The Aligned SLP

We explore how school-based SLPs can stop working in isolation and start building real MTSS change through shared responsibility for language across the school day. We unpack what makes innovation possible and what makes it sustainable so we are not relying on sheer determination to survive.  • celebrating the second edition of a practical MTSS book grounded in real-world SLP stories  • building T...

We challenge the medical-style language that keeps school-based SLPs stuck in isolation and overload, and we replace it with an educational, MTSS-aligned way of thinking. We lay out concrete language swaps and service design choices that help us build teacher capacity, reduce overwhelm, and create clear, doable work.  • medical terms that shape unrealistic expectations, including client, wait list...

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...

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...

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 strat...

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 conver...

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...

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 te...

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 coll...

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...

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 • col...