Episode Details

We ask where school-based SLPs truly belong and why that answer reshapes goals, service delivery, and impact in the classroom. I trace how the medical model became the default, then map a practical route toward collaborative, curriculum-connected support that fits inclusive education. 

• a mailbox story that reveals role confusion and broken systems 
• how the medical model shaped pull-out therapy in schools 
• why legislation changed placement faster than practice 
• the “forest versus tree” lens for ecological validity 
• the three stages from pull-out to collaborative intervention 
• expert consultant versus collaborative consultant mindsets 
• structural, cultural, and psychological reasons change is slow 
• deploying SLP expertise differently without losing it 

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your aha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear. 

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui