The Aligned SLP – Details, episodes & analysis

We explore how SLPs can move from isolated caseloads to collaborative workload using a Multi-Tiered System of Support. Dr. Lesley Sylvan shares why prevention, data, and shared ownership at Tier One create clearer decisions, stronger inclusion, and more joy in our work.

• what MTSS is and why it matters
• the three tiers as a continuum of support
• SLP impact at Tier One to shape instruction
• collaboration, data use, and evidence-based choices
• inclusion and least restrictive environment in practice
• supporting students on the cusp without over-referral
• shifting from caseload to workload for efficiency
• AAC integrated at Tier One for equity and access
• mindset shifts to see MTSS as enabling, not additive
• finding creativity, confidence, and collective efficacy

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your ha ha moments, because your experience matters and may be exactly what another SLP needs to hear

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

I introduce my professional journey whilst working in schools. 

• working more closely with class teachers
• ideas and books that shaped a school-aligned lens
• research training and university teaching influences
• redesigning services with education partners
• moving from Scotland to Canada and applying MTSS
• building provincial forums and mentorship networks
• why old models persist and how to move past them
• a systems mindset for sustainable SLP impact

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your ha ha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We trace a path from isolated pull-out therapy to a collaborative, tiered model that centres students and restores SLP sustainability. Through stories, strategies, and systems thinking, we show how shifting from caseload to workload builds capacity and real classroom impact.

• redefining the SLP role from expert to partner
• limits of pull-out therapy and missed authentic language
• practical collaboration moves that stick in classrooms
• MTSS tiers for universal, targeted, and intensive support
• workload weighting and honest scheduling
• collaborative referral pathways and “not yet” as a plan
• valuing prevention, coaching, and capacity building
• small steps to begin culture change and reduce burnout

Follow my podcast
You will hear inspirational and informative interviews
I will share exciting ways of thinking
I will guide you towards a more sensible, fun, creative and collaborative way of working

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We trace how a northern BC school district moved from isolated specialists and nonstop testing to true collaboration built on problem-solving and simple progress measures. We share practical ways to find your first opening for change so you can reduce referral overload and feel less alone at work. 
• Carl’s path from school psychology into district-wide systems change 
• Why early “area support teams” stalled without shared process 
• Shifting from a medical model to broader assessment domains 
• Building missing skills: interviews, file review, classroom observation 
• Defining referrals in measurable terms rather than labels 
• Using school-based teams as the first problem-solving step 
• Curriculum-based measurement and local norms that teachers can use fast 
• Partnering with universities to build capacity and credibility 
• Engaging principals through shared resources and local leadership 
• Starting small: finding a crack in the system and running a project 
If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your ha ha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear. 

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We ask where school-based SLPs truly belong and why that answer reshapes goals, service delivery, and impact in the classroom. I trace how the medical model became the default, then map a practical route toward collaborative, curriculum-connected support that fits inclusive education. 

• a mailbox story that reveals role confusion and broken systems 
• how the medical model shaped pull-out therapy in schools 
• why legislation changed placement faster than practice 
• the “forest versus tree” lens for ecological validity 
• the three stages from pull-out to collaborative intervention 
• expert consultant versus collaborative consultant mindsets 
• structural, cultural, and psychological reasons change is slow 
• deploying SLP expertise differently without losing it 

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your aha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear. 

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

I share a mindset shift for school-based SLPs when a teacher says, “I don’t know what to do with them”, and I show how that moment can point to classroom needs not just student needs. We move beyond the pull-out-only default and into a workload approach where collaboration, consultation, and Tier 1 support expand our reach and reduce the referral treadmill over time.
• reframing the hallway conversation from instant referral to classroom signal
• defining the “client” as the student plus the classroom environment and teacher support
• why pull-out therapy alone cannot carry language and literacy change
• using MTSS to think across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports
• building mutual respect with teachers through agreed consultation and shared strategies
• leaning on SLP strengths in observation, task analysis, UDL, and neurodiversity-informed practice
• addressing time pressure by comparing proactive Tier 1 investment to the cost of nonstop referrals
• handling role confusion and resistance with scope clarity and small pilots
• focusing on reach and long-term impact beyond the therapy room
Just one thing. Find one classroom touch point. It might be a quick check-in with a teacher about a student you share. It might be sitting in on a classroom lesson and noticing what the communication demands actually are. It might be following a student around for a morning to truly see what they are experiencing.

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We unpack why school-based SLPs feel like they’re failing when the system is built for an impossible caseload and a pull-out “fix it” model. We explore a kinder, more inclusive way to work by building teacher capacity and shifting toward classroom impact that helps more students thrive. 

• moving from a medical model to an education-aligned mindset 
• accepting neurodiversity and focusing on strategies over “fixing” 
• noticing how pull-out therapy can send an unhelpful message 
• protecting student dignity and self-esteem when motivation is gone 
• using a workload approach to reach more students 
• delivering articulation support through teacher professional development 
• teaching listening and self-correction skills that generalise 
• starting change by learning the school plan and partnering with principals 
• using shared language and school priorities to earn buy-in 

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your aha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear.

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We trade the pull-out fix-it model for a collaborative MTSS approach that makes communication support part of everyday classroom learning. We share what it takes to build inclusive, sustainable school-based SLP services that respect teachers, centre equity, and actually work with real time and real people. 
• shifting from a medical model to MTSS and tiered supports 
• treating communication as a human right and an access need 
• embedding AAC, language, and speech sound goals in curriculum 
• using a workload approach as a mindset for decisions 
• coaching teachers and educational assistants through real-time support 
• building trust with families by aligning goals to routines 
• responding to barriers with empathy, clarity, and small wins 
• noticing feedback that shows systemic change is taking hold 
If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your aha moments, because your experience matters and may be exactly what another SLP needs to hear. 

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui

We rethink what it means to belong as a school-based SLP and why the pull-out, referral-driven cycle keeps us feeling like outsiders. We connect curriculum, embedded systems like MTSS, and day-to-day collaboration to bring back purpose, equity, and joy in our work. 
• reframing curriculum as an inclusive map for where to show up 
• using classroom texts, routines, and activities as shared therapy resources 
• partnering with teachers through questions about their goals and plans 
• moving from reactive referrals to proactive, tiered supports in MTSS 
• shifting the SLP role toward coaching, collaboration, and advocacy 
• naming leadership as essential for protecting proactive service delivery 
• noticing how embedded work changes job satisfaction and sustainability 
• building trust with the question “What can I do today to help you?” 

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Share your experiments, your questions, your aha moments, because your experience matters and maybe exactly what another SLP needs to hear.

https://www.facebook.com/InclusiveSchooling

https://www.youtube.com/c/FiveMooreMinutes

https://sarahdowlingschoolslpcoaching.com

Music: Daniel Chui