The Listening SLP

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) issued its 2026 determinations for States on their implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for Part B and Part C. (Part B = students with disabilities ages 3 to 21. Part C = infants and toddlers with disabilities birth through age 2.)

The IDEA requires the Department to issue an annual determination, based on State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR), which evaluates the State’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of the IDEA, and describes how the State will improve its implementation.

IDEA details four categories for the Secretary’s determinations. A State’s determination may be:
- Meets the requirements and purposes of IDEA
- Needs assistance in implementing the requirements of IDEA
- Needs intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA;
- Needs substantial intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA.

North Carolina's Determinations are as follows:
- North Carolina needs assistance (two or more consecutive years) in implementing the requirements of IDEA Part C, which serves infants and toddlers, birth through age 2.
- North Carolina needs assistance (two or more consecutive years) implementing the requirements of IDEA Part B, which serves students with disabilities ages 3 through 21.

If a State “needs assistance” for two or more consecutive years, the Department must take one or more enforcement actions, including, among others, requiring the State to access technical assistance, designating the State as a high-risk grantee, or directing the use of State set-aside funds to the area(s) where the State needs assistance.

The report can be viewed here:https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/ideafactsheet-determinations-2026.pdf

People can have some strong feelings when it comes to second opinions. 👀

Some view it as a challenge to their expertise.

Others view it as an opportunity to gather more information.

Personally, I've never understood why a second opinion is treated as a threat.
In healthcare, education, psychology, and countless other professions, second opinions are considered a normal part of decision-making. They provide another perspective, another lens, and sometimes information that helps us better understand a complex situation.

That DOES NOT mean the first clinician was wrong.

It means human beings are complex, assessment is complex, and no single clinician sees everything.As SLPs, our responsibility is not to defend our conclusions at all costs.
Our responsibility is to pursue the most accurate understanding of the student possible.

If another evaluation confirms my findings, great.

If another evaluation expands my understanding, even better.

Because the goal was never to be right.

✨The goal was always to help the child.✨

What are your thoughts on second opinions?

👇🏾 Let's discuss.

IMSE OG+ is NOT just for teachers. It is for SLPs, too! ✨

As SLPs, we are language experts. The sad part is that many of us received very little formal preparation in how reading and spelling develop, or how language difficulties impact literacy outcomes.

Taking the IMSE OG+ course reminded me that literacy is far more complex than phonics, phonological awareness, or reading comprehension strategies alone. Understanding the full framework has made me a stronger clinician and a better advocate for students.

One of the biggest takeaways? The more we understand literacy instruction, the more effective we become as collaborators, evaluators, and interventionists.

If literacy is part of your caseload (and for most of us, it is), consider investing in training that goes beyond a one-hour webinar or overview course. Sometimes, this depth comes from digging into a topic that directly impacts the students we serve every day. 💪🏾

Thinking about taking IMSE OG+? Drop your questions below, and I’ll share more about my experience as an SLP taking the course. ⬇️
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HAPPY PARADE DAY TO THE NY KNICKS! 🏆

While most of us aren’t coaching NBA teams, there are some powerful lessons school teams can take from their journey.

Success didn’t happen overnight. The New York Knicks WAITED 53 years for a championship. It took years of building, refining, adjusting, and trusting the process. 👏🏾

Sound familiar? 👀

As educators, SLPs, interventionists, and school leaders, we’re often working toward goals that take months or even years to achieve. Student growth isn’t always immediate, and progress isn’t always linear.

When teams collaborate, use data to guide decisions, celebrate small wins, and stay focused on the long game, meaningful outcomes happen.

Just like championship teams, successful school teams:
✨ Share a common vision
✨ Value every team member’s contribution
✨ Make adjustments based on data
✨ Stay resilient through challenges
✨ Celebrate growth along the way

The next time you’re feeling discouraged by slow progress, remember that student success (aka championships) are BUILT one small win at a time.

Which lesson resonates most with your work on a school team?
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We are professionals, NOT SUPERHEROES! 🦸🏾‍♀️

When I was a newer SLP, I felt like I had to have all the answers and know everything. Everyone tells you to fake it til you make it. You have the skills right? 🤷🏾‍♀️

What about the harm of our faking it? How is this impacting families? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

As therapist, we have to acknowledge when we are incompetent in an area. Take multiple (not a one and down type deal) CEUs, ask to observe someone else working with that population, and read the research in order to learn more.

Here is the TOUGH part: Accept that you can’t be an expert in everything! 💥

Most people get into allied health fields and teaching because they want to make an impact and serve others. Unfortunately, this savior complex comes in where professionals feel as though the people need saving.

We cannot and should not be all things to all people!

Why is this mindset dangerous? ⤵️

It takes the focus away from the patient, client, student, and makes it about you as the provider.

In short, leave the saving to the real superheroes.
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Let the NY Knicks be a reminder that ANYTHING is possible! 🙌🏾

Knicks in 5 baby!! 💙🧡

For the record, I’m a Knicks fan by association with my NY husband!
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School might be out for summer, but learning doesn’t have to stop! 📝 ☀️

I’m excited to be back for this year’s Summer Book Study alongside an amazing group of educators! 🙌🏾

You get not one book, but TWO books! Super cool that the authors will be joining us for the discussion. I’ll be presenting on Sunday, June 14th on Chapter 4: Building Alphabet Knowledge and Phonemic Awareness! 🙌🏾

All attendees will get a K-2 benchmark tool for FREE in addition to many more resources!

This session is really applicable to SLPs as we work with small groups all the time!

Comment “SOR” to read along this summer!
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I’ve been keeping a secret! 🤫

I completed the IMSE OG+ course back in December! 🙌🏾

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The training provided a structured, evidence-based approach to literacy instruction while connecting the dots between language, reading, spelling, and writing. The best part it was all asynchronous. With my schedule, I loved being able to work at my own pace to get the training done.

As an SLP who is passionate about the language-literacy connection, I appreciated how practical, engaging, and applicable the content was. The course reinforced the importance of explicit instruction and gave me additional tools to support students with language-based literacy challenges! 🧰

One of my favorite parts was seeing how structured literacy principles can be integrated across disciplines to support student outcomes. There’s always something exciting about learning new ways to help students access language and literacy more effectively. More content is coming with some of my favorite resources!

Continuing to learn, grow, and strengthen my practice so I can better serve students and families. 💕

Have you completed IMSE OG+ or another structured literacy training? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!
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Another FREE language screener anyone? COMMENT “CUBED” to get the link to my latest blog post about this free tool. 🙋🏾‍♀️

In a world where everything is so expensive, finding FREE high quality resources is the name of the game! The CUBED 3 created by is the perfect tool to add to your battery (Psssst . . . It looks at literacy too!).

This screener probes language and reading.
✨ Narrative Language Measures
✨ Dynamic Decoding Measures

The beauty is that you can choose to give both or one or the other.

The CUBED 3 is intended to be administered individually and can take 3 to 10 minutes to administer. The screener looks to assess:

✏️ Language Comprehension
✏️ Decoding
✏️ Fluency
✏️ Reading Comprehension
✏️ Narrative Retelling

has a review that talks about language screeners and has a chart comparing many that are available for free or purchase.

This is a great step in the right direction for those with limited funds to purchase screeners at this time!
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With summer(almost) here, it’s time we have an important conversation about investing in ourselves! 🫶🏾

Yes, invest in YOU!! As my girl Donna Summer points out, we work HARD for our money. Whatever your role is as speech therapist, educator, caregiver, and/ or parent, you invest SO MUCH into your patients, your students, your kids, and your loved ones.

That leaves the question of how much are we investing in ourselves? Do we even have anything to invest in ourselves? ⬇️

We have to prioritize and reclaim our time!

Ive struggled with this over the years. When I first started as an SLP I was such a workaholic. I was always buying toys, materials, working after hours so that I could invest in my clients. That left me with only a little time to invest in myself.

Is it still a struggle? SURE! Life will always have challenges. My mindset now is to be intentional with how I show up for SYDNEY. 💕

Here is my challenge for YOU:
✨For every person or thing you invest your time in, make sure to add to your own cup! That could be money, self-care, professional development, or whatever you want!

How are you planning to invest more in yourself?
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