Q: What are your favorite ASHA resources?

ASHA has so many tools and resources for school-based SLPs and SLPAs that it can be hard to know where to start. Here are 5 school-based ASHA resources that we return to and share most often (plus 1 bonus in the end!).

#1: ASHA Evidence Maps 

• • • ASHA’s National Center for Evidence-Based Practice (N-CEP) maintains and continuously updates the Evidence Maps to help clinicians find and evaluate current research in speech-language pathology and audiology. You can search and refine results by diagnosis, topic, age, and publication date. The Maps organize evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses and include a six-factor quality appraisal to help you evaluate the research. 
    • Why we love this resource: I can feel confident that I’m starting in the right place when I need relevant, high-quality research to inform my practice. It’s especially helpful when parents or team members ask about an intervention or bring a new intervention idea to the team. Rather than relying on a quick internet search, the Evidence Maps give me a practical starting point for finding research and making informed decisions.
    • Go there now!

#2: Interprofessional Education/Interprofessional Practice (IPE/IPP)

• • • ASHA’s IPE/IPP page brings together resources to help SLPs understand, develop, and implement interprofessional teaming. You’ll find information on the benefits of IPE/IPP, real-world case examples, practical how-to guidance and training, and research to support collaborative approaches. For school-based SLPs, it’s a useful resource for thinking beyond simply working with other professionals toward intentionally building more effective team practices. 
    • Why we love this resource: This is a great one-stop resource for developing and advocating for more effective, evidence-based teaming approaches. When you’re already balancing a busy school-based workload, changing how a team collaborates can feel overwhelming. This page gives you the research, practical guidance, and rationale you need to move from “we should collaborate more” to making it happen.
    • Go there now!

#3: Presentations for School-Based Speech Language Pathologists

• • • Need to explain your role to a group of teachers or parents? ASHA has created six ready-to-use presentations that SLPs can use to educate others about the profession and support communication and language development. Topics include developmental milestones, listening, talking and writing skills for K – 5 students, autism, and “Who We Are and What We Do.”
    • Why we love this resource: These pre-made presentations may not answer every question or fit every audience, but they are a great place to begin. The time saved by starting with one of these presentations can give you more time to customize the information, prepare for questions, and most importantly have deeper conversations with your team. In a busy school-based setting, not having to start a presentation from scratch is a win!
    • Go there now!

#4: Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

• • • This is a resource-rich page for school-based SLPs who want to better understand and participate in MTSS. ASHA provides an overview of the framework, graphics to help explain the different tiers, information about the SLP’s role, and links to additional resources. You can also find state-specific information to help connect the framework to local requirements and practices.
    • Why we love this resource: MTSS and RTI can be challenging to implement well and sometimes even harder to explain to parents and caregivers. I think of this as a bookmark page: a place to return when I need a refresher, want to clarify my role, or need resources to address common myths and misunderstandings about these frameworks. It can also be a helpful starting point when talking with school teams about how SLP services fit within a broader system of support.
    • Go there now!

#5: ASHA Workload Calculator 

• • • This was a game changer in my practice and with my team! This school-based ASHA resource goes beyond the workload calculator itself. ASHA also provides advocacy support, including talking points, practical steps for identifying priorities, and guidance for sharing your plan with supervisors, mentors, and colleagues. Note that access to the Calculator itself requires ASHA membership.
    • Why we love this resource: The data spoke louder than I could. I started using the workload calculator when it was a simple Excel spreadsheet, and I’ve watched it evolve into a dynamic tool for both advocacy and self-reflection. One unexpected benefit was realizing that not every workload challenge was outside my control. Looking closely at my data helped me identify tasks – such as documentation – where I could become more efficient and creative in my approach.
    • Go there now!

Bonus: Practice Resources for School-Based SLPs

• • • Think of this page as a directory for school-based SLP resources. ASHA brings together resources across a wide range of topics, including assessment, service delivery, workload, collaboration, documentation, professional roles and responsibilities, and legal and ethical considerations. It also provides links to additional ASHA resources and related tools that can help you dig deeper into a specific question or area of practice.
    • Why we love this resource: This is a great page to bookmark because you never know what question a school-based SLP will need to answer next. Instead of searching the entire website, this gives you a place to look when you need guidance on a specific practice issue. 
    • Go there now!

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