OSWEGO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT DENNIS P. NORFLEET, M.D. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH 70 BUNNER STREET, OSWEGO, NY 13126 PHONE 315.349.3545 FAX 315.349.3435 Guide for Determining Speech Eligibility in Preschoolers This guide was developed by a sub group of the Oswego County Preschool Workgroup. The subgroup consisted of four Speech Language Pathologists, Sandy Burns, J. Caiella, Ann Koehler, and Janel Snyder as well as Kathy Pitcher, Municipal Representative and Tammy Thompson Director of Programs for Children with Special Needs. The group represented those with many years of work in the preschool setting as well as the school age setting. The guide was developed to help create some consistency among the nine school districts in Oswego County and give CPSE chairs concrete information that will help the committee in making a determination about a child’s eligibility for speech therapy. The committee feels that choosing from the following testing materials would be appropriate in helping the evaluation team measure a child’s functioning in the Language and Communication area of development. (Please note, the most current edition of the test must be used) CELF- P-2 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool) PLS-4 (Preschool Language Scale) TELD - 3 (Test of Early Language Development) PLAI – 2 (Preschool Language Assessment Instrument) Articulation GFTA -2 (Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation) Arizona – 3 (Arizona Articulation proficiency scale) Fluency Please use a minimum of a 100 word sample Pragmatics By observation Intelligibility Weiss Intelligibility Scale Please also note, that the same test may not be used within 6 months of the date it was given. The following page “ Guidelines for determining Speech/Language eligibility in preschoolers” should be filled out for each child that is evaluated and returned with the full evaluation report. We hope you find this guide to determining eligibility for speech services a helpful tool. Child’s Name: _________________________Oswego County Chronological Age: _____________ Guidelines for determining Speech/Language Eligibility in preschoolers PHONOLOGY ARTICULATION ERRORS ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ _____ ____________________ Weak syllable deletion Final consonant deletion Initial consonant deletion Stopping Fronting Backing Assimilation ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Factors, considerations, and observable behaviors that support or demonstrate the presence of a Language and Communication Delay or Disability: ____ The child does not use communication effectively with peers and/or adults. For example, the child does not express needs and wants in most situations. ____ The child’s speech and language cannot be understood by others in the child’s environment who speak the same language. ____ The child exhibits observable severe or frequent frustration because of communication difficulties. ____ The child exhibits speech sound and/or phonological process errors that impair intelligibility and are not developmentally appropriate. ____ The child has difficulty understanding and using age-appropriate vocabulary, language concepts, and/or conversation ____ The child demonstrates specific weakness in pragmatic language ability. For example, limited turn-taking, eye contact, asking and responding to questions, or knowledge of the speaker/listener role interfere with communication. ____ The child demonstrates difficulty processing auditory information. For example, following simple directions or answering simple questions present problems for the child. ____ The child demonstrates oral motor difficulty, such as swallowing or feeding, and/or developmental apraxia, the inability to coordinate speech muscle movement to say words. ____ The child demonstrates speech dysfluency (stuttering) that interferes with communication abilities. Guidelines for Analyzing Intelligibility Score Intelligibility Score Chronological Age Equivalent 25-49% 18 months 50-59% 24 months 60-74% 30 months 75-89% 36 months 90-99% 42 months 100% 48 months An intelligibility score of 100 percent does not necessarily indicate perfectly normal articulation. It does indicate understandable articulation 100 percent of the time even though misarticulations may be present that do not impair intelligibility, such as a mild interdental lisp. An intelligibility score that is more than 10 percentage points below that expected for his or her chronological may be considered for speech services. Determination of percentage of intelligibility should be based on a minimum of a 100 word sample.