Speech-Language Pathologists' Opinions on Response to Intervention

The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) on response to intervention (RTI). Questionnaires were mailed to 2,000 randomly selected elementary and secondary SLPs throughout the United States. Mean results of 583 respondents (29.15%) indicated that SLPs agreed on 37 Likert-type items and responded with "neither agree nor disagree" on 10 other items. The majority of participants acknowledged the importance of their role in RTI and the value of screening, progress monitoring, assessment, and prevention of continued failure. Some were uncertain whether multidisciplinary team members were knowledgeable and trained to implement RTI. More than 80% of participants indicated challenges related to training, funding, additional personnel, administrative leadership, and planning time. SLPs acknowledged the importance of prevention, collaboration, and well-trained educators in serving struggling learners. However, challenges in implementation of the model will require careful consideration in advancing the discussions on RTI. (Contains 5 tables.)