Pediatric Speech Language Pathology in Talbot County, MD Public Schools

Presenter: Madison Nepert, Hearing and Speech Science, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum I completed an internship within various Talbot County Elementary schools located on the Eastern shore of Maryland. I worked closely with multiple speech language pathologists within Talbot county that worked with pediatric students ranging from the ages of one to thirteen years old. My job was to assist and observe during lesson planning, preparing for Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, evaluating speech and language abilities, and interacting with the patients during their therapy sessions. Through this experience I was able to learn how to interact with pediatrics patients along with their families and being as accommodating and sensitive to their personal situations they may be in. I also learned that you need to create an environment where the patient feels comfortable and engaged in order for the patient to be compliant with the therapy plan for the day. My internship connects to public health because this service is completely free to all students' families through the school system. So students who may not otherwise be able to afford speech therapy services are able to get the treatment and therapy services they need to be able succeed and thrive in school.