Teacher Educational Decision Making for Children With Specific Language Impairment

Area of Science:

• Education
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is often underidentified in schools, despite known language markers.
• Current recommendations advocate for Response to Intervention (RTI) to identify and support children with language impairments.
• Limited research exists on how teachers make educational decisions for children with SLI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how teachers make educational decisions for children exhibiting characteristics of SLI.
• To understand teachers' identification and intervention preferences for students with language difficulties.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was administered to 304 public school teachers nationwide.
• Teachers evaluated six vignettes depicting children with varying linguistic profiles relevant to SLI.
• Participants indicated their intended educational decisions, disregarding workplace constraints.

Main Results:

• Teachers generally identified the need for language support for classroom success.
• In-class intervention was the preferred support method indicated by teachers.
• Teachers were reluctant to recommend formal speech-language pathology services.

Conclusions:

• Teachers demonstrate awareness of language-based needs in students with SLI.
• In-class interventions are favored by teachers for supporting these students.
• Further research should explore the impact of workplace factors and student heterogeneity on teacher decision-making.