Speech-Language-Pathology

Welcome to the Speech-Language-Pathology page.

Some of you may wonder about what Speech Language Pathologists do, (known as "SLP's"). Some old titles for SLP's include "Speech Therapist," "Speech Clinician," or "Communication Disorder Specialist." The word "language" was added to the title in the last 30 years to communicate that SLP's not only work with students who show oral speech, voice and fluency difficulties, but with students who experience problems in acquiring Standard English vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, compared to other same-aged boys and girls. If students are tested by the SLP and show they're eligible for services, with parental agreement, they are enrolled in Speech Language Pathology Services. This means that the SLP works with them individually or in groups, in the speech room or in the classroom. Programs are fully individualized as established by the Special Education Individual Education Program (IEP) legal document. Each child's program is reviewed annually, when a new IEP is created. As well, each student receives a re-evaluation every three years, as mandated by Federal law, or more frequently if needed. At Arbor Heights, my "speech" room (Kathryn J Hanson, or "Katy") is at the top of the stairs to the second floor. Please come and visit if you have questions or comments. My email is  I can be reached at 206-252-9284. If you want to do some research on your own, you can Google American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and/or Washington Speech Language Hearing Association. These sites provide many links to other Speech Language Pathology sites for further exploration.