Speech and Language Support
The speech and language support program at the Stroudsburg Middle School provides speech and language support services for any student in grades 5-7 who demonstrates significantly delayed or disordered communication skills. The program is designed to assist students in improving their speech and language skills so that they may function successfully in both classroom and social settings.
Students who receive speech and language support have all been evaluated and identified as students with a speech and or language impairment. These students have individually tailored goals to address their speech/language needs.
What is a speech and or language impairment?
Speech and or language impairments appear in many forms. They can be generally characterized as follows:
Articulation – an articulation disorder occurs when the student substitutes, omits, or distorts specific speech sounds. For example saying “tup” for “cup” or “pendwin” for “penguin”.
Fluency – a fluency disorder refers to the student’s inability to maintain an uninterrupted flow of speech i.e. stuttering. It should be noted that hesitations such as (um and ah) and sound repetitions such as (mmmm-mommy are normal from ages 3-6). Students at the middle school level who stutter may have self-esteem issues and an intense fear of speaking in class or other settings. They may also be self-conscious about their speech.
Language – language disorders refer to a wide range of difficulties that include the inability to understand or express ideas effectively.
Students who have language disorders may have difficulty in one or more of the following areas:
- Difficulty producing speech and language, especially in complex words and sentences;
- Difficulty understanding spoken language, especially if the speech is fast and the language is complex;
- Difficulty coping with complex demands, for example writing while following spoken instructions;
- Difficulty remembering spoken information, especially where order is important, e.g. a list of instructions or a set of numbers;
- Difficulty using language in context, for example problems with listening, conversational turn taking, and sharing conversations;
- Difficulty formulating grammatically correct sentences;
- Difficulty understanding word meanings;
- Difficulty summarizing and describing;
The goal of the speech and language support program is to provide all students with the opportunity to gain the tools they need for effective and efficient communication. The ability to communicate also gives student self-advocacy skills which are vital in the school and social setting.
“Communication works for those who work at it.” – John Powell
Mrs. Dania Batt
Mrs. Batt received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from East Stroudsburg University in Speech-Language Pathology. She is a member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA. Mrs. Batt is also a member of two ASHA speciality divisions namely: Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations and School-Based Issues. As the speech therapist at the Middle School she works with students who have been identified with speech and language impairments.
dbatt@stroudsburg.k12.pa.us