If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development and have scheduled an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist (SLP), here is a list of questions to have the answers to before moving forward.
1) Is the SLP certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)?
Speech therapists who are ASHA certified have met rigorous academic and professional standards. A therapist who has their “CCCs” (Certificate of Clinical Competence) has:
- Completed specific coursework during their undergraduate career
- Obtained a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Completed supervised clinical experience during their master’s program
- Demonstrated various knowledge and skill outcomes
- Passed a national certification exam
- Completed a nine-month Clinical Fellowship
- Met continuing education requirements
To check if a speech-language pathologist is certified, go to: https://apps.asha.org/eweb/ashadynamicpage.aspx?webcode=ccchome. You can verify by ASHA number or name and location.
2) Does the SLP have any qualifications that would be required/beneficial for working with your child?
Depending on the state, there may be different requirements needed depending on the population and setting. For example, in New York, the Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) is required for SLPs who work with school-aged children in a school setting or a facility funded by the Department of Education. In addition, the Bilingual Extension is required if the child has been mandated bilingual services by the Department of Education. Regardless of your state’s regulations, it is best to seek out an SLP who speaks your child’s language and who has been trained in bilingual considerations. A speech therapist qualified in these facets will have the skills needed to support your child to improve to their potential.
3) Does the SLP have the experience to support your child’s individual needs?
While SLPs are well-trained across our scope of practice, some SLPs may have more experience or specialization in specific areas. For example, If your child has autism, you will want to make sure the SLP you choose has experience working with children with autism.
4) How does the SLP conduct evaluations?
Make sure that the SLP does not limit their evaluations to standardized tests! Standardized tests can be helpful when used supplementally to probe and when the results are written descriptively (without scoring). Standardized tests should not be the basis of the evaluation nor the qualifier of a disorder. The best diagnostic of language skills is the clinical judgment of language or narrative samples. If you are an SLP, please check out my article “Considerations for Evaluating Bilingual Children,” where I discuss the limitations of standardized tests.
I hope you find these questions helpful in choosing a speech therapist for your child!
