Site Aids Search For School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists, Audiologists Among Others
(Rockville, MD - September 11, 2008) Co-chaired by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services recently launched the Web site www.specialedpros.com which addresses personnel shortages of educators of special needs children, including audiologists and speech-language pathologists and helps educators recruit and retain qualified personnel.
Currently, less than 20 percent of the 17.5 million children and youth in need of mental health services receive care, with shortages continuing to grow. Examples of these shortages are nationwide;71 percent of schools reported the need for more qualified speech-language pathologists, and the ratio of students to audiologists is more than seven times the recommended number.
Information on the site is geared toward administrators, school officials, policymakers, and others interested in mitigating the staff shortages in special education and related student services. Specialedpros.com addresses this need and provides information on advocacy, resources, and ratio data concerning specialized instructional support services personnel such as, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, school psychologists and counselors, and more.
Specialedpros.com also includes current data on supply and demand across the special education and student services professions, certification and licensure requirements, model job descriptions, advocacy materials, and related resources.
