Speech and Language Services
I am Maureen McEntee, the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and School Social Worker here
at CIP. I have been an SLP for quite a while and have worked in a variety of settings from
community based organizations, specialized programs, and private and public schools, working
with infants to adults. I hold my Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) from the
American Speech Language and Hearing Association as well as RI certification and licensure.
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech,
language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children
and adults.
- Speech disorders occur when a person has difficulty producing speech sounds correctly
or fluently (e.g., stuttering) or has problems with his or her voice or resonance.
- Language disorders occur when a person has trouble understanding others (receptive
language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings (expressive language). Language
disorders may be spoken or written and may involve the form (phonology, morphology,
syntax), content (semantics), and/or use (pragmatics) of language in functional and
socially appropriate ways.
- Social communication disorders occur when a person has trouble with the social use of
verbal and nonverbal communication. These disorders may include problems (a)
communicating for social purposes (e.g., greeting, commenting, asking questions), (b)
talking in different ways to suit the listener and setting, and (c) following rules for
conversation and story-telling.
- Cognitive-communication disorders include problems organizing thoughts, paying
attention, remembering, planning, and/or problem-solving.
- Swallowing disorders (dysphagia) are feeding and swallowing difficulties.
SLPs also:
- Provide aural rehabilitation for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for individuals with
severe expressive and/or language comprehension disorders, such as autism spectrum
disorder or progressive neurological disorders.
I provide a variety of direct and indirect services to the students at CIP. I work with students
from the age of 3 up to and including 5 th grade. As the SLP, I screen all incoming Kindergarten
students for their overall articulation and language (i.e. ability to use and understand language).
In addition, I work with students and teachers to help support articulation and language
development. I also provide screenings as needed to older students, pre-k students etc. I may,
depending on the decision of the Team and the needs of the student, provide evaluations to
assess articulation, phonology and language skills more in depth. I provide direct therapy to
students with Individual Education Plans, and consultation services for some students with 504
Plans.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s speech or language please feel free to
call me at school, 647-5100 or email me at [email protected]