I’m a speech-language pathologist so I can chime in here.
First of all, how old is your son? The pediatrician could be way off. Many articulation issues do resolve themselves over time.
Changing /r, l/ to /w/ is called gliding. It’s a phonological process that is very common up until age 8ish. It’s only really concerning if he can’t hear the difference between the sounds, because that will impact his spelling and reading skills.
Are you able to get speech therapy services through your health insurance? It’s generally tough to get approval for services in school for articulation if the child does not have a concomitant language delay/disorder.
I’m also an SLP and agree with everything my colleague has written. I would also add that a lisp is frontal production of sounds like /s/ or “ th” . As my colleague said w/ r or w/ l is gliding and is a common phonological process. Lisping can be distracting, but often resolves on its own. There is also a lateral lisp which involves a child using the sides of their tongue for sounds like “ch” “ j” or “ sh” instead of the front and often producing a “ slushy” sound. Lateral lisps are not ever developmentally appropriate and usually require direct speech therapy treatment. I’m sure it can be very frustrating for parents when a medical provider states one thing that is directly different from what the school says. Unfortunately, some states have very restrictive criteria to qualify for school services. Also, a pediatrician simply doesn’t have the training to diagnose a speech- language disorder, nor do they have the knowledge of the laws we must follow in the school system.
Agreed with all of this, the lateral lisp is an important distinction. Think of cartoon characters wearing braces and headgear and how they pronounce /s/; they often have a lateral lisp as part of their characterization.
Also, to add to your comment about pediatricians not having the expertise, I would add that the norms used by pediatricians to flag for language disorders are not up-to-date, especially for multilingual populations. I’ve had several bilingual students who didn’t start speaking until age 3 (which would normally be considered a severe delay), but turned out to have typical language skills and were on-par with their peers by age 5-6. I cannot say the same for monolingual students, even though I have treated more monolinguals over the course of my career. My conclusion is that, at least in the US, we just don’t have the data yet to establish more appropriate developmental norms for populations that aren’t monolingual, white, and mid-to-high SES.
Pediatricians are unaware of a lot of these issues and simply go by the “established” norms for developmental milestones, which means they often make parents worry even when there is no actual evidence of a delay.
My pediatrician, who is excellent and I very much respect, wouldn’t have the slightest clue what sounds should be expected at what age. Much less when a child in my state could receive speech therapy through a public school to address it. That’s not his expertise! I get his advice for medical concerns and he asks me for my opinion on early intervention and sped lol. I can’t imagine why doctors are giving recommendations on this stuff unless they have rare additional training.
Fascinating! I have an almost 5 year old about to start kinder, and she can read/spell some simple words and knows her letter sounds, but she does the glide thing and some other typical "baby voice" kind of issues, lacking enunciation. Interesting how some people are able to hear the differences but not speak them versus some can't differentiate the spoken word as well. I am considering private speech therapy for her though, she gets embarrassed and frustrated when she can't say certain sounds, but she knows what they should be.
We call some sounds like /s, th, r/ “later-developing,” because even typically-developing people may not be able to produce them correctly until age 5-6 or even later. The /th/ and /r/ sounds in particular are very difficult to produce and are actually relatively rare in world languages. It sounds like your daughter can hear the difference, so it’s unlikely she has a phonological disorder, in my experience.
There is also a difference between substitution, where /w/ is used in place of /r/ and/or /l/, and distortion, where the /r/ or /l/ sounds wrong, but also sounds different from the way the child pronounces /w/. Distortions are generally less severe, although this is dependent on the individual case. If you’re unsure which one you’re hearing, it’s always a good idea to consult with an SLP.
Definitely! She was a late talker (7 months old when the pandemic hit) and had a great speech therapist when she was around 16 months old who got her talking, probably time to call their office again and help get her confidence up for elementary school! She struggles a lot with /th/ sounds, and doesn't like to count over 30 because she is mad she can't say "thirty."
I mean, it’s a late-developing sound, but if she is so upset about not being able to pronounce it that she is avoiding important words, I’d argue that it is impacting her schoolwork and the school should provide speech therapy. I wouldn’t normally recommend therapy for that but I make exceptions depending on the kid. For example, if a child has trouble saying sounds in their name and it is upsetting them, I’d work on those sounds even if the sounds are later-developing.
What about as an adult? I still do the gliding and can’t understand the difference between some sounds. My insurance says I don’t need speech therapy and refuses to pay…
I understand. I’d google “communication sciences and disorders graduate school” and find a program near you. Grad programs often offer low- or no-cost evaluations and therapy.
School-based speech services are different from private therapy. To qualify for services in the school, there HAS to be evidence of an adverse effect on his education. So, is it affecting his spelling or reading, is he not making friends due to his speech, is he not able to participate in group activities or speak in front of the class, etc.
If it’s not affecting his education, it is more appropriate to go through your insurance. Otherwise, pulling him out of class is in violation of the Least Restrictive Environment.
If you went to my schools, they didn’t care if I had literal meltdowns in class. I literally punched myself in the face during class and yet the school said I was fine. Sigh.
look on the back of your insurance card. Call the number and ask for a referral to a "in network" doctor who can help with your problem. They will give you a list of doctors. Call the offices and ask if they are taking new patients. If so book an appointment.
If it isn’t impeding his learning, the school doesn’t have to provide it. I’m not sure how that is determined with speech (I work with populations that definitely need speech) but that’s the language in IDEA. They may determine it isn’t severe enough to warrant speech through school. Do you have insurance? If your doctor is saying your kid needs it and you have insurance you should be able to get it.
IDEA states that services are to be provided to support independent living, further education and future employment. That has been interpreted by districts and states as has to have educational relevance. In this case there is not enough data to show the impairment reaches the severity of a disability based on state/federal criteria and/or is impacting the above listed areas.
How? I can’t drive to a doctor. Insurance refuses to pay for anything. I am dependent on an overworked caregiver who can’t keep up with my problems. I’m stuck
I’m sorry:/ what insurance do you have? If it’s state insurance and you’re an adult, they probably won’t pay for speech (unless it’s a medical swallowing issue). If you’re intelligible by others, they probably won’t help you. Will your insurance cover PCP appointments? If so you should be able to do online appointments with your PCP to get referrals to what you need.
Call the hospital and talk to the SLP there. They treat adults and will get you connected with the hospital social worker who can assist you with navigating the system.
A 504 doesn’t provide speech or occupational therapy or school based therapy (through a school pysch or a special ed program’s social worker) as they are specialized academic instruction. I will say though some sound errors are typical for a certain age range and if they speak a different language at home!
The school is correct unless you can show that his speech impediment is interfering with his learning. (Hint: look at his spelling. Is he having more than the usual amount of trouble spelling or sounding out words that he has trouble pronouncing? You might be able to make a case… but it would be hard)
You might be able to get some help paying for speech therapy through your medical insurance.
How old is your son? Are his speech errors affecting his ability to read or write?
Typically in the schools students have to have a severe impairment in order to qualify. In my state they have to score below the 7th percentile and basically be impossible to understand. This is because, in order to provide speech therapy during the school day, we are removing the child from academic instruction and access to their typically developing peers, so we have a legal obligation to only do so in the most necessary cases.
For a child like your son, who had a noticeable speech impairment that does not impede him from accessing his education, I would try to get private services through your insurance. I would not try to address it yourself as those are difficult sounds to remediate and do require skilled therapy—but it is not likely that he’d score low enough to qualify at school.
I used to receive speech services for similar reasons in elementary school. The difference is that I had more of a severe impediment. I had a significant stutter, couldn’t pronounce the “r” sound (would pronounce it as “w” like you said), and had weak pronunciation of “L,”“s,” “sh,” “ch,””th,” “t,” “n,” and etc. I was reading through the reports they did and apparently the most significant things for me was that it was affecting people understanding me and my social skills. I remember that stuff genuinely upsetting me when I was younger (crying, showing signs of distress). I ended up getting speech services from 1st grade until 5th grade and I can definitely say it helped, but my family also didn't try the private SLP route either. The school had to bring it up to my family. My speech impediment was definitely affecting my education.
The threshold for medical services vs school services is definitely different. Ask his doctor for a referral to a speech clinic that your insurance will cover. Also, if the lisp doesn't get better, don't be afraid to try again with the school in a year - a lot can change for impact in that time.
He would've needed a iep for services if it impacted his educational needs. If it doesn't. There's private speech. My son has a speech disorder, had an iep, then didn't need his iep and we still had to do private speech for years
I've never seen this before. A 504 has a few different things and one is not covering services ( unless its changed ) also parents usually aren't part of a 504 & dont legally have to be. In an iep parents are part of the process. I know ieps can have the accomadations that 504s do , but ieps don't ( usually anyway ) have services added since they don't have to be assessed
I don’t think it’s super common but I know that my mother(an SLP) planned on fighting for me to receive them with my 504 not iep bc I didnt need an iep to get ST. I just checked my states faq for students with disabilities and it spells out that ST is considered an instructional service so it can be given stand alone with no 504 or iep.
You may have to do private speech. Tbh the school doesn’t do much anyways only 30 min a week max even for my son who has severe delays. I have him going to private speech twice a week. Insurance covers. It’s about 30 bucks copay a session.
You can require speech therapy but not at a school level, but medically speech therapy would be needed outside of school through insurance.
If it it determined that speech is required at the school level he would go through the IEP process and switch from a 504 to an IEP. You can’t do both unless it’s diabetics related in most places
Bring evidence of impeding learning. Do people have a difficult time understanding him? Is he having difficulty with the way words are read or spelled due to the way he says them?
Special Education is provided for students to make adequate progress in their education. He may need private speech therapy to correct to the level of accuracy you are looking for.
Your health insurance should cover this. It's not the same as speech therapy for school stuff, which involves reading readiness. Basically, a lot of speech problems are seen as an impediment to learning phonics. If you can't produce a sound, you might not be hearing it at all. This is a really weird and wonderful way that the human brain works. We "prune" the neural connections in our brain that we aren't actively using. The classic example is Chinese kids not being able to produce or even hear an "r" sound in a compound word. But that's not a lisp. it's not an issue with their lips. There's just no "r" in Mandarin.
That being said, it wouldn't hurt him to have the school SLP. I might ask them to re-evaluate him.
I had a student recently where the only identified condition was a speech impediment. The srv8ces did not include ST. They missed the bigger issue, though. This student definitely needs extra time for tests and assignments.
Something worth noting here is that districts often use age norms when determining if a student qualifies. A 5 year old who can’t pronounce a few sounds may not qualify where a 9 year old might. You have the right to request another evaluation after a year or two has passed.
Your child did not qualify in that moment. They are not barred from seeking or receiving services in the future.
A 504 can provide speech service but imo has less in the way of setting goals and reporting goal progress. I’d prefer an IEP listing services AND goals based on how I’ve seen districts implement 504s vs IEP.
On top of everything everyone has said, the SLP governing body has taken the stance that its more meaningful to train the adults working with students to correct errors and go to more of a consult model and to use an MTSS model before evaluating. (Not a speech path just work closely with multiple SLPs, I might have misunderstood)
I know in TN to qualify certain sounds are expected to come at certain ages. So for them to qualify it must be a sound they are past the age that is when the sound should have been mastered.
Our district doesn’t do speech therapy until they’re a year delayed. So losing that r in drift wouldn’t qualify for speech until 8yo. Depending on how old your child is, that may be the issue. Common switches when learning don’t impede education. Kindergarten teachers are quite adept at understanding that, 8th grade maybe not so much.
Remember social/emotional issues related to speech difficulties is an EDUCATIONAL need. It is not simply an academic need. There is functional, communication, cognitive, social/emotional, physical, occupational things that a speech language need can affect. If his speech/language affects any of those and can be documented, then there is a good argument for both SLP and IEP/ARD services.
That’s a possibility, however in my 20 years I’ve rarely seen full and comprehensive evaluations be completed when it mentions speech. Making sure full evaluations are conducted across multiple disciplines is definitely something to look into.
100% agree. This parent should request a comprehensive evaluation for special education in the areas of reading, writing, social/emotional, speech and language to determine if his articulation errors are impacting educational process in academic and functional performance.
I’m a speech-language pathologist so I can chime in here. First of all, how old is your son? The pediatrician could be way off. Many articulation issues do resolve themselves over time. Changing /r, l/ to /w/ is called gliding. It’s a phonological process that is very common up until age 8ish. It’s only really concerning if he can’t hear the difference between the sounds, because that will impact his spelling and reading skills. Are you able to get speech therapy services through your health insurance? It’s generally tough to get approval for services in school for articulation if the child does not have a concomitant language delay/disorder.
I’m also an SLP and agree with everything my colleague has written. I would also add that a lisp is frontal production of sounds like /s/ or “ th” . As my colleague said w/ r or w/ l is gliding and is a common phonological process. Lisping can be distracting, but often resolves on its own. There is also a lateral lisp which involves a child using the sides of their tongue for sounds like “ch” “ j” or “ sh” instead of the front and often producing a “ slushy” sound. Lateral lisps are not ever developmentally appropriate and usually require direct speech therapy treatment. I’m sure it can be very frustrating for parents when a medical provider states one thing that is directly different from what the school says. Unfortunately, some states have very restrictive criteria to qualify for school services. Also, a pediatrician simply doesn’t have the training to diagnose a speech- language disorder, nor do they have the knowledge of the laws we must follow in the school system.
Agreed with all of this, the lateral lisp is an important distinction. Think of cartoon characters wearing braces and headgear and how they pronounce /s/; they often have a lateral lisp as part of their characterization. Also, to add to your comment about pediatricians not having the expertise, I would add that the norms used by pediatricians to flag for language disorders are not up-to-date, especially for multilingual populations. I’ve had several bilingual students who didn’t start speaking until age 3 (which would normally be considered a severe delay), but turned out to have typical language skills and were on-par with their peers by age 5-6. I cannot say the same for monolingual students, even though I have treated more monolinguals over the course of my career. My conclusion is that, at least in the US, we just don’t have the data yet to establish more appropriate developmental norms for populations that aren’t monolingual, white, and mid-to-high SES. Pediatricians are unaware of a lot of these issues and simply go by the “established” norms for developmental milestones, which means they often make parents worry even when there is no actual evidence of a delay.
My pediatrician, who is excellent and I very much respect, wouldn’t have the slightest clue what sounds should be expected at what age. Much less when a child in my state could receive speech therapy through a public school to address it. That’s not his expertise! I get his advice for medical concerns and he asks me for my opinion on early intervention and sped lol. I can’t imagine why doctors are giving recommendations on this stuff unless they have rare additional training.
Fellow SLP. Agree 💯
Fascinating! I have an almost 5 year old about to start kinder, and she can read/spell some simple words and knows her letter sounds, but she does the glide thing and some other typical "baby voice" kind of issues, lacking enunciation. Interesting how some people are able to hear the differences but not speak them versus some can't differentiate the spoken word as well. I am considering private speech therapy for her though, she gets embarrassed and frustrated when she can't say certain sounds, but she knows what they should be.
We call some sounds like /s, th, r/ “later-developing,” because even typically-developing people may not be able to produce them correctly until age 5-6 or even later. The /th/ and /r/ sounds in particular are very difficult to produce and are actually relatively rare in world languages. It sounds like your daughter can hear the difference, so it’s unlikely she has a phonological disorder, in my experience. There is also a difference between substitution, where /w/ is used in place of /r/ and/or /l/, and distortion, where the /r/ or /l/ sounds wrong, but also sounds different from the way the child pronounces /w/. Distortions are generally less severe, although this is dependent on the individual case. If you’re unsure which one you’re hearing, it’s always a good idea to consult with an SLP.
Definitely! She was a late talker (7 months old when the pandemic hit) and had a great speech therapist when she was around 16 months old who got her talking, probably time to call their office again and help get her confidence up for elementary school! She struggles a lot with /th/ sounds, and doesn't like to count over 30 because she is mad she can't say "thirty."
I mean, it’s a late-developing sound, but if she is so upset about not being able to pronounce it that she is avoiding important words, I’d argue that it is impacting her schoolwork and the school should provide speech therapy. I wouldn’t normally recommend therapy for that but I make exceptions depending on the kid. For example, if a child has trouble saying sounds in their name and it is upsetting them, I’d work on those sounds even if the sounds are later-developing.
What about as an adult? I still do the gliding and can’t understand the difference between some sounds. My insurance says I don’t need speech therapy and refuses to pay…
Can you afford to pay out of pocket for a speech evaluation? Your insurance might approve sessions based on the results
I have like 10$.
I understand. I’d google “communication sciences and disorders graduate school” and find a program near you. Grad programs often offer low- or no-cost evaluations and therapy.
I could try that. Thank you. I can’t drive though and there is no way to get anywhere in my city, but it’s worth a shot
What do you mean by evaluations? I already have many diagnoses
If you cannot hear the differences between sounds, that is a phonological/auditory processing disorder and can be evaluated separately from speech.
I’m hard of hearing. That’s why.
School-based speech services are different from private therapy. To qualify for services in the school, there HAS to be evidence of an adverse effect on his education. So, is it affecting his spelling or reading, is he not making friends due to his speech, is he not able to participate in group activities or speak in front of the class, etc. If it’s not affecting his education, it is more appropriate to go through your insurance. Otherwise, pulling him out of class is in violation of the Least Restrictive Environment.
If you went to my schools, they didn’t care if I had literal meltdowns in class. I literally punched myself in the face during class and yet the school said I was fine. Sigh.
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’ve been able to get the support you need since then.
Not one bit :(
Echoing what another person said. Regarding your swallowing issues, make an appointment with a general doctor and they will make you a referral.
How do I make an appointment?
Do you have insurance? What state are you located in?
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look on the back of your insurance card. Call the number and ask for a referral to a "in network" doctor who can help with your problem. They will give you a list of doctors. Call the offices and ask if they are taking new patients. If so book an appointment.
can’t call either:( I’m literally stuck
Thank you for your help. I’m deleting my comments for privacy
If it isn’t impeding his learning, the school doesn’t have to provide it. I’m not sure how that is determined with speech (I work with populations that definitely need speech) but that’s the language in IDEA. They may determine it isn’t severe enough to warrant speech through school. Do you have insurance? If your doctor is saying your kid needs it and you have insurance you should be able to get it.
The slp can determine he requires direct intervention if it impacts him socially/emotionally (or this could just be a CA thing)
This is how my kids qualify for speech in CA. They are both fine academically but the IEP specifies speech as needed for social reasons.
Usually they tie that in with and effects his academic learning. But mostly they go by scores.
IDEA states that it has to have an EDUCATIONAL impact. This includes: academics, and social/emotional.
I know. But there’s no guidance on what social emotional means. Different districts look at it different
IDEA states that services are to be provided to support independent living, further education and future employment. That has been interpreted by districts and states as has to have educational relevance. In this case there is not enough data to show the impairment reaches the severity of a disability based on state/federal criteria and/or is impacting the above listed areas.
My insurance denied my speech therapy because “It’s not necessary”. It’s definitely necessary. Sigh
They deny everyone on the first go around. If you fight it enough they’ll usually give in.
Good to know. That’s really annoying. I have communication delays and can’t fight for myself so I’m just going to be stuck forever. 🤦♀️🤷♀️
I mean a lot of the fighting is proving doctors say you need it, and written stuff. You can do it!
How? I can’t drive to a doctor. Insurance refuses to pay for anything. I am dependent on an overworked caregiver who can’t keep up with my problems. I’m stuck
I’m sorry:/ what insurance do you have? If it’s state insurance and you’re an adult, they probably won’t pay for speech (unless it’s a medical swallowing issue). If you’re intelligible by others, they probably won’t help you. Will your insurance cover PCP appointments? If so you should be able to do online appointments with your PCP to get referrals to what you need.
Thank you for your help. I’m deleting my comments for privacy
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Call the hospital and talk to the SLP there. They treat adults and will get you connected with the hospital social worker who can assist you with navigating the system.
I can’t call:(
Primary care provider
Oh okay. Thank you 🙏 I don’t have one right now
Call the hospital and get a social worker. If you’re disabled you qualify for one. You also need to have a PCP. That’s who will coordinate your care.
I can’t call :(
A 504 doesn’t provide speech or occupational therapy or school based therapy (through a school pysch or a special ed program’s social worker) as they are specialized academic instruction. I will say though some sound errors are typical for a certain age range and if they speak a different language at home!
If if doesn't impede his learning than it is not the schools responsibility. Look into private therapy.
The school is correct unless you can show that his speech impediment is interfering with his learning. (Hint: look at his spelling. Is he having more than the usual amount of trouble spelling or sounding out words that he has trouble pronouncing? You might be able to make a case… but it would be hard) You might be able to get some help paying for speech therapy through your medical insurance.
How old is your son? Are his speech errors affecting his ability to read or write? Typically in the schools students have to have a severe impairment in order to qualify. In my state they have to score below the 7th percentile and basically be impossible to understand. This is because, in order to provide speech therapy during the school day, we are removing the child from academic instruction and access to their typically developing peers, so we have a legal obligation to only do so in the most necessary cases. For a child like your son, who had a noticeable speech impairment that does not impede him from accessing his education, I would try to get private services through your insurance. I would not try to address it yourself as those are difficult sounds to remediate and do require skilled therapy—but it is not likely that he’d score low enough to qualify at school.
I used to receive speech services for similar reasons in elementary school. The difference is that I had more of a severe impediment. I had a significant stutter, couldn’t pronounce the “r” sound (would pronounce it as “w” like you said), and had weak pronunciation of “L,”“s,” “sh,” “ch,””th,” “t,” “n,” and etc. I was reading through the reports they did and apparently the most significant things for me was that it was affecting people understanding me and my social skills. I remember that stuff genuinely upsetting me when I was younger (crying, showing signs of distress). I ended up getting speech services from 1st grade until 5th grade and I can definitely say it helped, but my family also didn't try the private SLP route either. The school had to bring it up to my family. My speech impediment was definitely affecting my education.
The threshold for medical services vs school services is definitely different. Ask his doctor for a referral to a speech clinic that your insurance will cover. Also, if the lisp doesn't get better, don't be afraid to try again with the school in a year - a lot can change for impact in that time.
He would've needed a iep for services if it impacted his educational needs. If it doesn't. There's private speech. My son has a speech disorder, had an iep, then didn't need his iep and we still had to do private speech for years
You CAN get speech services under a 504
I've never seen this before. A 504 has a few different things and one is not covering services ( unless its changed ) also parents usually aren't part of a 504 & dont legally have to be. In an iep parents are part of the process. I know ieps can have the accomadations that 504s do , but ieps don't ( usually anyway ) have services added since they don't have to be assessed
I don’t think it’s super common but I know that my mother(an SLP) planned on fighting for me to receive them with my 504 not iep bc I didnt need an iep to get ST. I just checked my states faq for students with disabilities and it spells out that ST is considered an instructional service so it can be given stand alone with no 504 or iep.
I'm a related service provider and provide direct services to a handful of students on my caseload who have 504 plans.
You may have to do private speech. Tbh the school doesn’t do much anyways only 30 min a week max even for my son who has severe delays. I have him going to private speech twice a week. Insurance covers. It’s about 30 bucks copay a session.
You can require speech therapy but not at a school level, but medically speech therapy would be needed outside of school through insurance. If it it determined that speech is required at the school level he would go through the IEP process and switch from a 504 to an IEP. You can’t do both unless it’s diabetics related in most places
You can do speech therapy as part of a 504
Bring evidence of impeding learning. Do people have a difficult time understanding him? Is he having difficulty with the way words are read or spelled due to the way he says them? Special Education is provided for students to make adequate progress in their education. He may need private speech therapy to correct to the level of accuracy you are looking for.
Your health insurance should cover this. It's not the same as speech therapy for school stuff, which involves reading readiness. Basically, a lot of speech problems are seen as an impediment to learning phonics. If you can't produce a sound, you might not be hearing it at all. This is a really weird and wonderful way that the human brain works. We "prune" the neural connections in our brain that we aren't actively using. The classic example is Chinese kids not being able to produce or even hear an "r" sound in a compound word. But that's not a lisp. it's not an issue with their lips. There's just no "r" in Mandarin. That being said, it wouldn't hurt him to have the school SLP. I might ask them to re-evaluate him.
I had a student recently where the only identified condition was a speech impediment. The srv8ces did not include ST. They missed the bigger issue, though. This student definitely needs extra time for tests and assignments.
Something worth noting here is that districts often use age norms when determining if a student qualifies. A 5 year old who can’t pronounce a few sounds may not qualify where a 9 year old might. You have the right to request another evaluation after a year or two has passed. Your child did not qualify in that moment. They are not barred from seeking or receiving services in the future. A 504 can provide speech service but imo has less in the way of setting goals and reporting goal progress. I’d prefer an IEP listing services AND goals based on how I’ve seen districts implement 504s vs IEP.
On top of everything everyone has said, the SLP governing body has taken the stance that its more meaningful to train the adults working with students to correct errors and go to more of a consult model and to use an MTSS model before evaluating. (Not a speech path just work closely with multiple SLPs, I might have misunderstood)
How old is your son?
I know in TN to qualify certain sounds are expected to come at certain ages. So for them to qualify it must be a sound they are past the age that is when the sound should have been mastered.
Our district doesn’t do speech therapy until they’re a year delayed. So losing that r in drift wouldn’t qualify for speech until 8yo. Depending on how old your child is, that may be the issue. Common switches when learning don’t impede education. Kindergarten teachers are quite adept at understanding that, 8th grade maybe not so much.
That’s blanket predetermination and an immediate due process loss. Please don’t say things like that in open forums.
Remember social/emotional issues related to speech difficulties is an EDUCATIONAL need. It is not simply an academic need. There is functional, communication, cognitive, social/emotional, physical, occupational things that a speech language need can affect. If his speech/language affects any of those and can be documented, then there is a good argument for both SLP and IEP/ARD services.
It sounds like he’s already been through the evaluation process.
That’s a possibility, however in my 20 years I’ve rarely seen full and comprehensive evaluations be completed when it mentions speech. Making sure full evaluations are conducted across multiple disciplines is definitely something to look into.
Mine always got a full evaluation, even at school. Iep for speech and language only.
100% agree. This parent should request a comprehensive evaluation for special education in the areas of reading, writing, social/emotional, speech and language to determine if his articulation errors are impacting educational process in academic and functional performance.