Financial Disclosure: Scott Prath, M.A., CCC-SLP is a salaried employee of Bilinguistics. Bilinguistics receives royalty payments for online courses. Non-Financial Disclosure: Scott Prath does not have any non-financial relationships to disclose.

The referral process for speech and language concerns is often the source of frustration for all professionals involved. A paradoxical situation exists on many campuses where participation in the speech referral process leads to a dramatic increase in workload for an SLP while avoidance of the referral process leads to a dramatic increase in testing. Conversely, the referral process can be used to improve relationships with other professionals, improve the types of referrals that the SLP receives, and produce data that serves as a substantial portion of the evaluation.

This presentation demonstrates how the referral process can be engineered to yield significant benefits. A case study across two campuses profiles how successful outcomes can be achieved. Workload was reduced while simultaneously improving the outcomes for students. Teachers felt more comfortable making appropriate referrals, SLPs spent less time on evaluations in which students did not qualify and more time on appropriate referrals.

The referral process for speech and language concerns is often a source of frustration for all professionals involved. A paradoxical situation exists on many campuses where participation in the speech referral process may lead to a dramatic increase in workload for an SLP while avoidance of the referral process often leads to a dramatic increase in testing. Conversely, the referral process has the potential to be used to improve relationships with other professionals, improve the quality of referrals that an SLP receives, and produce data that serves as a substantial portion of the evaluation.

Participants will:

Understand the research supporting the RTI process and how it benefits students, SLPs, teachers, and administrators.
Identify the components of an efficient and accurate referral packet.
Discuss case studies demonstrating how to collect informal data.
Implement an effective speech and language referral process on their campus.

Time-Ordered Agenda:

09 minutes: Introduction
17 minutes: Response to Intervention research
15 minutes: Presentation on data study
15 minutes: Response to Intervention Tier 1
05 minutes: Response to Intervention Tier 2
06 minutes: Response to Intervention Tier 3
03 minutes: Working with other professionals
10 minutes: Gaining buy-in from other professionals
17 minutes: Strategies to dismiss students
23 minutes: Strategies to reduce caseload size
02 minutes: Resources for teachers and conclusion