Long-term Consequences of Childhood Bullying in Adults who Stutter: Social Anxiety, Fear of Negative Evaluation, Self-esteem, and Satisfaction with Life.

PURPOSE: Psychosocial disorders have been reported in adults who stutter, especially social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety has been linked to childhood victimization. It is possible that recalled childhood victimization could be linked to psychosocial problems reported in some adults who stutter. METHOD: Participants were 36 adults who stutter and 36 adults who do not stutter (mean age=21.9 years). The Retrospective Bullying Questionnaire was completed for primary school, secondary school and university environments for physical, verbal, relational and cyber bullying. Participants were categorized into one of five groups (bully, victim, bully-victim, bystander and uninvolved) based ontheir responses. Participants completed four psychosocial scales: social interaction anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, self-esteem and satisfaction with life scales. RESULTS: The two groups differed with adults who stutter having higher social interaction anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and satisfaction with life. Analyses of variance revealed that victims had the highest scores among both groups on all four scales. CONCLUSION: Adults who recalled being victimized during childhood were more likely, regardless of whether they stutter or did not stutter, to have poorer psychosocial scale scores. These results show the lingering effects of childhood victimization, common in some children who stutter, may contribute to the reported psychosocial problems in adulthood. The need for early intervention for children who are bullied and future research with larger samples is warranted.

Victims Seeking Help from Speech-Language Pathologists: Bullying, Preparedness, and Perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: Antibullying initiatives indicate that all school-based personnel should accept responsibility for changing the school climate and eliminating bullying. This study examined if victims seeking assistance for bullying contacted speech-language pathologists (SLPs), SLPs' preparation to address bullying and their current perceptions of responsibilities and interventions. METHODS: A mailed survey consisting of a questionnaire and scale on bullying intervention strategies was completed by 418 school-based SLPs. RESULTS: Sixty-one (14.6%) SLPs reported that victims on their caseloads told them directly about being bullied during the last month. The majority of SLPs (84.9%) reported that bullying was a problem in schools, and 65.1% reported that they had observed students being bullied in the past month. Less than half of the SLPs (46.7%) reported feeling prepared to deal with bullying episodes. Thirty-six SLPs (7.9%) reported that they did not address bullying issues because it was outside the scope of practice or job responsibilities. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large study to report that victims seek help from SLPs directly for assistance with bullying incidents. SLPs stated that they received some training in addressing bullying issues but did not feel prepared. SLPs thought bullying was a problem but were undecided about the best strategies for assisting the students.

Familiarity breeds support: speech-language pathologists' perceptions of bullying of students with autism spectrum disorders.

UNLABELLED: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are primary targets for bullies and victimization. Research shows school personnel may be uneducated about bullying and ways to intervene. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools often work with children with ASD and may have victims of bullying on their caseloads. These victims may feel most comfortable turning to SLPs for help during one-to-one treatment sessions to discuss these types of experiences. A nationwide survey mailed to 1000 school-based SLPs, using a vignette design technique, determined perceptions about intervention for bullying and use of specific strategies. Results revealed a majority of the SLPs (89%) responses were in "likely" or "very likely" to intervene categories for all types of bullying (physical, verbal, relational and cyber), regardless of whether the episode was observed or not. A factor analysis was conducted on a 14 item strategy scale for dealing with bullying for children with ASD. Three factors emerged, labeled "Report/Consult", "Educate the Victim", and Reassure the Victim". SLPs providing no services to children with ASD on their caseloads demonstrated significantly lower mean scores for the likelihood of intervention and using select strategies. SLPs may play an important role in reducing and/or eliminating bullying episodes in children with ASD. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will be able to (a) explain four different types of bullying, (b) describe the important role of school personnel in reducing and eliminating bullying, (c) describe the perceptions and strategies selected by SLPs to deal with bullying episodes for students with ASD, and (d) outline the potential role of SLPs in assisting students with ASD who are victimized.

Speech-language pathologists' knowledge of genetics: perceived confidence, attitudes, knowledge acquisition and practice-based variables.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the general knowledge bases demonstrated by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the area of genetics, (b) the confidence levels of SLPs in providing services to children and their families with genetic disorders/syndromes, (c) the attitudes of SLPs regarding genetics and communication disorders, (d) the primary sources used by SLPs to learn about genetic disorders/syndromes, and (e) the association between general knowledge, confidence, attitudes, the number of years of experience working as an SLP, and the number of children currently provided services with genetic disorders/syndromes on SLPs' caseloads. Survey data from a nationwide sample of 533 SLPs was analyzed. Results showed SLPs earned a median knowledge score about genetics of 66% correct responses. Their mean confidence and attitude ratings were in the "unsure" categories while they reported they learned about genetics from three main sources, (a) self-study via web and internet-based searches, (b) on-the-job training and (c) popular press magazines and newspapers. Analyses revealed that Confidence summary scores, Attitude Summary scores, the number of children with genetic disorders/syndromes on SLPs' caseloads are positively associated with the ratings of participants with the highest Knowledge scores. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will be able to (a) explain the important links between developmental and communication disabilities and genetics, (b) describe the associations between knowledge about genetics and confidence, attitudes, and the number of children with genetic disorders/syndromes on their caseloads, and (c) outline the clinical and theoretical implications of the results from this study.

Self-reported experience of bullying of students who stutter: relations with life satisfaction, life orientation, and self-esteem.

Self-reported self-esteem, life orientation, satisfaction with life, and bullying were examined in relation to victimization experiences among 54 students who stuttered and 54 students who did not stutter. Those who stuttered reported greater, i.e., clinically significant, victimization (44.4%) than students who did not stutter (9.2%). Significant differences were found between means for self-esteem and life orientation, with students who stuttered reporting lower self-esteem and less optimistic life orientation than those who did not stutter. In both groups of students, high victimization scores had statistically significant negative correlations with optimistic life orientation, high self-esteem, and high satisfaction with life scores. Given the increased likelihood of students who stuttered being bullied, the negative relation of adjustment variables and bullying, and the potentially negative long-term effects of bullying, increased vigilance and early intervention are discussed.

Written language disorders: speech-language pathologists' training, knowledge, and confidence.

PURPOSE: This study examined speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') perceptions of their (a) educational and clinical training in evaluating and treating written language disorders, (b) knowledge bases in this area, (c) sources of knowledge about written language disorders, (d) confidence levels, and (e) predictors of confidence in working with written language disorders. METHOD: A 6-part survey was developed and was mailed to 1,000 school-based SLPs. RESULTS: SLPs (n = 599) practicing in 47 states responded to the survey. A majority (60.3%) reported working with a child with a written language disorder either weekly or daily. SLPs described their educational and clinical training as "limited" in the evaluation and treatment of children with written language disorders. The average SLP stated feeling "somewhat confident" to evaluate and treat written language disorders, and 63.8% reported that they received most of their knowledge through "on-the job" training. Confidence was related to four variables: on-the-job training, general knowledge about written language disorders, attendance at conventions, and understanding of collaborative efforts. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide information about SLPs' training, knowledge, and confidence about written language beyond anecdotal reports and fill research gaps regarding SLPs' preservice and professional development needs. Predictors of confidence are discussed.

Bullying in children who stutter: speech-language pathologists' perceptions and intervention strategies.

UNLABELLED: Bullying in school-age children is a global epidemic. School personnel play a critical role in eliminating this problem. The goals of this study were to examine speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perceptions of bullying, endorsement of potential strategies for dealing with bullying, and associations among SLPs' responses and specific demographic and practice-oriented variables. A survey was developed and mailed to 1000 school-based SLPs. Six vignettes describing episodes of physical, verbal, and relational bullying of hypothetical 10-year students who stutter were developed. Three vignettes described bullying specifically mentioning stuttering behaviors, while three described bullying without mentioning stuttering behavior. The data from 475 SLPs were analyzed. SLPs rated physical bullying as most serious and in need of intervention, followed by verbal bullying. Relational bullying was rated as not serious or in need of intervention. SLPs also responded to the likelihood of using strategies for dealing with bullying. Physical and verbal bullying elicited the use of "talking with the teacher", "working with school personnel", and "reassuring the child of his safety" strategies. Relational bullying elicited "ignore the problem" and "be more assertive" strategies. Correlations among variables are reported. The seriousness of physical and verbal bullying, likelihood of intervention, and the lack of knowledge about relational bullying is discussed. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Readers should be able to: (1) summarize the research describing the negative effects of three major types of bullying, (2) summarize the research describing bullying and children with communication disorders, especially stuttering, (3) report results of a survey of speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perceptions of bullying in school-age children, (4) explain the perceived seriousness of the problem by SLPs and likelihood of intervention, and (5) describe the need for continued prevention and intervention activities for children who stutter.

Effects of perceived causality on perceptions of persons who stutter.

UNLABELLED: This study examined the effects of the perceived cause of stuttering on perceptions of persons who stutter (PWS) using a 7-item social distance scale, a 25-item adjective pair scale and a 2-item visual analogue scale. Two hundred and four university students rated vignettes which varied on describing a PWS with different causalities for stuttering (psychological, genetic, or unknown). Ratings differed significantly according to assigned causality. The vignette with the stuttering due to psychological causes was rated more negatively on 14 adjective pairs and the Social Distance Scale Index when compared to the ratings of vignettes with stuttering caused by either genetic or unknown causes. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between ratings of the vignettes attributing stuttering to either genetic or unknown causes. Neither familiarity with PWS nor the perceived curability of stuttering had any significant association to the ratings. Implications of findings regarding negative stereotypes, stigmatization and perceived causality for PWS are discussed. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Readers will be able to describe and explain: (1) research regarding negative stereotypes and stigma associated with stuttering, (2) research about attribution theory and stigma, (3) two methods used to evaluate stereotypes and stigma in adults, and (4) the negative effects on ratings of PWS due to psychological causality.

University students' perceptions of pre-school and kindergarten children who stutter.

UNLABELLED: To determine how early "the stuttering stereotype" is assigned, 160 university students rated a hypothetical vignette depicting either a 3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year-old with or without the statement "He stutters". A factor analysis of the semantic differential scale showed a three-factor solution comprised of 17 of the 25 bi-polar adjective pairs. The factor labeled personality showed significantly more negative ratings for 2-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year-old children based on the inclusion of the "He stutters" sentence. There were no differences between male and female raters. A significant difference was found between raters who were knew someone who stuttered and raters who did not know someone who stuttered on the personality factor. Raters who were knew someone who stuttered were significantly more likely to assign more positive ratings to the children. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers should be able to learn and understand: (1) the research describing the negative stereotypes associated with stuttering; (2) the vignette method used to evaluate stereotypes in children and youth; (3) the negative perceptions of the sentence "He stutters" on raters' perception of personality, sociability and speech for children as young as 3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year-olds; and (4) the familiarity with a person who stutters and raters' perceptions of children who stutter.

Preliminary study of self-reported experience of physical aggression and bullying of boys who stutter: relation to increased anxiety.

This study examined the relationship of self-reported anxiety and vulnerability to bullying for 18 children who stuttered and 18 children who did not stutter. More children who stuttered were at significantly higher risk of experiencing bullying behavior (61%) than children who did not stutter (22%); 39% of children who stuttered scored at least one standard deviation above the mean on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, suggestive of higher anxiety. In contrast, only 6% of children who did not stutter scored at least one standard deviation above the mean. The correlation was .82 for children who stuttered between greater vulnerability to bullying and self-reported anxiety. A bidirectional relationship is hypothesized between high anxiety and bullying of children who stutter.

Anxiety levels in adolescents who stutter.

UNLABELLED: High levels of anxiety can negatively affect the lives of children and adolescents. Thirty-six adolescents who stutter and 36 adolescents who do not stutter were administered standardized scales for anxiety and self-esteem. Significant differences were found for the total T-scores for Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale for the two groups, although both groups mean T-scores were within normal range. Eighty-three percent of adolescents who stutter and 95% of adolescents who do not stutter earned scores in the normal range. No significant differences were found on the self-esteem scale, with 86% of adolescents who stutter and 97% of adolescents who do not stutter earning scores in the normal/positive range. Adolescents who stutter with co-occurring disorders displayed significantly higher levels of anxiety than adolescents who stutter with no co-occurring disorders. No significant differences were found between groups on ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender and anxiety levels. A positive, significant correlation between anxiety scores and self-esteem scores was found for both groups. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will learn about and understand (a) the role of anxiety and self-esteem in stuttering; (b) the methods used to evaluate anxiety and self-esteem in adolescents; and (c) the similarities between adolescents who stutter and adolescents who do not stutter on anxiety and self-esteem scales.

Job burnout, geographic location, and social interaction among educational audiologists.

Job stress of 332 educational audiologists, measured on the Maslach Burnout Inventory, was obtained. 84% of the sample rated their overall job burnout as lower than norms for educational personnel. Mean differences were significant among those participants working in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Participants in rural areas had a significantly higher mean on Emotional Exhaustion and a lower mean on Personal Accomplishment. Correlations between scores on Emotional Exhaustion and Social Interactions (r = -.36) and Personal Accomplishment and Social Interactions (r = .44) were significant but not strong. As predicted, job burnout for these educational audiologists is similar to that in other descriptive studies of sampled helping professions.

Comprehension of idioms in adolescents with language-based learning disabilities compared to their typically developing peers.

UNLABELLED: Adolescents with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) often interpret idioms literally. When idioms are provided in an enriched context, comprehension is compromised further because of the LBLD student's inability to assign multiple meanings to words, assemble and integrate information, and go beyond a local referent to derive a global, coherent meaning. This study tested the effects of context and familiarity on comprehension of 24 idioms in 22 adolescents with LBLD. The students completed the Idiom Comprehension Test (ICT) [Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 30 (1999) 141; LSHSS 34 (2003) 69] in one of two conditions: in a story or during a verification task. Within each condition were three familiarity levels: high, moderate, and low. The LBLD adolescents' data were then compared to previously collected data from 21 age-, gender-, and reading ability-matched typically developing (TD) peers. The relations between reading and language literacy and idiom comprehension were also examined in the LBLD adolescents. Results showed that: (a) the LBLD adolescents generally performed poorly relative to their TD counterparts; however, the groups performed comparably on the high and moderate familiarity idioms in the verification condition; (b) the LBLD adolescents performed significantly better in the verification condition than in the story condition; and (c) reading ability was associated with comprehension of the low familiarity idioms in the story condition only. Findings are discussed relative to implications for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educators working with adolescents with LBLD. LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) describe the importance of metalinguistic maturity for comprehension of idioms and other figures of speech; (2) understand the roles of context and familiarity when assessing idiom comprehension in adolescents with LBLD; and (3) critically evaluate assessments of idiom comprehension and determine their appropriateness for use with adolescents with LBLD.

Speech-language pathologists' training and confidence in serving Spanish-English bilingual children.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of the investigation was to determine the level of training and confidence of speech-language pathologists in serving Spanish-English bilingual children. Surveys were completed by 213 speech-language pathologists working in the public schools. Comparisons were made among responses from non-diverse rural, non-diverse urban, and diverse urban areas. Results revealed that approximately one-third of the sample did not receive training in multicultural/multilingual issues as undergraduates or graduate students. Approximately, one-fifth of the sample could not recall whether or not they had received training in this area. Eighteen to 25% of the respondents in the three groups received information through lectures in one or more courses. A larger percentage of speech-language pathologists from non-diverse urban areas received training on specific topics related to multicultural/multilingual topics and participated in a larger number of continuing education activities than speech-language pathologists from diverse urban and non-diverse rural areas. No differences were found among the three groups with regard to their confidence in serving bilingual children. Although speech-language pathologists had some confidence when assessing bilingual children whose primary language was English, and when working with bilingual parents and interpreters, respondents lacked confidence when assessing bilingual children whose primary language was Spanish and when working with parents who do not speak English. Implications for the profession are discussed. LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to discuss the training speech-language pathologists have received in the area of multilingual/multicultural children. (2) As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to discuss speech-language pathologists' level of confidence when serving bilingual, Hispanic children. (3) As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to articulate the implications of this study for current training programs and the profession.

Measuring role entrapment of people who stutter.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to explore whether people who stutter experience role entrapment in the form of vocational stereotyping. To accomplish this, 385 university students reported their perceptions of appropriate career choices for people who stutter. Direct survey procedures, utilizing the newly developed Vocational Advice Scale (VAS), were used in this study. Comparisons for the main effect of speaker status (person who stutters and person who does not stutter) were conducted using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of this analysis suggested that the university students reported an overall perception that stuttering affected career opportunities and that 20 careers were judged to be inappropriate choices for people who stutter. Conversely, 23 careers were judged to be appropriate choices for people who stutter. Findings of this study provide initial data that supports that people who stutter may suffer from role entrapment related to career choices. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will be able to: (1) provide the definitions of stereotyping, role entrapment, and how these relate to people who stutter; (2) discuss the career choices that college students perceive as appropriate and inappropriate for people who stutter; and (3) summarize the needs for future research in this area.

Co-occurring disorders in children who stutter.

UNLABELLED: This study used a mail survey to determine the (a) percentage of children who stutter with co-occurring non-speech disorders, speech disorders, and language disorders, and (b) frequency, length of sessions, and type of treatment services provided for children who stutter with co-occurring disorders. Respondents from a nationwide sample included 1184 speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Of the 2628 children who stuttered, 62.8% had other co-occurring speech disorders, language disorders, or non-speech-language disorders. Articulation disorders (33.5%) and phonology disorders (12.7%) were the most frequently reported co-occurring speech disorders. Only 34.3% of the children who stuttered had co-occurring non-speech-language disorders. Of those children with co-occurring non-speech-language disorders, learning disabilities (15.2%), literacy disorders (8.2%), and attention deficit disorders (ADD) (5.9%) were the most frequently reported. Chi-square analyses revealed that males were more likely to exhibit co-occurring speech disorders than females, especially articulation and phonology. Co-occurring non-speech-language disorders were also significantly higher in males than females. Treatment decisions by SLPs are also discussed. LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this activity, the participant should: (1) have a better understanding of the co-occurring speech disorders, language disorders, and non-speech disorders in children who stutter; (2) identify the speech disorders, language disorders, and non-speech disorders with the highest frequency of occurrence in children who stutter; and (3) be aware of the subgroups of children with co-occurring disorders and their potential impact on assessment and treatment.

Lexicalization of idioms in urban fifth graders: a reaction time study.

Idioms are an important aspect of language that comprises a sizeable portion of our vocabulary. However, lexical access research has largely been limited to understanding how literal words are accessed and processed in the mental lexicon. Adult data show that idioms are quickly accessed from the lexicon and are likely processed as long words [J. Verbal Learn. Verbal Behav. 18 (1979) 523]. The purpose of this study was to examine lexicalization of idioms in a group of school-aged children. Using a phrase classification design, this research tested the Lexical Representation Hypothesis [J. Verbal Learn. Verbal Behav. 18 (1979) 523] in 19 urban fifth graders (5 boys, 14 girls; M age=10.16 years). On a computer, the students classified 54 phrases, including 24 idioms (high, moderate, and low familiarity [J. Speech Hear. Res. 36 (1993) 728]), 24 grammatical control word strings and 6 unrelated foils as either idioms or nonidioms. The idioms were identified with 62% accuracy. Unexpectedly, the boys tended to show higher rates of accuracy than the girls. Response latencies were shorter on the idioms compared to the controls and high familiarity idioms were processed faster than moderate and low familiarity idioms. These findings provide developmental data for lexicalization of idioms and the relationship between lexicalization and familiarity. At the cocnlusion of this articel, the reader will be able to: (1). discuss the various theories of idiom access and processing, (2). discuss how lexical access relates to idiom knowledge in school-aged children, and (3). consider the association between lexical access and familiarity relative to idiom comprehension in school-aged children.

A preliminary study of self-esteem, stigma, and disclosure in adolescents who stutter.

UNLABELLED: This study examined the self-esteem, perceived stigma, and disclosure practices of 48 adolescents who stutter divided into two age cohorts: younger (13, 14, and 15 years) and older (16, 17, and 18 years) adolescents. Results revealed that 41 (85%) of the participants scored within 1 S.D. from the mean on a standardized measure of self-esteem, indicative of positive self-esteem. Results also showed that stuttering did not present a stigmatizing condition for the majority (65%) of adolescents who stutter. However, 60% of participants indicated that they "rarely" or "never" discussed their stuttering. The younger adolescents perceived stuttering as a more negative and stigmatizing condition than older adolescents. Implications for understanding stuttering in adolescents are discussed. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Readers will learn about and understand (a) the role of stigma, disclosure, and self-esteem in stuttering; (b) the methods used to evaluate stigma, disclosure, and self-esteem in adolescents; and (c) the similarities between adolescents who stutter and normative data on self-esteem and stigma scales.

Contextual Variation, Familiarity, Academic Literacy, and Rural Adolescents' Idiom Knowledge.

PURPOSE: The paucity of data on idiom development in adolescents, particularly rural adolescents, limits the ability of speech-language pathologists and educators to test and teach idioms appropriately in this population. This study was designed to delineate the interrelationships between context, familiarity, and academic literacy relative to rural adolescents' idiom knowledge. METHOD: Ninety-five rural eighth graders (M age=13.4 years) were quasi-randomly assigned to complete the Idiom Comprehension Test (Qualls & Harris, 1999) in one of three contexts: idioms in a short story (n=25), idioms in isolation (n=32), and idioms in a verification task (n=38). For all conditions, the identical 24 idioms-8 each of high, moderate, and low familiarity (Nippold & Rudzinski, 1993)-were presented. For a subset (N=54) of the students, reading and language arts scores from the California Achievement Tests (5th ed., 1993), a standardized achievement test, were correlated with performance on the idiom test. RESULTS: Performance in the story condition and on high-familiarity idioms showed the greatest accuracy. For the isolation and verification conditions, context interacted with familiarity. Associations existed between idiom performance and reading ability and idiom performance and language literacy, but only for the story and verification conditions. High-proficiency readers showed the greatest idiom accuracy. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results support the notion that context facilitates idiom comprehension for rural adolescents, and that idiom testing should consider not only context, but idiom familiarity as well. Thus, local norms should be established. Findings also confirm that good readers are better at comprehending idioms, likely resulting from enriched vocabulary obtained through reading. These normative data indicate what might be expected when testing idiom knowledge in adolescents with language impairments.

Predicting Job Satisfaction Among Speech-Language Pathologists Working in Public Schools.

PURPOSE: The aims of the present study were (a) to compare the job satisfaction ratings of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in schools with other workers on a standardized index and (b) to examine whether geographic setting (i.e., rural, suburban, and urban), specific demographic variables (i.e., gender, ethnicity, age, and education), and practice-related variables (i.e., years in current position and caseload size) explain/predict job satisfaction among SLPs working in public schools. METHOD: A mail survey methodology was employed. Two thousand practicing SLPs, members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), residing in the United States were randomly selected from the national membership list. Usable responses were obtained from 1,207 SLPs, representing a 60.4% response rate. Participants completed the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1996), demographic and practice-related questions, and information regarding their geographic work setting. RESULTS: These results suggest that the majority of SLPs are generally satisfied (42.2%) or highly satisfied (34.1%) with their jobs. Results of the regression analyses revealed that the age of participants (i.e., older were more satisfied), years at current job (i.e., SLPs with greater number of years were more satisfied), and caseload size (i.e., SLPs with smaller caseloads were more satisfied) were predictive of job satisfaction in SLPs working in the schools. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings provide additional assurance for SLPs concerning overall group satisfaction. The information could also assist educational training programs with data concerning SLPs' satisfaction. Smaller caseload size is predictive of job satisfaction. There were no differences among rural, suburban, and urban SLPs in their overall job satisfaction. This information could be useful for personnel directors in recruiting and retaining SLPs.