Lighting the Path for the Future

Speech

 


         Speaking, hearing and understanding language are essential to academic achievement and social adjustment. Children with communication disorders benefit from specialized speech/language services as part of their school education program. These services are designed to help the student attain communication skills appropriate to his or her age or cognitive level. Speech/language specialists provide services to students identified with specific needs.

          At Washington School, two Speech/Language Specialists are available to service the children in need of speech/language therapy. 

Speech/language specialists provide the following school services:

  • Identification of students with communication problems through Intervention and Referral services
  • Assessment and diagnosis of student communication behaviors and needs with the use of standardized tests,  informal and functional observations
  • Creating goal-based remediation through an Individual Education Program (IEP)
  • Consultations with child study team members and classroom teachers
  • Periodic re-evaluation

        Following referral and evaluation, students may be classified Eligible for Speech-Language Services. The child's speech and/or language must impact on their educational performance in order to be eligible for services.  Services are then provided based on an IEP developed by the speech/language specialist in conjunction with parents and teachers.

        The population of students serviced in the school would include those demonstrating articulation disorders, fluency disorders, voice disorders, and language difficulties (unrelated to a second language learner). Direct intervention services are provided in a variety of school settings to students who may have language disabilities and include the self-contained program for Children with Autism.