22 Speech or Language Impairment

This section includes the IDEA definition of the disability from federal law, along with specific information about eligibility criteria in Virginia. In addition, there is information about the prevalence, causes, and characteristics of this disability, along with specific strategies and accommodations that can meet the needs of students with this disability.

Aligned Standards

IDEA Definition

§ 300.8 (c) (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.

Eligibility Criteria

VDOE Supplemental Guidance for Evaluation and Eligibility Virginia-specific guidance document that includes sample eligibility checklist (Refer to Table of Contents pages 2-4 and click on page number for disability category)

Advocacy organizations

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) – This advocacy organization provides a variety of information around hearing impairment:

A  list of speech language and swallowing websites with support groups/advocacy

The Stuttering Foundation

ABOUT speech or language impairment

Prevalence

  • 5-10% Americans in the US have a communication disorder (Ruben, 2000).
  • 1 in 12 (7.7%) U.S. children ages 3-17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing in the past 12 months.
  • 34% of children ages 3-10 have multiple communication and/or swallowing disorders.
  • 25.4% of those ages 11-17 have multiple disorders (Black et al., 2015).

 

Visit the US Department of Education’s Open Data Platform to access IDEA Child Count Data by disability category, age, and other demographic and special education variables.

Causes

Causes vary based on diagnosis (i.e. aphasia, apraxia, autism spectrum disorder, cleft lip & palate, fluency disorder, social communication disorders, expressive/receptive language disorder, articulation delay or disorder). A resource to look at each of these individually with the definitions, incidence/prevalence, signs/symptoms, causes and additional resources is the Practice Portal and Clinical Topics developed by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

Characteristics

Characteristics vary based on diagnosis (i.e. aphasia, apraxia, autism spectrum disorder, cleft lip & palate, fluency disorder, social communication disorders, expressive/receptive language disorder, articulation delay or disorder). A resource to look at each of these individually with the definitions, incidence/prevalence, signs/symptoms, causes and additional resources is the Practice Portal and Clinical Topics developed by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

instructional strategies

Instructional strategies that are effective for all children are also effective for children with communication delays and disorders including:

  • Spark interest in the topic first
  • Measurable, behavioral objective of the lesson related to the SOL and/or IEP goals
  • Link new knowledge to prior knowledge
  • Development of vocabulary BEFORE, during, and after the lesson (pre-teaching)
  • Instructional sequence = logical steps that include modeling
  • Opportunities for guided practice
  • Independent practice
  • Evaluation format that is used to assess mastery of the concept Immediate corrective feedback
  • Conclude with summary of the concept
  • Frequent review
  • Build background knowledge (group sharing of experiences, family involvement, field trips, videos, direct and explicit instruction, hands-on activities, role-play)

accommodations / modifications

resources

An example of a class activity:

GROUP MEDIA PRESENTATION: You will be assigned to a small group of 4-5 students. First, each group will choose one of the following topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and a target group. Your group will develop an informational presentation on that topic that will be presented/shown in class using one of the formats listed. If you have another format you would like to use, please discuss it with the course instructor for approval PRIOR to your group beginning your plan.
POSSIBLE GROUP MEDIA PRESENTATION TOPIC AREAS: Implicit bias in stuttering Hearing loss (general), Phonological disorders in school-age children, The role of the SLP in reading/phonology, Cochlear implants/Hearing aids/BAHA, International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI), Traumatic brain injury; Repeated concussion
POSSIBLE TARGET GROUPS: Parents/Caregivers, Children ages 3 – 5, Children ages 5 – 9, Children ages 9 – 12, Teens/Young adults Adults with disabilities, Teachers Family members of adults with disabilities, OTs, PTs, or other medical professionals
POSSIBLE MEDIA FORMATS/PLATFORMS: 3 minute video (TikTok), Podcast (4 – 5 minutes), vlog (4-5 minutes), YouTube Video (4-5 minutes, ) Pinterest Board of Resources, Loom Video (4-5 minutes), Voomly Course

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Introduction to Special Education Resource Repository Copyright © 2023 by Serra De Arment; Ann S. Maydosz; Kat Alves; Kim Sopko; Christan Grygas Coogle; Cassandra Willis; Roberta A. Gentry; and C.J. Butler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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