I am in complete agreement with Cynthia Sudduth Feeney's letter regarding SLPs taking on the role of reading specialists ("SLPs as Reading Specialists," Jan. 22, 2008). Over the years the responsibilities of the SLP in schools have broadened significantly and there just isn't any more room for things not directly related to our primary interest: spoken language.
I fully understand how speech/language and reading/writing are integrally related. Likewise, however, there is delineation where one ends and the other begins. I agree that we should address topics such as phonological awareness and morphology, as they influence reading and writing. But let's leave the actual written language to the people who have been specifically trained in this area.
I think it would be wise for ASHA to conduct Internet surveys of its membership on proposed positions and changes to our responsibilities. ASHA should seek direct input from the "foot-soldiers" in the trenches—the SLPs who will be implementing these changes every day.
The vast majority of school-based SLPs with whom I have spoken do not feel we should be infringing on the responsibilities of a reading teacher. Do we want reading teachers performing speech and language intervention?
Iris Weiss
Randolph, NJ
i3636i@yahoo.com
Editor's note: The ASHA position statement, Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists With Respect to Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents, states that SLPs "...play a critical and direct role in the development of literacy for children and adolescents with communication disorders..." These roles are implemented in collaboration with others who have expertise in the development of written language. All members are invited to provide peer review of practice policies before they are approved. These are announced in The Leader and available online at ASHA's Peer Reviews.