How to Write a Speech Pathologist Introduction Letter

Speech pathologists at schools write introduction letters every year to send home to the parents of children they work with. These letters give the parents some insight into the child's speech program, let them get to know the speech therapist if they've never met and give them a means to contact the speech therapist if there are any questions. These letters are general introduction letters that are friendly in tone and very informal in nature.

Things You'll Need

• School letterhead paper
• Printer

Instructions

1. Address the readers. The parents of the children receiving speech therapy are the intended audience. These children range from minor speech delays and impediments to severe delays with other issues, such as mental retardation or autism. This letter is a general introduction to the parents new to the speech program, and a welcome back to the students previously enrolled in the program.

2. Give them details. Include specific information about plans for the school year, such as which days are therapy days at the school, where the kids have therapy and general information about plans for the speech program throughout the school year. Since most speech pathologists work at several schools, going different places on different days, this information is good to include also. Make sure to keep a positive tone and convey excitement about meeting or continuing to work with their children.

3. Include contact information. Let the parents know what form of communication is the best to use for questions or discussions about their child's progress. Mention any hours that are more convenient for scheduling meetings. Most speech therapists include phone numbers, email addresses and office locations for parents.

4. Keep it informal. The kids in the speech program are the actual clients, and this is just a friendly letter to let the parents know that their children are in good hands. While the letter should be professional, it definitely does not need to meet any rigid style standards. Keep it short and simple and to the point. Informal does not mean sloppy, so use spell check and proofread it.

5. Print it on school letterhead. The stationery needs to have the school's address, phone number and other information on it. The school office can supply the speech therapist with this paper so that parents know that it is really from a school employee.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish