Long before a child raises a hand in class or reads aloud from a book, language is already shaping how they learn. At Unity Point School in Carbondale, two specialists spend their days helping students build that foundation. Speech-language pathologists Molly Lauterbach and Guadalupe “Lupe” Montoya work with students from preschool through eighth grade, strengthening the communication skills that support everything from classroom learning to everyday conversation.

Although many people associate speech therapy with correcting sounds like “R” or “S,” both specialists say their work is much broader. As Montoya explains, speech-language pathology is not just about fixing speech sounds. Much of their work involves helping students understand language, organize their thoughts, and communicate clearly with others.

Lauterbach has worked at Unity Point for six years and focuses primarily on students in first through eighth grades. She studied cognitive science at Indiana University, a field that examines how people think and learn, with coursework in linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience. After spending time working in schools as a paraprofessional, she realized she wanted to support students in a more specialized way and returned to school to earn her master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

“I was always interested in working in schools,” Lauterbach says, explaining that speech-language pathology allowed her to combine her interest in language with her desire to work directly with students.

Montoya’s path to the profession took a different turn. She originally began college studying business administration before realizing the work was not where her passion lived. “I’m good with numbers,” she says, “but it just wasn’t my calling.” After learning about speech-language pathology from a friend, she transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale and completed her graduate degree in 2015. She has since worked with students in several settings and joined Unity Point this year as the school’s bilingual speech-language pathologist.

At Unity Point, Montoya works primarily with preschool and kindergarten students, while Lauterbach supports students from first through eighth grade. The structure reflects the school’s strong emphasis on early intervention.

Each fall, every preschool and kindergarten student participates in a universal screening that evaluates both speech sounds and language development. The screenings help identify students who may benefit from extra support early in their school experience.

“The sooner the better,” Lauterbach says, explaining that early intervention can often resolve concerns before they become larger challenges.

The screenings look at more than pronunciation. Speech-language pathologists also evaluate receptive language—how well students understand information—and expressive language, which includes vocabulary development and how students put words together to communicate ideas. Montoya notes that expressive language focuses on how effectively students can communicate with both adults and peers.

When students need support, it often comes through short, focused sessions. A child working on articulation may meet with a specialist two or three times each week for ten to fifteen minutes of practice designed to strengthen specific sounds through repetition.

In many cases, that early support is enough to help students catch up with their peers. Teachers play an important role in the process as well. Lauterbach says Unity Point educators frequently reach out when they notice a student struggling with communication, helping ensure concerns are addressed quickly.

One of the encouraging aspects of the school culture, both specialists say, is that receiving extra help does not carry a stigma. Montoya notes that students are often excited to visit the speech room, even if they are not scheduled for services.

For Lauterbach, working with older students also means helping them understand grammar and sentence structure. Many children naturally absorb those patterns simply by hearing language around them, but students with language delays sometimes need those rules explained more directly.

Montoya describes the profession as a kind of investigation. Speech-language pathologists look at the whole child rather than focusing on a single sound or skill, considering academic, social, and developmental factors when determining how best to help. “We’re like detectives,” she says.

At Unity Point School, that careful attention ensures students receive the support they need to grow as learners and communicators—one conversation, one sentence, and sometimes one sound at a time.