General
Learn the essentials, plan useful therapy, write a measurable goal, and document the work.
- Learn
- Therapy Ideas
- Write Goals
- Document
- Use Resources
General Information
Begin with the person’s priorities, languages, participation contexts, and established goals. Speech-language assessment combines direct observation, relevant measures, and the perspectives of the person and their communication partners. The SLP interprets findings within the cultural and linguistic context rather than treating a difference as a disorder.
What to consider in assessment
Review referral concerns, developmental and educational history, hearing and access needs, the languages used across settings, and the person’s priorities. Combine interviews, observation, language samples, and appropriate measures. A single score does not describe participation or distinguish a linguistic difference from a disorder.
What the SLP can address
The SLP identifies communication strengths and barriers, collaborates with the person and their team, selects meaningful targets, and monitors whether supports improve participation. Document what the person can do, where they do it, and what changes when support is available.
Therapy Tips
Start with a routine the person values: sharing news, joining a classroom discussion, ordering a snack, or asking for clarification. Agree on one observable communication opportunity, model or support it, and compare independence across sessions.
- Choose a task that resembles a communication opportunity the person actually encounters.
- Record the support provided as well as the response; the same percentage can reflect very different levels of independence.
- Invite the person and their family or team to identify meaningful outcomes.
Choose strategies using assessment findings, the person’s preferences, and the treatment context.
Goal Writing
Specify the functional context, observable response, criterion, support level, and how progress will be checked.
In a chosen daily routine, the student will communicate a relevant message using an available modality in 4 of 5 documented opportunities with the agreed level of partner support across three sessions.
SOAP Note Tips
A useful SOAP note separates reported information, observed performance, interpretation, and next steps. Specify the task and the support supplied before interpreting a percentage. Do not turn an unobserved skill or an unchecked box into a finding.
- S: Record the person’s or caregiver’s report and the setting.
- O: Give target, context, correct/total opportunities, cue level, and communication mode.
- A and P: Explain what today’s data means and specify the next target or support; avoid claiming progress without a comparison.
During a picture discussion, the student communicated a relevant idea in 4/6 opportunities using speech and picture supports; two responses followed a verbal model.
Site Resources
Continue with resources currently available on Culturally Speaking SLPs.