Lewis & Lewis has the statewide contract to provide specialist assessments for the DEECD to determine student eligibility for consideration for the

&Lewis

Lewis

Lewis & Lewis has the statewide contract to provide specialist assessments for the DEECD to determine student eligibility for consideration for the PSD categories of:Intellectual DisabilitySevere Language Disorder with Critical

Educational Needs The DEECD’s Resource Coordination Group has

the responsibility of reading applications and determining eligibility for the PSD

PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIESREFERRAL CATEGORY

ID96%SLD

4%

n = 4750

The assessments can be for: New referrals for currently enrolled students not

supported by the PSD (annual round) Referrals for Prep entry Transfers from other systems, interstate or

overseas (previously funded) Year 6 (or age equivalent) transition reviews Time-limited funding reviews

PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

70.97%

2.71%

21.66%

4.66%

ID

PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIESREFERRAL TYPE

84.98%

2.56%12.09% 0.37%

SLD-CEN

NewTransferYear 6/7End Date

REFERRAL ISSUES

Pre-referral processes

Due to the increase in inappropriate referrals to Lewis & Lewis in 2011 we are encouraging more rigorous pre-referral information gathering BY SCHOOLS in 2012

Collecting evidence to support referrals to Lewis & LewisSchools should endeavour to provide Lewis & Lewis with detailed information regarding the student’s presenting difficulties, and evidence of significant and ongoing learning difficulties.

REFERRAL ISSUES

The following questions may assist schools when collecting information to support a referral to Lewis & Lewis: Are the student’s parents aware of any delayed developmental

milestones, such as crawling, walking, talking, and toilet training? Has there been any involvement of early intervention services,

external specialists and/or Student Support Services? Have there been any previous formal assessments administered,

and if so, what were the results? Does the student have any medical conditions, or receive

prescribed medication? Is there a family history of similar problems?

REFERRAL ISSUES

Is the student delayed across a range of academic and/or developmental areas (i.e. not just literacy)?

Are there any specific measures of academic performance that may indicate significant delay in comparison with age peers?

Have observations of the student been made in order to make comparisons of his/her daily functioning and social maturity, in comparison with age peers?

Have there been any school interventions, targeted supports, or repeated years?

REFERRAL ISSUES

Examples of supportive pre-referral information Milestones Comparison to peers and/or siblings NAPLAN results Academic progress issues across all areas Early Years screening Preschool/Early Intervention attendance/ Reports ESL or refugee background Previous assessments Speech Pathology intervention/Reports

REFERRAL ISSUES

Examples of supportive pre-referral information (cont.)

Family History Genetic Testing (results) Pediatrician involvement/Reports Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Report Agency involvement Screening Tools eg. K-BIT, Ravens, Peabody Age appropriate behaviour/self care Experience of trauma School attendance School Interventions/support programs in place

REFERRAL ISSUES

REFERRAL ISSUES Things to remember

The DEECD requires 2 years between cognitive assessments (including WPPSI to WISC) and 12 months between language assessments

Vineland should not be older than 12 months The Vineland is one of the criteria for the diagnosis of

intellectual disability. It is an official document and must be completed accurately

Often specific Vineland information is placed into PSD reports

Lewis & Lewis do not keep DEECD files therefore it is important to provide copies of previous assessments.

REFERRAL ISSUES Things to remember

Students are unlikely to have an intellectual disability if previous assessments were in the low average to above range.

Literacy or behaviour difficulties in isolation are not necessarily indicative of an intellectual disability

Lewis & Lewis through their contract with the DEECD do not conduct assessments for learning disabilities

REFERRAL ISSUESCompletion of referral forms All referral forms are expected to be completed and signed Before allocation to a psychologist or speech pathologist we will be

looking for evidence of ongoing ‘severe difficulties’ The stronger the evidence provided on the referral forms regarding

current presentation the stronger the evidence is for your ENQ Forms with ‘no’ or ‘n/a’ or ‘fine’ written in questions asking about a

students adaptive ability do not support an intellectual disability and in the absence of supporting documentation may be screened out

Do not write ‘refer’ to speech pathology assessment report when discussing language difficulties. Provide specific example of difficulties within the classroom/school environment

At busy times of the year, anything that delays the process will hold up your assessment

Social Skills e.g. Interactions with peers and adults, parallel play, friendships, etc.

Behaviour e.g. Specific examples of behaviours such as oppositional behaviour, aggression and violence, withdrawal and isolation, dealing with transitions and change, dealing with failure, need for routine & structure

Receptive & Expressive Language e.g. Echolalia, ability to follow instructions, do they require visual prompts, PECS, visual timetables. Intelligibility of speech, sentence structure, word knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, correct usage of pronouns, word associations, etc.

REFERRAL ISSUESCompletion of referral forms – Current Presentation

Fine motor e.g. Pencil grip, legibility of writing, ability to colour within lines, use of scissors

Safety e.g. Following rules, leaving school grounds, road safety, close supervision on excursions

Sensory e.g. Hearing and vision difficulties Self Care e.g. Specific examples of level of support required for

toileting, dressing, eating, personal hygiene. Frequency of accidents.


Strategies and Curriculum Modifications Reading, literacy, numeracy, hand writing interventions.

Small group/1:1 supports. Modified curriculum, individual learning plan, behaviour

modification plan. Language programs. Use of visual timetables. Modified presentation of material. Aide support


It is important that parents are aware of the true purpose of the referral to Lewis & Lewis and the potential outcome of diagnosing their child with a disability

REFERRAL ISSUESCompletion of parental consent form

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS FIRST The following guidelines are provided by Lewis & Lewis to assist

you to complete this form correctly and to provide an accurate indication of the referred child’s ability.

A referral has been made for this child because it is suspected that he or she may have an intellectual disability. Keep this in mind when scoring each item and always compare their ability to their same age peers.

Begin each section from Item 1. Ignore the ‘Start Ages’ in the left column although consider the age at which a normal child would be able to achieve the item before circling 0, 1 or 2.

REFERRAL ISSUESVineland - Instructions

0 = Never achieved, 1 = sometimes or partially achieved and 2 = usually achieved. An item should not be scored 1 if the child cannot perform the task independently without assistance.

A response for EACH item MUST be provided. Forms with blank sections have to be returned to you as they cannot be scored.

If you place a tick in the ‘Est’ box, this indicates that the response is estimated NOT established. You are still required to circle 0, 1 or 2.

You do not need to complete the ‘Motor Skills Domain’ sections if the child is over 7 years of age.

REFERRAL ISSUESVineland - Instructions

REFERRAL ISSUESVineland

Although the Vineland is used as a screening tool, scores on the Vineland do not predict scores on an IQ assessment

REFERRAL ISSUES

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12040

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

FSIQ

ABC

FSIQ VS ABC n = 4035

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12040

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

REFERRAL ISSUES

FSIQ

ABC

FSIQ VS ABC

55% Eligible

70

70

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12040

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

REFERRAL ISSUES

FSIQ

ABC

ABC = 117FSIQ = 117

FSIQ VS ABC

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12040

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

REFERRAL ISSUES

FSIQ

ABC

ABC = 51FSIQ = 118

FSIQ VS ABC

19%

Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs5 Criteria to account fora) Language Assessmentb) Elimination of confounding factorsc) History and Evidenced) Intelligence Testinge) Critical Educational Needs

a) A score of three or more standard deviations below the mean for the students age in expressive and/or receptive language skills on two of the recommended tests

3 Standard Deviations = score of 55 or lower Language profile must be consistent across two

tests eg: Expressive <55 on first test should also be expressive <55 on second test

Severe Language Disorder with Critical Educational Needs

a)

EL RL< 55 < 55

EL RL

First test Second test


EL RL< 55 < 55

EL RL

First test Second test

b) the severity of the disorder cannot be accounted for by hearing impairment, social emotional factors, low intellectual functioning or cultural factors

SLD is considered a pure disorder Students may be diagnosed with a language

disorder but not be eligible for the SLD-CEN program


c) a history and evidence of an ongoing problem with an expectation of continuation during the school years

Early intervention School programs in place Specialist reports Speech pathology involvement


d) A non-verbal score at or above one standard deviation below the mean on one recommended intellectual test, with a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference between the verbal and non verbal functioning

PIQ/PRI VIQ/VCI

Statistically Significant

> 85


In addition to language difficulties students must also demonstrate critical education needs in order to attract at least level three funding


In order to meet CEN criteria, the student must demonstrate high ratings on several scales listed on the Educational Needs Questionnaire. Supporting evidence can include: Current descriptive reports from the teacher outlining

support or modifications required in specific areas of difficulty such as learning needs, mobility or fine motor skills

Examples of incidences that have or are occurring during the day relating to behaviour or safety concerns


Support programs (e.g. Psychology intervention for behaviour) and/or Individual Learning Plans currently in place

Details of supervision or assistance the student requires in specific areas such as self care

Current reports from specialists such as Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Medical specialists, Mental Health Workers, Psychiatrists, Audiologists etc


CAS in children may be known by various names: Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia; Verbal Apraxia; Apraxia of Speech; Apraxia

CAS is a childhood speech sound disorder in which children have difficulty programming, sequencing and initiating movements required to make speech sounds.

Although characteristics may overlap, CAS is a motor speech planning disorder and should not be confused with other speech sound disorders. Due to the complexity of its nature diagnosing CAS can be very difficult and requires a very detailed assessment that includes analysing speech movements, sounds, patterns and rhythms

Childhood Apraxia of Speech - Dyspraxia

SPEECH PATHOLOGY Speech & Language Assessments completed including

test scores Intervention Summary outlining therapy outcomes For a CAS referral (formal or informal) measures

regarding the student’s overall communication difficulties e.g. sound errors, intelligibility ratings, other characteristics which may be consistent with a presenting CAS

SLD – CENWhat is Supportive evidence?

Eligible SLD-CEN

15%

Eligible CAS20%Ineligible SLD-

CEN65%

SLD-CEN APPLICATIONS

n = 165

Screen out36%

Ineligible40%

Eligible CAS13%

Eligible SLD-CEN11%

SLD-CEN APPLICATIONS

n = 250

Discuss Referral with Parents and SSSO

Suitable

Not Suitable

Discuss Suitability of Referral with Family

and SSSO

Suitable

Not Suitable

Ring Lewis & Lewis to Discuss Referral

Accepted

Not Accepted

Completed Referral Pack Sent Back to Lewis & Lewis to

Review

Accepted

Not Accepted

REFERRAL PROCEDURE

Assessment, Feedback Given and

Report Written

Eligible

Not Eligible

School and SSSO Support to Student

Application Made by School

Jan

Wee

k 30

Wee

k 31

Wee

k 32

Wee

k 33

Wee

k 34

Wee

k 35

Wee

k 36

Wee

k 37

Wee

k 38

Wee

k 39

Wee

k 40

Wee

k 41

Wee

k 42

Wee

k 43

Wee

k 44

Wee

k 45

Wee

k 46

Wee

k 47

Wee

k 48

Wee

k 49

Wee

k 50

Wee

k 51

Wee

k 52

0

REFERRALS RECEIVED PER WEEK 2011

Week 1

Wee

k 2

Wee

k 3

Wee

k 4

Wee

k 5

Wee

k 6

Wee

k 7

Wee

k 8

Wee

k 9

Wee

k 10

Wee

k 11

Wee

k 12

Wee

k 13

Wee

k 14

Wee

k 15

Wee

k 16

Wee

k 17

Wee

k 18

Wee

k 19

Wee

k 20

Wee

k 21

Wee

k 22

Wee

k 23

Wee

k 24

Wee

k 25

Wee

k 26

Wee

k 27

Wee

k 28

Wee

k 29

100

200

300

400

500

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug Sep Oct

Nov

Dec

n = 6517

...

STATEWIDE DISTRIBUTION OF IQ SCORES FOR STUDENTS REFERRED FOR ID ASSESSMENT- 2011

Est. 40-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 >90 NE0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%n = 4570

www.lewisandlewis.com.au

MAIN POINTS

Lewis & Lewis is contracted to provide assessment for the categories of ID and SLD-CEN only

To make a referral, call us

When you call, make sure you know the student and their relevant details

MAIN POINTS

Diagnosing a student with a disability is significant

Last year the number of inappropriate referrals increased

This year we are aiming for better screening of referrals

9380 5742 9380 6883 [email protected]

CONTACT LEWIS & LEWIS

Documents

Lewis & Lewis has the statewide contract to provide specialist assessments for the DEECD to determine student eligibility for consideration for the