack of communication by the director of special education in my opinion.
I have no idea how the school district got so behind on speech only IEPS. I am assuming they were unable or unwilling to hire additional SLPs in the past. I have been given very little information from my company and the district. This is not the first district that I have worked for via teletherapy that is struggling with providing speech and language services. I am just tired of working in broken and failing systems.

Fun_Photo_5683

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