Speech and Language Eligibility Criteria Update

1. Speech and LanguageEligibility Criteria Update Sheryl Squier DPI Educational Consultant Speech and Language Programs 608/266-1783 sheryl.squier@dpi.state.wi.us

2. DPI Web Site • http://www.dpi.state.wi.us • Links to DPI and Professional Resources for Speech and Language • Other Information • S/L Technical Assistance Guide

3. Agenda • Speech and Language Eligibility Criteria • Special Education • Re-Evaluation • Related Services • The IEP

4. Speech and LanguageEligibility Criteria

5. IEP Team Process: EvaluationDocumenting The Impairment • Speech or Language Impairment means: An impairment of speech or sound production, voice, fluency, or language that significantly affects educational performance or social, emotional or vocational development. PI11.36(5)(a)

6. Special Education Study • Done in conjunction with UW-Oshkosh. • Mandated through the legislature to determine impact of the new rules on identification. • Speech and Language file review of at least 30 or more school districts. • Overall look at where we are in the state as far as using the S/L criteria and need for special education

7. Findings • Districts are using criteria • Overall Strengths: • Generally good documentation and analysis • Exclusions applied correctly • Generally includes all elements required • Overall Areas to Address • Weak or missing documentation of how delay impacts educational, social/emotional, and/or vocational development • Weak or missing documentation of how sound production affects intelligibility

8. Findings • Continued…. • Informal testing should support findings of formal test results. • Must include information from the child’s natural environment (for example: observation or parent/teacher report of child’s skill in the classroom, home, community, and/or playground).

9. Educational Relevance of the Communication Disorder • Academic-ability to benefit from the curriculum • Social-ability to interact with peers and adults • Vocational-ability to participate in work/job related activities

10. Educational Relevance of the Communication Disorder • Examples of academic impact: • below average grades • inability to complete language-based activities vs. non-language based activities • grades below the students ability level From A training and Resource Manual for the implementation of State Eligibility Criteria for the Speech and Language Impaired Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services, Division of Public Schools

11. Educational Relevance of the Communication Disorder • Examples of social/emotional impact: • peers tease student about communication problem • student demonstrates embarrassment and/or frustration regarding communication problem • student demonstrates difficulty interpreting communication intent From A training and Resource Manual for the implementation of State Eligibility Criteria for the Speech and Language Impaired Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services, Division of Public Schools

12. Educational Relevance of the Communication Disorder • Examples of vocational impact include: • inability of student to understand/follow oral directions • inappropriate response to coworker/supervisor comments • unable to answer/ask questions in a coherent/concise manner From A training and Resource Manual for the implementation of State Eligibility Criteria for the Speech and Language Impaired Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services, Division of Public Schools

13. Eligibility CriteriaOral Communication • Language • Norm Referenced Measures -1.75 S.D. (and) • Interferes with oral communication • Informal Assessment • Language Sampling • Observations • Interviews • Checklists (and) • Affects educational performance, or social, emotional, or vocational development • PI 11.36(5)

14. Eligibility CriteriaOral Communication • Alternate Method • When Used • formal tests are inappropriate or will not reflect the child’s skill level • Requires two informal procedures • Considerations • Chronological age • Developmental level • Method of communication • Affects child’s educational performance or social, emotional, or vocational development

15. Eligibility CriteriaSpeech Or Sound Production • Norm or Criterion Referenced Testing • Below 1.75 S.D. on test of articulation or phonology (or) • Sound errors beyond the time when 90% of typically developing children have acquired the sound (or) • One or more of the child’s phonological patterns of sound are at least 40% disordered (or) • The child scores in the moderate to profound range of phonological process use on formal test AND…..

16. Eligibility CriteriaSpeech Or Sound Production • Intelligibility of the child’s speech is significantly affected • Anecdotal reporting (e.g. parent report) • Intelligibility ratio (analysis of child’s speech) AND • Affects educational performance, or social, emotional, or vocational development • PI 11.36(5)

17. Calculating Percent of Speech Intelligibility • # of Intelligible Words X 100 = % of Total # of Words Intelligible Words

18. Speech Intelligibility Expectations 3 to 5 Year Olds • Age Average Range 3 73% 54%-80% 4 93% 73%-100% 5 Not Reported 90%-100% (Gordon-Brannan, 1994; Gordon-Brannan & Hodson, 2000; Hodson, 2002; Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2000; Vihman & Greenlee, 1987; Vihman, 1998)

19. Anecdotal Reporting • How well is your child understood when s/he talks to you and to other people? • How often do you and other people understand your child when s/he is speaking? • When your child is not understood by you and by other people, what does s/he do?

20. Eligibility Criteria: Voice • Documentation of a vocal impairment • Atypical characteristic of loudness, pitch, quality, or resonance for child’s age and gender • Not due to temporary factors • Allergies, respiratory virus, infections, puberty • Affects educational performance, or social, emotional, or vocational development • PI 11.36(5)

21. Eligibility Criteria: Fluency • Speaking behaviors characteristic of a fluency disorder are present • Repetitions, sound prolongations, irregular speaking rate, anxiety toward speaking, avoidance of speaking situations AND • Affects educational performance, or social, emotional, or vocational development

22. Eligibility CriteriaExclusions • Mild, transitory or developmentally appropriate speech or language difficulties • Performance that is consistent with developmental levels (unless required to benefit from educational programs) • Dialectal differences or from learning English as a second language • Difficulties with auditory processing • Tongue thrust • Elective or selective mutism or school phobia

23. Special Education

24. Special Education • IDEA, Title 34 CFR, Sec. 300.25 Special Education means specially designed instruction provided, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.

25. Determining The Need For Special Education • The IEP Team shall identify all of the following: • Needs that cannot be met in the regular education program • Modifications that can be made in the regular education program • Additions or modifications the child needs that are not provided through the general education curriculum • PI 11.35

26. IEP Team Makes Decisions • The IEP team determines how the communication needs will be met: • In the general education curriculum OR • Through another special education provider OR • That the communication needs require speech and language services

27. Findings • IEP teams sometimes consider the first question (needs that cannot be met in the general education setting). • Most often the second question is not addressed (modifications required to access regular education). • IEP teams have a tendency to jump directly to the third question (additions not provided through regular education) once the child is identified as having a S/L impairment

28. Re-evaluation

29. Speech and Language ServicesRe-evaluation • SLP IEP Team Member • Consider any remaining speech and language needs and the Need for Special Education and Related Services

30. Re-Evaluation • Identified impairment requires re-evaluation for discontinuation of services • both related service and special education • Special Education • Related Service

31. RelatedService

32. Related Service • Related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective and other supportive services that are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education and includes: speech language pathology………. • Chapter 115, Subchapter V, 115.76(14) • IDEA, Title 34 CFR, sec. 300.22

33. Speech and Language Services • Special Education and Related Service: • Generally the same • Service Due to an Impairment • special education • To Benefit From Special Ed. • related service

34. S/L Related Service • Educational Relevance and Necessity • Questions to Consider • What is the specific oral language deficit that is preventing the student’s access to or ability to make meaningful progress in the special education service? • Is there an overlap or duplication of services? • Does the student require services that can only be provided by a licensed speech/language pathologist?

35. Considerations • S/L Only Area of Suspected Impairment • Child Does Not Meet Eligibility Criteria • IEP Team Explores Other Options • Document needs of child • Identify non-special education options

36. Considerations • Child Identified With a Disability • Does Not Meet S/L Eligibility • IEP Team Considers Speech and Language Services

37. Considerations • Child With a Disability • Receives special education services in area other than speech and language • IEP Team Suspects Additional Services Are Needed • Speech and Language Pathologist must be team member • Re-evaluation is a case by case determination • S/L services are considered

38. The IEP

39. The IEP IEP Services • Requirement • Amount and frequency • Duration • Location • Finding • Most commonly found error • Some IEP’s do not include clear statements of the amount or the frequency of the IEP services

40. The IEP: Present Level Of Educational Performance (PLOEP) • Requirement: • Baseline data corresponding to each annual goal • How the disability affects child’s progress in general curriculum • Understandable language • Finding • Lack of baseline date is the most frequently cited error • Test scores without explanation

41. The IEP:Measurable Annual Goals, • Requirement: • Information directly related to PLOEP • Short term objectives or benchmarks (2) • Address needs related to disability • Measurable level of attainment at end of 12 months • Finding: • IEP’s often do not include measurable annual goal statements • The annual goals are often not 12 month goals

42. The IEP:Benchmarks, and Short Term Objectives • Requirement: • Measurable and a minimum of two per goal • General indicators of progress towards goal • Sequential • Findings: • Often do not include expected levels of attainment

43. The IEP: Reporting Progress to Parents of Children With Disabilities • Informed at least as often as parents of non-disabled children. • IEP progress on annual goals. • Can goals be achieved by end of year (12 month period)?

44. Questions