Collaboration Between

Speech Pathologists
and Teachers
H I L A RY J O N U S
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
SERP 597E

Introduction and Rationale

Co-teaching and collaboration between teachers requires a lot of
effort, training, and perseverance, but is essential for the
successful outcomes of students and for the improvement of
teacher instruction. More specifically, collaboration between
Speech-Language-Pathologists (SLPs) and general and special
education teachers is very important since the SLPs play a major
role in the success of students in special education. SLPs and
teachers continue to strive towards the most effective
collaborative instruction, whether it be inside or outside the
classroom, that will lead to the most beneficial outcome for the
students, SLPs, and teachers.

Purpose
The purpose of this project is to emphasize the importance of
collaboration for the success of students and educators, and to
explore strategies for improving collaboration, especially
between teachers and Speech Language Pathologists.

Literature Review
In the article Effects of Coteaching Instruction Between a Speech Pathologist
and First Grade Teachers, Busch (2014) explores the effects of co-teaching
instruction between Speech Language Pathologists and 1 st grade teachers on
students early literacy skills. The article reflects on the comparison of two
groups: those who received co-teaching instruction and those who did not.
This article is valuable for the collaboration project because it provides
perspectives on which instructional models should or should not be used
during collaboration.
Vicker (2009) discusses the many roles that Speech Language Pathologists
play in schools in her article The 21st Century Speech Language Pathologist
and Integrated Services in Classrooms. This article is important for the
collaboration project because it focuses on the understanding of the SLPs
roles and how they collaborate with teachers inside the classroom.

Literature Review
In the article Exploring Collaboration between Speech-Language Pathologists
and Special Educators in Secondary Education Settings, Neltner (2014)
researches how Speech Language Pathologists and special education
teachers collaborate in an effort to improve student outcomes. This article is
informative for this project because it reflects on the perspectives of high
school SLPs and special education teachers and their opinion on the effects of
collaboration.
McEwen (2007) discusses the efficacy of collaboration between Speech
Language Pathologists and teachers for classroom intervention in the article
Critical Review: Efficacy for SLP Teacher Collaboration for Classroom Based
Intervention. This article is advantageous for the collaboration project
because its explores the benefits and barriers of a collaborative intervention
method between SLPs and classroom teachers.

Methodology
My proposed method for this project was observation and
teacher interviews.
I interviewed 2 Speech Language Pathologists, 2 general
education teachers, and 1 parent counselor.
They all have had experience with collaboration. I developed a
series of interview questions to reflect on their methods,
opinions, and ideas regarding their experience with co-teaching
and collaboration.

Results
Interview Questions:
Who do you collaborate with?
Parents, general and special education teachers, TAs, occupational therapists, physical therapists,
psychologists, speech therapists, student teachers.

What type of collaboration?

Co-teach, co-plan lessons, verbal or written communication where ideas are exchanged or behaviors are
discussed relative to student IEP goals and overall classroom performance, write goals, implement lesson
plans, attend IEP meetings, etc.

Opinion on the effectiveness of collaboration?

Every participant responded with a similar response saying collaboration is great and necessary and makes
them a better professional because of it.

Any suggestions for improving the collaboration process?

More time, more encouragement to collaborate, more people participating for students needs, better
communication, keep an open mind to listen for suggestions and ideas, more training, and more involvement
of students in collaboration.

Conclusion
Co-teaching instruction through collaborative teaching between general
education teachers and SLPs is beneficial for students with and without
disabilities.
Despite barriers experienced between SLPs and special education teachers,
they welcome opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues to improve
student outcomes.
Students who receive speech therapy as part of a collaborative classroom
based intervention make significant improvements.
SLPs can play multiple roles in the intervention and collaboration programs
which impact individual students, entire classes, and other instructional staff.
Effective collaboration is the ability to work together and conduct a positive
and supportive learning environment for all students.

Limitations
Most of my observations of the collaboration process were from
the perspective of Speech Language Pathologists, since I only
work as a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant. Observing
additional professionals would have been beneficial to help me
understand collaboration in different settings.
Only five participants were interviewed, none of them being a
special education teacher. Having more participants, especially
more special education teachers, would have provided me with
a better understanding of different perspectives of collaboration.

References
Busch, C. (2014). Effects of coteaching instruction between a speech pathologist and first grade teachers.
Walden
Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, 1-69.
How SLP-Teacher Collaborations Reap Rewards for All. (2014). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://www.specialeducationguide.com/blog/getting-more-bang-for-your-buck-slp-teachercollaborationreaps-rewards-for-all/
Making the Most Out of Teacher Collaboration. (2011). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-collaboration-strategies-ben-johnson
McEwen, S.D. (2007). Critical review: efficacy for SLP-teacher collaboration for classroom based
intervention. School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 1-5.
Neltner, R. (2014). Exploring collaboration between speech-language pathologists and special educators
in secondary education settings. Honors Projects, 125, 1-21.
The Teacher and the Speech-Language Pathologist: Tips for Effective Collaboration - Minds in Bloom.
(2015). Retrieved
May 04, 2016, from http://minds-in-bloom.com/2015/03/the-teacher-and-speechlanguage.html
Vicker, B. (2009). The 21st century speech language pathologist and integrated services in classrooms.
The Reporter 14(2), 1-5, 17.