Created and Presented By: Ms. Ashley Ciecko, M.S. CFY-SLP Glen Oak Community Learning Center Peoria School District #150 Peoria, IL Fall 2012

 Good communication skills lead to success in…  Reading  Listening  Writing  Speaking  LEARNING!  Bad communication skills lead to problems with…  Understanding & participating in classroom instruction  Developing & maintaining relationships

 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) provides speech and/or language services for school-age children who…  Have communication disorders that adversely affect their educational performance

 Work with children who have communication problems that affect success in…  Classroom activities  Literacy  Learning  Social interaction

 Prevention  Identification  Assessment  Evaluation  Development of IEPs  Remediation/Therapy  Progress Monitoring …a variety of speech and language disorders

 Documentation of outcomes  Collaboration with…  Teachers  Administrators  Other professionals  Parents/Guardians  THE STUDENT!  Advocacy for teaching practices & implementation of techniques into the curriculum

 Language  Pragmatic Language  Articulation/Phonological  Voice  Fluency  Auditory Processing and Comprehension  Hearing Impairment  Oral-Motor  Swallowing/Feeding (a.k.a. Dysphagia)

 Language disabilities include the slow development of…  Semantics (vocab)  Syntax (grammar)  Concepts  Pragmatic (social) language disabilities include…  Inability to use different communication styles in different situations Overall… Child has poor building blocks for understanding/expressing ideas, social development, learning, reading, and writing

 Children have difficulty producing speech sounds  Substituting one sound for another (i.e. /w/ for /r/)  Omitting a sound in a word (i.e. “top” for “stop”  Distorting a sound (i.e. “thee” for “see”)

 Speech that is…  Too high, low, or monotonous in pitch  Interrupted by breaks  Too loud or soft in volume  Harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal  Children who have prolonged vocal issues come to therapy to learn how to use their voice properly, without mistreating it  SLPs also refer some children to the ENT(ear, nose, and throat doctor) to rule out any growths that can appear on the vocal chords from prolonged vocal abuse

 A.K.A. “stuttering”  Defined by…  Interruptions in the flow or rhythm of speech  Possible hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations  Can affect individual sounds, syllables, words, and/or phrases  **Side note: Identify as a “child who stutters” NOT “a stutterer”

 Comprehension disorders are characterized by…  Difficulty with word meaning, sequencing skills, and problem solving  Auditory processing disorders are characterized by…  Difficulty distinguishing and discriminating speech sounds Overall… Children with either of these disorders have difficulty understanding (receiving) spoken/written (expressive) language

 “Aural Rehabilitation” includes…  Lip reading skills  Articulation and voice therapy  SLPs in the schools also…  Perform hearing screenings  Check hearing aids & other hearing devices  Work with the classroom teacher to develop strategies to maximize the child’s classroom performance

 Apraxia of speech or Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)  Children demonstrate difficulties coordinating the movement of structures in the mouth during speech  Problem is due to the inability to form a coordinated “movement plan” to produce speech  Weak tongue and/or lip muscles can decrease the clarity of speech  Treatment includes…  Muscle strengthening and coordination activities  Structured, repetitious practice of movements required to produce accurate speech

 Child will demonstrate difficulty with…  Sucking  Chewing  Triggering a swallow  Moving food into the stomach  Can interfere with…  Eating snack and lunch  Opportunities to build friendships  Social and communication skills  Learning  SLPs will help by…  Setting up a feeding program that indicates the foods that are appropriate vs. inappropriate  Teaching techniques that help the child eat safely Modify the texture of foods Reposition the body

 Hearing loss  Cleft palate  Learning disabilities  Cerebral palsy or other motor problems/disorders  Autism Spectrum Disorders  Developmental delays  Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)  Variety of emotional, behavioral, and/or medical issues

 Below expectations in the classroom  Difficulty learning to read or write  Late talker  Inability to express thoughts, ideas, wants, and/or needs  Problems understanding others  Difficulty following directions  Issues getting along with others  Problems taking tests

 Combine communication goals with academic & social goals  Integrate classroom and curricular objectives  Help them understand and use basic language concepts  Support reading and writing  Increase understanding of classroom lessons and texts  Services may vary depending on each individual student’s needs  Monitoring/periodic screenings  Collaborating & Consulting  Classroom-based services (“push-in”)  Small group or individual sessions (“pull-out”)

 COME SEE ME!  Ask me questions and express your concerns  Request an observation or screening  Bring examples and/or details (The more the merrier!)

Remember Remember … One of the most important connections between the students and myself is YOU YOU!!!

 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (2010). The role of the slp in schools: a presentation for teachers, administrators, parents, and the community. Retrieved from  Lilienthal, Nicole. (2008). What does a speech- language pathologist (slp) do? Speech- Language Pathology Information. Retrieved from  Merkel-Piccini, Robyn. (2001). I know you’re a speech pathologist… but what do you do? Super Duper Publications. Retrieved from