Pea Ridge School District

Therapists & Specialists

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Speech Pathologists

Speech therapists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of speech, voice, and language disorders. The therapists works with students who are unable to speak, cannot make speech sounds clearly, stutter, have rhythm, pitch, or fluency problems. The speech therapist sets up a program of speech exercises to reduce or decrease the student’s disability.

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Occupational & Physical Therapists

The occupational & physical therapist are responsible for conducting appropriate assessments of students with disabilities to determine the need for occupational or physical therapy services.

Once this determination has been made, the therapist must create goals that are educationally relevant and will contribute to the student's progress towards his/her educational performance.

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School Psychology Specialists

The School Psychology Specialist (SPS) combines knowledge of psychology and education, to provide services to school aged children. The SPS conducts assessments to identify the individual needs and personal strengths that a student possesses. By identifying the special needs of students who are struggling with learning and interpreting diagnostic findings, the specialist is able to help the student succeed through intervention, consultation, counseling, or other treatment programs. The SPS advises parents, teachers and other school personnel on methods to enhance the educational performance of all students.

Our Pea Ridge Therapy Dog: Gus

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A fluffy white dog wearing a space-themed bandana sits patiently in a school hallway.

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A fluffy poodle puppy with curly grey and tan fur sits on a wooden floor.

A fluffy poodle puppy sits on a wooden floor.

In October of 2024, Pea Ridge had the honor of being awarded a therapy dog from the DEB Project through their Unleashed Program. This program provides schools with a trained therapy dog to provide support and comfort for students (and teachers). Typically the school is asked to contribute half the cost of the dog and training, however, Pea Ridge was lucky to have 100% of the cost donated through DEB Project and Alpha Delta Kappa. Alpha Delta Kappa is the International Honorary Organization for Women Educators. They raised funds and were able to purchase dogs for two school districts.

Gus is a Standard Poodle and proud to be a Blackhawk. He lives with Amanda Shackelford, our lead district social worker and comes to school most days. His training is being done by Tim Franks from On Command K9 Training Academy. The goal is for Gus to be ready to pass his therapy dog certification by his first birthday, August 2025.

It is amazing to see the smiles and care Gus has received from both students and staff. He is a very happy laid-back puppy that enjoys being with people. Gus is curious, loves to chase leaves, and chew on his toys. The only thing he likes better than playing is eating. If you would like to have a visit from Gus, please contact Amanda at amanda.shackelford@pearidgek12.com. Welcome to the Blackhawk Family, Gus!