Why Teachers Don’t Use Our Speech Strategies (and How to Fix It)
Let’s be real for a second: one of the hardest parts of being a school SLP isn’t therapy, it’s making carryover happen outside the speech room!
You write thoughtful classroom strategies. You create visuals. You explain them at the IEP meeting.
And then… crickets.
Sometimes the notes never even make it past the bottom of a student’s backpack. Other times, you find yourself repeating the same recommendation because no one remembered the first time.
Sound familiar?
I’ve been there, too. And for a while, it drove me nuts.
What Finally Worked
Here’s the shift that made a world of difference for me:
Instead of giving teachers a list of 10 strategies, I gave them just ONE super-simple classroom-ready tip at a time.
That looked like:
“Instead of asking open-ended questions, give 2 choices.”
“Model slow speech with your hand moving down your arm.”
“Pair the vocab word with a quick gesture.”
One tip. One sentence. One strategy.
Why It Helped Teachers Actually Use My Ideas
Teachers aren’t ignoring us because they don’t care. They’re just overloaded. A long list feels like another task on their never-ending to-do list.
But one tip? That feels doable.
And when I circled back a week later with a quick, “Hey, did that choice-making strategy help during reading?”, their reaction was different. They had tried it, noticed it worked, and were more open to the next suggestion.
Try This in Your Own Practice
If you’re frustrated that your carryover strategies aren’t being used, try scaling down:
Share just one idea.
Phrase it in one sentence.
Follow up in person the next week.
It’s a small change that makes a huge difference, not just for you, but your students and your teacher partners.
Because at the end of the day, teachers do want to support our kids. We just have to make it simple for them to succeed.
You’re not alone in this. And yes, it really does get easier when we stop handing out mini-manuals and start giving bite-sized wins.
