Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

D.4 Speech-Language Pathology

Purpose
Speech-language pathology services are those services provided by speech-language pathologists designed to support students whose education is adversely affected by oral communication difficulties (Reference: Ministerial Order 149/89, Support Services for Schools Order).

The speech-language pathology services in a school district may include a full range of services encompassing prevention, identification and assessment, direct instruction for students (individually, in classroom settings, or in small groups as appropriate), consultation, collaboration with other educators regarding the student's needs in the classroom and other school environments, inservice training, information sharing with families and other service providers and public education.

Any student with delayed, disordered or atypical speech and/or language skills should be brought to the attention of the speech-language pathologist.

Speech and/or language difficulties may occur at any age and/or in any segment of the school population. Although they may occur in relative isolation from any other special education considerations, they are often associated with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, severe emotional/behaviour problems, learning disabilities or other learning difficulties. Not all children with these disorders will require direct intervention by a speech-language pathologist, but information sharing and monitoring of needs through collaboration among professionals and team management will ensure that appropriate and co-ordinated services are provided.

Providing primary assistance to students using English as a second language is not considered to be the responsibility of the speech-language pathologist, although these children may have specific communication disorders that warrant intervention.

Description of Services
All districts are encouraged to use school-based teams to initiate and monitor referrals for assessment and program planning, and a clearly defined pre-referral and referral process should be in place. A variety of identification and assessment activities related to speech and language difficulties are possible. Some districts may elect to implement screening programs for students of a particular age or in a particular program. Others may rely on a referral system that involves the school principal, teachers, parents or guardians, the learner and/or community agencies.

Speech-language pathologists should use both formal and informal measures to evaluate a student's abilities relative to established norms, school expectations, the classroom environment and the student's needs. A variety of standardized measures should be used in conjunction with samples of behaviour taken from the school context, observations of students and/or interviews with the student, parent/guardian and relevant others. The information obtained should be related to other assessment/planning activities undertaken as part of the learner's educational program.

A school district's speech-language pathology services should be directed towards assisting educators as well as specific students in their attempt to provide support for students with communication impairments. Each school district should document program goals and objectives, service priorities, operating procedures, reporting practices and record-keeping systems. Program entrance and exit criteria should be established, together with follow-up policies and practices. Procedures for handling and storing confidential records should be established. Documentation of program policies and operating practices should be clearly articulated and available for use in planning, management and evaluation activities.

In developing individual speech-language pathology services for students, care should be taken to relate communication objectives to the student's total educational program. Services for communicatively disabled students should be based on documented objectives and incorporated into each student's Individual Education Plan. Parents/guardians and other educators should be informed of assessment results, be involved in plans for intervention, and assist in observing and evaluating progress toward stated goals. These partners should be active participants throughout the intervention process.

Speech-language pathologists should have access to work spaces that are conducive to effective instruction (i.e., in compliance with health and safety codes, quiet, and free from distractions). It may be most appropriate for intervention to take place within the classroom context, in which case the speech-language pathologist will be called upon to determine instructional approaches in collaboration with the classroom teacher. Speech-language pathologists should have ready access to relevant instruments and materials that will permit effective assessment and intervention for the wide variety of students who experience communication difficulties.

Access to Speech-Language Pathology service
Service delivery and scheduling models may vary according to district priorities. Some districts may emphasize direct intervention with children, while others may choose a model where more time is spent in collaborative consultation with other educators, service providers, parents and the student.

Personnel
The British Columbia and Canadian Associations of Speech-language Pathologists and Audiologists set standards of training and practice for speech-language pathologists in British Columbia. Speech-language pathologists who provide services to students on behalf of school districts in British Columbia should meet the standards for membership in these associations, or be under the direct supervision of a person who meets those standards.

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