Different Service Delivery Models for Different Communication Disorders

The article I read this week, Different Service Delivery Models for Different Communication Disorders, focused on the impact communication disorders can have on a student and how important intensive speech and language services are on not only their education, but their social experiences and post-school opportunities. Nippold (2012) states that communication disorders, especially language disorders, can have a tremendous impact on a student's "academic, social, and vocational success" (p. 117). Nippold (2012) goes on to state that students who are diagnosed with language disorders in kindergarten "continue to lag behind their typically developing peers in spoken and written language development throughout the school-age years" causing "poorer academic outcomes, weaker social competence, and higher rates of rule-breaking behavior compared to their typically developing peers" (p. 117). Not only are these students less likely to graduate from high school with their peers, but also "less likely to attend college, and that when they do obtain employment, it is often at a substantially lower salary" (Nippold, 2012, p. 117). However, students with language disorders are not doomed to follow this path; Nippold offers possible solutions to these troubling finds. Instead of the commonly used "pull-out" model, in which students are pulled out of the room once or twice a week for usually 30 minute sessions with a speech-language pathologist, Nippold (2012) argues that effective intervention for language disorders must be "frequent and intense," promoting "children’s active attention; and that children receive corrective feedback on their responses and praise for their efforts and successes" (p. 118). Not only should intervention occur as early as possible, but should also closely include other school staff, especially the classroom teacher, a special education teacher, and a school counselor, to help with reducing the student's frustration and creating a supportive environment. Nippold states that while the "pull-out" model may be ideal for students with speech disorders, such as stuttering, it is not always the most effective option for students with language disorders. 

I found this article definitely connected with our reading this week on communication disorders. Nippold's startling facts about the impact a language disorder can have on a person's life are echoed in the textbook. The reading states that, because "communication skills are an essential part of social relations," the social behavior of a student is often affected by their communication disorder, often resulting in "withdrawn behavior" or "undesirable interactions such as aggression or disruption" (McLeskey, Rosenberg, & Westling, 2013, p. 131). Also, there is a strong correlation between communication disorders and behavioral and emotional disabilities, with "71% of students who were labeled with emotional and behavioral disabilities also having language deficits" and "57% of the students identified with language deficits also were classified as having emotional and behavioral disabilities" (McLeskey, et al., 2013, p. 131). In my classroom at Elim, all eight students use AAC devices to communicate due to a variety of language deficits. While not all of our students have behavior problems at school, those who do are often triggered by frustration due to not being understood or not being able to effectively communicate their thoughts. I believe the correlation between communication disorders and emotional or behavioral disabilities is a very evident in our room. To help remediate this issue, the students receive many of the services suggested by Nippold in the article, including speech services with our speech-language pathologist, taking part in a speech group as a class, receiving counseling services, and also receiving assistance in using their AAC devices effectively from the teacher and aides. 

I thought this article was very informative and the facts that Nippold shared about how important early language intervention is were extremely alarming. While I found her research and solutions very well done, I would have like some more concrete strategies for teachers to use in the classroom to help these students and be an effective piece of the intervention plan. Also, while I understand how important intense intervention is for students with language disorders, Nippold herself states that many speech-language pathologists in schools are already stretched thin, many working with over 60+ students, all with very different and demanding communication disorders. I agree with Nippold, that until school districts are able to fund multiple SLP's, maybe even those who focus solely on particular communication disorders, frequent and intense intervention such as she suggests may not always, unfortunately, be possible. 

McLeskey, J., Rosenberg, M.S., & Westling, D.L. (2013). Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Nippold, M. A. (2012). Different Service Delivery Models for Different Communication Disorders. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools, 43(2), 117-120.