Eligibility for Speech-Language Services
In New Jersey, speech-language services are provided to students who demonstrate communication difficulties that negatively impact their educational performance. Eligibility for these services is determined based on specific criteria outlined by the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C. 6A:14), which governs special education and related services in the state.
Criteria for Eligibility
Students from preschool through 8th grade may be eligible for speech-language services if they exhibit one or more of the following:
- Articulation Disorders: Difficulty producing speech sounds correctly, which affects intelligibility and the student’s ability to communicate effectively in the classroom setting.
- Language Disorders: Challenges in understanding or using spoken language, including issues with vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and social communication skills.
- Voice Disorders: Abnormalities in pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that interfere with communication and academic performance.
- Fluency Disorders: Disruptions in the flow of speech, such as stuttering, that significantly impact a student's ability to participate in classroom activities.
Referral and Evaluation Process
If a teacher or parent suspects that a student may have a speech or language disorder, a referral can be made to the school’s Child Study Team. The team will gather information and, if necessary, conduct an evaluation to determine the student's eligibility for services. This evaluation process is conducted in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.3, ensuring that all assessments are comprehensive and individualized.
Developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
For students found eligible, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed, detailing the specific goals, services, and supports required to address the student’s speech-language needs. The IEP is reviewed and updated annually to reflect the student’s progress and any changes in their needs.
Ongoing Support and Re-evaluation
Speech-language services are provided within the school setting, with the goal of helping students improve their communication skills for success in the classroom and beyond. Re-evaluations are conducted periodically to assess the student’s progress and to determine whether continued services are necessary.
For more detailed information on eligibility criteria, please refer to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.5(c) regarding special education and related services, including speech-language therapy.
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ELIGIBILITY FOR KINDERGARTEN AND UP
The evaluation for a speech disorder shall be conducted pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.4(g). Documentation of the educational impact of the speech problem shall be provided by the student's teacher. The speech disorder must meet the criteria at (b)1, 2, and/or 3 below and require instruction by a speech-language specialist:
- Articulation/phonology: On a standardized articulation or phonology assessment, the student exhibits one or more sound production error patterns beyond the age at which 90 percent of the population has achieved mastery according to current developmental norms and misarticulates sounds consistently in a speech sample.
- Fluency: The student demonstrates at least a mild rating, or its equivalent, on a formal fluency rating scale and, in a speech sample, the student exhibits disfluency in five percent or more of the words spoken.
- Voice: On a formal rating scale, the student performs below the normed level for voice quality, pitch, resonance, loudness, or duration and the condition is evident on two separate occasions, three to four weeks apart, at different times.
- “Communication impairment” means a language disorder in the areas of morphology, syntax, semantics, and/or pragmatics/discourse that adversely affects a student's educational performance and is not due primarily to an auditory impairment. The problem shall be demonstrated through functional assessment of language in other than a testing situation and performance below 1.5 standard deviations, or the 10th percentile on at least two standardized language tests, where such tests are appropriate, one of which shall be a comprehensive test of both receptive and expressive language. When the area of suspected disability is language, assessment by a certified speech- language specialist and assessment to establish the educational impact are required. The speech-language specialist shall be considered a child study team member. When it is determined that the student meets the eligibility criteria according to the definition in (c)4 above, but requires instruction by a speech-language specialist only, the student shall be classified as eligible for speech-language services. When the area of suspected disability is a disorder of articulation, voice, or fluency, the student shall be evaluated pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.4(g) and, if eligible, classified as eligible for speech-language services pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.6(a).
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ELIGIBILITY FOR PRE-SCHOOL
- "Preschool child with a disability" means a child between the ages of three and five who either: Is experiencing developmental delay, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the areas in (c)10i(1) through (5) below, and requires special education and related services. As measured by a standardized assessment or criterion-referenced measure to determine eligibility, a developmental delay shall mean a 33 percent delay in one developmental area, or a 25 percent delay in two or more developmental areas.
(1) Physical, including gross motor, fine motor, and sensory (vision and hearing);
(2) Intellectual;
(4) Social and emotional; and (5) Adaptive; or Has an identified disabling condition, including vision or hearing, that adversely affects learning or development and who requires special education and related services.