Speech is a part of everyday life. It is used to communicate with one another and even now with the rise of technology, speech is a crucial part of clear communication. Without being able to clearly communicate, many challenges may arise especially for students who are going into middle and high school as they will be unable to clearly communicate with teachers and be evaluated on their participation in class.
Due to a nationwide shortage in speech therapists and pathologists, there are over eight schools in MCPS without speech therapists which is an essential and required service for students according to federal and Maryland state law. MCPS had previously been able to provide students with this resource of speech therapy but with this shortage, they will be unable to support as many students who may need this service so that they don’t fall behind in school.
“I work as a speech pathologist for two discrete special education programs offered by MCPS,” Wayside Elementary School speech pathologist Kelli Ooi said. “First, I work with the Preschool Education Program (PEP), which serves students 3-5 years old who have been identified with a developmental delay. I also work with the School Community Based (SCB) Program, which works with students from kindergarten through 5th grade.”
Both PEP and SCB focus on understanding and using basic communication skills students need to convey what they want and need within a conversation. This is crucial for students to learn early on as these are foundational skills that they will need to have clear comprehension of.
“I personally went through the speech therapy process for some time in elementary school,” WCHS junior Naomi Wollman said. “I never looked at it as a task, instead I always looked forward to it. It really helped with my understanding and communication with school, which gradually got easier for me after doing speech therapy.”
When students are already in elementary school, they can be identified by parents or teachers if speech and communication appear to hinder their education and their ability to learn. Students who struggle with speech and communication will often also struggle with reading and spelling as they are deeply connected. A shortage of speech therapists is likely to affect this as it will limit students’ opportunities to fix these problems early and reach their full potential in the academic setting.
“There are several schools within the county this year, including students at Wayside Elementary School, that are receiving virtual speech therapy services,” Ooi said. “While this is not a traditional method, it is considered an effective medium to deliver services.”
While virtual speech therapy may not deliver the best results as a direct intervention would, it will become more practiced among MCPS as speech therapists will not be present for students at many schools. Still, students need to utilize these services in order to grow a strong foundation for communication and skills that will impact their reading and spelling.
“I really struggled with reading when we first started learning in elementary school, it took time but once I started seeing a speech therapist, it eventually clicked for me,” Wollman said. “I am glad that it was able to help with my reading because it is a key skill you will need for the rest of your life.”
Speech therapy also serves a large purpose in helping kids express what they want to say to their classmates, teachers and parents. This prominent skill is something that has been overlooked by MCPS and limited action has been taken by MCPS to address the shortage of speech pathologists and therapists.
“When a student struggles with oral communication in the school setting, speech pathologists look at how it will impact their education,” Ooi said. “A student with a speech disorder will often have co-occurring difficulties with literacy including reading and spelling.”
Speech is a crucial part of life and learning, which is essential for young kids to get a good grasp on as they will be spending several years surrounded by peers and in school. While there may be more prominent issues MCPS is focusing its attention and budget on, speech therapy has proven to be a necessary resource for all students in order to achieve optimal growth and development.
“Communication is needed in every aspect of socialization for students: playing with others, participating in a conversation, expressing emotions,” Ooi said. “When a student is able to communicate their wants and needs, it will lead to a decrease of challenging behaviors and an improvement in their ability to connect with others.”
