Speech and Language 

Communication skills are essential to a student’s learning and academic success. Language is the basis of communication. Speaking, listening, writing, reading and gesturing involve some forms of language. Speech and language abilities help students become academically successful. Within the Tattnall County School District, Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide a variety of services to students.

SLPs (sometimes referred to as speech therapists) are educated professionals who evaluate speech and language development and treat speech and language disorders. SLPs work with educational evaluation teams to provide comprehensive language and speech assessments for students. Services to students with speech-language disorders may be provided in individual or small group sessions, in classrooms when collaborating with teachers or in a consultative model with teachers and parents. SLPs integrate students' speech-language goals with educational performance and functional outcomes.

Students who meet the Georgia Department of Education eligibility criteria for Speech Language Impairment may have deficits in one or more of the following:

Articulation disorder - (Difficulty pronouncing sounds. Children may say one sound for

another, leave out a sound or have problems saying certain sounds clearly.

Language disorders - (Difficulty with comprehension, expression, vocabulary, concepts and grammar. Pragmatics/social communication – how to take turns, how close to stand to someone when talking,

how to start and stop a conversation and following the rules of conversation. Some children who are nonverbal (not able to speak at all) need help learning other ways to communicate)

Fluency (stuttering) disorders - (Interruption of the flow of speech that may include repetitions, prolongations, hesitations of sounds or words. Children may have trouble starting to speak or may repeat sounds, syllables, words or phrases.)

Voice disorders - (Quality of voice that may include hoarseness, nasality, and volume. A child may

lose his/her voice easily, or may speak in a voice that’s too loud, too soft, too high or too low.)

Once students are found eligible for Speech/Language Impairment, the SLP works with the team to develop an Individualized Education Program or IEP. IEPs are written for students who qualify for services under Federal and state law. Goals and objectives are written into the IEP for the student.

A child may need a speech/language evaluation if:

·         Speech is not understood by others

·         He/she doesn’t understand what others say

·         He/she has trouble following directions

·         He/she has problems with reading and writing

·         He/she has difficulty understanding social cues – like knowing when someone is mad or telling a joke