Speech and Language Services in the Schools:

1. Speech and LanguageServices in the Schools: Presented by: Heidy Frycke, Speech and Language Supervisor Created by: Vickie Baldy Janet Mascaro, Program Director Speech/Language/Hearing/Vision Allegheny Intermediate Unit

2. Roles and Responsibilities of School Based SLP’s • General Screening of communication skills of students referred by parents, teachers, school nurses, guidance counselors, administrators, etc. • In depth testing of those students identified as at risk by the screening. • Provide Individualized Programs for students identified as Speech and Language Impaired. • Consult with parents, teachers, school nurses, guidance counselors, and administrators in regards to communication disorders.

3. Who Qualifies for Speech and Language Support? A student may be enrolled in Speech and Language Support when an evaluation by a Speech and Language Pathologist indicates that the student’s difficulties reflect a Speech and Language Impairment that negatively impacts on the child’s academic progress. Students with age related developmental delays are not eligible for services.

4. How do you know if your child needs a Speech and Language Program?

5. Articulation & Phonology This deals with the way speech sounds are made. A child may have difficulty in producing sounds by omitting, distorting or substituting sounds.

6. When should you be concerned? Many children exhibit speech sound errors during normal speech development up to the age of 8. Contact your school’s Speech & Language Pathologist • If your child’s speech is difficult to understand. • If your child is embarrassed by his/her speech. • If your child shows frustration when he/she is not understood

7. Language This deals with the way information is communicated. There are 2 important aspects of language: understanding or comprehending, and expressing of language.

8. When should you be concerned? • If your child has difficulty understanding multi-step directions. • If your child has difficulty answering or asking questions. • If your child has difficulty describing experiences or stories. • If your child’s speech contains multiple grammar errors. • If your child’s speech is confused or disorganized.

9. Fluency Speech is characterized by repetitions, prolongations, hesitations, and/or blocks also known as stuttering.

10. When should you be concerned? • Your child’s dysfluencies interfere with his/her communication. • Your child is upset or frustrated by his/her dysfluencies. • Your child’s speech contains blocks; he/she appears to have trouble getting the sound out. • Your child exhibits secondary behaviors in conjunction with stuttering. • There is a family history of stuttering.

11. Voice This deals with the sound of a person’s voice and includes: pitch, loudness, quality, and resonance.

12. Common Voice Problems • Hoarseness • Too much nasality • Too little nasality • Irregular pitch

13. When should you be concerned? • Your child’s voice quality interferes with his/her communication. • Your child’s pediatrician is concerned with your child’s voice quality.

14. Key Point for Eligibility for Speech/Language Support In Pennsylvania, Special Education Standards state that Speech and Language Impairments must be present to such a degree that educational performance is affected.

15. Areas where there can be educational impact • Following directions • Comprehension • Classroom Participation • Expressing ideas • Peer Interactions • Writing • Vocabulary • Reading • Spelling • Phonics

16. If you think your child has a speech/language problem, contact your school’s Speech and Language Pathologist.

17. Speech and Language Screening • The purpose is to identify those students who may be in need of speech and language evaluation. • A student may be referred for a speech and language screening by: Parent Teachers Support Staff Guidance Counselor ESAP/Child Study Team

18. The Process • Permission to Evaluate (PTE) • Evaluation must be conducted and an Evaluation Report (ER) written and given to the parents within 60 calendar days after receipt of signed parental permission. • Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meeting is held within 30 days from completion of Evaluation Report. • Notice of Recommended Placement (NOREP) is the official document that changes the child’s educational placement from regular education to special education. The parents must agree to the change in placement before services can begin by providing a signature. Services will begin within 10 school days of receipt of the signed NOREP.

19. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) IEP team members include: • Parents • Regular Education Teacher • Speech and Language Pathologist • LEA Representative (Principal, Assistant Principal, or Special Ed. Supervisor) • Others (Student, OT, PT, Community Agencies, TSS, …) when appropriate

20. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) What does the team decide? • Measurable Annual Goals and Objectives: based on the deficits found in the Evaluation Report and directly linked to the PA State Academic Standards • Program Modifications and Specially Designed Instruction: that the child needs to be successful in the academic curriculum • Service Delivery Model: individual, small group, classroom, consultation • Amount of service: times per week, length of sessions

21. What Makes A Good Speech And Language Progam?

22. IEP Goals • Prioritize needs identified in ER and choose those to be addressed as IEP goals during the current IEP year. • Write goals that identify the skill targeted and how progress will be measured. • Share what you would like your child to achieve within the next year.

23. Specially Designed Instruction These are the intervention strategies and modifications that your child needs to be successful in the academic curriculum.

24. What Kind Of Program Does My Child Need?

25. Collaborative Consultation • Least Restrictive • Indirect Model • SLP provides the teacher and family with strategies/activities they can do with the child • Generally for students with mild impairments or pragmatic deficits • May be used as student approaches dismissal

26. Classroom Based • SLP provides direct services within the classroom • May involve team teaching with the teacher • May work for certain language disorders • May be combined with more restrictive service model, to facilitate carryover • Depends on student’s needs and make up of the classroom

27. Small Group Pullout • SLP provides direct services to a group of 2-4 students • Can be in Speech Room or Classroom • Allows for more individualized instruction • Gives the students more opportunities to respond • Most frequently used model in Elementary Schools

28. Individual Pullout • Most Restrictive • SLP provides direct one-on-one services • Primarily for students who are severely Speech and Language Impaired • Also used in cases where a student has behavior issues that prevent him/her from working effectively with other students • May be combined with another service delivery model as appropriate

29. How Much Service Does My Child Need?

30. Mild Speech/Language Impairment 15-30 minutes per week • No more than 2 speech sound errors • 1.5-2 standard deviations below the mean on language assessments • Speech 2-4% dysfluent

31. Moderate Speech/Language Impairment 30-60 minutes per week • Multiple sound errors, speech intelligibility 50-80% • 2-2.5 standard deviations below the mean on language assessments • Speech 5-8% dysfluent with secondary behaviors

32. Severe Speech/Language Impairment 60-90 minutes per week • Multiple sound errors, speech intelligibility20-49% • Greater than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean on language tests • Speech 9-12% dysfluent with secondary behaviors

33. Profound Speech/Language Impairment 90+ minutes per week • Speech is unintelligible without gestures or cues and/or knowledge of context • Very limited communication, may be non-verbal • Speech more than 12% dysfluent with excessive tension and/or secondary behaviors

34. The Key to Success TEAM APPROACH • SLP collaborates with classroom teacher • Parent involvement is vital, practice skills being taught at home • If you have questions or concerns contact your SLP

35. When Should My Child Be Dismissed From Speech and Language Support?

36. Dismissal Determination Student’s Speech/Language Skills… • Are developmentally appropriate • No longer interfere with academic performance in the classroom • Can be addressed through the classroom curriculum • Targeted on the IEP have been mastered

37. Dismissal Determinationcontinued • Poor student attendance • Student lacks motivation/doesn’t want to attend speech/refuses to participate appropriately in therapy sessions • Lack of progress over a significant period of time • Parent requests termination of services in writing