The role of stuttering specialists in the school setting

The role of the fluency specialist, including how the school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP) and specialist can coordinate effective service for children who stutter is the primary focus of this article. The fluency specialist, who is either an employee of the school district or an outside consultant, addresses the needs of a particular child and/or clinician. Basic challenges of providing fluency intervention in a school setting and locating a fluency specialist with whom to work are addressed. The optimal skills that fluency specialists need to demonstrate are addressed in relation to their ability to assist professionals in their treatment of a stuttering disorder. To further clarify the coordination process between the fluency specialist and the school-based SLP, three models of collaboration are elaborated, all in pursuit of providing the highest quality of service possible for children who stutter in the school setting.