What is Speech-Language Therapy?
Speech-language therapy in the public schools is a support service for children with communication delays or disorders which negatively impact social, emotional, academic or vocational functioning.
What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?
A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) diagnoses and carries out IEP goals to help students become effective communicators in the classroom setting. Speech-Language Pathologists combine children’s communication goals with academic and social goals by integrating classroom objectives into speech and language activities. Speech-language pathologists help children understand and use foundational language skills related to classroom learning to become good readers and writers and to understand classroom lessons and texts.
Who Receives Speech-Language Therapy?
Speech-language therapy is provided to students with documented needs in the areas of language, articulation, voice, fluency, and related disorders. There are separate eligibility criteria for each of these communication disorders. Students with other primary disabilities (including developmental delays, learning disabilities, physical impairments, mental impairments, autism, etc.) may also have communication problems which co-occur with and are part of their primary disability.
What types of Services are offered?
Speech-language services may be offered in a variety of ways, depending on the child’s needs. These services may include monitoring, collaboration and consulting with parents and teachers, classroom-based therapy, small group therapy, individual therapy, or various combinations of any of these approaches.
RTI process – RTI stands for Response to Intervention and consists of 4 Tiers. Prior intervention must be implemented throughout the tiers of RTI. Observations, strategies and data collection specific to the students’ areas of concern must be achieved to determine if the student is successful or if further testing is required. The educational system is required to provide the least restrictive environment for a student to achieve, making RTI a valuable tool in deciphering whether a student may/may not have a learning disability.
SST process – SST stands for Student Support Team and is Tier 3 in the RTI process. If interventions have not resulted in appropriate progress, the team will proceed to Tier 4 of the RTI process. It is at this point that a student may be referred for a Special Education evaluation. Parents are always invited to SST meetings. No individual screenings may be done without their written consent. As part of the SST process, you may be asked to sign a consent to have your child’s vision and hearing screened. The SST process is mandated by the State Department of Education in order to prevent the over identification of children for Special Education Services. A thorough speech-language evaluation will be conducted by the SLP at this time, if necessary, to determine the nature and scope of any communication disorder.
Eligibility – To receive Speech-Language services, a child must be found eligible in the areas of articulation, language, fluency, and/or voice. Eligibility criteria were developed in reference to national, state and regional guidelines and are research-based. Eligibility is always determined on a case-by-case basis. Once testing is completed, a meeting will be scheduled with the parents, the SLP and the teacher to discuss the findings. Goals and programming will be decided upon and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be written. Children who go to a private school, or who are home schooled, are also eligible for evaluation and therapy services, through what is known as an Individual Service Plan (ISP).
Speech-language therapy in the public schools is a support service for children with communication delays or disorders which negatively impact social, emotional, academic or vocational functioning.
What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?
A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) diagnoses and carries out IEP goals to help students become effective communicators in the classroom setting. Speech-Language Pathologists combine children’s communication goals with academic and social goals by integrating classroom objectives into speech and language activities. Speech-language pathologists help children understand and use foundational language skills related to classroom learning to become good readers and writers and to understand classroom lessons and texts.
Who Receives Speech-Language Therapy?
Speech-language therapy is provided to students with documented needs in the areas of language, articulation, voice, fluency, and related disorders. There are separate eligibility criteria for each of these communication disorders. Students with other primary disabilities (including developmental delays, learning disabilities, physical impairments, mental impairments, autism, etc.) may also have communication problems which co-occur with and are part of their primary disability.
What types of Services are offered?
Speech-language services may be offered in a variety of ways, depending on the child’s needs. These services may include monitoring, collaboration and consulting with parents and teachers, classroom-based therapy, small group therapy, individual therapy, or various combinations of any of these approaches.
RTI process – RTI stands for Response to Intervention and consists of 4 Tiers. Prior intervention must be implemented throughout the tiers of RTI. Observations, strategies and data collection specific to the students’ areas of concern must be achieved to determine if the student is successful or if further testing is required. The educational system is required to provide the least restrictive environment for a student to achieve, making RTI a valuable tool in deciphering whether a student may/may not have a learning disability.
SST process – SST stands for Student Support Team and is Tier 3 in the RTI process. If interventions have not resulted in appropriate progress, the team will proceed to Tier 4 of the RTI process. It is at this point that a student may be referred for a Special Education evaluation. Parents are always invited to SST meetings. No individual screenings may be done without their written consent. As part of the SST process, you may be asked to sign a consent to have your child’s vision and hearing screened. The SST process is mandated by the State Department of Education in order to prevent the over identification of children for Special Education Services. A thorough speech-language evaluation will be conducted by the SLP at this time, if necessary, to determine the nature and scope of any communication disorder.
Eligibility – To receive Speech-Language services, a child must be found eligible in the areas of articulation, language, fluency, and/or voice. Eligibility criteria were developed in reference to national, state and regional guidelines and are research-based. Eligibility is always determined on a case-by-case basis. Once testing is completed, a meeting will be scheduled with the parents, the SLP and the teacher to discuss the findings. Goals and programming will be decided upon and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be written. Children who go to a private school, or who are home schooled, are also eligible for evaluation and therapy services, through what is known as an Individual Service Plan (ISP).