SLP Service Delivery Decisions: How Are They Made?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) be developed utilizing a team-based model. This study examined how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) make service delivery decisions for students with language disorders. Four hundred thirty-nine SLPs participated in a national online survey regarding how they determined the place and intensity of services for students with language disorders. SLPs most often made service delivery decisions after receiving input from the team, but slightly more than one third made decisions independently. The school teaming model and SLP experiences during graduate school affected how SLPs made service delivery decisions. The results indicate that service delivery decisions in the schools are made primarily by the SLP with varying levels of input from others on the student's IEP team. The need for changes in practice as well as preprofessional training and professional development to prepare practitioners for interprofessional practice is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]