This SIG 16 Perspectives activity highlights novel approaches to eligibility decision-making, intervention, and the roles and responsibilities of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In the first article, the authors present a novel approach to evaluation and eligibility. Farquharson, Coleman, Moore, and Montgomery showcase how SLPs can utilize and apply a design thinking framework when making eligibility recommendations for children with oral and written language disorders. The authors give two sample eligibility predicaments and give examples of five design thinking questions (discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation, evolution) for each scenario. In the second article, we learn about a novel approach to intervention. Here, Page and Johnson provide a summary of electropalatographic therapy for the remediation of speech sound disorders. They also systematically reviewed the literature to summarize the extent to which this intervention technique is supported for use with children with Down syndrome. Lastly, the last group of authors discuss novel roles and responsibilities that school-based SLPs may assume. In this article, Seal and Power-deFur discuss the similarities and differences between a fact witness and an expert witness, while also providing school-based professionals with ideas of how to prepare for these roles if called to testify in a special education dispute or civil litigation case.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• integrate the design thinking framework and the eligibility process at your school (novel evaluation)
• describe electropalatographic therapy and how it may improve speech sound production (novel treatment)
• explain typical preparatory efforts before serving as an expert or fact witness in special education disputes and civil litigation cases (novel role)

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. Use of Design Thinking to Inform Eligibility Recommendations for Children With Spoken Language and Literacy Disorders in Schools by Kelly Farquharson, Jaumeiko J. Coleman, Barbara J. Moore, and Judy K. Montgomery, published in SIG 16, Volume 6, Issue 1, February 23, 2021
2. Electropalatographic Therapy and Speech Production for Children With Down Syndrome by Christen G. Page and Katelynn Johnson, published in SIG 16, Volume 6, Issue 2, April 28, 2021
3. Speech-Language Pathologists as Expert and Fact Witnesses in Special Education Disputes and Civil Litigation Cases: A Tutorial by Brenda Chafin Seal and Lissa Power-deFur, published in SIG 16, Volume 6, Issue 2, April 28, 2021