1. &
Lewis
Lewis
Introduction – brief discussion about new structure -

2. Maroulla Christodoulou Antonia Kangalis Jenny Stott
Senior
Management
Mark
Lewis
Director
Bronwyn
Lewis
Senior Manager
Management
Tanya Boyd
Manager Speech Pathology Services (Maternity Leave)
Jo Fish
Acting Manager
Speech Pathology Services
Alison Jones
Manager, Assessment Services
Geoff Riley
Programs Manager
Hazel Travers
Office/Accounts Manager
Regional
Coordinators
Amanda Parkinson
South-West Coordinator
Vicky Tsiakalakis
South-East Coordinator
Renee Styles
North-East Coordinator
Lisa Palmisano
North-West Coordinator
Lucy Jackson
Support Coordinator SW
Alvin
Noveloso
Support Coordinator NW/SE
Psychologists
Tanya King
Senior Psychologist
Jacqueline Duffee
Senior Psychologist
Rebecca Carmichael
(Maternity Leave)
Speech Pathologists
Office Administration
Gamze Cellatoglu
Belynda Evans
Amber Fernie
Alistair Van Der Ploeg
Administration Coordinator
Geoffrey Hon
Eunice Lee
Min Li
Maroulla Christodoulou
Antonia Kangalis
Jenny
Stott
Megan O’Conner
Admira Sikiric
Pauline
Dizon
Pat
McGlinchy
Danijela Todorovic
Org. Structure as at 26/2/12 (Revised Alistair Van Der Ploeg)

3. Program for students with disabilities
Lewis & Lewis has the statewide contract to provide specialist assessments for the DEECD to determine student eligibility for consideration for the PSD categories of:
Intellectual Disability
Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
The DEECD’s Resource Coordination Group (RCG) has the responsibility of reading applications and determining eligibility for the PSD
Only provide assessment for ID and SLD-CEN.
We are not responsible for providing assessments for other PSD categories:
ASD
SBD
Physical Disability.
Although categories of ASD and SBD will sometimes require cognitive assessment – those assessments should be done by school network psychologists
Lewis & Lewis is not responsible for determining whether students are eligible

4. Program for students with disabilities Category Referral rate
Lewis and Lewis received a total of 4672 referrals.
Of those referrals 95% were for ID and 5 % were for SLD CEN.

5. Program for students with disabilities
The assessments can be for:
New referrals for currently enrolled students not supported by the PSD (annual round)
Referrals for Prep entry
Transfers from other systems, interstate or overseas (previously funded)
Year 6 (or age equivalent) transition reviews
Time-limited funding reviews

6. Program for students with disabilities Referral type
Note: For SLD CEN there were no End Date referrals

7. Referral issues
Collecting evidence to support referrals to Lewis & Lewis
Schools should endeavour to provide Lewis & Lewis with detailed information regarding the student’s presenting difficulties, and evidence of significant and ongoing global difficulties.

8. Referral issues Things to remember
Students are unlikely to have an intellectual disability if previous assessment results were in the low average or above range.
Literacy or behaviour difficulties in isolation are not necessarily indicative of an intellectual disability
Lewis & Lewis through their contract with the DEECD do not conduct assessments for learning disabilities.
We do not assess simply because a paediatrician or parent has requested it.
It should also be noted that L&L do not assess students for LD or Autism Spectrum Disorders.
We are not a general assessment service.

9. Referral issues Completion of referral forms
All referral forms are expected to be completed and signed
If there is no available evidence under any of the headings in the Teacher Report Form, please specify the reason.
Before allocation to a psychologist or speech pathologist we will be looking for evidence of ongoing ‘severe difficulties’
The stronger the evidence provided on the referral forms regarding current presentation the stronger the evidence is for your ENQ
Forms with ‘no’ or ‘n/a’ or ‘fine’ written in questions asking about a students overall current presentation do not support an intellectual disability and in the absence of supporting documentation may be screened out
If there is not enough information in the teacher report forms they may be sent back to you.
It is important that these are completed completely as this information relates back to ENQ strength, the funding level as well as eligibility

10. Referral issues Completion of referral forms
Do not write ‘refer’ to speech pathology assessment report when discussing language difficulties. Provide specific examples of difficulties within the classroom/school environment
At busy times of the year, anything that delays the process will hold up your assessment
The respondent’s name must be clearly stated on the Vineland –II.
All previous assessment reports need to be included when the referral packs are returned even if L&L completed the previous assessments
If there is not enough information in forms they may be sent back to you.
Relate back ENQ strength to funding level as well as eligibility
DEECD, fund the classroom, therefore it is important that not only a speechies opinion on the students language abilities is noted but also the teacher’s perspective on how the student’s language impacts on their ability to function within the classroom.
Name on Vineland – this important as it needs to be stated in the students reports - esp application reports
Previous Assessment reports – This is very important as we need to guarantee two years between assessments – and also to help with determining eligibility from previous profiles and supporting history

11. Referral issues Completion of referral forms – Current Presentation
Social Skills e.g. Interactions with peers and adults, parallel play, friendships, etc.
Behaviour e.g. Specific examples of behaviours such as oppositional behaviour, aggression and violence, withdrawal and isolation, dealing with transitions and change, dealing with failure, need for routine & structure
Receptive & Expressive Language e.g. Echolalia, ability to follow instructions, do they require visual prompts, PECS, visual timetables. Intelligibility of speech, sentence structure, word knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, correct usage of pronouns, word associations, etc.

12. Referral issues Completion of referral forms – Current Presentation
Fine motor e.g. Pencil grip, legibility of writing, ability to colour within lines, use of scissors
Safety e.g. Following rules, leaving school grounds, road safety, close supervision on excursions
Sensory e.g. Hearing and vision difficulties
Self Care e.g. Specific examples of level of support required for toileting, dressing, eating, personal hygiene. Frequency of accidents.

13. Referral issues Completion of referral forms – Current Presentation
Strategies and Curriculum Modifications
Reading, literacy, numeracy, hand writing interventions. Small group/1:1 supports.
Modified curriculum, individual learning plan, behaviour modification plan. Language programs. Use of visual timetables. Modified presentation of material. Aide support
A lot of application were held pending further information due to the school NOT providing information around programs/current and past interventions for the student

14. Referral issues
Completion of parental consent form
It is important that parents are aware of the true purpose of the referral to Lewis & Lewis and the potential outcome of diagnosing their child with a disability
Stress that this is the Schools responsibility and parents should be informed of this when parents sign/are provided with the L&L Consent Form

15. Referral issues Vineland - Instructions
The following guidelines are provided by Lewis & Lewis to assist you to complete this form correctly and to provide an accurate indication of the referred child’s ability.
A referral has been made for this child because it is suspected that he or she may have an intellectual disability. Keep this in mind when scoring each item and always compare their ability to their same age peers.
Begin each section from Item 1. Ignore the ‘Start Ages’ in the left column although consider the age at which a normal child would be able to achieve the item before circling 0, 1 or 2.
This is the sticker at the front of the Vineland – failure to do this will mean that it WILL be sent back for review.

16. Referral issues Vineland
A response for each item MUST be provided. Forms with blank sections have to be returned to you as these can not be scored Although the Vineland is used as a screening tool, scores on the Vineland do not predict scores on an IQ assessment
ABC and FSIQ have a small positive correlation.
We have in the past received

17. Profile examples
This profile is not indicative of an ID and the FSIQ was not calculated.
The FSIQ was not calculated due to the significant discrepancy between the VCI and PRI.
This profile is more indicative of language difficulties rather than an ID.

18. Profile examples
Although this student meets criteria with a FSIQ of 70, this student does not present with an ID as his verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities fall within the Low Average range, whereas his WM performance was extremely low. This profile highlights WM difficulties rather than an ID.

19. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
5 Criteria to account for
Language Assessment
Elimination of confounding factors
History and Evidence
Intelligence Testing
Critical Educational Needs

20. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
a) A score of three or more standard deviations below the mean for the students age in expressive, receptive and/or core language skills on two of the recommended tests
3 Standard Deviations = score of 55 or lower
Language profile must be consistent across two tests eg: Expressive <55 on first test should also be expressive <55 on second test

21. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
Core EL RL
≤ 55
First test
Second test
First test
Second test
≤ 55
≤ 55 EL RL
Core EL RL
Core
First test
Second test
≤ 55
≤ 55 EL RL
Core EL RL
Core

22. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
b) the severity of the disorder cannot be accounted for by hearing impairment, social emotional factors, low intellectual functioning or cultural factors
SLD is considered a pure disorder
Students may be diagnosed with a language disorder but not be eligible for the SLD-CEN program

23. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
c) a history and evidence of an ongoing problem with an expectation of continuation during the school years
Early intervention
School programs in place
Specialist reports
Speech pathology involvement

24. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
d) A non-verbal score at or above one standard deviation below the mean on one recommended intellectual test, with a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference between the verbal and non verbal functioning
≥ 85
Statistically Significant
PIQ/PRI
VIQ/VCI

25. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
In addition to language difficulties students must also demonstrate critical education needs in order to attract at least level three funding

26. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
In order to meet CEN criteria, the student must demonstrate high ratings on several scales listed on the Educational Needs Questionnaire. Supporting evidence can include:
Current descriptive reports from the teacher outlining support or modifications required in specific areas of difficulty such as learning needs, mobility or fine motor skills
Examples of incidences that have or are occurring during the day relating to behaviour or safety concerns

27. Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs
Support programs (e.g. Psychology intervention for behaviour) and/or Individual Learning Plans currently in place
Details of supervision or assistance the student requires in specific areas such as self care
Current reports from specialists such as Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Medical specialists, Mental Health Workers, Psychiatrists, Audiologists etc

28. Childhood Apraxia of Speech - Dyspraxia
CAS in children may be known by various names: Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia; Verbal Apraxia; Apraxia of Speech; Apraxia
CAS is a childhood speech sound disorder in which children have difficulty programming, sequencing and initiating movements required to make speech sounds.
Although characteristics may overlap, CAS is a motor speech planning disorder and should not be confused with other speech sound disorders. Due to the complexity of its nature diagnosing CAS can be very difficult and requires a very detailed assessment that includes analysing speech movements, sounds, patterns and rhythms

29. SLD – CEN SPEECH PATHOLOGY
What is Supportive evidence?
SPEECH PATHOLOGY
Speech & Language Assessments completed including test scores
Intervention Summary outlining therapy outcomes
For a CAS referral (formal or informal) measures regarding the student’s overall communication difficulties e.g. sound errors, intelligibility ratings, other characteristics which may be consistent with a presenting CAS

30. SLD-CEN Applications
n = 176

31. SLD-CEN Applications
n = 301

32. Referrals received per week 2011/2012
500
2011
2012
400
300
200
100
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19
Week 20
Week 21
Week 22
Week 23
Week 24
Week 25
Week 26
Week 27
Week 28
Week 29
Week 30
Week 31
Week 32
Week 33
Week 34
Week 35
Week 36
Week 37
Week 38
Week 39
Week 40
Week 41
Week 42
Week 43
Week 44
Week 45
Week 46
Week 47
Week 48
Week 49
Week 50
Week 51
Week 52
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
In 2011, there were many peaks of referrals, especially closer to the annual round deadline.
However, in 2012, it was a fantastic on the schools part as the referrals were more evenly spread through the year.

33. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to South-west Region
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34. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to western Metropolitan Region
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35. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Grampians Region
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36. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Barwon South-west Region
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37. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to North-west Region
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38. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Loddon Mallee Region
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39. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Northern Metropolitan Region
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40. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to North-East Region
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41. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Hume Region
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42. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to eastern Metropolitan Region
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43. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to South-East Region
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44. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to southern Metropolitan Region
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45. STATEWIDE Distribution of IQ scores for students referred for ID assessment Compared to Gippsland Region
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46. Referral issues Things to remember
Vineland should not be older than 12 months
The Vineland is one of the criteria for the diagnosis of intellectual disability. It is an official document and must be completed accurately
Often specific Vineland information is placed into PSD reports
The DEECD requires 2 years between cognitive assessments (including WPPSI to WISC) and 12 months between language assessments.
Lewis & Lewis do not keep DEECD files therefore it is important to provide copies of previous assessments.
In regards to 6/7 Reviews, if the assessment is less than two years old after the annual round cut off date but prior the end of term 3.
We do not assess simply because a paediatrician or parent has requested it. We are not a general assessment service.

47. Two Year Re-Assessment (Reviews/End Date)
For early July reassessments schools should be encouraged to meet the existing annual round timelines where possible.
So if the annual round timeline (prior to the end of term 3) cannot be met , the regional disability coordinator places a request at the SIED (Student Inclusion and Engagement Division) approval via for a ‘late’ application.
If eligible for consideration, the school submits the application ASAP attaching the SIED approval .
After the end of term 3, the Regional Disability Coordinator requests SIED consideration via – SIED advises appropriate action.

48. Main points
Lewis & Lewis is contracted to provide assessment for the categories of ID and SLD-CEN only
To make a referral, call the L&L office. The person answering the phone will be senior staff member who can answer all queries and take referral information.
During busy periods calls may be picked up by our paging service. Your call will be returned by a senior staff member.
When you call, make sure you know the student and their relevant details
Diagnosing disability is not just about providing extra support
It involves joint effort by Lewis & Lewis and professionals in schools

49.  info@lewisandlewis.com.au  www.lewisandlewis.com.au
Contact Lewis & Lewis
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