Hey, speechies! Here’s some background on voice and fluency disorders along with tips to help you write voice and fluency speech therapy goals.

<h2>Voice and Fluency Goals: Tips for School Speech Therapists</h2><p>As a <strong>school speech therapist</strong>, you have an unmatched opportunity to help <strong>students with voice and fluency issues thrive</strong>. Doing this successfully will require you to write individualized goals that are specific, meet each student’s unique needs, help them access the curriculum, and extend beyond the school environment.</p><p>To help, in this post we’ll cover:</p><ul><li>Prevalence of voice and fluency disorders</li><li>Impacts of voice and fluency disorders on students</li><li>Writing SMART goals for voice and fluency disorders</li><li>Voice disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Common voice disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Resources on voice disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">SLP voice goals</li><li>Fluency disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Common fluency disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Resources on fluency disorders</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">SLP fluency goals</li></ul><h2>Prevalence of Fluency and Voice Disorders Among Children</h2><p>Voice disorders and fluency problems impact a significant number of students. According to the <a href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-voice-speech-language" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CDC</a> and <a href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-voice-speech-language" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NIH</a>:</p><ul><li>“<strong>1.4 percent</strong> of U.S. children have a <strong>voice disorder</strong> that lasted for a week or longer during the past 12 months.”</li><li>“<strong>5 percent</strong> of U.S. children ages 3-17 have a <strong>speech disorder</strong> that lasted for a week or longer during the past 12 months.”</li><li>“<strong>More than three million Americans</strong> (about one percent) <strong>stutter</strong>. Stuttering can affect individuals of all ages, but occurs most frequently in young children <strong>between the ages of 2 and 6.</strong>”</li></ul><h2>How Fluency and Voice Disorders Can Impact Children and Teens</h2><p>Voice disorders can significantly impact children's academic and social performance in school in several ways:</p><ul><li>Reduced class participation</li><li>Difficulty communicating with peers</li><li>Withdrawing from social settings</li><li>Low self-esteem</li><li>Fatigue, hoarseness, or discomfort while speaking</li><li>Negative impact on job opportunities and future</li></ul><h2>Writing SMART Goals for Voice and Fluency</h2><p>As you write speech therapy voice goals for your students, aim to write <strong>SMART goals</strong>. SMART goals are <strong>Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.</strong> Here’s a template you can use:</p><p>By [date], in order to [educational need], student will [functional skill] with [measurement] with [level of assistance], as measured by [person].</p><h2>Common Voice Disorders</h2><p>While there is a wide range of voice disorders, as a school-based speech-language pathologist, you may work with students who have (<a href="https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/voice/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASHA</a>):</p><ul><li>Chronic cough</li><li>Paradoxical vocal fold movement</li><li>Spasmodic dysphonia</li><li>Vocal fold nodules and polyps</li><li>Vocal fold paralysis</li></ul><h2>Voice Disorder Resource for SLPs</h2><p>For an extensive resource, visit <a href="https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/voice-disorders/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASHA’s clinical topics page on voice disorders</a>, where you’ll find information specifically for SLPs, including an overview, incidence and prevalence, signs and symptoms, causes, roles and responsibilities, assessment, treatment, resources and references.</p><h2>Voice Goals for Speech Therapy</h2><p>Voice goals may be focused on:</p><ul><li>Reducing vocal strain – avoid speaking loudly or for long periods, avoid coughing</li><li>Reducing fatigue – work on building voice endurance and stamina</li><li>Increasing vocal quality – breathing exercises, avoiding caffeine and acidic foods</li><li>Increasing volume control – softly during quiet time, loudly when presenting</li><li>Improving pitch control – rising at end of question, falling at end of statement</li></ul><h2>Common Fluency Issues</h2><p>There are two primary fluency disorders you may encounter as a school-based speech-language pathologist (<a href="https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASHA</a>):</p><ul><li>Cluttering</li><li>Stuttering</li></ul><h2>Fluency Disorders Resources for SLPs</h2><p>For an extensive guide designed for SLPs, visit <a href="https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ASHA’s fluency disorders clinical page</a>, where you’ll find information including an overview, incidence and prevalence, signs and symptoms, causes, roles and responsibilities, assessment, treatment, resources and references.</p><p>Also, check out these <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blogs/slp-resources-activities-to-support-fluency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SLP activities to support fluency</a> shared by a Cross Country Education team member, Dr. Barbara Gutierrez, EdD, CCC-SLP in a CCE webinar.</p><h2>Fluency Goals for Speech Therapy</h2><p>When writing fluency goals for students, consider focusing on:</p><ul><li>Reducing the frequency of stuttering – lessen the frequency, duration and severity</li><li>Improve fluency in various contexts – in the classroom, while presenting, during <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blogs/slp-resources-to-help-students-build-social-skills" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social interactions</a></li><li>Increase confidence – improve self-esteem regarding communicating with others</li><li>Reduce negative emotions – work on acceptance, lessen <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blog?displayPage=3&amp;&amp;site=cce" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">anxiety</a>, embarrassment, etc.</li><li>Use techniques to enhance fluency – slowing speech, pausing, etc.</li></ul><h2>School SLP Jobs</h2><p>To find out where students need speech therapists just like you at <strong> exciting locations nationwide</strong>, browse our <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">school SLP jobs</a> now.</p>

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