The responsibilities of the speech-language pathologist include identification of and intervention with children who exhibit a speech-language impairment that impacts their developmental, academic, social, and/or vocational functioning.  Because oral and written language are major components of the curriculum, the student who is experiencing difficulty in the understanding and/or use of language may have problems relating to the language of the classroom and will be at a disadvantage in the educational setting.  Effective communication skills are also necessary for establishing and maintaining good social relationships, both with peers and with adults.   The appropriate use of speech and language in an academic as well as a social context is necessary for the development of a student’s maximum potential.  Thus, the goal of the speech-language pathologist is to provide services commensurate with the needs of the communicatively disabled.

Current federal and state guidelines define the speech impaired as those having a communicative disorder such as articulation, language, fluency, or voice impairment which adversely affects the child’s educational performance.  The following guidelines have been formulated.

1.  ARTICULATION-PHONOLOGY - An articulation disorder is characterized by substitutions, omissions, distortions, and/or additions of speech sounds.

2.  LANGUAGE - A language impairment includes receptive and/or expressive delays in syntax, semantics, morphology, pragmatics, and/or auditory processing.

3.  FLUENCY - A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and repetitions in sounds, syllables, words, and phrases. 

4.  VOICE - A voice impairment is any deviation in pitch, intensity, or quality which interferes with communication.