Chapter 3: The Hearing and Speech-Language Specialist and the Special Student

Enhancing partnerships, innovation, collaboration, consultation, and cooperation among hearing and speech-language specialists and other stakeholders in education such as teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and parents/families is critically important in the provision of meaningful educational experiences for students with hearing, speech, language, and other aspects of special needs. In this chapter, factors essential for effective partnership in the field and their implications for improving practices for the benefit of students are examined.

Hearing and speech-language specialists include audiologists and speech-language pathologists. These professionals are essential members of multidisciplinary teams working to provide meaningful educational experiences and improved outcomes for students with hearing, speech, and other language challenges in schools. Audiologists evaluate, diagnose, and manage various degrees of hearing losses in people of all ages. In educational settings, educational audiologists ensure proper functioning of amplification devices, for example, hearing aids, cochlear implants, and sound field systems that learners with hearing loss use. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are experts in communication and language development issues. In educational programs, SLPs, are involved in evaluating language and communication development issues and planning programs of remediation for special students (American Speech-Hearing Association, ASHA, 2019a). These specialists play important roles in identifying language and communication issues of special students. In addition, they work in partnership with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to plan, implement, and evaluate language and communication remediation programs for special students (ASHA, n.d.; Educational Audiologists Association, 2009).