Questions to Ask a Speech Pathologist at Your Evaluation
For parents and adult clients heading into a speech therapy evaluation or plan-of-care meeting. Twenty questions that get you clear targets, a realistic home practice plan, and honest answers about progress.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Which areas of speech, language and communication did you assess, and what did you use to assess them?
Why ask it
Speech pathology covers articulation, expressive and receptive language, fluency, voice, social communication, feeding and swallowing, so you need to know which ones were actually tested. Naming the specific tools also tells you whether the picture came from standardized scores, a language sample, or a parent questionnaire.
Can you walk me through the results in plain language, with an example of something you noticed?
Why ask it
Reports arrive full of percentiles and terms like phonological process or mean length of utterance, and a concrete example anchors all of it. Hearing exactly what the SLP heard makes the goals feel real instead of abstract.
Is this likely a delay that resolves on its own, or a disorder, and how far behind same-age peers are we?
Why ask it
The delay versus disorder distinction drives how urgent therapy is and how long it may take. A clear sense of the gap also stops you from over-worrying about a difference that most kids close by kindergarten.
What is your certification and experience with this specific profile?
Why ask it
A CCC-SLP who spends most of their week on early language is a different fit than one who specializes in stuttering, childhood apraxia of speech, AAC or adult aphasia. Asking about caseload composition rather than credentials alone reveals real depth.
How often and how long should sessions be, and what is that recommendation based on?
Why ask it
Dosage matters more than most families expect, and twice weekly for thirty minutes versus once monthly consultation are very different plans. Pushing for the reasoning separates a clinical judgment from a scheduling default.
What will this cost, what does insurance or the school cover, and what happens if we miss a session?
Why ask it
Speech therapy often runs for months, so the per-session cost, visit caps and no-show policy shape whether the plan is sustainable. Better to hit this on day one than to stop abruptly in month four.
Which targets are we starting with, and why those first?
Why ask it
Good SLPs pick early targets strategically: sounds that are stimulable, high frequency words, or a skill that unlocks several others. The reasoning shows you whether there is a sequence behind the plan or just a checklist.
Can I see the written goals, and how exactly will each one be measured?
Why ask it
A goal like improve speech clarity cannot be scored, while ninety percent accuracy on final /k/ in phrases across two sessions can. Written, measurable goals are what let you tell progress from activity.
Which therapy approach are you using, and what supports it for this diagnosis?
Why ask it
Named approaches such as cycles, minimal pairs, DTTC, Lidcombe or script training each have specific research bases and target populations. If the answer is only play based, ask what the play is designed to elicit.
What does a typical session look like from start to finish?
Why ask it
Knowing the rough structure, warm-up, drill, generalization activity, wrap-up, tells you how many practice repetitions actually happen. Sessions that are mostly free play with little targeted practice rarely move scores.
How much home practice do you want, and what does one good session of it look like?
Why ask it
Progress usually depends more on daily practice than on the weekly appointment. Asking for both the amount and a concrete example prevents the vague practice at home instruction that never gets done.
Can I watch a session or record your cue so I model the sound the same way you do?
Why ask it
Parents often practice with slightly wrong placement or an unhelpful prompt, which can reinforce the error. A short video of the exact model and cue keeps home practice aligned with therapy.
When we hear an error in everyday conversation, should we correct it or let it go?
Why ask it
The right answer varies by case: recasting is standard for many language goals, while heavy correction can worsen stuttering and damage willingness to talk. You need one clear rule you can apply at dinner.
What should I do when practice turns into a power struggle?
Why ask it
Refusal, tears and stalling are normal and predictable, and an experienced SLP has specific fallbacks like shorter sets, movement, choice boards or backing off to an easier level. Getting the plan in advance keeps one bad night from ending home practice for good.
How will we know the skill is carrying over outside the therapy room?
Why ask it
Clinic accuracy often looks great while classroom speech stays unchanged, so ask what evidence of generalization you should be collecting. This is the question that catches a plan stuck at the drill stage.
Is there anything else we should rule out or get referred for?
Why ask it
Speech concerns frequently sit alongside hearing loss, chronic ear infections, tongue tie, feeding difficulty, motor planning issues or later reading problems. A good SLP will name the referrals worth making and the ones that are not needed.
How will you coordinate with the school team, teacher or other therapists?
Why ask it
When private therapy, school services and an IEP or 504 plan run in parallel, uncoordinated goals waste sessions. Ask specifically who talks to whom, how often, and whether you need to sign a release.
Can you show me the data from the last few weeks of sessions?
Why ask it
SLPs typically track trial-by-trial accuracy, so the numbers exist even if nobody shares them. Reviewing the trend line is the fastest way to see whether things are genuinely improving or flat.
What would make you change the approach, and how long do we try this before rethinking?
Why ask it
Setting a review point in advance, say eight to twelve weeks, prevents therapy from drifting for a year on an approach that is not working. It also signals that you expect the plan to be revisited, not just repeated.
What are your discharge criteria, and what should we keep doing after therapy ends?
Why ask it
Knowing the finish line reframes therapy as a project with an endpoint rather than an open subscription. The maintenance plan matters too, since some skills, especially fluency, can slip during stress or transitions.
Getting the Most From Speech Therapy
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to Run the Conversation
Bring a Recording of the Problem
A two minute phone video of everyday talking, at dinner, during play, reading aloud, is often more useful than anything that happens in a quiet therapy room. Kids and adults both perform differently under observation, and the clip gives the SLP a real baseline.
Ask for the Written Report and Read It Before You Talk
Request the evaluation report a day or two ahead so your meeting time goes to questions instead of narration. Mark anything you do not understand and start there.
Name Your Own Priority Out Loud
If the thing that actually matters to you is being understood by a grandparent on the phone, or ordering food without avoiding words, say it. SLPs can build goals around functional priorities, but only if they know what yours is.
Ask What to Do This Week
End every meeting with one specific action for the next seven days. A single clear task beats a long list nobody starts.
Follow-Ups Worth Adding, By Situation
Late Talker, Under Three
- 1How many words and word combinations should we expect in the next three months?
- 2Should we be considering early intervention services alongside this?
- 3Which parent coaching strategies do you want us using all day, not just at practice time?
Stuttering or Fluency
- 1How should we respond in the moment when a block happens?
- 2Are we working on fluency, on communication attitude and avoidance, or both?
- 3What should the school be told, and what should they stop doing?
Adult After Stroke or Brain Injury
- 1Which functional tasks are we prioritizing, and who decided that order?
- 2How much of the recovery window do we have left, and what does intensity buy us now?
- 3What can family do differently in conversation to support word finding?
Minimally Speaking or AAC
- 1How do we get a trial of a device or app rather than waiting on funding?
- 2Will AAC be modeled all day across settings, or only in sessions?
- 3How will you show me that AAC is supporting speech rather than replacing it?
Common Pitfalls
Accepting Wait and See Without a Date
Monitoring is a legitimate recommendation, but only with a review point and specific signs to watch for. Ask what should change by when, and what would trigger starting therapy sooner.
Treating the Weekly Session as the Whole Plan
Thirty minutes a week is a rounding error against the hours a person spends talking. If home or classroom practice is not in place, the plan is under-dosed no matter how good the therapist is.
Confusing a Fun Session With Progress
A child who loves therapy is a real advantage, but enjoyment is not an outcome. Keep coming back to the data and to whether people outside the family understand them better.
Letting Private and School Goals Drift Apart
Duplicated or contradictory goals are a common and expensive failure. Get releases signed early and ask each provider what the other is working on.
Signs to Push Harder or Get a Second Opinion
- Goals are not written down, or cannot be measured as stated
- No session data is available when you ask for it
- The same targets have been in place for a year with no plan change
- You are told to practice at home but never shown exactly how
- Questions about the evidence behind the approach get a defensive answer
- Nobody has ruled out hearing as a contributing factor
- Discharge criteria have never been discussed