OCDSB Speech
Language Pathology
Services
Speech Language
Pathologists (SLPs) provide
service to students with
communication disorders.
Communication includes:
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Speaking and Listening
Reading and writing
Using sign language
Computerized communication
devices
One in ten Canadians has a
communication disorder.
Types of communication disorders typically
seen in the classroom that impact academic
success and literacy development
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Articulation
Phonological disorders
Motor speech disorders
Fluency
Voice disorders
Cleft lip and palate
Processing difficulties
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Auditory memory weaknesses
Comprehension difficulties
Reading and writing difficulties
Phonological awareness
weaknesses
Expressive language
difficulties
Sequencing difficulties
Narrative difficulties
Pragmatic or social language
difficulties
Spotting speech and
language concerns
in the regular
classroom
Communication
Disorder
Academic
Social Impact
Signs
Impact
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Receptive
Language
Disorders
Difficulty following directions;
weak understanding of
concepts (e.g. spatial, time,
quantity) ; misunderstanding
classroom lessons; confuses
wh- words; limited vocabulary;
difficulty with abstract/
figurative language
Child may appear not to be
listening & is easily
distracted; can result in
conflict with others or
withdrawal; difficulty
establishing peer
relationships.
Child does not understand
lessons; cannot complete
work independently; requires
repetition; may need program
modifications
Expressive
Language
Disorders
Grammatical difficulties; may
use short simple sentences;
difficulty sequencing &
organizing thoughts; written
language weakness; difficulty
re/telling stories; word
retrieval difficulties
Rarely participates in
classroom discussions; often
prompt dependent to provide
answers; slow to express
thoughts; reluctant to share
information
Difficulty completing written
assignments; reluctance to do
presentations; lose marks
due to lack of participation;
may need program
modifications
Phonological
Awareness
Weak rhyme/syllable
awareness; difficulty
identifying beginning/ending
sounds; poor awareness of
vowel sounds in words;
difficulty decoding and using
sound awareness for spelling
Poor self-esteem due to weak
abilities impacting upon
literacy acquisition;
withdrawal behaviours around
literacy activities
Poor achievement with early
literacy & writing skills; poor
alphabet awareness; poor
sound & sound-symbol
awareness; may be an early
sign for later learning
difficulties
Articulation /
Difficult to understand speech
due to sound substitution,
omission, distortion and
addition of sounds
May be teased; may be
reluctant to speak; may be
asked to repeat frequently;
may be become frustrated;
may act out
May impact upon
phonological awareness
development and
decoding/spelling
Fluency
Repeats words or parts of
words, prolongs sounds, or
shows tension or struggle
with speech
Child may be teased by
others & may begin to avoid
speaking in group settings
Child may do poorly on oral
assignments & oral reading;
child may withdraw from
group learning activities
Voice disorders
Continually hoarse or nasal
voice; may ‘lose’ voice
Child may be teased or
ignored; child may have
difficulty controlling
loudness/volume
May impact upon
performance during oral tasks
Pragmatics
May see inappropriate
behaviours; may have limited
eye contact; may have
difficulty taking turns &
staying on topic during
discussions
Child will have difficulty with
peer relationships; may do
better with adults; difficulty at
recess and unstructured
times
Misreads situations leading to
behavioural difficulties at
school; can be inattentive;
calls out answers due to poor
turn-taking; can be disruptive;
takes a lot of teacher time.
Speech
Depending on the level of need, the
SLP can evaluate a student’s oral
and written communication skills by:
• Observing the student in the classroom
• Consulting with teachers and parents,
• Testing the student formally and/or
informally
• Making recommendations based upon
assessment results regarding possible
classroom strategies or modifications
• Providing limited consultation services to
teachers and parents
• Assisting with applying for a Specialized
Class placement
• Referring for additional services such as
PAT-P or CCAC
CCAC eligibility for
speech services
• Community Care Access Centre
provides services in the schools to
students who have moderatesevere difficulty producing speech
sounds, who stutter or who
demonstrate voice problems.
• Before a referral can be made to
CCAC, students must have a SLP
assessment from a school SLP,
First Words or private SLP
• CCAC does NOT provide language
therapy.
Phonology vs.
Phonological Awareness
vs. Articulation
• Phonology is the study of the sound systems
of languages.
• Phonetics is the study of the production,
perception, and physical properties of speech
sounds; phonology attempts to account for
how they are combined, organized, and
convey meaning in particular languages.
• Phonological Awareness refers to an
individual's awareness of the phonological
structure, or sound structure, of spoken
words.
• Articulation is the act or manner of
producing a speech sound.
Language & Sound
Awareness
• In order to have language, one must have
the ability to think and talk about sounds
in words, parts of words and words in
sentences. Awareness of sounds in
words is essential for learning to decode
and spell. Children with strong sound
awareness are generally faster to learn to
use the alphabet to read. Rhyming and
identifying words that start with the same
sound are early developing sound
awareness skills.
• Please refer to the Developmental
Hierarchy of Phonemic Awareness Skills.
In addition, see “Phonological Awareness
Classroom Activities” program.
Case Studies
1.
Sammy is a 9 year old girl who has been diagnosed
with a learning disability as well as speech
impairment. She is unable to produce some of her
strident sounds. This affects her oral language and
written language as she often does not use plurals.
2.
Justin is a 3 year old boy diagnosed with dyspraxia
and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified. He is able to produce some
words and phrases but uses unusual prosody.
3.
Eileen is an 18 month old girl diagnosed with a
communication delay. She only uses vowels when
attempting to speak and is unintelligible to everyone
except her mother.
4.
Kathy is an inpatient in an eating disorders clinic.
She is concerned with her /r/ production. She is in
grade 12, is 17 years old and wants to go into
broadcasting.
5.
Eleanor has just suffered a stroke and has an
auditory agnosia. How does this affect her
communication?
*how are phonetics/phonology/articulation related in these
cases?
Summary
• The relationship between
phonetics/phonology/phonological
awareness and articulation is
intertwined with hearing and
speaking as well as learning and
social/emotional skills.
• Questions?
• Invitation to a PAT-P
• Presented By:
• Jacqueline M. Glance M.Sc.
CCC-SLP ( C )
• Reg. CASLPO
• OCDSB Speech/Language
Pathologist
• jacqueline.glance@ocdsb.ca