A step ahead in communication : from cooperation to collaboration and inclusion

Abstract

This chapter is intended to introduce the readers to the problems and therapeutic needs of school age children whose communication, speech and language skills require the attention of a speech and language pathologist, who is the professional in the field and therefore, trained for this purpose. This provision has been increasingly required to be delivered within school settings. Over time this provision has brought about changes in the relationship established between the speech language pathologist (SLP) and the educators, including the teachers, the learning support assistants, the inclusion coordinators (INCOs) and the heads of school. This change in relationship has brought about a paradigm shift in the skills required of both the SLPs and educators to affectively manage this relationship and facilitate the child to participate increasingly more in inclusion.