And Referral for Special Education Evaluations By Special Ed Speech Therapy Staff

Most children make mistakes as they learn to use and pronounce words. There is a normal learning curve in acquiring speech and language skills for all children. Boys tend to develop speech and language skills later, and at a slower pace than girls do. 7% OF AMERICAN CHILDREN HAVE A SPEECH IMPAIRMENT

Children who have not had adequate educational opportunity or are environmentally disadvantaged will develop speech and language skills later than those who have not. That is a DELAY……NOT a DISORDER! DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES

Articulation:  The way a student produces sounds  The way speech sounds in words, phrases, and sentences  Is developmentally acquired over time TYPES OF SPEECH & LANGUAGE DISORDERS

Stuttering:  Disruption in the flow of speech  Most children produce brief stuttering (between ages 2-5) when acquiring language skills  The majority of early stutterers out-grow it as they mature TYPES OF SPEECH & LANGUAGE DISORDERS

Language:  Receptive: what the student understands of what is said, ability to follow directions, comprehension of auditory, verbal, written material  Expressive: the ability to verbally communicate, answer questions, name items, define, and explain TYPES OF SPEECH & LANGUAGE DISORDERS

Voice:  A change in the quality, pitch, or volume of the voice when speaking  Note: We do not assess or work with this disorder unless we have a physician’s prescription/consent for treatment TYPES OF SPEECH & LANGUAGE DISORDERS

Answer: “NO” o Students that have a different home language than English may not have the same sound base as English speaking children do. o Until they have time to acquire English sounds, they cannot be identified as having a speech or language DISORDER QUESTION: IS A FOREIGN ACCENT A SPEECH DISORDER?

Language DIFFERENCES are not the same as Language DISORDERS! REMEMBER:

Answer: “No” o A child who has a failed hearing screening cannot be tested until he has been retested and passed a hearing test o If we cannot rule out a hearing impairment, then we cannot appropriately assess the student’s speech or language abilities QUESTION: CAN A CHILD WHO HAS FAILED A HEARING SCREENING BE TESTED FOR SPEECH/LANGUAGE?

TRUE OR FALSE? Children who receive private/outside Speech Therapy services should also receive it in the school setting MEDICAL –VS- SCHOOL SPEECH THERAPY

Answer: “False” o Many children can receive Speech Therapy services based on a totally different standard than the TEA criteria that school-based Speech Therapy Programs require o Students must meet TEA Eligibility Criteria in order to qualify and show a direct link between their communication deficits and an adverse effect on educational performance (Remember: 7% & below) AND THE ANSWER IS…..

Students who have not fully learned their primary language will have difficulty learning a new language/English Students who have another primary language besides English will need 5-10 years to fully learn a new language It is not unusual for a younger aged child to stop talking or speak very little when they are learning two languages simultaneously; known as the “silent period” WHAT ABOUT BILINGUAL STUDENTS?

Learning a second language is NOT a Language Disability Language ‘DIFFERENCES’ must be ruled out before identifying a bilingual student with a language impairment MORE ABOUT BILINGUAL:

 Not all young children have the same exposure to language that others have  Until children have had an adequate educational opportunity to “catch up”, they may exhibit speech or language delays  Economically disadvantaged children need time, modeling, and exposure over several years SHOULD PRE-K STUDENTS BE REFERRED?

Premature disability identification will significantly delay speech/language development by reducing exposure to normally developing peers and reduced expectations of performance and could actually further delay it’s acquisition! PRE-K STUDENTS CONT.

So the answer is: Pre-K and Kindergarten students should NOT be recommended for Speech/ Language Assessment until they have had the opportunity to be around normally developing peers a minimum of 1-2 years (unless a severe disability is suspected) PRE-K STUDENTS CONT.

 Remember: A delay, difference, and disorder are 3 different things  You cannot compare boys to girls or older to younger students as all children develop at their own rate  Just because a child had speech therapy privately/outside agency (medical model) does not mean that they need it or will be eligible for it in school (school model) WHAT IF YOU SUSPECT THAT A CHILD HAS A SPEECH-LANGUAGE DISORDER?

If you hear nothing today…hear this: Referral for speech/language services is based on an educational need which means the student must have a direct link between their classroom performance and their communicative effectiveness in the school, as reported by the teacher. SO WHAT IS THE BASIS FOR A SPEECH/LANGUAGE REFERRAL?

 If parent makes a request to the teacher for an evaluation, you have 15 school days to respond either with a Notice of Refusal or a Consent for Assessment. (Separate Policy for this)  Notify your SAT Chair IMMEDIATELY – the timeline has already started (see handout) WHAT IF A PARENT REQUESTS A SPEECH/LANGUAGE EVALUATION FOR A STUDENT?

 Teacher notifies the SAT Chair and a meeting is set up to discuss the academic/educational impact being made by the student’s communication skills  Student documents will be gathered to be reviewed at the meeting, including any documentation provided by the parent or teacher (see checklist) WHAT IF I WANT TO REQUEST A SPEECH/LANGUAGE EVALUATION FOR A STUDENT?

 The SAT Team will meet to review the student’s documentation and determine their classroom communication status  SAT will recommend one of the following: Artic Lab (only if student meets criteria) Classroom RTI (see Speech Packet and RTI Data Form for Teachers) REFERRAL PROCESS CONT.

The SAT will meet with the campus Speech Therapist to review information and determine if the documentation indicates an educational need in the area of speech or language that requires evaluation or if suggestions need to be given to continue RTI process ONCE RTI IS COMPLETED…..

SAT will then meet with the parent to give them: *A Consent for Assessment OR *A Refusal to Test Prior Written Notice (following up with SAT interventions or strategies if indicated) SAT FOLLOW-UP:

Please contact your campus Speech Therapist if you have any questions or wish to discuss this information further. Keep this information for future reference….you know you’ll need it! QUESTIONS?