Can I get that in writing?

Working with older students can be intimidating. During my first year, I was most concerned about student behavior, so I made a contract that laid out clear expectations for me AND my students.

What is a speech therapy contract?

The speech therapy contract outlines expectations for the student AND the speech therapist.

During the first session of the year, I review the speech therapy contract with all of my students. To keep things official, the students sign the contract, and I put the contract in the students’ speech folders that I keep in my room. On the few occasions when I’ve needed to remind students of the contract, I am able to easily find it and review it with the students. I think seeing their name signed at the bottom of the paper carries a lot of weight. Once they have a visual reminder of their agreement, they seem to make a pretty quick turnaround.

Why not just lay down ground rules?

Rules imply that one person is in charge and the other person is in a submissive role. When I review the contract that includes clear expectations between both me AND the students, it evens the playing field. I want students to feel in control of their time in speech. If our older students don’t buy in, the likelihood of progress plummets! When students feel like they are partners in their speech and language, they will work harder to meet their goals.

My goal is to dismiss you!

Most of our students have been in speech since elementary school. The beginning of the year is a great time to emphasize that speech does not have to be something that they do until graduation. During the contract review, I emphasize that dismissal is just as much up to them as it is up to me!

This is a great time to talk about what their goals are, how they can meet them, and (as appropriate) how their skills differ from the skills of their peers.

This is also a great time to remind your students that THEY are part of the IEP team. If you have a student that constantly grumbles about speech, remind them that when they signed the IEP they agreed to the speech recommendation.

I always emphatically remind my students that I won’t keep them in speech just because I like them (even though I am very sad at most dismissals). Putting the students in charge of their dismissal can improve motivation and self-determination!

I’m guessing you don’t want to reinvent the wheel.

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