Eligibility and Dismissal Criteria in School Services
School Services Frequently Asked Questions
Does ASHA have eligibility and dismissal criteria for students in schools?
ASHA does not recommend specific criteria for eligibility or dismissal of services for educational settings. Federal, state, and/or local guidelines determine criteria. For additional information, see Eligibility and Dismissal Criteria and Cognitive Referencing.
Does IDEA outline a process for determining eligibility?
IDEA 2004 notes that each public agency must
- "draw upon information from a variety of sources, including aptitude and achievement tests, parent input, and teacher recommendations, as well as information about the child’s physical condition, social or cultural background, and adaptive behavior; and
- ensure that information obtained from all of these sources is documented and carefully considered."
Does IDEA support the use of discrepancy model to determine eligibility?
The IDEA regulations specify that criteria for determination are conducted at the state level and
- "must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Section 300.8(c)(10);
- must permit the use of a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention; and
- may permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Section 300.8(c)(10)."
In addition, the regulations specify that "a public agency must use the state criteria adopted pursuant to the information presented above in determining whether a child has a specific learning disability."
Are children who have commensurate IQ and language scores eligible for speech-language services?
Comparing IQ and language scores as a factor for eligibility for speech-language intervention is frequently referred to as cognitive referencing. Cognitive referencing is based on the assumption that language functioning cannot surpass cognitive levels. According to researchers, the relationship between language and cognition is not that simple. Some language abilities are more advanced, others are closely correlated, and still others are less advanced than general cognitive level. The results of research in recent years have demonstrated that cognitive prerequisites are neither sufficient nor even necessary for language to emerge. Therefore, ASHA does not support the use of cognitive referencing. For additional information, see ASHA's Cognitive Referencing resource.
Can services be denied to a student with a disorder if the there is no "adverse affect" on educational performance?
State and/or local school education agencies may apply different interpretations to the phrase "adversely affects educational performance"; however, they cannot deny IDEA-mandated services to a child with a speech or language impairment just because that child does not have a discrepancy in age/grade performance in an academic subject-matter area. If acquisition of adequate and appropriate communication skills is a required part of your school's academic standards and curriculum and is considered to be a basic skill necessary for all children attending school, then a child with a speech or language impairment has a disorder that adversely affects educational performance. Sound production errors may affect the way a student hears, speaks, reads, or writes phonemes, and thus can affect academic and social performance. For more information, see ASHA's Eligibility and Dismissal resource, "Adversely Affects Educational Performance" section.
