Articulation Phonology Eligibility Guide
CSE Decision Support Tool
Articulation/Phonology Eligibility & Service Guide
For Articulation & Phonology Referrals • Committee on Special Education (CSE)
Clinical Standards
Crowe & McLeod (2020) norms
Student Name
DOB
Grade
School / SLP
1
Eligibility Determination
Student must meet ALL criteria to qualify for educational speech services:
Standardized results indicate articulation/phonology skills at least 1.0–1.5 SD below the mean.
Articulation/phonology errors are inconsistent with developmental expectations for age.
Errors negatively affect academic, social, or functional school performance.
Intelligibility is reduced to a degree that interferes with communication.
Requires specially designed instruction or therapy to make progress in school.
Educational benefit of services outweighs instructional time lost in class.
Meets All Criteria?
YES
NO
4
Service Planning
Pacing Reference
| Gr. / Severity | Format |
|---|
| K–1 Sev/Prof | 2 Indiv. |
| K–2 Mod | 1 Ind. (+1 Grp opt) |
| 3–5 Sev/Prof | 2 Group |
| 3–5 Mod | 1 Group |
Service Unit Matrix
| Severity | U | Min/Wk |
|---|
| Mild | 1 | 30 min |
| Moderate | 2 | 60 min |
| Severe | 3 | 90 min |
| Profound | 5 | 91+ min |
Final Recommendations
Service Mode:
Direct
Indirect / Consult
Setting:
Individual
Group (max of 5)
Frequency / Duration
Total Weekly Minutes
2
Developmental Sound Check
| Age | Sounds Typically Acquired (Crowe & McLeod, 2020) |
|---|
| 2–3 yr | b, n, m, p, h, w, d |
| 3–4 yr | g, k, t, ng, f, y |
| 4–5 yr | v, s, z, sh, ch, j, l |
| 5–6 yr | voiced th, r, zh |
| 6–7 yr | voiceless th |
Target Student's Error Sounds & Patterns
Errors exceed age expectations?
YES
NO
Must account for dialectal differences, multilingual backgrounds, and general conversational intelligibility.
3
Determine Severity Level
| Severity | Clinical Criteria Descriptions | GFTA |
|---|
| Mild | >80% intelligible; ≤2 errors outside developmental norms; stimulable | 78–85 |
| Moderate | 50–80% intelligible; notable substitutions/distortions; limited stimulability | 71–77 |
| Severe | 20–49% intelligible; extensive substitutions/omissions; limited inventory | ≤70 |
| Profound | Largely unintelligible without context; alternative communication (AAC) option | |
Determined Clinical Severity
Mild
Mod.
Severe
Prof.
CSE Committee Sign-Off
The CSE team agrees that clinical findings, educational impact, and professional judgment support these service recommendations.
Speech-Language Pathologist Signature
Date
CSE Chairperson / Admin Signature
Date
Final service decisions must incorporate clinical judgment, educational impact, and student-specific context. Articulation/Phonology Guide • CSE Protocol
