Communication-based services for persons with severe disabilities in schools: a survey of speech-language pathologists.
Speech-language pathologists in school settings were surveyed with an instrument created from the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities' quality indicators self-assessment tool. Participants valued practice indicators of quality communication assessment and intervention to a higher degree than their actual practice. These findings appear to suggest that SLPs may not provide best practice services to individuals with severe disabilities. Suggestions for enhancing inservice training and intervention practices of SLPs and team members who work with individuals with severe disabilities are provided.


OBJECTIVE
The reader will be able to; (1) understand the value of using the NJC quality indicators to guide SLP practices with individuals with severe disabilities in schools; (2) recognize that research indicates that SLPs working with individuals with severe disabilities in schools may not provide best practice services to the extent that they value these practices; (3) discuss possible strategies to increase the quality of services provided to individuals with severe disabilities in schools.
Siegel
Ellin B
EB
Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, P.O. Box 830738, Lincoln, NE 68583-0738, United States. esiegel1@unl.edu <esiegel1@unl.edu>
Maddox
Laura L
LL
Ogletree
Billy T
BT
Westling
David L
DL
D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012574:Schools; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult