Speech & Language Therapist

Rationale

The Hamilton International School (THIS) provides specialist teaching and therapy for students whose primary need is Speech, Behaviour, Language and Communication. Some pupils are also on the autistic spectrum and have high level sensory needs.

The Junior Speech & Language Therapist priority is to provide clinically effective, person-centred, and evidence‑based Speech & Language therapy assessment and intervention to students at The Hamilton International School. They will also provide support and training to all education staff regarding Speech & Language therapy interventions.

• Provide clinically effective, person‑centred, and evidence‑based therapy, assessment and intervention to children at the Hamilton International School.
• Provide support and training to all education staff with regard to S&L therapy interventions.

The S&L Therapist will be expected to work in collaboration with allied professionals and will need to maintain links with a variety of bodies. These will include:

• Students and their parents/carers and advocates
• School staff
• Other professionals working with the students
• Relevant Community Services

• Assess, screen, and evaluate students and effectively share results with parents and educational staff, and participate in the eligibility determination process in accordance with school requirements and best practice.
• Providing high quality direct speech‑language therapy services to students according to students’ Individual Education Plans.
• Conducting assessments, analysing results, and writing reports to determine strengths and concerns in areas of speech, voice, fluency, pragmatics, language, and oral motor skills.
• Developing IEPs that are SMART and strength‑based as well as child and family centred for overall educational improvement.
• Ensuring evaluations, IEPs and service delivery are aligned with school guidelines.
• Assisting and guiding teachers in observing, describing, and referring suspected and identified speech and language delays/disorders.
• Provide consultative services for school staff by sharing and demonstrating specific techniques and working with school teams to facilitate relevant and consistent interventions for targeted students.
• Communicate and collaborate with parents and the school community for the purpose of fostering individual student success and growth while engaging the families in the therapy program.
• Maintain and submit information/reports including student progress for all students.
• Share with other staff members the responsibility for school activities and student supervision.
• Communicating and coordinating with the SENCO to ensure school mission, philosophy, and procedures are embraced.
• Keeping abreast of best practices in speech and language therapy and language development.
• Contributing productively to the school as a whole.

• Use clinical reasoning skills, to analyse and interpret assessment results in order to set appropriate therapy goals and outcome measures.
• Monitor, evaluate and modify intervention in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.
• Provide individual or small group therapy, as required.
• Liaise with all team members and family/carers to provide a coordinated approach and ensure occupational therapy treatment is integrated into the student’s targets.
• Contribute to and / or provide training to both school staff and parents.
• Work closely with the SEN team, including the occupational therapist, to ensure provision is child centred and the environment enables them to realise their potential and maximise their academic, social, physical and emotional development.
• Develop and monitor SaLT programmes implemented by the Special Education Teachers and Learning assistants.
• Support, advise and supervise the same.
• Assess for, advise and order specialist equipment/software being aware of financial implications and restrictions in liaison with reporting relationships.
• Attend school‑arranged meetings for children, including IEP meetings, reviews and parent evenings.
• Use IT and other alternative methods of communication to overcome barriers to communication (e.g. simple…