TEACHERS

What does the speech and language pathologist test when they see a student?

Students are referred for speech-language assessments for many reasons, including, misarticulation of speech sounds (i.e., pronouncing words that are difficult to understand), difficulty understanding language, and poor interaction with people. Because of the link between spoken language and the development of reading and writing, it is extremely important that early intervention, if required, be provided as soon as it is recognized.

A speech-language pathologist will approach testing based upon the areas of concern that have been identified. Some common areas that are tested include:

Speech Sounds
Articulation tests determine what sounds a student is having difficulty pronouncing (e.g., says w for r as in wabbit for rabbit) and where that sound is in a word (beginning sound, middle sound, ending sound). Test results will let you know if a student is learning to say the sounds in the same order and time frame that other students his or her age are learning to say the sounds.
Phonology tests describe speech sound patterns a student has adopted (e.g., omits the last sound in words), and can be important in early literacy. Test results will let you know if a student’s speech sound patterns are typical for someone his or her age.

Language
Semantic (vocabulary) tests provide information on a student’s ability to recognize and label words. The tests may also give you information on how well a student understands word relationships (e.g., dog and cat are both animals, up and down are word opposites).
Morphology (grammar) tests provide information on how well a student understands grammar rules and uses them in his or her sentences. Morphology tests commonly include information on verb tense (i.e., present progressive –ing, past tense –ed, irregular past tense verbs), linking verbs (e.g., She is pretty. They are happy.), helping verbs (e.g., He is eating cookies. You are reading a book.), regular (i.e., -s, -es) and irregular plural noun forms, possession (i.e., ‘s), and pronoun number (e.g., I vs. we, he vs. they) and case (e.g., I vs. me, he vs. him).
Syntax (sentence structure) tests describe the types of sentences and the length of sentences that a student understands and uses. For example, test results may indicate that a student has difficulty understanding lengthy, compound and complex sentences, suggesting that if you want a student to follow directions, give him or her directions in short simple sentences.

Pragmatics
Pragmatic assessments describe how a student interacts with other people. Areas that are commonly described include awareness of personal space, ability to start and maintain conversations, and ability to understand conversation styles (e.g., serious discussion, sarcasm, jokes). Tests also provide information about why a student interacts (e.g., to get needs met, socialization) and offer suggestions on how to motivate and support a student’s social interactions with other people.

Fluency
Fluency (stuttering) evaluations describe how a student’s speech flow may be interrupted by hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds or words. Fluency evaluations may also include descriptions of how a student’s stuttering leads to associated physical behaviors such as eye blinking and hand wringing.

Voice
Voice evaluations describe a student’s voice quality with respect to volume (too loud or soft), hoarseness, breathiness, and nasality.

My school encourages the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) to work collaboratively with us on literacy activities. Is this important?

Yes. Because of the importance of the above language characteristics in the development of reading and writing, even if a student does not qualify for special services with the speech and language therapist, many schools and SLPs choose to implement various collaborative pre-literacy activities in the early grades for all students. This collaboration takes many forms, from co-teaching, consultation regarding materials, and small-group work with struggling students, for example. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) website ( HYPERLINK "http://www.ASHA.org" www.ASHA.org) has more information on this topic.

I have heard that I may not be able to refer students for special education anymore. Is this true?

Many teachers and administrators are confused about the requirements established by the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2007). While may states are still in the process of writing their individual state regulations, and all processes may not be finalized for your state, the federal regulations provide guidance relevant to this question.

The new IDEA Regulations continue to place an emphasis on providing (early) intervention services to struggling learners within the regular education classroom as much as is feasible. This does not mean, however, that students should not be referred for consideration of special education services when it is suspected that they may have a disability. Because there are many reasons why a student may be struggling to learn, however, teachers are encouraged to consult with other professionals within their building (i.e., grade-level teams, Teacher/Student Assistance Teams, building administrators, reading and math specialists, school psychologists, RTI specialists, speech language pathologists, etc.) for additional guidance when they are concerned about a student. In addition, our Multi-Level Model <INSERT LINK, http://harcourtassessment.com/hai/Images/resource/IDEIA/Best%20
Practice%20in%20Assessment.pdf> provides additional information regarding best practices in assessment and intervention.