LAC 28:CI.721. Speech or Language Impairment

A. Definition. Speech or Language Impairment means a communication deficit(s) with impairment in the area(s) of fluency, articulation, voice, or language that adversely affects a student’s educational performance and access to the general education curriculum. Dialectal variations alone do not qualify a student to be classified as having speech or language impairment. B. Criteria for Eligibility. Evidence of criteria listed in Paragraphs 1, 2, 3 or 4, and 5 must be met for a student to be classified as having a Speech or Language Impairment. 1. Articulation—non-maturational speech deficit of one or more phonemes characterized by consistent addition, substitution, omission, or consistent incorrect production of speech sounds, and: a. for a student enrolled in kindergarten or above, data from documented intervention(s) conducted by a speech-language pathologist or speech-language pathology assistant that indicates that it is unlikely based on the student's rate of learning, that the student will acquire correct use of targeted phoneme(s) within a reasonable period of time; or 2. Fluency―inappropriate rate and time patterning of speech at least 5 percent of the time, characterized by any of the following: sound and syllable repetitions, sound prolongations, audible or silent blocking, interjections, broken words, circumlocutions, or words produced with an excess of tension and accompanied by ancillary movements that are indicative of stress or struggle, and: a. for a student enrolled in kindergarten or above, data from documented intervention(s) conducted by a speech-language pathologist or speech-language pathology assistant that indicates it is unlikely, based on rate of learning, that the student will attain normal fluency within a reasonable period of time; b. a student exhibiting normal non-fluencies occurring during the developmental speech stage does not meet this criterion, or 3. Voice—any consistent deviation in pitch, intensity, quality, or other basic phonatory or resonatory attribute, and: a. for a student enrolled in kindergarten or above, data from documented intervention(s) conducted by a speech-language pathologist or speech-language pathology assistant that indicates it is unlikely, based on rate of learning, that the student will attain normal voice quality within a reasonable period of time. There must be an assessment conducted by the appropriate medical specialist prior to conducting intervention(s); or 4. Language―impaired deficits in receptive (listening comprehension) or expressive (oral expression) area(s), disorder of linguistics (the study of language processing including phonology, morphology) syntax, semantics, or pragmatics: a. a student shall exhibit a deficit of at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean based on chronological age; b. for a student in kindergarten or above, data from intervention(s) conducted by a speech-language pathologist or speech language pathologist assistant that indicates that it is unlikely, based on rate of learning, that the student will acquire targeted language skills that significantly impact the student's educational performance and access to the general education curriculum within a reasonable period of time; and 5. there is documented evidence that the impairment significantly interferes with the student's educational performance or significantly interferes with the student's developmental functioning to a degree inappropriate for his or her cultural and social background or overall developmental level: a. some language difficulties cannot be described as a difference from the norm either because specific norms are not available or because the individual's language is deviant in a way not described adequately by developmental norms. In such cases, language samples should be analyzed and the language behavior should be documented with deviations described in various settings. An overall picture of language behavior should be described. Students who are non-verbal communicators shall be described, using their augmentative and/or alternative communication needs or modes. C. Procedures for Evaluation. Conduct all procedures described under §513, Evaluation Components. D. Additional procedures for evaluation: 1. a speech-language assessment conducted by a licensed speech-language pathologist, which shall include the following procedures: a. the use of standardized test instruments and/or published normative data in speech-language pathology or child development; b. formal or informal analysis of a communication sample; c. additional information gathered from sources such as criterion-referenced materials, communication-related data collected by other professionals (including other pupil appraisal personnel and teachers), and an observation of communication skills; d. an assessment of the structure and function of the oral peripheral mechanism; e. assessment of augmentative/alternative communication needs when appropriate; and f. the review and analysis of intervention data for a student enrolled in kindergarten or above and when appropriate for children aged 3-5; 2. an educational assessment conducted to review academic skills and to determine whether the speech or language impairment significantly interferes with the student's educational performance. The effect of the speech or language impairment on educational performance must be documented in the evaluation report, including an analysis of how the student's disability affects access to and progress in the general curriculum: a. for a student suspected of having an articulation, fluency or voice disability, an educational assessment may be conducted by the classroom teacher; b. for a student suspected of having a language deficit, an educational assessment shall be conducted by an educational diagnostician or other qualified pupil appraisal member; 3. a review of the voice assessment conducted by an appropriate medical specialist in all cases in which there is a suspected voice impairment; 4. information from a parent conference or other communication with the parent(s) to determine whether developmental, health, or other factors may be causing, contributing to, or sustaining the speech or language impairment; 5. medical, psychological, and additional educational assessments shall be requested by the evaluation coordinator, when appropriate to the evaluation of the suspected disability.