Observation
The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to learn more about the
professions we are discussing in class. The objectives are:
1. To observe a licensed/certified professional working in your field of
interest.
2. To observe children and/or adults with communication disorders who are
similar to those you may work with in the future.
In order to complete this assignment, you will do the following:
1. Complete one observation during the course period. You may observe a
speech-language pathologist (SLP), audiologist, or Teacher of the Deaf with
students or patients. They must hold specific credentials as follows:
a. The SLP and audiologist must be certified by the American
Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA CCC-SLP or
ASHA CCC-A). The SLP and/or audiologist must also be licensed in
the state of employment by the Division of Consumer Affairs or
Department of Health.
b. If you observe in a speech professional in a school, he or she must
be certified by ASHA and ALSO be licensed as a Speech-Language
Specialist (SLS) (or similar) by the Department of Education. You may
NOT observe a person with “emergency certification,” or a person
not yet certified for this assignment.
c. If you observe a teacher, he or she must hold state certification as
a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The assignment will not be
fulfilled by observation of a special education teacher with certification
in another area.
CHECK CREDENTIALS BEFORE YOU SPEND TIME DOING YOUR
OBSERVATION.
2. Your observation must be a minimum of 30 minutes long.
3. The professional you observe must sign the form provided and include his
or her full name, title, place of employment and degree(s) or credentials.
4. Write an observation report for each observation that follows the outline
below. Do not write more than two double-spaced pages.
5. Staple a copy of the observation outline, AND your professional’s
signature sheet to the end your observation report.
This list below may give you some ideas about where you can observe SLPs,
audiologists, and Teachers of the Deaf in action. The list is not at all
comprehensive. It is just meant to give you some ideas. Remember to call ahead
to schedule an appointment and verify that the person you will observe has the
appropriate credentials. I suggest you tell him or her in advance the
documentation you need.
When you go out on an observation, you are an ambassador for Kean University.
Dress and behave professionally. Bring the correct signature form with you. Tell
the professional in advance that you need his or her ASHA and license numbers.
SPEECH or AUDIOLOGY
JFK Johnson Pediatric Rehabilitation Center
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, Edison
JFK-JRI Center for Head Injuries at Hartwyck
Godwin School, Midland Park, NJ
Joseph F. Cappello School, Mercer County Special Services
Regional Day School of Central NJ
McKinley School, New Brunswick
Woodfern Elementary School, Hillsborough, NJ
St. Claire’s Hospital
UMDMJ, Newark
Children’s Specialized Hospital, Mountainside
Woods Road Elem. School, Hillsborough, NJ
Children’s Center of Monmouth County
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Paterson
Mount Carmel Guild, Newark
Our Lady of Good Council, Newark
Bloomingdale Avenue School, Cranford
Developmental Learning Center, New Providence
Summit Speech School, New Providence
Private practices
Early Intervention home visits
CLASSROOM Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf
Lake Drive School for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Lakeview School - Cerebral Palsy Center of Middlesex County
Summit Speech School, New Providence (parent/infant and preschool programs)
Lexington School for the Deaf
Outline for Observation Report:
Include all of the following information in your report to receive full credit.
Your name___________ Date of Observation _________
I. Identifying Information
Date of Observation ______
Time of Observation (start time) to (end time)
Name of professional you observed___________________________
Highest degree of professional: BA BS MA MS Ph.D. Ed.D. Other (specify)
Specialty of professional you observed
__________________________________________
Place of Observation____________________________
II. With whom was specialist working?
Describe the patients or students you observed but do not name them, in
order to maintain confidentiality. Include the number, age, and gender of patients
or students present during the observation and their communication diagnoses
(ex, stuttering, hearing impaired, aphasia, etc).
III. Describe the room.
Briefly describe the physical characteristics of the clinic room or
classroom. Pay special attention to the way in which the room is set up - desk or
table locations, how the students are seated in relation to each other and in
relation to the teacher or specialist.
IV. Procedures:
Describe what the specialist was doing during the time you were present.
Pay attention to how he or she communicated with the patients or students. What
was the GOAL of the session (what skill was the specialist trying to teach)? What
procedure(s) did he or she use (ie, what technique did the specialist use - what
did he/she DO)? What materials were being used? Describe what you saw going
on.
V. Response:
In what way did the patients/students respond to the specialist? What did
they do if they did not understand something? Describe their communication:
Describe their speech (articulation, voice, fluency). Describe their receptive and
expressive language (how they understood and expressed themselves).
VI. Your Analysis:
What was the most interesting thing you observed?
What was the most surprising thing you observed?
What one thing did you learn from your observation?
Are you still interested in this field?
Include any other observations or comments you wish to make.
SIGNATURE PAGE FOR OBSERVATION OF: Speech-Language Pathologist
Your Name _____________________________________
Note to Professional: Please complete all fields. Print AND sign name.
Thank you.
Date
of
Obs.
Professional’s
Name and
Signature
Title
Place of
Obs.
ASHA #
State &
License #
Total
time
Signature page for observation of Speech-Language Specialist in school
Your Name _____________________________________
Note to Professional: Please complete all fields. Print AND sign name.
Thank you.
Date
of
Obs.
Professional’s
Name and
Signature
Title
Place of
Obs.
ASHA # State, Date
valid, and
Certificate
#
Total
time
Signature page for observation of Teacher of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Your Name _____________________________________
Note to Professional: Please complete all fields. Print AND sign name.
Thank you.
Date
of
Obs.
Professional’s
Name and
Signature
Title
Place of
Obs.
State, Date of
issue &
Title of
Certification
Total
time