Revamp of school speech services sees results

In Chandler schools, a change in the way speech services are delivered has cut the reliance on outside speech pathologists and helped students move out of the program sooner.

Diane Bruening, director of special education for the Chandler Unified School District, said the idea to remodel speech services arose for two reasons: a need to address young children in a more comprehensive way and a shortage in the state - and the nation - of speech language pathologists.

"In a shortage environment when there are very few providers we have to maybe be more efficient and effective with the use of our skilled professionals," Bruening said.

The change meant creating a team of intervention teachers, speech language pathology assistants and speech pathologists to deliver services - including assessment - in kindergarten through 12th grade. Last year, the changes were in place at 15 schools. This year, all schools have the new model.

It's been so successful the district has decreased its use of outside speech pathologists, from 14 in the 2005-06 school year to six this year, saving the district thousands of dollars.

Before, some students would receive services a couple of times a week or even once a week. Now, with extra training, teachers and teachers' assistants - called intervention teachers and para-educators - include speech intervention in the classroom every day.

"In preschool, they're there every minute the kids are there," Bruening said.

Christine Pfleiger, a speech therapist at Hancock Elementary School, said the biggest change is in the delivery of the services.

"They are moving from pure speech therapy to academic-based speech therapy in which they are receiving the services that support their academic needs," Pfleiger said.

Principal Connie Hull agreed.

"I see that what's ended up is our students are getting a more streamlined program and in many cases getting more minutes with a specialist now than they did in the past," she said.

Principals at the schools were asked to identify potential staff members to receive the additional training in language development, Bruening said. Some of those staff already worked as teachers' assistants in special education and preschools.

By making more staff members familiar with the needs of students in speech, the delivery crosses more subject areas.

Pfleiger said there are 90 students under her care at Hancock, with about 50 of them in the school's preschool program. Overall, the district identified 1,584 students last year as eligible for services.

"Most of our preschool therapy in the district, especially at Hancock, is all inclusion therapy," Pfleiger said. "Therapists go into the classrooms and we work with the children and a lot of activities are already taking place."

Young students who have a speech developmental delay will still be seen by a speech pathologist, but the work - such as on a student's vocabulary - is then reinforced by the other staff members in the classroom.

The reinforcement model continues for older students as well. If a reading lesson includes a story about an avalanche, for example, that vocabulary lesson would continue during a student's time with a resource teacher.

"The new model is really a model," Bruening said. "We're growing it to see how it goes."