Special Education Disputes

Why Accuracy Matters: The Hidden Risks of Flawed Language and Literacy Tests

Leave a Comment / Clinical Assessment, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

When it comes to diagnosing students with developmental language disorders (DLD) and literacy deficits, the choice of assessment tools is critical. Many commonly used language tests have serious psychometric flaws that undermine their validity, leading to misidentifications that can have lasting educational and social consequences. This post examines the psychometric properties of several widely used […]

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School SLPs vs. Private SLPs: Do They Really Target Different Oral Language Goals?

Leave a Comment / Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Recently I was in an IEP meeting for an elementary-aged student. During the meeting, I raised concerns regarding several non-evidenced-based oral language goals for the student and suggested modifying them to meet the student’s extensive academic needs better. To my surprise several IEP team members pushed back, emphasizing the supposed differences between school and private

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Limitations of the CELF-5 in Detecting Subtle Language and Literacy Needs

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition (CELF-5) is one of the most widely used tools for assessing language abilities in children. However, despite its popularity, significant limitations exist in its ability to accurately diagnose Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and identify subtle language and literacy needs. These limitations are particularly evident in its construct

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Addressing Misconceptions About ADHD and Poor Language Performance

Leave a Comment / Attention, Clinical Assessment, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

It is a common but misguided assumption to attribute poor academic performance solely to ADHD. While ADHD can impact focus and attention, leading to difficulties in completing tasks or following instructions, these challenges do not inherently cause the language and literacy deficits that underpin poor academic performance. Individuals with language and literacy challenges may display

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The Role of Independent Language and Literacy Assessments in Speech Pathology

Leave a Comment / Clinical Assessment, Evidence-Based Intervention, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Independent assessments of language and literacy are crucial tools for designing precise, beneficial treatment recommendations for students with language and literacy needs. Independent assessments conducted by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) outside the school system can provide valuable insight into the client’s strengths and needs as well as effectively aid in creating targeted interventions. Purpose of Independent

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Grade Inflation of Special Education Students: An Examination of the Phenomenon

Leave a Comment / Grade Inflation, Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Grade inflation, the tendency for academic grades to be higher without a corresponding increase in student performance, has been a growing concern for me as a speech-language pathologist working with children diagnosed with language and literacy needs. I find this phenomenon to be particularly pronounced with many students on my caseloads. In one particularly glaring

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Manifestations of Social Pragmatic Deficits in Children

Leave a Comment / Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Social Pragmatic Deficits, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Social communication plays a pivotal role in the development of relationships, friendships, well-being, and mental health. However, some children may experience difficulties in this domain, leading to what is known as social pragmatic deficits. Social pragmatics refers to the use of language in social contexts, including the ability to interpret and respond to verbal and

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Attention: All That Matters

Leave a Comment / Attention, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Executive Functions, Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests, Working Memory / /

The role of attention in learning is a topic of great interest to both researchers and clinicians alike when it comes to the discussion of the causes of learning difficulties in children (Posner & Rothbart, 2007). Attention plays a crucial role in learning, since if you cannot attend you cannot commit stimuli to memory and

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Comprehensive Assessment of Preschool and Kindergarten-Aged Children

Leave a Comment / Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

Typically, I write posts pertaining to certain aspects of the assessment and treatment of school-aged children. However, due to an increasing number of requests, today, I wanted to share some advice regarding how speech pathologists can comprehensively assess the language and literacy abilities of preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Now some professionals may ask, “Isn’t it

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How Early can “Dyslexia” be Diagnosed in Children?

Leave a Comment / Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

In recent years there has been a substantial rise in awareness pertaining to reading disorders in young school-aged children. Consequently, more and more parents and professionals are asking questions regarding how early can “dyslexia” be diagnosed in children. In order to adequately answer this question, it is important to understand the trajectory of the development

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