Sharon Soliday, M.S., CCC–SLP; Kira Wright, M.S., CCC–SLP; Britteny Asher, M.S., CCC–SLP; Sharon Scheurer, M.S., CCC–SLP & Ashley Northam, M.S., CCC–SLP

Abstract:
Our company, SLP Service, LLC, sent a team of 10 speech pathologists to Liberia, Costa Rica in June of 2008. We pursued this as a personal/professional growth opportunity and to share philanthropically in a part of the world where services are limited and need is high.  This presentation will describe our experiences and offer ideas for similar projects.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• List services currently provided in Costa Rican special schools to students with disabilities.
• Observe video of ASHA SLPs training Costa Rican staff and modeling therapy to create communication opportunities for students.
• Receive a copy of the “layman’s evaluation tool” created for teachers in Costa Rica to utilize in the absence of speech-language pathologists.