Disability Classifications Targeted by Speech Therapy Service

Speech therapy primarily targets students with Speech or Language Impairments (SLI), but it also supports those with Learning Disabilities (LD), Intellectual Disabilities (ID), and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) when communication challenges affect academic or social functioning. Speech or language impairments involve difficulties with articulation, language processing, fluency, or voice that impact a student’s ability to communicate effectively. Since communication is foundational to learning and social interaction, students with these impairments require specialized speech-language support to participate fully in educational settings.

Examples of Students Who Benefit from Speech Therapy

• Elementary Student: A 2nd grader with below-average language scores on the Woodcock-Johnson assessment and attention difficulties identified by the BASC-3 may struggle with expressive language and following multi-step instructions. This student would benefit from speech therapy to enhance vocabulary, sentence structure, and auditory processing.

• Middle School Student: A student with a learning disability demonstrated by a significant gap between cognitive ability (Stanford-Binet) and academic achievement (Woodcock-Johnson), coupled with social anxiety identified in behavioral assessments, might have pragmatic language difficulties affecting peer interaction. Speech therapy focusing on social communication skills would be essential.

• High School Student: A student with emotional challenges (e.g., anxiety from the Youth Self-Report) and average cognitive scores but with persistent articulation errors or stuttering would benefit from speech therapy that targets fluency and communication confidence to support academic presentations and social participation.

Specific Activities to Improve Well-Being

• Academic: Targeted vocabulary development, sentence formulation exercises, and comprehension tasks aligned with Woodcock-Johnson language subtests results help improve classroom understanding and written expression.

• Physical: Oral motor exercises improve articulation clarity and speech production, supporting physical speech mechanisms.

• Social-Emotional: Role-playing social scenarios, practicing conversation skills, and using social stories enhance pragmatic language and peer interactions, addressing social communication deficits identified through behavioral assessments like BASC-3.

How Diagnostic Tests and Assessments Inform Speech Therapy Needs

• Woodcock-Johnson: Low scores on language-related subtests (such as Broad Oral Language or Listening Comprehension) indicate specific areas of language weakness that speech therapy can target.

• Cognitive Assessments (WISC-V, Stanford-Binet): Help differentiate whether language difficulties stem primarily from cognitive delays or are isolated speech/language impairments, guiding the intensity and focus of therapy.

• Behavioral Assessments (BASC-3, Conners 3): Identify attention or emotional factors that may impact communication, ensuring speech therapy incorporates strategies to manage these challenges.

• Observations and Informal Assessments: Classroom observations may reveal pragmatic language difficulties or articulation errors affecting participation, supplementing formal test data.

By integrating these assessment results, speech therapy services can be precisely tailored to address each student’s unique communication needs, supporting their academic success, physical speech skills, and social-emotional development in inclusive and supportive environments.

References:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004a). Admission/discharge criteria in speech-language pathology [Guidelines]. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/policy/gl2004-00046.htm American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004b). Preferred practice patterns for the profession of speech-language pathology [Preferred Practice Patterns]. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/policy/PP2004-00191.htm

Disability classifications targeted by counseling services:

• Mental Health: Anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are the most common mental health issues that are addressed by counseling in children. Counseling can help children identify triggers, develop coping strategies, and improve emotional regulation.   

• Learning Disabilities:  Children with learning disabilities, including ADHD, often see counselors to help them develop study skills, executive functioning skills, and develop strategies to manage challenges that are associated with their particular disability. 

• Autism:  Children with autism often need specialized counseling to help them understand and navigate social interactions.  Also, statistically, most children with autism have a language disorder that impacts their communication, especially pragmatic language, which can be helped through counseling.  

• Trauma or Brain Injury: Counseling can help mitigate the long-term negative effects of trauma or a brain injury.

• Other Neurological disability: Counseling can support a child with a neurological disability as they navigate changes in their condition over time. Counseling is essential for children with “invisible” disabilities, as they are often not believed by adults and peers unfamiliar with their condition when they report symptoms.  

Examples of students who would benefit from counseling:

• Elementary Student P., a 7-year-old first-grader, is referred for testing because of emotional and behavioral dysregulation in the classroom and below-grade-level reading.  The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition (WIAT-4), and Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) indicated that this student may have a potential learning disability in reading and generalized anxiety disorder.  The psychologist who administered the tests recommends that Student P. participate in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and play therapy to improve his behavior and emotional regulation, have regular check-ins with the school counselor to address classroom-specific behaviors, and begin sessions with a reading specialist. 

  • Specific activities to improve his academic, physical, and social-emotional well-being:

    • Working with a reading specialist will improve his academic confidence and allow him to be more independent

    • Play therapy provides a safe, engaging environment for him to learn how to cope with his emotions and problem-solve so he can better participate in class. 

    • CBT will help him develop coping skills, reduce avoidant behaviors, and identify negative triggers. 

• Middle School Student B, a 12-year-old sixth grader, is withdrawing from social interactions and is no longer completing homework assignments. At the request of the school counselor to Student B’s parents, Student B completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-9A), both are self-reporting tools, and the results were used to refer her for additional testing and to begin seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist.  

  • Specific activities to improve his academic, physical, and social-emotional well-being:

    • Mindfulness techniques will help balance stress and physical responses to stressful situations.

    • Group therapy with other adolescents can alleviate the feelings of loneliness and isolation.

    • CBT will help her recognize patterns of negative thoughts and develop coping strategies

    • Art therapy can help her identify emotions and feelings that are complex and confusing.

• High School Student A, a 16-year-old junior, is diagnosed with POTS and has missed many classes due to migraines, fatigue, and heat intolerance, and does not interact with many friends outside of school. She has become disheartened because she cannot participate in many of the same activities as her friends, and she is hearing rumors that “it is all in her head”.  Student A’s pediatrician has her complete the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and the PHQ-9, and from the results her parents begin taking her to see a psychologist to help her develop strategies for social situations when she becomes unwell, and educate her on how to address people who say “it is all in her head”.   

  • Specific activities to improve his academic, physical, and social-emotional well-being:

    • Working with a physical therapist and an occupational therapist can address the physical symptoms associated with POTS.

    • CBT can help with the negative self-esteem issues and with coming to terms with limitations created by the disorder.

    • Mindfulness techniques can help balance the stress and anxiety that stem from not being able to complete tasks, especially school-related tasks. 

The following diagnostic tests can be used to inform school teams and parents and be the basis for recommending that the child receive counseling services: 

• Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition, Parent/Teacher Report (BRIEF-2), used to assess symptoms and behaviors consistent with attention, self-regulation, and executive functioning difficulties

• Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition, Parent/Teacher Report (BASC-3),  is used to identify a student’s social, emotional, behavioral, and adaptive functioning strengths and weaknesses 

• Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-III), used to measure adaptive daily living skills

• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), used to screen for emotional and behavioral problems

• Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS), used to evaluate behavior, emotional, and social concerns

• NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale, used to assess ADHD

• Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), is a screener used to identify children from 1 month to 6 years for possible developmental delays and social-emotional problems

• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-reporting tool for signs of depression

• Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-9), a self-reporting tool to determine the severity and frequency of symptoms

• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), is used to assess a variety of cognitive skills through highly structured tasks, each of which measures a different aspect of an individual’s intellectual functioning. 

• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition (WIAT-4), is used to indicate the student’s present level of performance, not future potential

• Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, Third Edition (GARS-3), is used to diagnose and determine the severity of autism

• Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS), used to diagnose autism

References:

Consulted my school's counselor for specific information on BECK and PHQ-9

The Arc Minnesota. (2023, January 13). ARC Guide to Special Education Evaluation Tools - The ARC Minnesota. The Arc Minnesota - the Arc Minnesota Promotes and Protects the Human Rights of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. https://arcminnesota.org/resource/special-education-assessment/

Screening Tools | Providers | Child Psychiatry Access Program | Psychiatry | IU School of Medicine. (n.d.). https://medicine.iu.edu/psychiatry/clinical-care/integrated/behavioral-health/providers/screening-tools

How ASQ works - ages and stages. (2021, January 3). Ages and Stages. https://agesandstages.com/about-asq/how-asq-works/

School based physical therapy is a related service and focuses on exercises and activities that help students with their strength, mobility and overall development. School based physical therapy targets many disability classifications such as the following:

• Other Health Impairment (OHI)- cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy helps with mobility and motor skills

• Orthopedic Impairment- helps with motor skills and mobility

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)- regain use of motor function

• Developmental Delay (DD)- help with gross motor skills in early years

Examples of Students Who Benefit from Physical Therapy

1. A student with cerebral palsy would receive physical therapy to help improve motor skills and prevent the loss of movement over time. PT can also prevent joint dislocations in students with cerebral palsy.

Academic: the use of Neuroplasticity which helps to train the brain to reorganize and learn new skills. Early intervention PT can help the brain adapt and take over the function of the damaged part of the brain.

Physical: uses strength training to improve balance, muscle tone and range of motion.

Social Emotional: incorporate the use of a buddy support system to ensure inclusion in school activities. Join a club that interests the student to help with social emotional well being.

2. A student with TBJ would benefit from a PT because they would help them relearn basic motor functions and coordination.

Academic: PT helps a TBJ student academically by helping them to learn to write by developing their fine motor skills.

Physical: Physical therapy can help a TBJ student learn to walk by helping them adjust their gait and coordination.

Social Emotional: Structured group play to assist with building self-esteem and building peer relationships.

How Diagnostic Tests and Assessments Inform Physical Therapy

Wechsler: Coding-Mazes, Bender-Gestalt,Observations of writing, drawing and cutting=these tests and observation looks at a students ability to control fine muscle movements and can warrant the need for PT.

Observations of Motor Patterns in Writing-observes the ability to remember information gained through movement=this observation can warrant the need for PT if a child isn't able to move their fingers correctly to form patterns in writing.

Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Observation of Gross Motor Activities= looks at the ability to coordinate large muscle movements such as walking, skipping and throwing=this test and observation can warrant the need for PT if a child struggles with running, walking or throwing objects.

Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-assesses motor development in young children.

These tests and observations can help identify students who are in need of PT services to help access the curriculum and improve mobility.

References

Center for Parent Information and Resources. (2017). Related Services | Center for Parent Information and Resources. Www.parentcenterhub.org. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-relatedservices/

Common Educational Tests used for Assessments for Special Education. (n.d.). https://dredf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Assesments_chart.pdf

How Physical Therapists Help Children with Cerebral Palsy | APTA Private Practice. (2023, August 18). Ppsapta.org. https://ppsapta.org/blog/marketing/how-physical-therapists-help-children-cerebral-palsy

Physical Therapy as Part of an IEP for Children with Disabilities - Kids First. (2025). Kidsfirstservices.com. https://www.kidsfirstservices.com/first-insights/physical-therapy-as-part-of-an-iep-for-children-with-disabilities

PT Assessment Tools & Functional Outcome Measures | Empower EMR. (n.d.). Www.empoweremr.com. https://www.empoweremr.com/blog/pt-assessment-tools-functional-outcome-measures

Social Skills. (n.d.). Cerebralpalsy.org. https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/information/socialization/social-skills