Christina Hancock, Speech Language Pathology (SLP) Coordinator, presented the SLP Department spotlight to the Board. The SLP Department is made up of four employees for a total of 47 years of experience, with 45 of those years being at ESU 7. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the SLP department served East Butler, Schuyler Public, Howells-Dodge, Humphrey, St. Edward, and High Plains school districts. There were 347 students served, 372 Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings attended, 134 evaluations completed, and 55 student dismissals in the 2023-2024 academic year. For the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, the SLP department will serve Columbus Public, Howells-Dodge, Humphrey, St. Edward, High Plains, Osceola, and the ESU 7 programs. There are six treatment areas the SLP team works with: speech sound disorders, language, stuttering, voice, social communication, and feeding/swallowing.
Questions from the board:
- If a student moves but is still in the ESU 7 area, does the SLP follow the student or does the new school have to make contact? If the school district uses ESU 7 for SLP services, the personnel assigned there will follow the recommendations of the IEP.
- What is the average caseload? 43 students
- Is music therapy incorporated into the treatment plans? Some therapists may use music therapy because there is research showing music therapy can be beneficial for treatment of stuttering. It depends on the therapist and the needs of the student.
