RESOURCE PACKET Assessment of Language Impairment

DETERMINING THE APPROPRIATE DISABILITY
A Speech or Language Impairment should not be considered a secondary disability unless it is
clearly apart from the primary disability. This is particularly applicable in the cases of Autism,
Developmental Delay, Mental Retardation/Functional Delay, Multiple Disabilities, and Emotional
Disturbance. Decisions about eligibility will be facilitated through collaboration among School
Psychologists, the SLT, parents and school personnel in planning and implementing appropriate
communication and cognitive assessments and interpreting their results.
USING THE LANGUAGE SEVERITY RATING SCALE
The Language Severity Rating Scale is a tool used after a complete assessment of the
student’s communication abilities and after the SLT has interpreted assessment results. This
scale is designed to document the presence of assessment findings according to the intensity of
those findings and to facilitate a determination, based on assessment results, if the student has
a language impairment according to the definition in the Tennessee Rules and Regulations.
The severity rating scale is not a diagnostic instrument and should not be used in the absence
of assessment data. In order to be identified as a student with a language impairment, the
language difficulties must be determined to have an adverse affect on educational performance.
The rating scale serves three purposes:
1. to document the absence or presence of a language deviation and to what degree (Mild,
Moderate or Severe),
2. to indicate the absence or presence of adverse effect on educational performance, and
3. to determine whether or not the student meets eligibility standards for a language
impairment.
Educational performance refers to the student’s ability to participate in the educational process
and must include consideration of the student’s social, emotional, academic, and vocational
performance. The presence of any deviation in language does not automatically indicate an
adverse effect on the student’s ability to function within the educational setting. The deviation
must be shown to interfere with the student’s ability to perform in the educational setting before
a disability is determined. The effect on educational performance is, therefore, best determined
through classroom observations, consultation with classroom teachers and other special
educators and interviews with parents and the student. Teacher checklists are useful for
determining specifically how language problems affect educational performance.
ED –4072 / Rev. 07.09
Department of Education
Language Impairment Resource Packet