CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLSDEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
SPEECH-LANGUAGE OBSERVATION
Student: / Date(s) of Observation(s):Grade: / Teacher: / School:
Environment (i.e., classroom, playground, gym, cafeteria, etc.):
Subject / Activity being observed (see subject sheets attached, when applicable:
Length of Observation(s):
PRIOR TO THE OBSERVATION, THE FOLLOWING CONSIDERATIONS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED: / SOURCE / COMMENTS
1. Information from referral or classroom performance which indicates a potential problem in the area(s) being observed:
a. The area(s) of concern addresses a possible weakness in oral communication that occurs in practical speaking situations, not one that is task specific.
b. The area(s) of concern may have an educational impact, not just relate to a specific task or environment.
c. The area(s) of concern may require a greater frequency and intensity of instruction and practice that are or will be provided by another service provider.
d. The area(s) of concern may require: therapeutic intervention, classroom interventions, or modifications specific to oral communication.
e. The area(s) of concern addresses primarily an issue of oral communication, not one primarily of written language.
f. The area(s) of concern addresses linguistic pragmatics, not social/behavioral issues.
2. Indicate the standard(s) against which the student will be compared during the observation (i.e., students in the same instructional group; students in the same grade, students participating in the same activity, etc.)
AFTER CONDUCTING THE OBSERVATION, ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING:
Based on the observation, how did the student perform with respect to the standards indicated?
What is the relationship of observed behaviors to, and the impact of those behaviors on, the student’s school functioning?
SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS:
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Speech-Language Pathologist’s Signature
REPORT OF OBSERVATION / Student: / Date: / COMMUNICATIONORAL EXPRESSION (Expressive Communication)
Y N
confuses or leaves out speech sounds,
exhibits dysfluent language (i.e., unusual pauses or repetitions, frequent rephrasing of thoughts, poor verbal organization, etc.)
demonstrates grammatical problems (i.e., does not form plurals properly, uses incorrect verb tense forms, lacks subject-verb agreement, uses incorrect pronouns, etc.)
uses words in incorrect order within sentences, difficulty forming appropriate sentence structures for a variety of forms (i.e., statements versus questions, commands or requests, etc.)
uses primarily short, simple utterances (i.e., 1 or 2 word responses, gestures, nod/head shake, etc., limited mean length utterance, etc.)
limited or nonspecific vocabulary (i.e., uses “thing” or “that guy” instead of actual labels/names)
exhibits difficulty in word retrieval (e.g, appears to know that things/people have names but has difficulty recalling them efficiently and appropriately),
demonstrates problems with pragmatic language usage at a social level:
Y N
has difficulty beginning/maintaining/ending conversations, appropriately getting the attention of others, or seeking assistance when needed
has difficulty adapting pronunciation/language/fluency/voice tone or volume according to audience/context),
has difficulty appropriately expressing feelings/opinions, reacting/responding to the feelings of others, or presenting matching verbal/nonverbal messages
fails to appropriately use social courtesies such as politeness markers, avoidance of brutal honesty, or sense of humor/sarcasm
student is asked to repeat him/herself frequently by peers/adults
it appears effortful to understand what the student is saying (e.g., pronunciation of sounds, vocal quality or volume) or means (e.g., language or fluency)
the student’s communication calls attention to itself (e.g., articulation, language, fluency, voice, pragmatics)&/or distracts from his/her message
SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS:
RECOMMENDATIONS:
REPORT OF OBSERVATION / Student: / Date: / LANGUAGEAUDITORY COMPREHENSION (Receptive Communication)
Y N
follows directions when given individually, to a small group, in a large group setting,
asks for instructions to be repeated frequently or fails to follow directions/initiate without repeated prompts
has difficulty focusing on the main idea or topic when listening to content, or to targeted sounds when spelling/rhyming
does not appear to understand what is said by others in discussions, lecture, conversations or has increased difficulty as length/complexity of utterance increases
seems to be easily distracted by noise/other sounds or unrelated events, exhibits a short attention span, demonstrates disruptive or off-task behaviors during activities requiring listening skills,
confuses similar words due to discriminating between speech phonemes/sounds
has difficulty appropriately applying grammatical constructions (e.g., plurals, tense endings, person/pronoun references) when listening to others as a means for understanding their references
exhibits a limited receptive vocabulary for words spoken by others, introduced by content or used figuratively (e.g., humor, sarcasm, slang, metaphor, etc.)
has difficulty connecting information presented verbally in class and information acquired through reading or other sources
has difficulty accurately/completely remembering information presented orally or discussed in class
has difficulty understanding questions asked of him/her, (e.g., fails to answer or provides off-topic responses), or is unable to respond in a timely/organized manner
demonstrates problems with understanding pragmatic language at a social level
Y N
has difficulty recognizing cues from others regarding initiating conversations/topics, opportunities to ask/answer questions, or termination of interactions
withdraws or otherwise relies upon others to engage in discussion/conversation
is at risk for being bullied or manipulated due to comprehension difficulties
lacks awareness of or does not acknowledge social courtesies such as politeness markers, avoidance of brutal honesty, or sense of humor/sarcasm
SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS:
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Revised (8/07)