Jefferson-Morgan Elementary School

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Speech Therapy

 

 

Welcome Students and Parents~

My name is Mrs. Nicole Szerensci, and I am happy to be working as your child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP).  Many of my students will be continuing with me again this school year. I am looking forward to getting to know the several new faces in my speech therapy room!

 

Biography:

I hold a Master of Science Degree in Communication Disorders from the California University of Pennsylvania. I have been certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association since 2001, as well as hold a Pennsylvania State License from the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.

What is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)?

A school based Speech-Language Pathologist goes by several other names: Speech Teacher, Communication Disorders Specialist, Speech/Language Therapist, Speech Therapist etc.

A school based Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) works with special education students ages 3-22 who demonstrate speech-language impairments which adversely affect educational performance. Speech Language Pathologists are highly trained professionals with a master's degree and experience in assessing and treating communication disorders in all settings.

All therapy services provided in a school setting are provided through an (IEP) Individualized Education Plan, which is a legal document.

When determining eligibility for and developing an IEP, the school’s team including the student’s parents must consider what the student’s needs are in order to access general education curriculum.

To qualify for speech language therapy, a student must demonstrate a speech or language disorder that negatively impacts his/her ability to communicate and learn effectively in the school setting.

The school SLP facilitates identification, evaluation and remediation of a disability in the following communication areas:

  • Articulation – Disorders are characterized by substitutions, distortions or omissions of speech sounds.
  • Phonology – A student may have difficulty with certain patterns of sounds
  • Language – Receptive or expressive disorders or delays in syntax/morphology (grammar), semantics (meaning), pragmatics (social language skills), or processing.
  • Stuttering (Fluency) – Inappropriate rate or flow of speech. A student may struggle to get words out or repeat part or whole words at times.
  • Voice – Pitch, volume, intonation, respiration or resonance disorders.
  • Auditory Perception – auditory processing, discrimination, memory, recognition and sequence disorders.
  • Hearing –Services may be required for students with hearing impairments to develop compensatory strategies.
 

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