Within the last few weeks, I spoke about my recent transition out of one job while moving into another. While I am very much looking forward to this new position, I found myself asking “what’s next? Where do I want to be in five, ten years?”

The answer to that question is percolating in my head, and as a result of asking myself this, I have opened up a whole new world of possibilities beyond being a clinical SLP. I could be entrepreneurial and open up a private practice directly contracting with school districts, I could go back to the medical side of the field, start consulting work with families of children with disabilities, become an AAC specialist, go into utilization review, go into leadership and development roles, and so on. Right now, I enjoy seeing progress with the people I serve, but I know things can change at any time and it is comforting to know I have other options if needed.

While mulling over where five to ten years in the future Meryl will be, an SLP that has carved her own path responded to my email asking if she wanted to be highlighted in this edition’s Weekly Spotlight (learn more about Kelli below). Her responses and the conversation that ensued really confirmed for me that you can make this degree serve you, however you choose.

There isn’t just one way to be an SLP. Sure, the large majority of us provide services to individuals in need across the lifespan, but if and when you want to take another path, our skill set allows us many, many options.

Resource of the Week 🧰

Our resource this week is a template for IEP writing that can be adjusted to meet your needs or the preferences of the school district where you begin working as an SLP. Please take note that this was something I created as I often use templates myself to save time in report writing. Different SLPs write differently, so use this template as a jumping off point until you find your own clinical voice/ style of writing.

When I was in school, I observed IEP meetings, but rarely had to write myself and when I got into the field I had to learn by just being thrown in. Hopefully you won’t have to do that with this template!

Weekly Spotlight 💡

Our weekly spotlight will introduce readers to an SLP or an SLP graduate student, with the intention of giving you motivation to keep going, to try new experiences, and to broaden your knowledge about where and how we work. This week, we are highlighting Kelli, an SLP who has found her passion in helping families and children in their time of need, as well as in educational consulting. Thanks, Kelli!

Name: Kelli Meyer

Number of years in the field: 10

Favorite job so far and why: Educational Consulting and Content Creation for Lovevery, Toy Testing and Social Media Marketing for Therapeutic Companies nationally

What other fields did you consider before becoming an SLP?: Broadcast Journalism

Would you choose this field over again? Why or why not?: This is a tough question to answer. I don’t know if I would choose it again; but I can’t really see myself doing anything else and being passionate about it. I believe it’s our responsibility to speak up for appropriate wages, advocate for treatment areas and express our satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the support levels from ASHA. My best advice is to never accept a job that offers you less than you think you’re worth because in the end, it will make you resent it, and possibly the field itself.

Kelli is located in the Greater NY area and graduated from The University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia. She owns her business, TheSpeechScoop.com, and can be found on her YouTube channel, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts, as well as her Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) store where she has created great resources for various speech and language targets.

***If you would like to recommend an SLP to be featured in our Weekly Spotlight, feel free to reply to this newsletter edition or send them the link here***

Today’s Posting 💵

In fitting with our discussion of the week, our postings this week are not quite traditional. Both of these positions focus on AAC specialization, but from a different lens. I couldn’t choose and decided to include both!

The first posting is through Boothby Therapy Services, a company providing various services in the public schools in the Northeast, largely Maine and New Hampshire. Boothby currently has two openings for AAC Specialists, one in Augusta, Maine and the other in New Hampshire. Both of these positions have a listed rate of $50.00 an hour, are part time, and include job responsibilities of conducting AAC evaluations, consulting with students and school teams, as well as completing funding packets to submit for insurance in order for devices to be approved for students.

The second posting from Baxter Management focuses on sales and placement of devices throughout Mississippi. Baxter Management also has two positions for this role, one in Oxford, Mississippi, and the other in Jackson, Mississippi. Salary starts at $85,000 per year, however, as all sales positions are, your potential to earn more is much higher and dependent on your performance. Responsibilities of this role include travel within your territory in order to provide demonstrations and in-services regarding AAC devices, facilitating completion of evaluations with other SLPs, and follow-up after placement of devices to ensure satisfactory experiences.

Fun Fact 📌📔

There are no pre-requisites needed for an individual to begin using AAC of any kind, whether that be no-tech, high-tech, or low-tech. A child or person does not need to have a certain level of receptive skills, demonstrate a certain level of attention etc. This is all a myth!

Additionally, use of AAC can help facilitate improved understanding of spoken language and in some cases, improve an individual’s ability to express themselves through signs, gestures, and even verbal language.

Think about it - if you suddenly had a visual for every new word or phrase you learned, that learning would likely take place a lot faster. Pairing spoken language with visuals can help someone make connections between what they are hearing or reading and the meaning of those words.

If you want to read more about what AAC is, how it can be used, and common concerns regarding AAC use, click here.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read my newsletter. Let me know what I can provide to make this useful for you!

If you would like to be highlighted in the Weekly Spotlight as a graduate student, click this link to complete the form😄 Talk soon,

— Meryl