Exploring the Decision Making Process of Students Being Dismissed from Speech-Language Pathology Services in Educational Settings

Presenter Information

Kaylee Merritt, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Abbie Meyer, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

2-4-2019 2:00 PM

End Date

2-4-2019 3:30 PM

Student's Major

Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services

Student's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Mentor's Name

Megan Mahowald

Mentor's Department

Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services

Mentor's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Description

The inevitable part of speech therapy is the dismissal of the student from special education caseload. Speech-language pathologists are faced with the challenge of deciding when a student should be dismissed from their service and all the factors that are involved in that decision-making process. This study specifically explores the potential reasoning around why seven students were dismissed from speech-language pathology services in an educational setting. We explored the decision-making process of the speech-language pathologist that leads them to come to the decision to dismiss a student from their service. Data was collected from a larger study including speech-language pathologists in a large, urban school district in a Midwestern state. Participants were children with diagnosed language disorders. The data sources include a qualitative rubric used to analyze a language sample (collection of a child's tellings across five different tasks), reviewing the educational file and a survey regarding the speech-language pathologists perceptions. The implication of this study is that there are multiple factors that can influence a speech-language pathologist's decision to dismiss a student from services.