SLP Workload Reduction Tips

It's mid-year and you are swamped. "Do a workload analysis," they say. But that seems daunting, laborious, IMPOSSIBLE.

A few of us talked about caseload frustrations and came up with a list of quick workload reduction tips for SLPs.

8 Workload Reduction Tips for SLPs

Never fear. Here are 8 ideas to help you lighten your load.

1. Release Yourself From Non-Essential Activities

The social committee will live on without you.

2. Stop Making All of Your Own Materials

Grab some general education materials, adapt them, and fall in love with them.

3. Dismiss, Dismiss, Dismiss

You owe it to your students (and yourself!) to dismiss them when they've met their goals.

4. Assess Wisely

Screen judiciously, employ RTI, and only evaluate areas of significant concern.

5. Blow Up the Schedule

Consider blast scheduling, receding scheduling, co-teaching, or anything else that will allow you to better serve students

6. Stay at the Top of Your License

Teach others to make visuals, run copies, file, or anything else you don't need C's after your name to do.

7. Enlist Gen Ed Peers

With permission, older students can be "speech buddies" with younger students.

8. Ask for Help

Sometimes a skilled set of extra hands for a few days can make a big difference.

We're aware that the reality of SLP life in schools today means that none of these workload reduction tips (or these or these) will radically change your life. The real reduction will only come from systemic changes within our profession, districts, and state and federal governing bodies. Our hope is that these tips might hold a small nugget that will make things a little better and will help you take better care of your students and yourself.