Speech or Language Impairment

Amy Naylor
IDEA Definition-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.
Characteristics-
Academic-
Overall achievement may be below expectancy in relation to chronological age,
mental age, or both
Achievement in reading, spelling, written composition,
grammatical usage or math processes may be below expected levels, often with delay or
difficulty in acquisition of pre-reading or other readiness skills
Behavioral-
esitates or refuses to participate in verbal activities
!s inattentive, distractible" exhibits poor concentration" has difficulty #tuning in#
to tasks or switching tasks
$isplays refusal behavior and%or low frustration tolerance
as difficulty following directions" must be #shown# what to do
!s embarrassed or disturbed by his speech, regardless of age
as difficulty interpreting emotions, attitudes andintentions others communicate
through nonverbal aspects of communication &facial expressions and body
language'
(esponds inappropriately to subtle nonverbal social cues, often giving
inappropriate social responses
)ay not establish or maintain eye contact
Communicative Ability-
Asks questions and%or responds to questions inappropriately &especially #why#
and #how# question forms'
as difficulty analy*ing and synthesi*ing sound sequences, forming stable
phoneme%grapheme associations, and segmenting words into smaller
grammatical units
as difficulty learning and applying concepts of time,
space, quantity, si*e, proportion and measurement
as difficulty comprehending and using linguistically complex sentences
as problems acquiring and using grammatical rules and
patterns for word and sentence formation
Cannot identify pronouns and their antecedents
Cannot relate the events in a story or information in a report in sequential order
Cannot predict outcomes, make +udgments, draw conclusions or generate
alternatives after appropriate discussion
$oes not recogni*e and understand figurative language such as alliteration,
similes, metaphors, and personification,
-hysical-
Conditions are indicated in the student.s medical%developmental history, such as
cleft lip and%or palate, deviant palatal-pharyngeal structure, cerebral palsy,
muscular dystrophy, brain in+ury, aphasia, vocal nodules or other pathology of the
vocal mechanism, hearing loss, myringotomy or other aural surgery, orofacial
abnormalities, congenital disorders
as continuous allergy problems or frequent colds
as deviant dental structure
as oral muscular coordination slower than normal /-00C O( 1A234A30
!)-A!()025
$isplays clumsiness or general motor incoordination
1earning strategies-
Collaboration with a variety of professionals and communication partners,
6acilitation of peer-mediated learning
Continuity of services across environments,
Addressing functional needs,matching service delivery to meaningful outcomes"
provides services that are connected with functional and meaningful outcomes,
such as
5he child being included in social settings with greater frequency,
5he child experiencing less frustration with problem solving, etc,"
-rovides services in natural learning environments to the extent possible
4sing one-on-one or individual services only when repeated opportunities do not
occur in natural learning environments
Additional resources-
5hese sites are great resources for referral, teaching strategies, characteristics, and for
additional information about speech and language impairment in general
http7%%idea,ed,gov%explore%view%p%,root,regs,899,A,899:;<;0=,c,>>,
https7%%arksped,k>;,ar,us%rules?regs?9=%8,:;9/-0$:;901!3!B!1!5@:;9C(!50(!A
:;9A2$:;9-(O3(A):;934!$01!20/:;96O(:;9C!1$(02%-A(5:;9!
:;901!3!B!1!5@:;9C(!50(!A:;9A30/:;9<-;>%A,:;9/-00C:;9O(
:;91A234A30:;9!)-A!()025,pdf
http7%%www,asha,org%public%speech%disorders%
http7%%lshss,pubs,asha,org%article,aspxBarticleidC>DDD=<<
http7%%www,asha,org%-(-/pecific5opic,aspxBfolderidC=<=EE8FE=9GsectionC5reatment
http7%%www,naset,org%