Preparing Speech-Language Pathology Students for School-Based Practice: The Importance of Graduate Clinical Experiences in Universally Designed Classrooms

Purpose: In this article, I will describe how practicum experiences in universally designed classrooms help prepare speech-language pathology graduate clinicians for the roles and responsibilities of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The article is based on a poster session presented at the ASHA Schools Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin entitled Successful Collaboration: A Communication Enhancement Program in a Universally Designed Classroom (Waller, McChesney, Riehle, & Cook, 2012). Method: Graduate students in speech-language pathology participated in a practicum in a universally designed prekindergarten (pre-K) classroom in an elementary school for 3 months. The students used a 6-item questionnaire with a narrative-response format to identify what they learned from this experience. Conclusions: Providing graduate students in speech-language pathology with clinical opportunities in universally designed classrooms can help prepare these students for working in today's schools. For exampl...