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Speech/Language Impairment or Specific Learning Disability? Examining the Usage of Educational Categories
Wendy C Georgan1,2,3, Lisa M D Archibald4, Tiffany P Hogan1
1MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|January 27, 2023
Summary
Younger students are often diagnosed with speech or language impairment (S/LI), while older students are more frequently identified with specific learning disability (SLD). This trend impacts services for developmental language disorder (DLD).
Area of Science:
- Education
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a lifelong condition impacting educational performance.
- U.S. schools identify and service DLD under categories like speech or language impairment (S/LI) and specific learning disability (SLD) per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine trends in the assignment of S/LI and SLD categories for students with DLD.
- To analyze how these diagnostic labels change as students age.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of publicly available U.S. Department of Education data from 2010-2020.
- Examination of S/LI and SLD category usage across different age groups at national and state levels.
Main Results:
- A consistent trend shows younger students identified with S/LI, while older students are identified with SLD.
- This age-related shift in categorization was observed nationally and in 49 states over six school years.
Conclusions:
- The study discusses the implications of this trend within the context of language disorder research.
- Inconsistent terminology for DLD can negatively affect student services and create confusion for parents and educators.
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