How School SLPs Can Build Better Relationships With Teachers

Hey, speech friend! 👋🏼

At the beginning of the school year, school-based SLPs spend a lot of time building relationships with students.

But there is another group of people who can make a HUGE difference in how smoothly your year runs:

Teachers.

Teachers can give you valuable information about classroom performance, help students carry over communication skills, and alert you when new concerns arise.

They can also help you track down the student who somehow disappears every Tuesday at 10:15.

Strong collaboration does not require lengthy weekly meetings or complicated communication systems.

A few small habits can make working with teachers easier and more effective.

Introduce Yourself Early

Even if you worked in the building last year, take time to reconnect with teachers.

A short email or quick classroom visit can go a long way.

Let teachers know:

• Who you are
• Which students you support
• How they can contact you
• When therapy will begin
• How schedule changes should be communicated
• What types of concerns they can bring to you

Keep it simple.

Teachers are also managing a long list of beginning-of-the-year tasks, so they will appreciate communication that is clear and easy to scan.

Ask What They Are Seeing

IEPs and evaluation reports provide important information, but they do not always tell you how a student is functioning in the current classroom.

Ask teachers what they notice.

Is the student participating in discussions?

Can classmates understand them?

Are they following directions?

Do they struggle to explain ideas?

Are they having difficulty with reading, writing, or peer interactions?

Teacher observations can help you choose functional therapy targets and identify opportunities for classroom carryover.

Make Communication Easy

A communication system only works when people actually use it.

You might communicate through:

• Brief emails
• Shared digital forms
• Check-in sheets
• Sticky notes
• Scheduled monthly updates
• Quick hallway conversations

Choose a method that works for both you and the teacher.

Not every update needs to be a formal report.

A message that says, “We are practising past-tense verbs this month. Please let me know if you notice difficulty during writing,” can create a meaningful connection between therapy and the classroom.

Explain Goals in Everyday Language

Speech and language goals can sound confusing outside our field.

Instead of telling a teacher that a student is working on “complex syntactic structures,” explain what that may look like in class.

You might say:

“We are working on combining ideas using words like because, before, and after.”

Instead of only saying “narrative language,” explain:

“We are practising how to tell an organized story with a clear problem and solution.”

Clear explanations help teachers recognize the skill and reinforce it naturally.

Share Strategies That Fit the Classroom

Teachers are more likely to use a strategy when it is simple and realistic.

Rather than providing a full page of recommendations, share one or two supports.

For example:

• Give the student extra time to answer.
• Pair spoken directions with a visual.
• Ask the student to repeat directions before beginning.
• Use a story organizer before writing.
• Preview unfamiliar vocabulary.
• Encourage the student to slow down and repeat when misunderstood.

Connect each strategy to something already happening in the classroom.

The easier it is to use, the more likely it is to become part of the routine.

Respect the Teacher’s Perspective

Teachers see students in situations we do not.

They observe them during whole-group instruction, independent work, peer activities, transitions, and less structured parts of the day.

Their perspective may be different from what you see in a small therapy group.

That does not mean one person is wrong.

A student may perform well with visual supports in a quiet speech room but struggle during fast-paced classroom discussions.

Use those differences to better understand the student’s communication needs.

Share Progress Throughout the Year

Do not wait until progress reports to communicate good news.

Send a quick message when a student masters a sound, independently uses a strategy, or shows improvement in conversation.

Teachers appreciate hearing about progress, and positive updates help strengthen collaboration.

You can also suggest one way to support the next step:

“Jordan is now producing /s/ accurately in sentences. Please encourage him to use his slow speech strategy during oral reading.”

Collaboration Does Not Need to Be Complicated

You do not need to add another long meeting to everyone’s calendar.

Introduce yourself.

Ask what teachers are seeing.

Explain goals clearly.

Share practical strategies.

Celebrate student growth.

Small, consistent communication can help therapy feel more connected to the classroom and make carryover much more achievable.

It also reminds teachers that you are part of the same team—and that you both want the student to succeed.

That relationship can make the entire school year feel a little more manageable.