SPEECH AT HATFIELD
Speech and Language
Services at Hatfield
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Overview of Our Responsibilities
Referral/Assessment Process
Speech and Language Diagnoses
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Definitions
Eligibility Criteria
Examples
Student contact time is only one aspect of
speech therapy
Our Assessment
Responsibilities
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CST/IST/MDE/IEP
meetings
Identify students with
S&L disorders
Assess S&L needs for
students with other
disorders
Determine educational
relevance/appropriate
placement
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Triennial re-evaluations
SETT process for AAC
needs
Assess EI students
Annual kindergarten
screenings
Document needs &
recommend services in
the ER
Our Therapy Responsibilities
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Develop annual IEP
Schedule/coordinate
IEP
Implement IEP in
therapy (small group,
individual, whole-class
or consultation
Monitor student
progress
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Report progress to
others
Individualized
homework/carryover
activities
Collaborative activities
for prevention
Counsel/educate others
about these disorders
REFERRAL PROCESS FOR
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
DISORDERS
Referral Process
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Referrals can be submitted by CST, IST,
teachers, and parents
Obtain a referral form from the SLP
If further investigation is needed, the SLP will
issue a Permission to Screen
After permission is granted, the SLP
schedules an observation/screening
SLP reviews all data, and determines need for
further testing
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
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Permission to Evaluate is sent home
When permission is obtained, SLP will
process the request in a timely fashion
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**The SLP legally has 60 school days from
the date of permission received to
complete the process (including: testing,
analysis, ER, and IEP)**
Assessment Process (cont.)
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Following formalized testing and
analysis, SLP calls MDE team together
to make a decision re: student
eligibility and need for speech and
language services
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**Student has to be determined to be
BOTH eligible and in need to receive
services**
Transition from Assessment to
Therapy
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Based on the recommendations made in
the ER, the IEP is developed to target
the student’s specific needs.
Once the IEP is signed by the parent,
the student may begin to receive
services.
OUR SERVICES:
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Individually target a student’s speech
and language needs as outlined in the
IEP
Services will be delivered through
various models, including: small group
instruction, individual instruction,
consultation, and whole-class
instruction.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
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Scheduling is a nightmare!! I can have
up to 65 students K-6 (including special
ed), and up to 120 contacts per week.
Students are continuously evaluated
and re-evaluated for services
Every child’s IEP must be updated
yearly with the possibility of numerous
revisions
What we can do for you!
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Assess your children for a variety of
speech needs
Support your children with our services
Act as a consultant for the speech
needs of your whole class
Speech and Language
Diagnoses in the Schools
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Articulation/Phonology Disorders
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Language Disorders
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Motor-speech disorders
Disorders of form, semantics, & pragmatics
Fluency Disorders
Voice Disorders
Articulation/Phonology
Disorders: A definition
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“Difficulty in forming and combining sounds
or in learning the rules of using the sounds of
the language. Sounds may be substituted
(says “bish” for “fish”), omitted (says “poon”
for “spoon”), distorted (lateralization of /s/),
or added (“baloo” for “blue”). Such disorders
can cause speech to be difficult to understand
and may be distracting to the listener.”
Normal Development of
Sounds
Students should have:
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By kindergarten:
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p, b, m, n, h, w, f, y,
“ing”, k, g, d
By first grade:
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t, “ch”, v, “sh”
By second grade:
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“th”, l, r, “j”, s, z
By third grade:
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“er”
Motor-based Speech Disorders
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Definition: Articulation errors
characterized by limited control of
speech muscles (not paralysis or
weakness). No other physical problems
need to be present
Students with this disorder are eligible
for services at any age
Students who are not Eligible
for Articulation Services
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Those who misarticulate sounds which
are within the range of age-normed
development
Those with differences in articulation
due to dialectal patterns (regional,
ethnic, accent)
CASE STUDY:
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Sarah is a first grade student whose parents
report that she “sounds like a baby.”
Screening shows that Sarah substitutes /f/ for
“th”, and distorts “er”. Sarah exhibits no
shyness expressing herself in the classroom.
Should further testing be done at this time?
Language Disorders:
A definition
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Difficulty understanding and using
language to communicate. Problems
understanding and using appropriate
vocabulary, word order, or grammar,
and difficulty following directions or
staying on topic in a conversation are
common characteristics.
Disorders of Form
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Disorder of Form: includes phonology,
morphology, and syntax, for example,
misuse or misunderstanding of the
information provided by word endings:
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“The boy eat his dinner.”
Disorder of Semantics
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Disorders of meaning, for example,
difficulty understanding word
relationships, such as antonyms,
synonyms, categorization, multiple
meaning words, and basic concepts
Disorder of Pragmatics
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Disorder of function, for example, using
language for different purposed
(promising, requesting), changing
language for listener needs (peer vs.
teacher), using appropriate body
language, or following the rules of
social conversation (turn-taking,
introducing topics, and staying on the
topic)
Eligibility Criteria for Language
Therapy
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Classroom achievement, cognitive levels, and
documented speech and language
performance are discrepant
Documented evidence of speech and
language performance in at least two of the
following areas: form, semantics, and
pragmatics, which are moderate to severe in
nature (1.5 standard deviations below fullscale IQ score)
Additional Considerations:
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**Cognitive
functioning**
Current educational
placement
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Change in
Educational
Placement
Additional Supports
(LS, ESL, Reading
support)
ESL: A special case
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ESL is not a disability
Students who are ESL need to demonstrate
needs in other areas of speech and language
such as articulation (not including accent),
phonology, fluency, etc. to receive services
Needs in language alone are not sufficient to
receive services for a student who is ESL
Central Auditory Processing:
What is it?
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“Deficits in the information processing of
incoming auditory signals.”
Deficits are not due to:
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Hearing sensitivity
Intellectual ability
Has problems with transformation, reorganization, analysis, synthesis, storage,
retrieval, and use of information received
through audible signals
CAPD: A special case
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A student with a diagnosis of Central Auditory
Processing Disorder or who takes extended
time to process auditory information is not
necessarily eligible for services.
There needs to be a concomitant documented
disability in receptive or expressive language
(moderate to severe disability in at least two
areas of language) that impacts classroom
achievement.
CASE STUDY
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Scott is a 3rd grade student with average IQ.
The teacher reports that he has difficulty
finding the right words to express himself. An
overall language test reveals average overall
language ability, but his score on an
expressive vocabulary test is 2 standard
deviations below average.
Is this student eligible for services?
Fluency Disorders:
A Definition
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Characterized by a disruption of the
timing or rhythm of speaking. Features
of such disorders include hesitations;
repetitions, and prolongations of
sounds, syllables, words, or phrases;
and difficulty initiating speech. This
disorder may be accompanied by facial
grimaces, eye-blinking, generalized
body tension, and gasping for air.
Students who are not Eligible
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Normal nonfluencies are present
Fluency rated as mild may require
parental and teacher consultation.
Eligibility Criterion
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Dysfluent speech is observable
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Moderate to severe speech impairment
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The impairment negatively impacts
academic achievement and is
significantly disabling to the individual
Case Study
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Gerardo is a student with English as a Second
Language. He has many pauses, hesitations,
and repetitions in his speech, which the
teacher feels are due to word-finding as he
searches for the English word. When he
finally gets the right word out he jerks his
shoulders. The parents report that he has
similar behaviors in his native language.
Is the student eligible for speech and
language services?
Voice Disorders: A definition
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Characterized by pitch, loudness,
quality , or duration that is
inappropriate for the child’s age or sex.
A disordered voice may be too high or
too low in pitch, hoarse, harsh,
hypernasal, or hyponasal, or monotonic.
It may be too weak, too loud or soft or
too fast or slow.
Eligibility Criterion
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**need recommendation from
Otolaryngologist (ENT) before
determination of eligibility
Moderate to severe impairment
The impairment negatively impacts
academic achievement and is
significantly disabling to the individual.
Case Study
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Amanda, a sixth grader has a
chronically hyponasal voice (/m/ sounds
like /b/, /n/ sound like /d/). She also
has heavy allergies. Other kids make
fun of her speech and tell her she
sounds “dumb.”
Is she eligible and in need of services?