Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools

About This Document

This position statement is an official policy statement of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is a companion document to the professional issues statement on the Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools. It was developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Roles and Responsibilities of the School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist. Members of the Ad Hoc Committee were Barbara Ehren (chair), Frances Block, Catherine Crowley, Ellen Estomin, Sue Ann Goldman, and Susan Karr (ex officio). Vice President for Professional Practices in Speech-Language Pathology Brian Shulman (2006–2008) and Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Practice Julie Noel (2009–2011) served as the ASHA monitoring vice presidents, with contributions from ASHA staff member Deborah Adamczyk. This document was approved by the ASHA Board of Directors (BOD 13-2010) in May 2010. This position statement with its companion professional issues statement replaces the 2000 ASHA document Guidelines for the Roles and Responsibilities of the School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist.

Driven by educational reform, legal mandates, and evolving professional practices, it is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that based on their unique skill set, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools (1) have integral roles in education and are essential members of school faculties, (2) help students meet the performance standards of a particular school district and state by assuming a range of responsibilities, (3) work in partnership with others to meet students' needs, and (4) provide direction in defining their roles and responsibilities and in ensuring appropriate services to students, as described more fully in the 2010 professional issues statement, Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools. Further, it is anticipated that this position may require a realignment of existing roles and responsibilities in the context of a reasonable workload with appropriate professional preparation and lifelong learning.