The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022 - 18

I
nterpreting and speechlanguage
pathology
are professions
centered in language and
communication. Interpreters
facilitate communication
among people who
don't share a common
language. Speech-language
pathologists (SLPs) work
with individuals of all ages
to diagnose speech and
communication problems
and provide therapy to
improve communicative
functioning. So, what
happens when these
worlds meet?
Learn how speech-language
pathologists and interpreters
collaborate to effectively serve
children with communication
disorders in Minnesota schools, as
well as the implications and future
challenges for both professions.
By Elizabeth Watkins
In the following, you'll
learn some of the ways in
which interpreters and SLPs
in Minnesota collaborate to
assist children and youth
with disabilities in the
public school system. The
information covered here
is based on a session I gave
with co-presenters Cynthia
McInroy (a speech-language
pathologist for Bloomington
Public Schools in Minnesota)
and Heidi Wilson (a speechlanguage
pathologist for
St. Paul Public Schools
in Minnesota) at ATA's
62nd Annual Conference
last October.
18 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2022
Why the Need?
SLPs work in medical and
school settings across
the country to address
the physical aspects of
speech production and the
cognitive functions that
underlie language. In public
schools, SLPs work with
students whose primary
disability affects speech
and language, but they also
serve students with a wide
range of other conditions,
including cognitive and
physical impairments
and autism spectrum
disabilities. The American
Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA), a
national organization with
affiliates in every state, sets
certification standards for
SLPs and audiologists. While
ASHA doesn't offer separate
certifications for bilingual
SLPs or audiologists, it
collects information on
members who self-identify
as bilingual and as bilingual
service providers.
According to ASHA,
although many efforts are
underway to recruit and
diversify the field, SLPs
are predominantly White,
English-speaking, and
female. Only 8% of ASHA
members, including both
SLPs and audiologists,
self-identified as bilingual
service providers in 2020.
This figure included 14,958
ASHA-certified SLPs and
885 audiologists. Members
of ASHA spoke 82 languages,
excluding American Sign
Language and other forms
of sign language, but
the majority of bilingual
SLPs (10,208, or 68%)
provided services in
Spanish and English.1
www.atanet.org
How Interpreters and
Speech-Language Pathologists
Collaborate to Serve
Children with Disabilities
http://www.atanet.org
The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022

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