Warrensburg Central School Speech and Language Therapy Program Presented by Mrs. Meg Lines Speech and Language Therapist 2004-2005

Philosophy The Warrensburg Central School Speech-Language Therapy Department is dedicated to improving and enhancing the speech and language abilities of those students receiving services. Early intervention is key to the successful remediation of Communication Disorders, therefore focus is placed on providing services to students in grades K-3. It is our goal that those students involved in the Speech-Language Therapy program at our school will show continued progress towards becoming more effective communicators.

Responsibilities of the Speech and Language Therapist Conduct Speech and Language Screening Conduct full Speech and Language Evaluations Write Reports Develop Individual Educational Plan Goals and Objectives Provide Consultative services to teachers and parents Serve as a member of the Committee on Special Education Coordinate appropriate Speech and Language activities Participate as a member of transdisciplinary teams

Speech and Language Services Implementation Speech and Language Services are implemented through a variety of models: Traditional pull out therapy Transdisciplinary approach/Collaboration Team Teaching Inclusion **To address the varying needs of the students, specific models are utilized where appropriate.**

Who receives Speech and Language Services? There are two groups of students within the program that may receive Speech and Language Services: *The first priority is those students who are identified under the Committee on Special Education. *If scheduling time allows, those students who present mild delays may receive Speech Improvement Services.

Areas Addressed by the Speech and Language Therapist Articulation: sound production; placements of articulators Fluency: repetitions, dysfluencies when speaking Voice: pitch, rate, intonation, and voice quality. ~Language~ Semantics: word meaning Syntax: word order, sentence formation Morphology: understanding/using rules related to sounds and sequence of sounds Pragmatics: social use of language Auditory Processing: ability of the central nervous system to manipulate and utilize auditory information

Consideration for Speech and Language Therapy Students are considered for Speech and Language Therapy based upon one or more of the following: Full Speech and Language Evaluation Speech and Language Screening Teacher consultation

Dismissal Guidelines Dismissal from speech and language therapy is recommended based upon several established factors.

The following are explored before dismissal is recommended: Cognitive skills, Self-esteem Leveling out of test scores Motivation Demonstrated progress

In some cases students may no longer be responsive to further treatment/therapy.