Who is eligible for speech and language intervention?
Not all students who receive speech and language services in a private setting meet criteria for services in the schools. To meet criteria, an SLP has to determine that a delay in speech and/or language skills is impacting the student’s educational progress. A student may meet criteria for Speech and Language Impairment by having a speech delay: difficulty with articulation of speech sounds; fluency (e.g. repetition or prolongation of sounds, syllables); or voice (e.g. abnormal voice) and/or a language delay: impairment in receptive (what a child understands), expressive and or pragmatic language (the use of language in a variety of contexts).
If a child qualifies for intervention, services may be provided directly and/or indirectly. In a direct service model students may be seen individually, or in a small group with peers working on similar goals. In an indirect service model an SLP monitors skills and provides support to those working directly with students. It may include providing the classroom teacher or teaching assistant with specific strategies for helping students with speech or language skills in the classroom. Indirect time can also be spent observing students in a variety of settings to see how speech, language or pragmatic skills are used in more natural contexts. This would help the SLP determine the appropriate supports and goals necessary to help students, and also helps measure whether skills learned in a pull out situation are generalizing to natural contexts.