Mrs. Paula Jo Hornberger
Speech
Language Pathologist
Frackville and Ringtown Elementary Centers
phornberger@northschuylkill.net
Contact Information:
Parents may e-mail me at phornberger@northschuylkill.net,
or reach me by telephone as
follows:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays at Frackville Elementary
Center: 874-3661
Tuesdays and Fridays at Ringtown Elementary Center: 889-3161
Please understand that I may not be able to take your call
if I am with a group of students, but will be happy to call back if you leave a
number at which you can be reached. I strongly encourage communication, so
please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with questions or concerns! If
telephoning, the best times to reach me at school are between
What is “SPEECH?”
Speech Language Pathologists work with students who have been identified with needs in the areas of communication. This includes working on improvement of the production of speech sounds (Articulation/ Phonology), Expressive Language, Receptive Language, Fluency, Voice, and Auditory Processing/Auditory Perception. Students who receive Speech therapy services are initially identified through a process of screening, primarily via. teacher or parent referral. Students may be referred at any time throughout the school year and throughout any grade (Kindergarten through 6th grade at the Elementary level). Parent referrals should be discussed with the classroom teacher, and shared with the Speech Language Pathologist. For more information on referring your child for a Speech and Language screening, please contact your child’s classroom teacher, or you may reach me at the numbers listed above.
If a screening indicates that a child may have needs in Speech
and Language, there are a few initial options that need to be looked at.
Initially, some informal interventions may be put into place for the parent and
teacher to try with the child to help him or her to improve the speech and /or
language errors. These are recommended by the Speech Language Pathologist and
the team for a trial period with the student. If the interventions are enough
to help improve the student’s speech, the process stops here and the team may
recommend continuation of those interventions. If the initial interventions are
not helping the child, then a “Permission to Evaluate” form is issued to the
parent. The parent then signs this form, choosing to give, or to not give, the
school district permission to complete a comprehensive Speech and Language
evaluation. If permission is given, the evaluation is completed to determine the student’s needs, and focuses on
the identification of Articulation/Phonological problems, Fluency, Receptive
and Expressive Language and/or Auditory Perceptual problems. (Voice problems
may be identified through the screening process, but must then be referred to
the child’s physician for a medical evaluation prior to an IEP being written
for voice therapy.) The Speech and Language evaluation gives the team the information
needed to make the determination as to whether this child is in need of a
program of Speech and Language Support. A team meeting follows the completed
evaluation, and the determination is made through input from all team members.
Parents are critical members of that team!
Once
a student is identified as needing Speech and Language Services, the team meets
to write an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for Speech. Through this plan,
the Speech Language Pathologist may then provide appropriate individual and/or
group therapy to the student in his or her neighborhood school to address the
identified needs and goals contained in the IEP. Speech Language Pathologists also
regularly evaluate student progress and determine readiness for termination of therapy
sessions, once students’ goals have been met.
Discipline and Classroom Rules:
As
the Speech Language Pathologist, I conduct my classroom under the same rules as
any classroom in the school, except on a smaller student to teacher ratio. When
students are with me for Speech, I expect them to follow the Student Code of
Conduct and student handbook. I encourage them to work hard on their individual
goals, respect the other students in the group as they strive to achieve their
own goals, and demonstrate respect for my role as their teacher at that given
time. If necessary I will administer discipline to students according to the
Student Handbook. This includes the giving of detention for behavioral offenses
and for missed homework assignments.
Homework Policy
Completion of Speech homework is critical to your child’s
success and progress in Speech. I will never assign a home Speech and Language
carryover activity that your child cannot handle, or cannot do first with me.
Speech homework should only take you and your child about 5 – 10 minutes per
day to complete. However, carryover of learned communication skills is critical to your child’s
success!! Without your help to carryover learned speech skills to other
environments, your child will progress at a much slower pace than if you
encourage your child to carryover the speech skills learned on a daily basis. Correct speech and
language is something all kids need to practice, especially those who have been
misproducing their speech for quite some time. Those
mispronunciations are a habit that will take some time to break, and parental
involvement is critical to this process. I do require that all Speech homework be
signed by whomever served as the child’s “helper” that
day. Typically children do not need to do much more than say some words or
sentences for the helper to hear, therefore without a signature, it is
difficult for me to determine if someone is actually helping the child at home.
This is why I require the helper’s signature on all homework assignments.
Children are given sticker chart incentives for working hard in Speech and demonstrating
good behavior, and are given an extra sticker for the day for each time a
homework assignment in completed and signed by their helper. If you have any
questions at any time regarding Speech homework please e-mail or call me at the
numbers listed above.
Mrs. Hornberger’s Biography:
I graduated from
I
currently hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in Speech Language
Pathology, a Level 2 Teaching Certificate, and a PA State License in Speech
Language Pathology, granted by the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology.
I am employed full time by the
Prior to being employed by