1. (1) Speech impairments are disorders of speech sounds, fluency, or voice that interfere with communication, adversely affect performance and/or functioning in the educational environment, and result in the need for exceptional student education.

   1. (a) Speech sound disorder. A speech sound disorder is a phonological or articulation disorder that is evidenced by the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, distortions, additions, or omissions that interfere with intelligibility. A speech sound disorder is not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.

      1. Phonological disorder. A phonological disorder is an impairment in the system of phonemes and phoneme patterns within the context of spoken language.

      2. Articulation disorder. An articulation disorder is characterized by difficulty in the articulation of speech sounds that may be due to a motoric or structural problem.

   2. (b) Fluency disorder. A fluency disorder is characterized by deviations in continuity, smoothness, rhythm, or effort in spoken communication. It may be accompanied by excessive tension and secondary behaviors, such as struggle and avoidance. A fluency disorder is not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.
   3. (c) Voice disorder. A voice disorder is characterized by the atypical production or absence of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, or duration of phonation that is not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.
2. (2) General education procedures and activities. Prior to referral for evaluation, the requirements in subsection 6A-6.0331(1), F.A.C., related to general education procedures for kindergarten through grade twelve students, or subsection 6A-6.0331(2), F.A.C., related to procedures prior to initial evaluation for prekindergarten children, must be met.

3. (3) Procedures for the evaluation of a speech sound disorder. In addition to the procedures identified in subsection 6A-6.0331(5), F.A.C., the evaluation shall include all of the following:

   1. (a) Information must be gathered from the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and teacher(s), and when appropriate, the student, regarding the concerns and description of speech characteristics. This may be completed through a variety of methods including interviews, checklists, or questionnaires;
   2. (b) Documented and dated observation(s) of the student’s speech characteristics must be conducted by a speech-language pathologist to examine the student’s speech characteristics during connected speech or conversation. Observation(s) conducted prior to obtaining consent for evaluation may be used to meet this criterion;
   3. (c) An examination of the oral mechanism structure and function must be conducted; and,
   4. (d) One or more standardized, norm-referenced instruments designed to measure speech sound production must be administered to determine the type and severity of the speech sound errors and whether the errors are articulation (phonetic) or phonological (phonemic) in nature.

4. (4) Procedures for the evaluation of a fluency disorder. In addition to the procedures identified in subsection 6A-6.0331(5), F.A.C., the evaluation shall include all of the following:

   1. (a) Information must be gathered from the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and teacher(s), and when appropriate, the student, to address the areas identified in paragraph (4)(d) of this rule. This may be completed through a variety of methods including interviews, checklists, or questionnaires;
   2. (b) A minimum of two (2) documented and dated observations of the student’s speech and secondary behaviors must be conducted by a speech-language pathologist in more than one setting, including the typical learning environment. For prekindergarten children, the observations may occur in an environment or situation appropriate for a child of that chronological age. Observations conducted prior to obtaining consent for evaluation may be used to meet this criterion, if the activities address the areas identified in paragraph (4)(d) of this rule;
   3. (c) An examination of the oral mechanism structure and function must be conducted.

   4. (d) An assessment of all of the following areas:

      1. Motor aspects of the speech behaviors;

      2. Student’s attitude regarding the speech behaviors;

      3. Social impact of the speech behaviors; and,

      4. Educational impact of the speech behaviors.

   5. (e) A speech sample of a minimum of 300-500 words must be collected and analyzed to determine frequency, duration, and type of dysfluent speech behaviors. If the speech-language pathologist is unable to obtain a speech sample of a minimum of 300-500 words, a smaller sample may be collected and analyzed. The evaluation report must document the rationale for collection and analysis of a smaller sample, the results obtained, and the basis for recommendations.

5. (5) Procedures for the evaluation of a voice disorder. In addition to the procedures identified in subsection 6A-6.0331(5), F.A.C., the evaluation shall include all of the following:

   1. (a) Information must be gathered from the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and teacher(s), and when appropriate, the student, regarding the concerns and description of voice characteristics. This may be completed through a variety of methods including interviews, checklists, or questionnaires;
   2. (b) Documented and dated observation(s) of the student’s voice characteristics must be conducted by a speech-language pathologist in one or more setting(s), which must include the typical learning environment. For prekindergarten children, the observation(s) may occur in an environment or situation appropriate for a child of that chronological age. Observation(s) conducted prior to obtaining consent for evaluation may be used to meet this criterion;
   3. (c) An examination of the oral mechanism structure and function must be conducted; and,
   4. (d) A report of a medical examination of laryngeal structure and function conducted by a physician licensed in Florida in accordance with Chapter 458 or 459, F.S., unless a report of medical examination from a physician licensed in another state is permitted in accordance with paragraph 6A-6.0331(3)(e), F.A.C. The physician’s report must provide a description of the state of the vocal mechanism and any medical implications for therapeutic intervention.

6. (6) Criteria for eligibility. A student is eligible as a student with a speech impairment in need of exceptional student education if the student meets the following criteria for one or more of the following disorders as determined by the procedures prescribed in this rule and subsection 6A-6.0331(6), F.A.C.

   1. (a) Speech sound disorder. A student with a speech sound disorder is eligible for exceptional student education if there is evidence, based on evaluation results, of a significant phonological or articulation disorder that is characterized by the atypical production of speech sound(s). The atypical production of speech sound(s) may be characterized by substitutions, distortions, additions, or omissions. Evaluation results must reveal all of the following:

      1. The speech sound disorder must have a significant impact on the student’s intelligibility, although the student may be intelligible to familiar listeners or within known contexts;

      2. The student’s phonetic or phonological inventory must be significantly below that expected for his or her chronological age or developmental level based on normative data;

      3. The speech sound disorder must have an adverse effect on the student’s ability to perform and/or function in the student’s typical learning environment, thereby demonstrating the need for exceptional student education; and,

      4. The speech sound disorder is not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.

   2. (b) Fluency disorder. A student with a fluency disorder is eligible for exceptional student education if there is evidence, based on evaluation results, of significant and persistent interruptions in the rhythm or rate of speech. Evaluation results must reveal all of the following:

      1. The student must exhibit significant and persistent dysfluent speech behaviors. The dysfluency may include repetition of phrases, whole words, syllables and phonemes, prolongations, blocks, and circumlocutions. Additionally, secondary behaviors, such as struggle and avoidance, may be present;

      2. The fluency disorder must have an adverse effect on the student’s ability to perform and/or function in the educational environment, thereby demonstrating the need for exceptional student education; and,

      3. The dysfluency is not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.

   3. (c) Voice disorder. A student with a voice disorder is eligible for exceptional student education if there is evidence, based on evaluation results, of significant and persistent atypical voice characteristics. Evaluation results must reveal all of the following:

      1. The student must exhibit significant and persistent atypical production of quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, or duration of phonation. The atypical voice characteristics may include inappropriate range, inflection, loudness, excessive nasality, breathiness, hoarseness, or harshness;

      2. The voice disorder does not refer to vocal disorders that are found to be the direct result or symptom of a medical condition unless the disorder adversely affects the student’s ability to perform and/or function in the educational environment and is amenable to improvement with therapeutic intervention;

      3. The voice disorder must have an adverse effect on the student’s ability to perform and/or function in the educational environment, thereby demonstrating the need for exceptional student education; and,

      4. The atypical voice characteristics are not primarily the result of factors related to chronological age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or limited English proficiency.

7. (7) Speech services.

   1. (a) A group of qualified professionals determining eligibility under requirements of this rule and subsection 6A-6.0331(6), F.A.C., must include a speech-language pathologist.
   2. (b) A speech-language pathologist shall be involved in the development of the individual educational plan for students eligible for speech services, whether as special education or as a related service for an otherwise eligible student with a disability.
   3. (c) Speech therapy services shall be provided by a certified speech-language pathologist pursuant to Rule 6A-4.0176, F.A.C., or a licensed speech-language pathologist pursuant to Chapter 468, Part I, F.S., or a speech-language associate pursuant to Rule 6A-4.01761, F.A.C.

   4. (d) Speech-language associate.

      1. Speech therapy services provided by a speech-language associate as specified in Rule 6A-4.01761, F.A.C., must be under the direction of a certified or licensed speech-language pathologist with a master’s degree or higher in speech-language pathology. Services can be provided for a period of three (3) years as described in Section 1012.44, F.S., in districts that qualify for the sparsity supplement as described in section 1011.62(7), F.S.

      2. Districts shall submit a plan to the Department of Education for approval before implementation of Rule 6A-4.01761, F.A.C. The components of the plan must include a description of:

      a. The model, specifying the type and amount of direction including direct observation, support, training, and instruction;

      b. The rationale for using this model;

      c. The manner in which the associate will be required to demonstrate competency;

      d. The process for monitoring the quality of services;

      e. The process for measuring student progress; and,

      f. The manner in which the speech-language associate will meet the requirements of the annual district professional development plan for instructional personnel.

Rulemaking Authority 1003.01, 1003.57, 1003.571 FS. Law Implemented 1003.01, 1003.57, 1003.571, 1012.44 FS. History–New 7-1-77, Amended 7-13-83, Formerly 6A-6.3012, Amended 8-1-88, 9-17-01, 7-1-10.