Survey of SLP caseloads in Washington State schools: implications and strategies for action

To document statewide and regional caseloads and to examine workload management strategies by surveying speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Washington State public schools.

All school SLPs who were registered with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction were mailed a detailed survey in May, 2001 and a brief follow-up survey 1 year later.

Response rates were 43% (N=431) and 47% (N=464), respectively. Caseload findings showed a statewide mean of 59 students, with regional variation as high as 30%.

There was no systematic evidence that caseloads were managed through state, district, or local limits or by distributing clients on the basis of the severity of impairment or SLP experience ortraining. There was significant evidence, however, that clinicians with larger caseloads were more likely to have assistants and to conduct a higher proportion of group sessions than were clinicians with smaller caseloads. The authors discuss the implication of these findings for and other states with no caseload limits and a shortage of SLPs. There is an appeal for more research using newly established measures of workload as well as a call to action to address the challenges that these findings represent.