School-Age Communication Disorders: Populations

Question 1

IDEA definition of school-age

Answer 1

3-12 years old; depends on the state how & where 3-5 yo’s are served
Classification under IDEA makes it difficult to find S-L cases (may be a related service under another diagnosis)

Question 2

Current interpretations of IDEA

Answer 2

have allowed failure to serve children with scores in 1st percentile rank
Philosophy of district &/or professional may significantly under-identify & under-serve adolescents with S-L needs (CPH)

Question 3

Statistics of S-L in school according to ASHA

Answer 3

10.5% increase in S-L services from 1988-89 to 1997-98 (8-12% preschool kids w/ LI; 5-8% older kids with LI
Avg. age of service 8.6 years: Suggests that older kids vastly underserved, as avg age of child w/ LD is 12.5 years old

Question 4

Fall 2003 Statistics

Answer 4

1,460,583 (24.1% of special ed population) on school caseloads for S-L as a primary disability
79,522 (1.3%) for hearing impairment
More students than this have a primary disability other than s/l or hearing & receive the services as a secondary condition

Question 5

IDEA Classifications

Answer 5

Mental retardation, hearing impairment (including deafness), s/l impairment, visual impairment (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (aka emotional disturbance), orthopedic impairment, autism, TBI, Other health impairment (ADD, ADHD), SLD, deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities

Question 6

Educator’s Diagnostic Manual

Answer 6

approximately 84% of all children & youth ages 6-21 are receiving special ed under 4 disability categories: 1. SLD (47.2%), 2. S/L impairment (18.8%), 3. MR (9.6%), 4. Emotional disturbance (8.1%)

Question 7

Adolescents & JDC

Answer 7

24-84% of adolescents in juvenile detention centers have communication impairments; stats for LD similar (closer to 80%), Auditory processing disorder is very high prevalence in JDC
Similar stats for adult incarcerated population (~80%)

Question 8

Concomitant Problems

Answer 8

TBI, CVA, seizure; ADD, FAS, ASD, MR, syndromes, CP, psychiatric disorders

Question 9

ADD

Answer 9

Cluster of syndromes (sx): short attention span, difficulty concentrating, poor impulse control, distractability, mood swings, +/- LD, +/- hyperactivity
Often have executive function disability
not typically considered LI historically

Question 10

Westby & Cutler suggest DSM-IV identifying behaviors of ADD are

Answer 10

pragmatic deficits & metacognitive deficits

Question 11

Paul places ADD under

Answer 11

psychiatric disorders

Question 12

Executive Function Disorders

Answer 12

planning and cause/effect problems

Question 13

ADD considerations

Answer 13

role of medication, context dependent: may attend well in motivating situation
Concomitant with many other disorders like Fragile X, autism, LD, SLI

Question 14

FAS/FAE

Answer 14

Caused by maternal drinking of unspecified critical amt (fetal age & maternal age/# of pregnancies thought to be factors in determination)
Possible birth defects of heart, limbs, palate
Delayed intellectual & language dev’t
Behavioral issues (transitions, poor cause-effect, tantrums, impulse control)
Social communication impaired
Academic difficulties language related: listening, abstract thinking, memory, reading comprehension, more

Question 15

FAS diagnosis

Answer 15

reserved for facial features, small size, & some other characteristics

Question 16

FAE diagnosis

Answer 16

usually lacks physical characteristics

Question 17

ASD

Answer 17

Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett’s syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, PDD-NOS

Question 18

Autism & _______ often co-occur

Answer 18

MR (up to 80% are MR)

Question 19

Asperger’s syndrome

Answer 19

difficulty in nonverbal communication & other pragmatic areas, including adaptive behavior
Often underserved since they’ll score within avg. range or above avg. on standardized language tests

Question 20

Mental Retardation

Answer 20

terminology varies by state
Down syndrome, Fragile X
Language development is mostly typical in progression; at later stages, slower rate
Almost all evidence says that language is developed in same progression at slower rate, etc., but never reach adult standards