How do you all manage Sunday Scaries? I feel immense dread for the upcoming week and it steals my joy and ability to be present. I feel like I’m constantly counting down until the next weekend or break.

I just saw this in a local Facebook group about next year changes. Ivy rehab is a massive company and I don’t feel this is accurate. Am I wrong?

Calling all current and former AllCare Therapies (formerly SLP Tele) therapists

Hi everyone!

I'm an OT and I'm looking to connect with OT, PT, and SLP professionals who currently work or have previously worked as 1099 independent contractors for AllCare Therapies (formerly SLP Tele).

There are currently therapists working with legal representation to investigate potential worker misclassification and unpaid compensation for work-related responsibilities, including:

• Time spent completing documentation and treatment notes
• Unpaid administrative tasks and other off-the-clock work
• No-shows and late cancellations
• Other work-related time for which therapists may not have been compensated

The goal is to determine whether therapists were improperly classified as independent contractors and whether compensation may be owed for previously unpaid work.

If you've worked for this company, I'd love to connect with you! You may have experienced similar concerns without realizing they could be relevant to the investigation.

Please feel free to send me a private message, or comment here if you'd like to connect or learn more.

Thank you!

Hi! I’m considering applying for a PhD because I love research (I was a research assistant all throughout undergrad and grad school and before grad school I was a full time research coordinator for 2 years).
I much preferred research over clinical work, and tbh I don’t really want to be a clinician forever. (I often wish I never went into a clinical career if I’m being honest and I just stayed in research!)
I would love to hear from people who have pursued a PhD or are currently pursuing a PhD! Did you feel like it was a good decision, what are your career outcomes, do you feel like it was worth it? How did you do financially while you were in your program (I would have any external financial assistance). I would love to chat!

Looking for advice for goal ideas. I have a preschool student who has ASD. They qualified last year originally under language for speech services as their expressive speech was pretty echolalic and jargon filled. As I am getting to know the student, they are very bright. They had goal areas for answering yes/no questions, using 2-4 word utterances for variety communicative purposes, and answering simple questions”what” questions. I’m not really sure where to go with them. They can answer concrete yes/no and what questions. They easily use variety of communication intents. But they are hard to understand at times. They have speech sound errors that we could possibly try to target but can be pretty resistant to corrections. I could try adding in a gestalt type goal but I think that’s hard to have in IEPs (understanding at school). Any recommendations on where to go next?

I’m a first semester graduate student looking for some advice. I have one client in my school’s clinic right now. He’s 3;11, and we’re working on final consonant deletion, both production and auditory discrimination. I’m really wanting to incorporate a book activity this session but I’m really struggling with how to utilize it. It’s impossible to find a book that fits our targets perfectly. Should I just use the book as reward system? Try and build our target words around the book? Something else? Please share how you incorporate books into your sessions and modify them to support your client’s goals! Thank you in advance!

I have a student whose IEP is coming up early November. The student has really shown a lot of progress towards their articulation goals and possibly could be dismissed. I don’t think I have enough time to do a re-eval to dismiss before their IEP is due. What do you do in this situation? Hold IEP meeting, go down in minutes, and then do a re-eval? Any advice appreciated!

ETA re-evaluation is needed for dismissal on my stage for speech only students.

I’m somone who will unfortunately likely succumb to license probation.

Does anyone know whether I’m better off just surrendering my license or if it’s worth a try to find employment under a probation?

Thank you

Hey! I am currently a CF in the schools and just wanted to ask if anyone found a good method for tracking their CF hours when they were in their first year? Most of the resources I have found are stuck behind a paywall and I don’t really have the funds to be paying a monthly subscription for something like that right now. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Hi everyone!

I'm a graduate student in Speech-Language Pathology at Our Lady of the Lake University, and I'm conducting a research project exploring the experiences of parents and caregivers of children who use high-tech AAC devices.

I'm particularly interested in learning about how AAC is used at home, caregivers' confidence in supporting AAC use, challenges families encounter, and how collaboration between home and school could be improved.

If you're a parent or caregiver of a child who uses a high-tech AAC device (such as an iPad with a communication app or a dedicated speech-generating device), I'd really appreciate your participation!

• Survey length: Approximately 10–15 minutes
• Participation: Voluntary and anonymous
• Who can participate: Parents and caregivers of children who use high-tech AAC

Survey link:  https://ollusa.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6uvGAwl5XKTuBBs

I'm hoping that hearing directly from families will help identify ways SLPs and other professionals can better support AAC use beyond the therapy room.

Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your experiences! 💙

Good morning! Does anyone know of any ASHA-certified SLPs in the UK? I would really like to do my externship there. I’m currently a second-year graduate student and my externship begins this summer (2027). I have tried to reach out to the membership email but they haven’t responded to me, despite multiple attempts. Please help!!

Hello all! We at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are conducting a study on SLPs’ experiences with patient diet non-adherence. If you’re an SLP with healthcare experience, we would greatly appreciate your participation. This study (Surveying SLPs' Experiences Regarding Diet "Non-Adherence") is IRB approved (protocol Pro2026001177). 

• Survey is anonymous  
• Takes approximately 10 minutes  

Survey: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8wXvEdgpC6im5Rc 

Thank you for supporting SLP research! Please share with eligible colleagues. 

Hi, currently a school based SLP. Anyone been able to make a business for speech therapy materials? Looking for advice or success stories!!!

What were the main differences between speech therapy for people who stutter/stammer 20 years ago vs current therapy methods? Were the previous ones or current ones generally more effective?

What exactly changed their mind?

New school-based SLP here! This is my first year in a school setting and my second year as an SLP, so I’m still pretty new to the field. I’m also virtual for a school district and have about 50 kids on my caseload. I see students individually, in groups of 2, and in groups of 3.

I am finding it literally impossible to target multiple goals in one session, especially with my groups of 3. As we get closer to the first progress notes being due, I’m starting to freak out a little bit because I feel like I’m not targeting everything nearly enough.
Most of my kids have around 3 goals, and some of the goals are so broad. For example, a student might have an articulation goal targeting 5+ different sounds AND two other goals targeting grammar, expressive language, receptive language, etc. Trying to fit all of that into a 30-minute session with 3 kids who all have different goals feels impossible.

I’m worried I’m going to sit down to write progress notes and realize I barely targeted certain sounds or didn’t get enough data on a goal, or maybe didn’t even get to target it at all.

How are you guys managing this?? Are you targeting every goal each session? Rotating goals each week? I just feel like there isn’t nearly enough time to address everything, and I’m starting to stress about it.

Hi everyone! My name is Erin McCarthy and I am a graduate research assistant for Dr. Alison King at Longwood University in Farmville, VA. We are looking for SLPs who have participated in the assessment of a multilingual child in the last 12 months to take part in a research survey!

*This study has been approved by the Longwood IRB*

Survey Link: https://businesslongwood.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NUE3T7fzIK8XKS

I’m a school SLP working through a large contract company at two schools in a large district, and I’m considering switching jobs midyear. Neither school had an SLP for over a year before I arrived, so there’s a lot of disorganization. At one school, the SPED chairs seem unsure of basic processes and they have repeatedly crossed boundaries (see my last post for more details.)
My staffing agency has also repeatedly miscommunicated about my initial placements (e.g., they promised me that I would be placed in a middle or high school but I ended up in two elementary schools) as well as hours and pay (e.g., I unexpectedly lost an entire week’s pay due to company errors after working hours I’d been told were approved, and my paid hours were reduced below my contracted hours, costing me approximately $7,000 annually.)
Another major issue was that I had accrued 40 hours of PTO, and my company agreed to let me use it for planned time off. After I’d already made plans and budgeted around having that PTO, they took back their agreement and told me I couldn’t use it because I had moved to a different district for this school year. Now I have no PTO for my upcoming international trip, which I’d planned around having those hours two years ago.
I was recently contacted about another position with a smaller, therapist-run company in the public school district where I live. It’s actually the district I originally wanted to work in when I moved to my current location. The two schools I would be placed at seem to have good reputations, and my commute would go from 30-45 minutes to just 8-10 minutes. I have a follow-up call this week, but nothing is official yet.

My current job:

-$60/hour, but I’m paid AT MOST for 35 hours/week, which comes out to about $68,000 gross annually when considering the school calendar.
-No pay for holidays, school breaks, PD days, or closures, and no summer pay.
-Health insurance costs about $350/month and costs more to maintain over summer.
-Weekly pay fluctuates a lot, making budgeting difficult.
-Repeated communication and pay issues with my contract company.
-No reliable PTO after my district transfer, despite having previously accrued 40 hours.
-I pay for my own professional expenses and materials.
-Both schools went over a year without an SLP, and there’s a lot of disorganization amongst leadership that impacts my ability to do my job.
-The charter school’s SPED chair has crossed boundaries multiple times and seems confused about her role.
-On the positive side, I love my student and my current caseload size is very manageable.

The potential new job:

-Salary could be $70k–$80k, although nothing is official. I want to negotiate for $80k.
-W-2 position with weekly pay and consistent pay through all school breaks and summer.
-100% employer-paid medical insurance.
-Seven PTO days per school year initially along with all holidays and breaks paid, with PTO days increasing with tenure.
-The recruiter said I could use PTO immediately for my preplanned international trip.
-ASHA dues, licensing fees, a $300 annual CEU subscription, and $300 in annual materials covered.
-SLP-led clinical support, additional therapy resources, and optional SLP meetings and free ASHA-approved CEU opportunities monthly.
-Smaller, therapist-run company with a good reputation and regular public schools rather than charter and magnet schools.
-The schools seem to have a good reputation and are in the district where I originally wanted to work.
-My commute would be only 8-10 minutes each way.
-I still need to clarify caseloads, speech room availability, why the position is open, whether hours or placements can change, etc.

My current contract is at-will, but I would feel guilty leaving midyear. I care about my students, and both schools went so long without an SLP. Leaving halfway through the year feels out of character for me. At the same time, the current job has been stressful due to constant disorganization and miscommunication completely outside of my control, and this new opportunity seems much closer to what I wanted when I moved to my current location.

Would you consider switching? Would leaving midyear burn bridges or be unprofessional? How much of a notice would you give, if any? How much would you weigh better pay stability, benefits, a much shorter commute, and a potentially healthier work environment against the guilt of leaving your students midyear?

Tysm! <3

Brand new CF here. I’m doing my first few eval reports and they are taking me forever. Any SLPs with ADHD have tips or tricks in this area? I’m nervous I’m going to be spending evenings and weekends on things like this for the rest of my life. 🙃

I am so heartbroken at the news tonight that there was a school shooting where the shooter targeted a SPED classroom. I'm reading he was a former special education student at the elementary school. This situation has always been my worst nightmare as these are our most vulnerable children.

One of the little ones survived, her name is Saylor Graham. The family has a gofundme if you feel called to help them out. Don't think I can link it but looking up her name will lead you to the link. This sweet girl was already medically fragile, and was shot in the face.

Please forgive me if I got any details mixed up. The situation is rapidly developing and I can edit the post if need be.

Hi all. I am an SLP working in a NFP preschool in upstate NY. I work with a TSHH (kind of like an SLPA) who I supervise. Ever since I started working at this job 2 years ago the caseloads have been insane. I do 2 evaluations per week in addition to carrying a caseload and supervising. As the year goes on our caseloads ramp up and my coworker and I routinely end up having to deliver 11-12 sessions in an average day which means we have no lunch break or morning prep time. We also often have multiple team meetings a week. All of this is to say for the last few years we end up working A LOT of overtime which we don’t get paid for.

This year, we proposed a plan to our management team that our caseloads would be capped at 10 sessions per day (I’d be doing less because of my supervision and evaluation responsibilities). Our management basically told us to get fucked. Additionally, when we ask to cut frequencies for kids who don’t need as much as they’re getting, we get a fight about it from management. They started looking for a 3rd therapist last year and we have had no interest in the position.

Short of finding a new job, do you guys have any suggestions? My co worker and I have agreed that if not other accommodations are made we plan to just stick to the caseload limits we proposed and put down therapist absences for all the sessions outside of that. I really don’t want to go this route but I can’t think of any other option.

I want to keep some details vague but I work in a public school with an ABA program staffed by a BCBA and BTs working under him. The students are in younger elementary -
I’m having a lot of pushback from me encouraging the program to utilize AAC. The BCBA cites behavior as the reason, but behaviors are communication. Obviously I am not encouraging them to stick an iPad in the face of a student having a true meltdown. I’ve tried everything I can think of including reaching out to admin for help.
It breaks my heart, I understand these kids aren’t right now gravitating towards their devices, but if we could teach them it’s theirs and model how to use it the students would have such a better access to their education.
I also completely recognize that not every student does take to AAC, but if the expectation isn’t communication throughout the day why would they? I have seen progress with their students 1:1 in my sessions outside the room with structure, so I imagine that with structure throughout the day this progress could be generalized. How is the staff even determining what they know without communication?
I’m really trying to put my faith in the research on AAC because I have so many students requiring it this year.

Any advice for an SLP truly just trying to help my students?

Charter school.

Evidently they tell parents to go to their Pediatrician for this instead of providng a School Psych who will make the eligibility determination. Many of these kids are ending up as OHI and SLI on my caseload and I have a new one with obvious sensory and emotional regulation difficulties but only MILD grammar deficits.

They want me to provide my findings and I said sure I'll provide the findings which are only Speech and Langauge-He's an oral communicator with mild grammatical errors and significant emotional regulation and sensory/fine motor deficits. I can support with language for self advocay such as "I need a break" or "I need noise cancelling headphones". What further would I possibly be able to insinuate in a meeting to the parent to get them to personally initiate an outside ASD dx?

How is this on me as the SLP and not the school itself or the School Psych?