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Navigating the Requirements of Special Education Eligibility

Presented by Perry Flynn and Lissa Power-deFur

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School-based speech-language pathologists are often confronted with challenges in determining if a particular child is eligible for special education services for a speech-language impairment. This course will build on Kathleen Whitmire's Educationally Relevant Speech-Language Services in Schools (available on MedBridge), with a brief review of special education and related services eligibility requirements. The course will provide in-depth discussion of assessment approaches that facilitate eligibility team deliberations. A variety of case studies reflecting common dilemmas school-based SLPs face will be used to highlight best practices in assessment, collaboration, and decision-making.

Meet your instructors

Perry Flynn

Perry Flynn is Vice-President for Planning for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is the Consultant to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in the area of Speech-Language Pathology and a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Carolina at…

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Lissa Power-deFur

Lissa Power-deFur has spent over two decades focusing on school-based issues for speech-language pathologists. She served as a director in Special Education and Student Services and state speech-language-hearing consultant at the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). While there, she provided technical assistance and…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Special Education and Related Services Eligibility Requirements

1. Special Education and Related Services Eligibility Requirements

This chapter will review federal (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act - IDEA) requirements related to special education and related services eligibility. The focus will be on the It nature of the data needed for eligibility determination. In addition, the chapter will also touch on state-level nuances of the federal requirements.

Special Education Assessments

2. Special Education Assessments

This chapter will review best practices for assessment, including use of standardized assessments, speech or language sample analyses, classroom observations, and use of existing educational artifacts. The focus on assessment is to both identify the presence of a disability and its impact on the child’s academic success. Participants will need to be familiar with a variety of approaches that provide essential information for eligibility determination to enable effective eligibility decision-making. In addition, the value of assessment data for non-special education purposes will be reviewed.

Application to Case Studies

3. Application to Case Studies

The presenters will engage in a conversation about common eligibility dilemmas school-based SLPs face. These will include conclusion of eligibility (dismissal) and eligibility for students who are English language learners or have intellectual disabilities. The application chapter will conclude with discussion of strategies for facilitating effective collaboration.