• Information for Teachers

    SPEECH LANGUAGE &/Page/27036/8216;WATCH&/Page/27036/8217; LIST

     

    Communication skills cover a variety of areas.  Please use this list to help direct you when you may have concerns regarding a student&/Page/27036/8217;s speech language development and help document the educational impact:
     

    ARTICULATION:

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty producing common sounds (e.g., /s,z,sh,ch,r,th,l,g,k/) which may interfere with ability to be understood by peers and/or adults, with reading/writing skills, with social skills, etc.

    &/Page/27036/183;        Leaving off, adding or changing sounds in words

    &/Page/27036/183;        Are often teased by other students due to their speech sound errors/manner of speaking

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty with oral-motor skills when eating or speaking (e.g., drooling, open mouth posture, &/Page/27036/8216;groping&/Page/27036/8217; for the correct oral position when trying to speak/make sounds)

     

    LANGUAGE:

    &/Page/27036/183;        Understands and/or uses a limited vocabulary

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty following directions (i.e., may be unable to follow routine and/or novel directions, may experience difficulty following 1-step or multi-step directions, may or may not repeat directions over to himself/herself before responding, may require additional time to respond)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty answering questions (i.e., &/Page/27036/8216;yes/no&/Page/27036/8217; ?&/Page/27036/8217;s, &/Page/27036/8216;wh&/Page/27036/8217; ?&/Page/27036/8217;s,  &/Page/27036/8216;how&/Page/27036/8217; ?&/Page/27036/8217;s, ?&/Page/27036/8217;s pertaining to class content, ?&/Page/27036/8217;s regarding information out of the here-and-now)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty processing spoken language in general

    &/Page/27036/183;        Grammar errors in spoken and written language

    &/Page/27036/183;        Requires increased time to formulate thoughts and responses

    &/Page/27036/183;        Experiences word retrieval difficulties (i.e., has the word &/Page/27036/8216;on the tip of his/her tongue&/Page/27036/8217; some of the time)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty putting words together to formulate thoughts and ideas verbally or in writing

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty maintaining a basic conversation for age (e.g., speaking and understanding, unrelated to shyness).

                           

    SOCIAL SKILLS:

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty interacting with peers and adults (i.e., when initiating, maintaining, and ending interactions with others)

    &/Page/27036/183;        May play alone most of the time (e.g., at recess, in class)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Difficulty with topicalization skills (i.e., initiating, maintaining and ending conversations with others)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Doesn&/Page/27036/8217;t use typical eye contact

    &/Page/27036/183;        Just exhibits an &/Page/27036/8216;unusual&/Page/27036/8217; way of interacting with others; doesn&/Page/27036/8217;t share peer interests; may obsess on specific topics; may be unaware and/or unconcerned that others are not interested in what he/she is doing/saying

     

    FLUENCY SKILLS: 

    &/Page/27036/183;        Experiences disruption in the flow of speech

    &/Page/27036/183;        May experience unusual &/Page/27036/8216;blocks&/Page/27036/8217;/hesitations when speaking

    &/Page/27036/183;        May repeat sounds, parts of words, whole words and/or phrases/sentences when speaking

    &/Page/27036/183;        May prolong the first sound or middle sounds in words

    &/Page/27036/183;        Doesn&/Page/27036/8217;t appear to like to talk to others or appears self-conscious, especially in large groups

    &/Page/27036/183;        May exhibit physical characteristics when dysfluent (e.g., facial grimace, tics, eye blinks, tension in throat or body)

    &/Page/27036/183;        May use a rapid rate when speaking

    &/Page/27036/183;        May be unaware of his/her dysfluencies

    (Note: It is typical for everyone to experience &/Page/27036/8216;normal&/Page/27036/8217;/natural dysfluencies once in a while when speaking.  Dysfluent speakers or those who exhibit true &/Page/27036/8216;stuttering&/Page/27036/8217; behaviors do so much more often and with greater disruption to the flow of their speech in a variety of contexts.  *Dysfluent speakers do not typically improve in their speech skills without direct intervention.  Dyfluencies are not typically &/Page/27036/8216;outgrown&/Page/27036/8217;, rather individuals learn strategies to manage their speech.)

     

    VOICE QUALITY:

    &/Page/27036/183;        Exhibits an unusual quality to his/her voice when speaking (e.g., hoarseness, raspiness)

    &/Page/27036/183;        Uses an unusually loud volume most of the time

    &/Page/27036/183;        Uses an unusually quiet volume most of the time

    &/Page/27036/183;        Speaks in a high pitch

    &/Page/27036/183;        Speaks as if talking through his/her nose

    &/Page/27036/183;        Speaks as if he/she has a cold all of the time (i.e., has a stuffy nose)

    (Note: We are unable to work directly with students who experience vocal difficulties until they are seen by a doctor at the family&/Page/27036/8217;s cost and discretion.)

     

    These are just some of the &/Page/27036/8216;red flags&/Page/27036/8217; to be on the lookout for.  Please feel free to contact any of the Whitlow SLPs with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your students&/Page/27036/8217; communication needs and development.