School of Speech

This episode offers school-based SLPs practical insight into supporting both language and literacy within written language intervention.

Guest: Lynne Telesca, PhD, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of School of Speech, Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Lynne Telesca, PhD, CCC-SLP, to discuss how a metalinguistic approach to writing can be used during school-based language therapy sessions. Throughout their conversation, they provide an overview of the purpose of this approach, its basic elements, and how it can be incorporated into therapy to support language and literacy through written language.

You will learn about the foundational components of a metalinguistic approach and how written language activities can be used as a multimodal way to target communication skills in school-based therapy. Dr. Telesca also shares steps for implementing this approach during language therapy sessions across educational settings.

About the Guest: Dr. Lynne Telesca, PhD. CCC-SLP, is an associate professor of Communication Disorders at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in language and literacy over the past eight years. Dr. Telesca is passionate about keeping current and presenting on evidence-based practices that will make a difference in speech-language pathologists’ therapeutic decision-making and practice.

Show Notes:

Implementing a Metalinguistic Approach to Secondary School Writing Article

Listeners will gain research-informed strategies for making confident, student-centered decisions while strengthening collaboration with educational teams and families.

Guests: Amy Culligan, MA, CCC-SLP & Laura Gottlieb, MA, CCC-SLP

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The episode takes an in-depth look at the three prongs of eligibility, including documenting educational impact and determining the need for specially designed instruction and related services. Amy and Laura also address common challenges clinicians face when considering dismissal, including parent concerns, team disagreements, and difficult IEP conversations.

About the Guests: Amy Culligan, MA, CCC-SLP, is a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist with over 25 years of experience in school settings. She has worked with diverse populations and a range of programs. In addition to providing direct therapy, Amy was the Lead SLP for Long Beach Unified for seven years.

Laura Gottlieb, MA, CCC-SLP, is a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist with over 27 years of experience working in school settings. Laura has spent a number of years providing assessment support to school districts with their diverse assessment needs. In an effort to return students to their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and reduce services, Laura is currently working for the Long Beach Unified School District, where she conducts evaluations of students who are ready to exit.

What counts as a “speech error,” and who gets to decide?

Guests: Dr. Philip Combiths, PhD, CCC-SLP; Dr. Naomi Rodgers, PhD, CCC-SLP; Dr. Rick Arenas, PhD; Dr. Carlos Irizarry Pérez, PhD, CCC-SLP; Jessica Nico, MA, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, ASD-CS & Matt Phillips, MA, CCC-SLP

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The guests share what led them to question traditional, deficit-based labels and how their collaboration developed through shared interests in neurodiversity and lived experience. Drawing from ongoing interviews with adults with PSPs, they bring forward perspectives that are often missing from clinical decision-making and challenge long-held assumptions about what needs to change and why.

About the Guests: Dr. Naomi Rodgers, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor at the University Iowa. Her interdisciplinary, trauma-informed program of research centers on the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of stuttering experiences and therapy.

Dr. Rick Arenas, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. His primary area of research is developmental stuttering. In his early career he focused on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in the variability of stuttering across contexts.

Jessica Nico, MA, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, ASD-CS, is a New York and New Mexico–licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist with a decade of experience serving children and their families in clinic, school-, and home-based settings.

Dr. Philip Combiths, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa and Director of the Clinical Linguistics and Disparities Lab.

Dr. Carlos Irizarry Pérez, PhD, CCC-SLP (he/his), is an Assistant Professor in the University of New Mexico’s Speech and Hearing Sciences Department. He received his PhD in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin.

Matt Phillips, MA, CCC-SLP, is a person who stutters, a speech therapist, and a PhD student at Michigan State University. He is passionate about helping kids, teens, and adults who stutter become more confident and joyful communicators, which he does through his work at the Sisskin Stuttering Center using an Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS®) framework.

When is it appropriate to continue services, and when is it time to dismiss?

Guest: Julia Yi, PhD, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of School of Speech: Continue or Dismiss: Making Confident Caseload Decisions, Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Julia Yi, PhD, CCC-SLP, to tackle one of the most complex questions school-based SLPs face. Together, they unpack what ASHA and IDEA actually say about eligibility and dismissal, moving beyond surface-level guidance to examine how these decisions play out in real school settings. The conversation also explores the nationwide shift away from the speech or language impairment category as students get older, and what that means for caseloads, service delivery, and student support.

About the Guest: Dr. Julia Yi is an Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions’ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in Boston, MA. She teaches courses in the MS SLP program on developmental language and literacy, evidence-based practice, and teaching English learners. Her research broadly focuses on adolescent language and literacy.

Through a practical, school-based lens, this discussion helps you connect the DLD framework to real-world clinical practice so you can better identify needs, set meaningful goals, and support students as those demands grow more complex.

Guest: Wendy Morgan MS, CCC-SLP & Diane Ogiela PHD, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of School of Speech, Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Diane Ogiela, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Wendy Morgan, MS, CCC-SLP, to continue the conversation on Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a common yet often under-identified condition that impacts spoken language, literacy, and academic success across the lifespan. Building on Part 1, this episode focuses on how the profile of children with DLD evolves over time and what that means for your clinical decision-making. You’ll explore how language demands shift as children move through school and how to adjust your assessment and intervention to better support social communication, classroom participation, and academic outcomes.

Show Notes:

ASHA Letter

You will come away with a clearer understanding of how to identify DLD, advocate for appropriate supports, and integrate this framework into your clinical decision-making to better serve students in your care.

Guests: Wendy Morgan, MS, CCC-SLP & Diane Ogiela, PHD, CCC-SLP

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Developmental Language Disorder, or DLD, affects far more students than many clinicians realize, yet it often goes unidentified or misunderstood in school settings. In this episode, we break down what DLD is, why the terminology matters, and how it impacts spoken language, literacy, and academic success across the school years and beyond.

Host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Diane Ogiela, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Wendy Morgan, MS, CCC-SLP for a practical, school-based look at how DLD fits within existing educational frameworks. Together, they unpack how this diagnostic label aligns with eligibility criteria, service delivery, and compliance requirements in real-world settings.

Show Notes:

How We Fail Children with Developmental Language Disorder

If you're feeling stretched thin by a growing caseload, this episode offers a clearer framework for understanding workload and practical ideas you can start using right away.

Guests: Janine Benner, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, ASDCS & Abbie Keibler, MA, CCC-SLP

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From Caseload to Workload: Rethinking Service Delivery in Schools. Over the course of the conversation, they explore the difference between caseload- and workload-based service delivery and why a simple student count rarely reflects the full scope of what school SLPs actually do. From evaluations and documentation to collaboration and compliance, these responsibilities highlight the many that often go unseen in traditional caseload models.

About the Guests: Janine Benner is a speech-language pathologist with 33 years of experience, including 26 years in pediatric settings. She is a Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language, credentialed by the American Board of Child Language and Language Disorders (ABCLL), with a focus on autism and early intervention and a Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS).

Abbie Keibler is in her 19th year as a speech-language pathologist at Mississippi Bend AEA in Bettendorf, Iowa. She serves the preschool and elementary population. Abbie is the department lead for 57 SLPs and is the co-State Speech Lead for the Iowa AEA System. Abbie is an adjunct instructor at St Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and has a special interest in comprehensive literacy for complex communicators and AAC.

Show Notes:

Speech Therapy PD On-Demand course referred to inside the episode

You’ll gain insight into the leadership mindset and practical strategies that help shift clinicians from feeling reactive to practicing with greater purpose and influence, while better supporting the students they serve.

Guest: Barbara Moore, EDD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SL

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In this episode of School of Speech, host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Dr. Barbara Moore, EdD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SL, to explore how school-based SLPs can intentionally strengthen their professional autonomy. Together, they examine the systemic pressures that shape school-based practice, the program-level decisions that influence how services are delivered, and practical ways clinicians can take a more active role in shaping their work.

About the Guest: Barbara Moore, EdD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SL, is the Owner and Clinical Director of Speech Pathology Associates in Irvine, California. She has practiced speech-language pathology for over 35 years. Dr. Moore earned her master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and completed a clinical fellowship in cleft palate and craniofacial disorders at Duke University Medical Center.

Spend less time managing data and more time focusing on therapy with systematic tweaks and digital tools.

Guest: Michele Rothstein MA, CCC-SLP

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Host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Michele Rothstein, MA, CCC-SLP, on this episode of School of Speech to unpack how school-based SLPs can simplify data collection and IEP progress monitoring without sacrificing accuracy or compliance.This conversation clarifies the often-blurred line between therapy charting and true data collection probes, highlights common documentation pitfalls, and walks clinicians through streamlined systems that make data easier to collect, organize, and interpret. Michele shares practical ways to tighten workflows, reduce paperwork fatigue, and build routines that support consistent, meaningful progress monitoring.

About the Guest: Michele Rothstein is a school-based Speech Pathologist working full-time in an elementary school for students K-6 while running SLP Madness. She serves as a consultant and coach for school-based SLPs, helping them meet the ever-growing demands of their caseloads while meeting the needs of their students. Michele strives to provide high-quality treatment, grounded in the strong connections she has with her students and their families.

Move beyond "80% accuracy"—write therapy goals that show what kids can actually do with their words in everyday life.

Guest: Rebecca Moore, MS, CCC-SLP

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The phrase "beyond 80% accuracy" is one that many clinicians recognize and rely on when writing therapy goals. It is familiar, measurable, and widely accepted. But percentages alone do not always capture what truly matters in a child’s functional communication growth. In this episode of School of Speech, host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Rebecca Moore, MS, CCC-SLP, for a practical conversation about moving beyond default accuracy statements toward goals that are clearer, more meaningful, and more clinically useful.

About the Guest: Rebecca Moore is a speech-language pathologist with 16 years of clinical experience. She earned her undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and her Master’s degree from Kansas State University. Over the course of her career, she has lived and worked in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Ohio, primarily serving pediatric populations. She currently resides in Ohio, where she practices in an outpatient pediatric clinic specializing in Childhood Apraxia of Speech and autism therapy, with a particular focus on children under six years of age.