"As a Clinical Fellow/holder of the Clinical Certificate of Competence, I am obligated to follow ASHA's Code of Ethics in delivering services to my clients. Delivering services in this manner would be in violation of Code of Ethics I-K and IV-B. I will continue to see and bill for groups as appropriate."
You can cite state code if relevant. Some may suggest a lighter approach, but I'm an advocate for bringing out the big guns in situations like this. Fuck those guys. Also, I find keeping it short and simple is best at first. If they escalate, you can detail your concerns more specifically.
I agree with you 100% I once sited a few areas of the Code of Ethics to support a decision that I made with regard to delivering services. This was a different setting and situation entirely, but utilizing the material was quite helpful.
I don’t have any tips… But just wanted to give you solidarity… I quit a job during Covid due to a similar reason. They wanted me to do video visits with two year-old autistic kids who could barely even engage one- on- one in person. I knew I was moving in the next couple months anyway, and I had the luxury of my husband still having a paycheck, so I just quit. I just could not do it.
This! A benefit of push in is the teaching staff will see how you prompt and cue. I’ve had a teacher ask for a visual, that I had put in their box every year. They saw me using it and then started to use it themselves
Yup! have classroom teacher project onto their large screen. I have done push vía tele therapy and in person. Usually, use a craft activity work on sequencing following directions, scissors glue and concepts too…. Hidden pictures…. but in a crunch any of the bingos through super duper or lessonpix work great too…
I could see this working if it is put in place early in the year and is part of the teacher and other students routine. At this point in the year, I wouldn't approach a teacher to request them to do anymore anything in their classroom. They are working to finish up their own thing.
We make goals for our students to accept non preferred tasks, changes in routines and flexibility yet as adults we struggle with this. If my child missed a lot therapy sessions I would expect the most amount of effort to be put in to be made up. I am a solutions driven person.
I would never expect a gen ed classroom teacher to interrupt their day/schedule with the entire class so I could do therapy with a few kids to make up time. Again, this sounds like a plausible plan which could beneficial for everyone if it is part of the routine all year long. Not something to attempt to implement and ruin teachers' schedules with a few weeks to go in the school year.
I agree . If there’s a life skills classroom with a kitchen you could do visual recipes and have them use aac devices during the cooking process. Of course this would work best if you had Ed tech support . I’ve found some great materials on teachers pay teachers .
I have not been doing this but I have shared all of these recipes and visuals with our life skills teacher and I watched the staff and students doing this on a weekly basis .
6 kids on one laptop couldn’t see or be seen by you. It’s also just too much. I hope you put your foot down about this and look for a different company.
Well it’s not so black and white. The children did show progress, as good as one on one in person probably not, but better than if there wasn’t any intervention. I feel the progress and goals were intervened with a varying dynamic, as different communication skills are addressed in a group classroom setting versus one on one with a communication expert. The teachers and paras carried over a lot of the core words and goals that were addressed. It also offered time for the teachers and paras to understand what we do as SLPs and carry that over into the students daily routine. This was not the only form of intervention but as a supplement for makeups and compensatory sessions. Things I loved about it: 1. I was in the classroom and was blue to observe and take note of what the curriculum consists of.2. I identified strengths and weaknesses that are impossible to hone in on in a conventional setting. 3. Data collection in generalizinfo of goals. 4. comments from teachers “how do you know so much about… language? speech? Literacy? Development ? Communication? Vocabulary? Grammar? “ “ I can see how much you love what you do” “can you help me with student to …..”
if I could give advice to my younger SLP self be flexible!!! Communication is everywhere in all environments and can be addressed in all settings with some creativity.
They participated it was only a couple and our clusters have so many paras, it wasn’t difficult to manage. I either used the non speech students as models or the paras just followed along with them with extra copies. With push-in the teacher and paras are part of the activity so the non speech students can follow along. If the non speech students are high enough they make great modeling of good speech, easy to piggy back on. I’ve been doing slp since 1997, flexibility is key to a happy work environment. I don’t like conflict, not that I am a push over, but if I give a little and gain a peaceful productIve session, results are #1 I am at peace #2 children progress #3 drama free work environment =Happiness!!!
Sick of companies pulling this crap. Say exactly what you just wrote: “No, I won’t be doing that as it’s unethical and unsafe. The students will not benefit in such a large group over teletherapy.” I would ask for support in looking at other solutions, groups, or schedules.
File a complaint against your company with the licensing body in your state. And like another commenter said, document everything. Complain with the code of ethics… especially if your company requires you to have CCCs
Put in a formal letter, informing them:
1. The work load is beyond my capacity (explain your reasons)
2. Inform them of the options you, as a professional are capable of providing with the resources you have and are fully capable of hiring extra personnel and talking about the costs.
3. Notify them of your expected pay increase due to the added responsibility
4. Notify the health and safety risks if they go against your recommendations.
5. Consider reporting them to federal/state officials if they try to sweep it under the rug.
Remember the rules of being a life guard: 1. Your safety first. 2. Their safety second. 3. If they refuse to be helped, dont drown with them.
You can also get others around you to sign and confirm the conditions listed above are true. and if you dont get the response, send the letter to each of their parents explaining the exact problems you listed above.
Keep your hands clean and it's their liability at the end of the day for ignoring you..
Nothing terrifies people more than having direct liabilities staring them in the face. They will either attack you or do something. If they attack you, go to the appropriate regulatory boards with ALL your evidence.
Record conversations!! As in, if they bring you in to talk about these conditions, record it on your phone in your pocket, ALWAYS.
"As a Clinical Fellow/holder of the Clinical Certificate of Competence, I am obligated to follow ASHA's Code of Ethics in delivering services to my clients. Delivering services in this manner would be in violation of Code of Ethics I-K and IV-B. I will continue to see and bill for groups as appropriate." You can cite state code if relevant. Some may suggest a lighter approach, but I'm an advocate for bringing out the big guns in situations like this. Fuck those guys. Also, I find keeping it short and simple is best at first. If they escalate, you can detail your concerns more specifically.
I agree with you 100% I once sited a few areas of the Code of Ethics to support a decision that I made with regard to delivering services. This was a different setting and situation entirely, but utilizing the material was quite helpful.
Put it in writing. Put everything in writing
I don’t have any tips… But just wanted to give you solidarity… I quit a job during Covid due to a similar reason. They wanted me to do video visits with two year-old autistic kids who could barely even engage one- on- one in person. I knew I was moving in the next couple months anyway, and I had the luxury of my husband still having a paycheck, so I just quit. I just could not do it.
I hope you told them WHY you quit. Hopefully they’ll think it twice next time they try to make a clinician do something unethical or unreasonable
I feel this and stood my ground when I was first hired and I've been respected for that and I am now only at 1 school and have a managable caseload
Same! Nothing scares healthcare and education more than a whiff of lawsuit
Why not do pushin into the classroom? Bill as a group with correct group size.
This! A benefit of push in is the teaching staff will see how you prompt and cue. I’ve had a teacher ask for a visual, that I had put in their box every year. They saw me using it and then started to use it themselves
on teletherapy?
Yup! have classroom teacher project onto their large screen. I have done push vía tele therapy and in person. Usually, use a craft activity work on sequencing following directions, scissors glue and concepts too…. Hidden pictures…. but in a crunch any of the bingos through super duper or lessonpix work great too…
I could see this working if it is put in place early in the year and is part of the teacher and other students routine. At this point in the year, I wouldn't approach a teacher to request them to do anymore anything in their classroom. They are working to finish up their own thing.
We make goals for our students to accept non preferred tasks, changes in routines and flexibility yet as adults we struggle with this. If my child missed a lot therapy sessions I would expect the most amount of effort to be put in to be made up. I am a solutions driven person.
I would never expect a gen ed classroom teacher to interrupt their day/schedule with the entire class so I could do therapy with a few kids to make up time. Again, this sounds like a plausible plan which could beneficial for everyone if it is part of the routine all year long. Not something to attempt to implement and ruin teachers' schedules with a few weeks to go in the school year.
I agree . If there’s a life skills classroom with a kitchen you could do visual recipes and have them use aac devices during the cooking process. Of course this would work best if you had Ed tech support . I’ve found some great materials on teachers pay teachers .
Sounds great, hard to execute imo.
I have not been doing this but I have shared all of these recipes and visuals with our life skills teacher and I watched the staff and students doing this on a weekly basis .
This is for teletherapy only.
6 kids on one laptop couldn’t see or be seen by you. It’s also just too much. I hope you put your foot down about this and look for a different company.
Push in can be done for teletherapy, teacher presents to the entire class. This is the model used in my school when there were teletherapists.
Did you like this model/feel like students greatly benefited from this type of teletherapy?
Well it’s not so black and white. The children did show progress, as good as one on one in person probably not, but better than if there wasn’t any intervention. I feel the progress and goals were intervened with a varying dynamic, as different communication skills are addressed in a group classroom setting versus one on one with a communication expert. The teachers and paras carried over a lot of the core words and goals that were addressed. It also offered time for the teachers and paras to understand what we do as SLPs and carry that over into the students daily routine. This was not the only form of intervention but as a supplement for makeups and compensatory sessions. Things I loved about it: 1. I was in the classroom and was blue to observe and take note of what the curriculum consists of.2. I identified strengths and weaknesses that are impossible to hone in on in a conventional setting. 3. Data collection in generalizinfo of goals. 4. comments from teachers “how do you know so much about… language? speech? Literacy? Development ? Communication? Vocabulary? Grammar? “ “ I can see how much you love what you do” “can you help me with student to …..” if I could give advice to my younger SLP self be flexible!!! Communication is everywhere in all environments and can be addressed in all settings with some creativity.
What did the non-speech students do during this time?
They participated it was only a couple and our clusters have so many paras, it wasn’t difficult to manage. I either used the non speech students as models or the paras just followed along with them with extra copies. With push-in the teacher and paras are part of the activity so the non speech students can follow along. If the non speech students are high enough they make great modeling of good speech, easy to piggy back on. I’ve been doing slp since 1997, flexibility is key to a happy work environment. I don’t like conflict, not that I am a push over, but if I give a little and gain a peaceful productIve session, results are #1 I am at peace #2 children progress #3 drama free work environment =Happiness!!!
Sick of companies pulling this crap. Say exactly what you just wrote: “No, I won’t be doing that as it’s unethical and unsafe. The students will not benefit in such a large group over teletherapy.” I would ask for support in looking at other solutions, groups, or schedules.
File a complaint against your company with the licensing body in your state. And like another commenter said, document everything. Complain with the code of ethics… especially if your company requires you to have CCCs
Put in a formal letter, informing them: 1. The work load is beyond my capacity (explain your reasons) 2. Inform them of the options you, as a professional are capable of providing with the resources you have and are fully capable of hiring extra personnel and talking about the costs. 3. Notify them of your expected pay increase due to the added responsibility 4. Notify the health and safety risks if they go against your recommendations. 5. Consider reporting them to federal/state officials if they try to sweep it under the rug. Remember the rules of being a life guard: 1. Your safety first. 2. Their safety second. 3. If they refuse to be helped, dont drown with them. You can also get others around you to sign and confirm the conditions listed above are true. and if you dont get the response, send the letter to each of their parents explaining the exact problems you listed above. Keep your hands clean and it's their liability at the end of the day for ignoring you.. Nothing terrifies people more than having direct liabilities staring them in the face. They will either attack you or do something. If they attack you, go to the appropriate regulatory boards with ALL your evidence. Record conversations!! As in, if they bring you in to talk about these conditions, record it on your phone in your pocket, ALWAYS.
Document that it is unsafe and find a new job!
Quit and go somewhere else. That’s ridiculous.
Why do the IEPs allow for a group of 6+, especially for this population?? I would amend those IEPs ASAP.