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Posted by Rosie on 1/26/2012, 10:20 am
71.237.169.124
I am really curious about this, because I sometimes gets kids who transfer in with an eligibility that doesn't make sense. For example, a recent child came in with a communication eligibility for language. Then I looked over the testing completed by the previous SLP. She reported low scores on 2 OWLS subtests, 10th percentile on the PPVT, low scores on 2 CELF subtests. She also gave this child a auditory processing disorder test that is designed for adults and adolescents (the child was 6 and in 1st grade at the time). She didn't report how the child did during a language sample.
Then I met the child, now 8 and in third grade and wondered what on earth she needed from me. She was able to follow up to 4-5 step directions, her grammar was fine, seemed to understand things fine....etc. So I ask the teacher about her and she is surprised she needs "speech". I explain to her that her areas are language and she agrees with me that she doesn't seem to need my services but rather academic supports.
She is receiving academic support for writing and math I believe. Anyway, I decide I need to retest her so give her the CASL and her overall score is in the mild range. She scored low in syntax, which surprised me, because in conversation her syntax is absolutely fine. She also scored mild for vocabulary. She had some anxiety with the testing it seemed to me. Her other scores were either in the solidly average range or low average range.
At the same time of her 1st grade testing, the school psychologist also did academic and cognitive testing. Her cognitive scores were low in verbal reasoning and memory (if *I* am remembering right :-) ) and her academics were low in the areas she is receiving services in. But the rest of those scores were in the average range and the team didn't find her eligible for a learning disability.
That's most of the background. I get these reports sometimes where the SLP picks and chooses between subtests without reporting the full battery of tests and I feel like there isn't enough information to qualify or not just on some of the subtests. I always consider eligibility on the total language score, not different subtest scores. According to the new school psychologist at our school, other SLPs pick and chose between subtests regularly. That is not what I have heard from SLPs in larger districts in our area. I am curious how other SLPs would deal with this situation.
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