School Support Services is a multidisciplinary consultative program specialising in providing support to schools to enhance learning outcomes for students with Language Disorder and related difficulties.
The team includes a range of professionals, including speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, educators, a physiotherapist and a guidance officer.
Language Disorder impacts students across a range of developmental domains, including language, cognition, sensory, motor, perceptual and social/emotional. Using a multidisciplinary approach enables collaboration between teachers and allied health professionals in the development of inclusive, targeted support that recognises the influence of each domain upon accessing the curriculum.
Meet the Team
Irene Peters
Manager, School Support Services
Irene has worked in the education sector, since completing a Master of Speech Pathology Studies at the University of Queensland in 2006. During this time, she has worked as a consultant speech language pathologist in schools to identify, verify and provide educational adjustments for students with speech, language and related disorders. Irene has a wealth of experience with the Education Adjustment Program in Queensland and supporting schools to access additional funding for students with disabilities due to her previous role as a Speech-Language Impairment verifier. She is passionate about supporting students to reach their best possible outcomes by creating successful learning environments.
Irene coordinates day-to-day operations of the SALDA School Support Services, which enable the multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive and effective educational programs to schools. Irene is the main point of communication with schools and organisations across Queensland to provide further information on the services that the team provide and how they can work collaboratively with other key stakeholders.
Educators
Educators bridge the gap to support the implementation of individualised approaches for students with Language Disorder. In supporting school staff, the educators provide evidence informed strategies, resources and recommendations to optimise student engagement with the Australian Curriculum.
Speech Language Pathologists
Speech language pathologists (SLPs) work with school staff to support students who have Language Disorder and related difficulties in the area of communication. Effective communication underpins many of the skills required for success in the classroom. Our SLPs provide a range of strategies, resources and recommendations specific to developing communication skills within the curriculum.
Occupational Therapists
Occupational therapists (OTs) support a student’s ability to participate in both required and desired daily school activities. This is achieved by providing strategies, resources and recommendations to teachers and support staff to address a range of areas, including perceptual, motor, and social-emotional skills.
Physiotherapist
The physiotherapist (PT) is primarily responsible for identifying how a student’s gross motor skills impact on their access to the curriculum. They provide strategies, resources and recommendations to teachers and support staff that can be incorporated into a student’s daily schedule.
Guidance Officer
The guidance officer assists school staff to understand the impact of cognition on language development, as well as the implications of Language Disorder on mental health and wellbeing. They provide strategies, resources and recommendations regarding co-occurring difficulties with executive functioning (attention, working memory, planning), processing speed, problem solving and higher order thinking. Students with Language Disorder also regularly present with needs within the social-emotional domain.
Administration Officers
The team is ably supported by administration officers who assist the running of the program.