Santhosh, Sreya (SLP)
Welcome to West Mercer Speech!
Name: Sreya Santhosh, M.S. CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist
Email: sreya.santhosh@mercerislandschools.org
Office number: (206) 230-6063
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Understanding speech-language therapy in the school setting...
SLP: Speech-language pathologist. Therapy provider for speech and language disorders; "speech teacher"; Ms. Sreya :-)
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Legislation ensuring students with disabilities are given Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - Understand your rights under IDEA
BGT: Building Guidance Team. The team that discusses evaluating students for special education services.
IEP: Individualized Education Program. Legal document outlining a student's special education services.
Speech: The physical act of making sounds and saying words.
Articulation: Mouth movements to create speech. Making speech errors is a natural part of acquiring language. For example, a child may say "wed" instead of "red". An SLP's role is to teach the mouth movements needed to change errors that don't disappear over time.
Fluency: Rhythm of speech. Disruptions in speech fluency (disfluencies) are a normal part of everyday speech. People who stutter tend to have a greater number of disfluencies, and specific types of disfluencies. An SLP's role may include strategies to manage stuttering and counseling.
You may also hear this word when talking about reading fluency; this is the ability to read quickly, accurately, and with appropriate expressiveness. Reading fluency can be impacted by speech fluency.
Voice: Using the vocal cords and breath to create sounds for speech. Voice disorders are diagnosed by an otolaryngologist or Ear Nose and Throat doctor (ENT). An SLP's role is to teach healthy voice habits and practice after receiving that diagnosis.
Language: How we use and understand language.
Receptive Language: Understanding what is heard or read by using knowledge of the rules of language, meanings of words, and social conventions of language.
Expressive Language: Organizing thoughts into speech or writing by using knowledge of the rules of language, meanings of words, and social conventions of language.
Pragmatic (Social) Language: Using language in a manner that matches the social setting, situation, and communication partners. Requires knowledge of social conventions, cultural norms of communication, nonverbal communication (e.g., tone of voice, facial expression, implied meanings, etc.), and more.