Students with special needs in communication
Education Queensland speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are employed to provide services for students with special needs in communication who are experiencing barriers to learning.
These students require assistance to develop competencies in the areas of communication, language, learning and literacy. Students with special needs in communication include:
- Students who experience communication disabilities that arise from intrinsic factors such as developmental factors, the presence of impairment (speech-language, physical, hearing, vision, intellectual or multiple impairments or autistic spectrum disorders), other special needs (as in areas of attention or memory), and many other factors.
- Students who experience communication difficulties that arise from extrinsic factors such as limited opportunity to communicate, a mismatch between the language, dialect or communication style used at home and at school, and many other factors.
- Students with oromotor functioning disabilities in eating, drinking, swallowing, saliva control and speaking.
A student's special needs in communication:
- Are usually apparent prior to, or early in, schooling although may not be evident until later in schooling when their social skills, literacy or learning are affected.
- May be evident in the education context in any of the following areas:
- understanding, requesting and expressing information;
- relating to teachers and peers;
- learning to read and write;
- expressing needs, abilities and interests;
- participating in group activities;
- developing a positive self concept;
- learning appropriate behaviour; and
- achieving in key learning areas.
For more information on students with special needs in communication, see this section of the EQ Speech-Language Pathologists' Professional Community on the Learning Place.
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