Program Overview

The Speech and Language Program is a program to identify eligible children from birth through twenty-one years of age who have speech and/or language problems and to help the children, their teachers, and their parents overcome these problems.

Curriculum Emphasis

For the student who has been identified as having a deficit in the areas of speech and/or language, a program of remediation will be developed which provides part-time services as appropriate.

Services

Speech and Language services include:
Evaluation by a qualified language, speech, and hearing specialist
Individual or small group instruction as necessary to provide language, speech, and/or hearing therapy
Consultation

Eligibility

Determination of a child's eligibility for the program is made by an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team in cooperation with the child's parents or legal guardian after appropriate language, speech, and/or hearing evaluations have been completed.

Referral

A child may be referred to the language, speech, and hearing specialist when a problem is suspect in any of the following areas:

• Articulation (speech sound production)
• Abnormal voice
• Language development (use and understanding of words and sentences)

A referral should be made when the language, speech, and/or hearing problem:

• Calls attention to the child
• Interferes with communication
  OR
• Causes the speaker anxiety.

A referral may be made to the program by school personnel, medical professionals, parents, and/or other interested persons.

Program Placement

The placement of a child within the program depends upon his or her communication needs when considered with educational, social, emotional, and environmental factors.