Best Practice in School Speech Language Assessment: Using Early Intervention Results

Abstract

This study investigated the degree to which a large urban inner city school district implemented the recommendations of an early intervention program that fed into its schools. Fifty-two African-American children who received early intervention services were followed through a parent questionnaire. Results showed that the assessment and identification information provided by the early intervention team was highly accurate. The recommendations from competent early intervention teams can be an effective assessment method for children entering school with speech/language delays. esearch in the field of early childhood development~ alleges that speech/language disorders in the preschool years are persistent and related to later educational achievement difficulties such as reading and social/emotional adjustment problems (Aram, ). A longitudinal followup study by Aram & Hall (1989) determined that 40 to 100 percent of children who received speech/language services in preschool continued to present with speech/language disorders at follow-up. Morris-Friehe and Sanger (1994) revealed that 37% of at risk preschoolers who had not been served by a speech/language pathologist were unidentified with speech/language problems, and 47% of the children with communication disorders who had previously been identified and served continued to demonstrate language problems upon entering school. A total of 74% of the children who were at risk during the preschool years exhibited profiles that indicated the need for special education services after a few years in elementary school.Children with speech/language impairments are at increased risk for reading problems (Catts, 1993;Menyuk, et al., 1991). An investigation of the relationship between reading and language disorders revealed that 50% of the children with specific language impairments also had reading problems (Menyuk, et al., 1991).Despite the existence of early intervention services and subsequent need for special education and/or related services, many preschoolers who received speech/language treatment did not receive support services in school (Gibbs & Cooper, 1989;Morris-Friehe & Sanger, 1994). In many parts of the country schools may be unaware of, or fail to use, the assessment information available to them from early intervention programs.Early intervention can serve two distinct functions: reduction of language impairments, eliminating the need for costly special education services in schools, or early assessment of children at risk who continue to need services to avoid academic failure.This study sought to determine if children with communication disorders who had received early intervention services actually received the recommended special education services upon entering school. In addition, it sought to determine if children were successfully remediated with early intervention services continued to perform at age level and were judged successful in a general education classroom. Simply put, were early intervention program recommendations reliable and could they ...