Team
Speech-Language Specialist (SLS)
The speech-language specialist is an expert in area of communication. The speech-language specialist assesses the speech and language skills of the student. After the evaluation, the speech-language specialist determines if there is a communication disorder and prepares a plan for a treatment program to assist the student in improving or mastering their communication skill.
Some areas that the speech-language specialist will examine are the pronunciation of sounds in words and sounds during words in sentences, the fluency of Speech, the students voice quality and vocal pattern, the oral motor structure as it affects speech, auditory comprehension of language, receptive and expressive vocabulary, the comprehension of concepts and the effectiveness of how the students puts together sentences to communicate their ideas.
School Psychologist
The school psychologist is an expert in determining the student’s level of cognitive and conceptual development as well as the student’s emotional factors affecting the student’s behavior and performance in school. Their expertise in psychology as it applies to education assists in their determination of the student’s learning process and learning potential including both strengths and weaknesses; and the impact that they might have on individual student performance.
The psychological evaluation includes standardized testing along with a functional assessment in the areas of cognitive and intellectual abilities, emotional and behavioral status and social and adaptive skills. Some other areas that the school psychologist evaluates are verbal comprehension, processing speed, visual-motor functioning, visual-perceptual skills, perceptual reasoning and working memory.
School Social Worker
The School Social Worker assesses the social abilities of the student including the student’s ability to cope with environmental changes, the ability to learn new everyday skills and their ability to demonstrate independence. After determining how the family perceives their child in the home, how the teacher perceives the student in the classroom and gathering medical and school history, the school social worker then measures the student’s adaptive behavior and coordinates community services by collaborating with community agencies.
Having extensive knowledge of socio-economic, emotional and environmental differences, the school social worker’s assessment of the student in relation to the family, school and community, facilitates the coordination of services between the school and the family on behalf of the child. During the assessment the school social worker will look at the students’ communication, daily living, socialization and motor skills. An assessment of behavior, including any challenging behavior that the student may exhibit in the school or at home, may also be included.
Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant(LDT-C)
The Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant provides a full range of services as a member of the Child Study Team in the identification and diagnosis of perceptual and learning disabilities and in the prescription and delivery of appropriate and effective educational services and programs. The Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant (LDT-C) is primarily a teacher and a consultant, assisting the instructional staff in an understanding of the needs of students with disabilities and recommending and demonstrating techniques, strategies, and materials.
Areas evaluated include academic areas, reading, mathematics, and written language. Visual-Motor integration skills as well as story recall and understanding directions are part of the assessment.