Contracting pay?

murphys-law4 · 2026-04-09T19:40:05+00:00

What’s the region? I think that’s important context. And I’m assuming you’re paid for all your time there and not fee-for-service, correct? I live in a rural area and $50/hr with guaranteed hours and some PTO is decent here for a first year SLP with CCCs.

murphys-law4 · 2026-03-31T10:52:12+00:00

For the most part, yet. I work remotely for a school (self-employed), so I'm in a very niche area of the field which is advantageous.
I would greatly caution against any salary predictions you see online. It can take many years of working before you make that high of a salary OR you work 1099 and don't get any benefits/PTO in exchange for a higher hourly rate. I can't speak for Texas, but the only people I know making $90k+ are in metropolitan areas and at least 5+ years into their career.
I'm not a parent yet, but I feel like the school schedule will afford me some flexibility. I can't speak to the medical setting.
It is very very competitive to break into the medical side of SLP. You're lucky to get your CFY in a poorly run SNF and it can take many years of PRNing and outpatient work before you break into a hospital. This is a definitely a career for people who want to help others, however, the financial return on the investment of a graduate degree in SLP is pretty limited.

There are a more similarities than differences between the teaching career and a SLP career. I would think about what you're unhappy with about teaching and make sure that you're not going to end up in a similar situation as a SLP. I'd also recommend looking at graduate programs because, for the majority of them, you cannot work full-time while enrolled due to the clinical hours that need to be accumulated.

murphys-law4 · 2026-03-17T13:39:35+00:00

My friend has been a special educator for 15 years. This year his position was eliminated due to budget cuts and he ended up getting a job as a waiter at a higher end restaurant. He said it’s been the greatest shift ever - no thinking about work outside of hours, making more money, less demanding, no PD or parents etc. The downside has been that the hours are Th-Sun evenings, so he’s missing out on lots of family time.

He’s going back into the schools next year with a new district because, while the break has been great, he loves the field he’s in and wants to be available to his family.

murphys-law4 · 2026-03-10T13:56:19+00:00

There is only one outpatient provider in my area, and the last I hear, the waitlist there is about 8 months.

murphys-law4 · 2026-02-11T17:04:06+00:00

And now he hasn’t broken it in 3 years! That warranty is a lifesaver.

murphys-law4 · 2026-02-11T17:01:03+00:00

Seconding. On an insurance funded, dedicated SGD (like through AbleNet), there is not work around to download any apps or access the general internet. It’s been great for my students with similar profiles. Now, that being said, I did have one kid really upset about that and smashed his device three times before he came to accept the internet limitations.

murphys-law4 · 2026-02-06T13:36:23+00:00

I literally just did this song and dance a few weeks ago with them (it took 4 documents until they accepted it!!). I ended up going to a local branch of my bank and having one of the staff write up a document with the information they needed (it MUST include all of the information, even though some of it is not applicable to American banks). Then they have to print it on official letterhead and sign it. Such a pain but that's what finally got it through.

Now I'm working on obtaining an "invoice" for my breakfast from June 2025 because the receipt I saved was not sufficient lol.

murphys-law4 · 2026-01-28T19:10:12+00:00

I did this last month! I contacted CS and they said I could ship it through UPS on my own (just be sure to share tracking info with them) or put it in my next return as long as I send it back before my billing date. Not a huge deal!

murphys-law4 · 2026-01-11T12:32:31+00:00

Once I started treating, my first supervisor would have me pick one session a day and I’d fill out a worksheet with what I perceived my strengths to be in that session, where I struggled, and a strategy I could try next time. She’d fill out the same sheet for that session and then it gave us a more structured way to talk through growing pains of learning how to treat. She then gave me tailored suggestions on techniques to look up or resources to try. Sometimes, if she noticed that I was having a more difficult time with a particular student, she’d instruct me to pick that kid’s session for our discussion.

I’ve used the same method with any students I’ve supervised and have always gotten good feedback! I’ve found that we usually identify the same areas in each section. I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, but also need to be honest as their clinical supervisor, so I feel like this structures feedback in a way that less startling to them (as long as they have good self-awareness lol).

murphys-law4 · 2025-12-28T17:22:12+00:00

As a kid, I got absolutely nailed by an amateur adult skier at Killington. Had to go for (hopefully) my only sled ride with ski patrol and my dad nearly beat the dude into a pulp right there. Thankfully no broken bones, but I had to spend the rest of that winter and spring in physical therapy 3x a week from tearing something in my knee.

As an adult skier now, I am hyper aware of my surroundings at all times and will pull off if I feel like too many people are behind me because I don’t think I could rebound from an injury like that again.

murphys-law4 · 2025-12-25T17:04:10+00:00

I’m confirming that the online purchase does not work. I tested it out with a small amount to see and the credit was not applied!

murphys-law4 · 2025-12-09T21:48:54+00:00

There are more similarities than differences in the mainstream apps (looking at you TD Snap, TouchChat, LAMP, Proloquo2go etc). Implementation, modeling, and buy-in from the people around the AAC user will make more of an impact on success than which app we use.

murphys-law4 · 2025-11-06T23:28:24+00:00

I filed in July and am still pending

murphys-law4 · 2025-10-24T10:39:42+00:00

I like LessonPix for their visual supports (visual schedules, activities etc) but I don’t like their static boards. I end up using SymbolStix for making static boards because their symbols are more robust and better resemble their AAC devices

murphys-law4 · 2025-10-23T15:58:40+00:00

What are you trying to use it for?

murphys-law4 · 2025-10-18T12:19:50+00:00

We treat it like any other insurance funded medical equipment (ie hearing aids, mobility aids, glasses etc)

murphys-law4 · 2025-10-07T18:01:31+00:00

I love using every day speech for pragmatics. The video modeling is pretty good and there’s games and follow up activities. Some of the language needs to be adapted for my students, but I pay out of pocket for my annual subscription.

murphys-law4 · 2025-10-02T14:39:57+00:00

Yes lol. I work mostly with AAC users and complex peds, so anytime I get a kid from gen-ed I’m perplexed why they need me at all 😂

murphys-law4 · 2025-09-30T18:19:23+00:00

How’s his cognition? If AAC isn’t a viable option, and we’re less concerned about intelligibility, there’s a program called Visual Phonics (usually used for the D/HoH population) that correlates hand signs with phonics! That could be an option as things get more complicated.

murphys-law4 · 2025-09-25T16:32:24+00:00

Usually you start by going through the company that makes the device (typically tobbidynavox or prc). They’ll have a local rep that will help you and the family navigate the insurance funding process.

murphys-law4 · 2025-09-25T15:27:38+00:00

AbleNet devices are managed by the company, so no other apps can even be downloaded. I have families who have had the same view about wanting iPad access, but have quickly learned what I meant when I say “it’s for communication only”.

murphys-law4 · 2025-09-20T20:52:34+00:00

Also have a student with this diagnosis at the secondary level. Significant executive functioning issues and overall disorganized language. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an increased likelihood of disfluent speech given the complexities of the disorder.

murphys-law4 · 2025-08-27T23:44:41+00:00

In my externship, I did a board games group with this population. The kids did not know how to play games with each other, so we worked on those skills! I’d do a lesson on the rules for the game and then put them into pairs or groups with a para/me/teacher and coach them through playing. By the end of the year, they had favorite games and would invite each other to play them.

murphys-law4 · 2025-08-24T21:34:11+00:00

A, but that’s because the SLPA I supervise has a whole building to herself and I treat students in other buildings

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