Speech and Language Support

Speech and Language Support
Secondary Goals
and Transition Strategies
Speech and Language Support services
are provided for students who exhibit
communication disorders in the area of
articulation, language, fluency and/or
voice.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
or IDEA, defines the term “speech or language
impairment” as follows:
“(11) Speech or language impairment means a
communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired
articulation, a language impairment, or a voice
impairment, that adversely affects a child’s
educational performance.”
[34 CFR §300.8(c)(11]
What does it mean to have an adverse effect
on educational performance?
 The impairment affects the student's ability to participate in
the educational process, and must include consideration of
the student's social, emotional, academic, and vocational
performance.
 To the extent that a speech and language impairment affects
the student's ability to participate in active, interactive
communication with others in the educational setting,
(including peers as well as adults), the student is prevented
from participating in the process of education.
 A speech or language deviation does not necessarily
constitute an adverse effect on the student's ability to
function in the educational setting any more than a
deviation such as poor eyesight necessarily interferes
with educational functioning.
 The speech and language deviation must be shown
to interfere with the student's ability to perform in
the educational setting before Speech and Language
Impaired eligibility is determined.
Levels of Speech-Language Support
 Individual Therapy: A student is seen individually by the SLP to work
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on specific goals as established by the Individualized Education Program
(IEP) or the Individualized Speech and Language Plan.
Small Group Therapy: Small groups of students are seen in a therapy
setting to focus on development of specific skills.
Classroom Speech and Language Programs: The SLP goes into
the classroom and works on communication skills within that setting.
Consultation: The SLP provides consultation services to classroom
teachers and significant others in the student’s academic environment on
how to facilitate or improve communication skills.
Collaboration/Team-Teaching: The SLP and classroom teacher
work together in the classroom. Communication opportunities are
provided for students who have speech and language problems. All
students in the classroom benefit from the strategies utilized by the
team.
Service Delivery Options
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The IEP team determines the student's needs as well as
the service delivery model. Specific consideration in
determining need and type(s) of service delivery models
are:
the severity of the communication impairment
the effect of the communication impairment on the student's
classroom performance and social integration
the presence of compounding difficulties such as learning disability
or hearing impairment
the age and stage of the student's communicative development
the current level of support available to the child
Service Delivery, continued
 The SLP is not the only person to address communication goals with a
student in school. For example, some students may receive appropriate
services from a special education teacher. The SLP may evaluate the
student and assist in the development of goals and then support a
teacher as they work directly with the child who is communicatively
impaired.
 Using a variety of service delivery models allows the SLP to plan
intervention and services to meet individual needs of students, to
collaborate with other educational professionals, and to maximize
effectiveness of therapy services with students.
 There are a variety of service delivery categories through which students
receive services. The arrangement of time, resources, location of
service, and collaboration among educators comprise the service
delivery model/s that will best meet individual student needs.
Self-monitoring skills are an essential
tool for all students.
 To be successful self-monitors, students
need to learn to keep track of what they are
doing and how they are thinking so they can
adjust their behaviors and thoughts in order
to meet goals or complete tasks (Porter,
2002; Smith, 2002).
Strategies for Self-Monitoring
 Rating productions
 Speech diary
 Score caddy counters
 Knitting counters
Rating Productions
Speech Diary
Caddy Counter
Knitting Counter
To make self-monitoring most
effective, strategies should be used
constantly and overtly at first and
then faded to less frequent use and
more subtle use across time
(Stainback & Stainback, 1980).
If progress is not observed over time,
changes must be made in the
interventions/accommodations. If
continued lack of progress is shown,
specific goals and intervention
approaches must be re-examined.
If changes are made and additional progress is not
observed, dismissal may be warranted.
If it can be determined that continued speech
therapy would not greatly improve educationallybased speech and language skills of students with
severely impaired communication or cognitive
systems, and no specific articulation needs remain,
dismissal should be considered.
The student's current academic
level, behavioral characteristics and
impact on educational performance
should be considered when
determining dismissal.
 If speech and language services are provided as a
related service under another disability category such
as autism, other health impairment, mental
retardation, etc, eligibility for special education
services will still apply and other services will
continue and eligibility will not be changed.
 Such decisions must be documented in the IEP
Present Education Level and reflected throughout the
IEP where appropriate. Parents must be involved in
this decision to discontinue speech and language
support services as a related service.
Articulation/Phonology
A student will be recommended for dismissal
when:
 Correct production of the target phoneme or phonological
process is reached at the level designated on the IEP and
specially designed instruction is no longer required.
 Articulation/phonological skills are commensurate with
overall functioning and expectations and no longer
interfere with the student's ability to perform in the
educational setting.
Articulation/Phonology, continued
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 There is a lack of progress in articulation/
phonological skills documented over time as
evidenced by probes, therapy data, and/or
teacher/parent/guardian input/consultation.
Articulation/Phonology, continued
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 Other associated and/or handicapping
conditions (specifically, dental abnormalities,
velo-pharyngeal insufficiency, or inadequate
physiologic support for speech) prevents the
student from benefiting from further therapy.
Language
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 Goals and objectives have been achieved at the
level designated on the IEP and specially
designed instruction is no longer required.
 The student has other associated and/or
handicapping conditions that prevent continued
language improvement.
Language, continued
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 The student’s language skills (as measured by
standardized language tests) are commensurate
with overall functioning and expectations and
no longer interfere with the student's ability to
perform in the educational setting.
Fluency
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 The fluency goals as designated on the IEP have
been achieved, and specially designed
instruction is no longer warranted.
 The student perceives himself/herself to be a
normal speaker.
Fluency, continued
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 The fluency disorder no longer interferes with the
student's ability to perform in the educational
setting.
 The fluency disorder no longer interferes with the
student's ability to establish and maintain
appropriate social/emotional development.
Voice
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 Voice goals on the IEP have been accomplished and
specially designed instruction is no longer warranted.
 Voice deficits no longer interfere with the student's
ability to perform in the educational setting.
 Voice deficits no longer interfere with the student's
ability to establish and maintain appropriate
social/emotional development.
Voice, continued
A student will be recommended for
dismissal when:
 The student has other associated and/or
handicapping conditions that prevent continued
improvement.
 There is a lack of progress documented over time
by charting, therapy data, and/or teacher/parent
input or consultation.
General Dismissal/Exit Criteria
for ANY Type of Intervention
A student will be recommended for dismissal when:
 The student demonstrates a lack of motivation, consistent
incompletion of assignments or inappropriate behaviors that are
not conducive to therapy, such as not being cooperative, chronic
absenteeism, verbally or physically disrupting the therapy
session. Attendance records and pertinent observations must be
included in the documentation that indicate a variety of learning
styles, service delivery models, and motivators that were
utilized to address the student's behavior and performance.
 Withdrawal is requested by the parent/guardian. (This must be
obtained in writing and agreed to by the educational team.)
Sources of information for this presentation
include the following:
 www.asha.org
 www.aiu3.net
 www.iu1.org

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