The Toddler Clinic
The Toddler Clinic was introduced in spring 2013 to provide speech, language and early literacy services for toddlers, ages 2 and 3 year, at the SF State ASI Early Childhood Education Center during the fall semester and at the SF State Children’s Campus during the spring semester. The Toddler Clinic is guided by best practices for early intervention which includes a pull-in/push-in service delivery model; comprehensive, coordinated and team based services; and high quality intervention.
Push-In/Pull-Out Service Delivery Model
The Toddler Clinic incorporates a push-in/pull-out service delivery model with a large percentage of our speech, language and early literacy services provided within the classroom setting. While the student clinician formulates the objectives and methods to facilitate communication skills, the toddler determines the activities to be completed and the materials to be used during the classroom activities. Learning in the classroom optimizes the acquisition of communication skills and promotes the transfer of newly learned communication skills to everyday activities.
Comprehensive, Coordinated and Team Based Services
Speech, language and early literacy services at the Toddler Clinic are comprehensive, coordinated and team based so that needed supports and resources can be shared across the classroom and home settings. Staff meetings are held directly after therapy sessions and include the toddlers’ head teachers, graduate student clinicians, undergraduate clinic aides and the clinic instructor. Communication is two-way, with speech and language progress updates provided for the teachers and classroom/home progress updates provided for the student clinicians and clinic instructor. Weekly email addressing toddler progress is exchanged with both caregivers and teachers.
High Quality Intervention
The Toddler Clinic speech, language and early literacy services are based on the highest quality evidence available. In addition to push-in/pull-out classroom services, individual speech and language therapy and early literacy group therapy are also provided to facilitate communication skills and future reading outcomes. Individual speech and language therapy focuses on carefully chosen objectives determined by comprehensive assessment results, while early literacy activities address comprehension, print awareness and early rhyming skills.
For further information about the Toddler Clinic, please contact Dr. Patti Solomon-Rice at psolomon@sfsu.edu.