In this Flow Session, I explain why school-based speech therapy is not “broken”—it is often working within a very demanding system. School speech-language pathologists may serve large caseloads while balancing evaluations, IEP responsibilities, meetings, documentation, and direct therapy.

I also explain how private speech therapy can complement school services by providing additional individualized time, targeted goals, parent collaboration, and support beyond what may be possible within the school setting. The goal is not to replace school-based speech therapy, but to understand how both settings can sometimes work together to support a child’s communication development.