DId I Hear You Right?

After much testing and evaluation, we were finally going to get the results of Sophia's speech analysis.

I was nervous.
I was also prepared.
I knew Sophia had some speech issues.
It's why I took her here in the first place.

However, during all of this testing, there were two words I was not prepared to hear.
Severe
and
Disability.

But there they were on each evaluation page that I was given.

The first page had a section that was written in BOLD headings.
It was labeled: Determination of Disability
There was a check mark next to the box that stated the following:
"Evaluation data substantiate the existence of a disability consistent with state and federal regulations implementing IDEA.  This student has been determined to have the disability of: SI Speech/Language Impairment


The second page told me more about her "disability".
The counselors told me that her speech impairment was severe.
As did various parts of the evaluation.

"The Word Inventory score indicates a severe delay in articulation skills."
"The Consonant Inventory indicates a severe delay in consonant sound production."
"The Phonological Processes Inventory indicates a moderate (thank goodness) delay."

The paperwork said that Sophia demonstrated significant use of these processes (not a good thing):
Assimilation
Final consonant deletion
Weak Syllable deletion
Stopping
Gliding
Cluster Simplification
Depalatalization
Vocalization

So what does all this mean?
It's quite simple actually.
She needs speech therapy.
Two days a weeks.
Thirty minutes each day.

The good news is that we know she will do well in therapy.
Her other tests show how she has moderately high skill levels.

Sissy is one smart cookie.
But I knew that.
I tell her all of the time.
I just can't wait for the day when she can clearly tell others just how smart she is.
And they understand her.