Attitudes of speech-language pathologists toward classroom-based intervention

Many changes have taken place in the field of special education since the early 1980s. One such change has been an emphasis toward classroom-based intervention in the areas of speech and language. Many students are experiencing a lack of success in the classroom but have exhibited success in the therapy settings. As practitioners have broadened their knowledge base, it has become evident that many of the skills that students with speech-language impairments lack are directly related to their academic performance. Speech-language pathologists now recognize the complexity of the relationship existing between the academic curriculum and language. Classroom-based intervention has been proposed as an alternative to pullout intervention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of speech language pathologists toward changes in service delivery models (e.g., traditional pullout intervention versus classroom-based intervention). Speech-language pathologists in Central Alabama were sent the instruments, Classroom-Based Speech-Language Interventions and Pull Out Speech-Language Interventions-SLP Perspectives, to complete. In addition, five speech language pathologists, who are continuing to utilize the traditional pullout intervention, participated in an initial interview and a follow-up interview. The findings have implications for both training programs as well as for schools in preparing and assisting speech-language pathologists to implement classroom-based intervention service delivery models in public school settings.