OSWEGO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

DENNIS P. NORFLEET, M.D. 70 BUNNER STREET, OSWEGO, NY 13126

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH PHONE 315.349.3545  FAX 315.349.3435

Guide for Determining Speech Eligibility in Preschoolers

This guide was developed by a sub group of the Oswego County Preschool Workgroup. The subgroup
consisted of four Speech Language Pathologists, Sandy Burns, J. Caiella, Ann Koehler, and Janel Snyder as well
as Kathy Pitcher, Municipal Representative and Tammy Thompson Director of Programs for Children with
Special Needs. The group represented those with many years of work in the preschool setting as well as the
school age setting. The guide was developed to help create some consistency among the nine school districts
in Oswego County and give CPSE chairs concrete information that will help the committee in making a
determination about a child’s eligibility for speech therapy.

The committee feels that choosing from the following testing materials would be appropriate in helping
the evaluation team measure a child’s functioning in the Language and Communication area of development.
(Please note, the most current edition of the test must be used)

CELF- P-2 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool)

PLS-4 (Preschool Language Scale)
TELD - 3 (Test of Early Language Development)
PLAI – 2 (Preschool Language Assessment Instrument)

Articulation
GFTA -2 (Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation)
Arizona – 3 (Arizona Articulation proficiency scale)

Fluency
Please use a minimum of a 100 word sample

Pragmatics
By observation

Intelligibility
Weiss Intelligibility Scale

Please also note, that the same test may not be used within 6 months of the date it was given.

The following page “ Guidelines for determining Speech/Language eligibility in preschoolers” should be
filled out for each child that is evaluated and returned with the full evaluation report.

We hope you find this guide to determining eligibility for speech services a helpful tool.
Child’s Name: _________________________Oswego County Chronological Age: _____________
Guidelines for determining Speech/Language
Eligibility in preschoolers

PHONOLOGY ARTICULATION ERRORS

______ Weak syllable deletion ____________________

______ Final consonant deletion
______ Initial consonant deletion ____________________
______ Stopping
_____ Fronting ____________________
_____ Backing
_____ Assimilation ____________________

Factors, considerations, and observable behaviors that support or demonstrate the presence of a Language
and Communication Delay or Disability:
____ The child does not use communication effectively with peers and/or adults. For example, the
child does not express needs and wants in most situations.
____ The child’s speech and language cannot be understood by others in the child’s environment who
speak the same language.
____ The child exhibits observable severe or frequent frustration because of communication
difficulties.
____ The child exhibits speech sound and/or phonological process errors that impair intelligibility and
are not developmentally appropriate.
____ The child has difficulty understanding and using age-appropriate vocabulary, language concepts,
and/or conversation
____ The child demonstrates specific weakness in pragmatic language ability. For example, limited
turn-taking, eye contact, asking and responding to questions, or knowledge of the
speaker/listener role interfere with communication.
____ The child demonstrates difficulty processing auditory information. For example, following
simple directions or answering simple questions present problems for the child.
____ The child demonstrates oral motor difficulty, such as swallowing or feeding, and/or
developmental apraxia, the inability to coordinate speech muscle movement to say words.
____ The child demonstrates speech dysfluency (stuttering) that interferes with communication
abilities.
Guidelines for Analyzing Intelligibility Score
Intelligibility Score Chronological Age Equivalent
25-49% 18 months
50-59% 24 months
60-74% 30 months
75-89% 36 months
90-99% 42 months
100% 48 months
An intelligibility score of 100 percent does not necessarily indicate perfectly normal articulation. It
does indicate understandable articulation 100 percent of the time even though misarticulations may
be present that do not impair intelligibility, such as a mild interdental lisp. An intelligibility score that is
more than 10 percentage points below that expected for his or her chronological may be considered
for speech services. Determination of percentage of intelligibility should be based on a minimum of
a 100 word sample.