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This is the plain-language version. Same content, written for a quick read.
Speech-Language Impairment (SLI) is one of the most common issues in special education. It covers many kinds of differences. Students may have trouble making speech sounds. They may have trouble using or understanding words. They may stutter. They may have trouble with social talk. Many students with other disabilities also have speech-language goals. The para who knows the basics of SLI becomes a strong carryover partner. The other half of that is knowing how to work with the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Carryover means practicing the skills the SLP is building during the rest of the day. These skills only stick through steady daily practice, where you will often be in the lead.
Articulation means making the sounds of speech. Articulation disorders mean the student has trouble making certain sounds. The student may swap one sound for another ("wabbit" for "rabbit"). They may drop sounds or twist them. This is often the kind of speech problem that is easiest to notice. Some sound errors are normal for certain ages. Others stay past the expected age and need help.
Para role: do not point out sound errors in front of peers. If a student's speech is hard to understand, try asking them to show you, repeat with gestures, or write it down. Don't keep saying "what?" in a way that points out the trouble.
Language disorders affect how a student takes in or uses words. The taking-in side is called receptive language. The using side is called expressive language. A student with a receptive language disorder may follow directions in an uneven way. They may miss the meaning of figures of speech. They may lose track of multi-step instructions. A student with an expressive language disorder may struggle to find words. They may have trouble with full grammar sentences. They may have trouble telling a story in order.
Language disorders are often harder to see than sound problems. A quiet student who does not answer is sometimes wrongly seen as not paying attention. Often, the student did not process the words. Para support:
Stuttering is a fluency disorder. Fluency means the smooth flow of speech. Stuttering can show up in three ways. The student may repeat sounds. They may stretch sounds out. They may get stuck (called blocks) in the flow of speech. It starts in the brain. It is not caused by anxiety, nerves, or poor parenting. But anxiety can make it worse in some moments. About 1% of people stutter (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders). It is much more common in males.
What helps when a student stutters:
Students who stutter often know a lot about how to manage their own fluency. Take cues from the student about what helps. If the student has a stuttering management plan from the SLP, follow it.
Pragmatic language is the social use of words. It covers a few things. It means following the rules of a conversation. It means reading body language and tone. It means changing words to match the setting. It means staying on topic. Social communication disorder is the label when these problems happen on their own: without the wider picture of autism. Students with autism also very often have pragmatic language goals.
Para support for pragmatic language:
The SLP plans the student's speech-language goals and the way to teach them. The para's role is carryover: practicing and supporting the skills the SLP is building during the times the SLP is not there. This is one of the most useful things a para can do for a student with SLI.
Good carryover needs:
Ask the SLP for a short written carryover plan. It should list: what to prompt, how to prompt, and what to write down. This is normal practice in many schools. Any SLP who has a student with a para should be willing to give one.
A para supports a third grader with an expressive language disorder. During class talks, the teacher calls on the student. The student struggles to make a full sentence fast. The para has learned from the SLP that the student needs about 8 seconds of think time before answering. That is much longer than the teacher usually waits. The para quietly signals the teacher to wait (an agreed-on hand signal). The student gets out a good answer. After class, the para writes down whether the student used the target sentence forms. This data goes to the SLP each week. The SLP changes her session goals based on what the para sees in the classroom.
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Allow extra processing time without filling the silence: 8 to 10 seconds is not unusual for students with language disorders | Finishing sentences for a student who stutters or has trouble finding words |
| Respond to the content of what a student who stutters says, not the way it sounded | Telling a student to slow down or calm down when they are stuttering |
| Get a written carryover plan from the SLP so you know exactly what to prompt and how | Assuming a quiet, unresponsive student is not paying attention rather than processing |
| Report what you see in everyday settings to the SLP: this is often the only generalization data there is | Correcting pragmatic errors in front of peers in real time: this does more harm than good |
Bottom line. The SLP sees the student for 30 to 60 minutes a week. You see them for 30 to 60 minutes a day, if not much longer. The skills built in therapy carry over through steady, informed support in everyday settings, and that is exactly where you are.
Speech-Language Impairment
Supporting students with articulation, language, fluency, and social communication differences
For paraprofessionals and the teachers who supervise them
SLI subtypes overview
Articulation disorders
Articulation disorders involve difficulty producing specific speech sounds accurately -- substituting one sound for another (wabbit for rabbit), omitting sounds, or distorting them. Articulation disorders are often the most visible form of speech difficulty. Some articulation differences are developmentally appropriate at certain ages; others persist beyond the expected acquisition window and warrant intervention.
Para role: do not draw attention to articulation errors in front of peers. If a student's speech is difficult to understand, use strategies like asking them to show you, repeat with gestures, or write it down rather than repeatedly saying what? in a way that highlights the difficulty.
Language disorders
Language disorders affect the understanding (receptive language) or use (expressive language) of spoken and written language. A student with a receptive language disorder may follow directions inconsistently, misunderstand figurative language, or lose track of multi-step instructions. A student with an expressive language disorder may struggle to find words, produce grammatically complete sentences, or organize a narrative.
Language disorders are often less visible than articulation disorders -- a quiet student who does not respond is sometimes misread as inattentive or uninterested rather than as a student who did not process the language. Para support:
Simplify language: shorter sentences, more concrete vocabulary, one instruction at a time
Allow extra processing time before expecting a response -- many students with language disorders need 5-10 seconds
Pair verbal input with visual supports: written directions, pictures, gestures
Check for comprehension by asking the student to show or do rather than say back
Fluency disorders (stuttering)
Stuttering is a fluency disorder characterized by repetitions, prolongations, or blocks in the flow of speech. It is neurological in origin and is not caused by anxiety, nervousness, or poor parenting -- though anxiety can exacerbate it in certain situations. Approximately 1% of the population stutters; it is significantly more common in males.
What helps when a student stutters:
Maintain eye contact and a patient expression -- do not look away, check your phone, or show impatience
Do not finish the student's sentences or words
Do not tell the student to slow down, take a breath, or think before speaking -- these instructions are not helpful and can increase the student's tension
Respond to the content of what the student said, not the way they said it
Create a classroom environment where the student is not put on the spot for timed responses if this is distressing
Students who stutter often have significant expertise in managing their own fluency. Take cues from the student about what helps. If the student has a stuttering modification or fluency plan from their SLP, follow it.
Social communication disorders (pragmatics)
Pragmatic language is the social use of language -- understanding conversational rules, interpreting nonverbal cues, adjusting language to context, and following the topic of a conversation. Social communication disorder is diagnosed when pragmatic language difficulties occur without the broader profile of autism spectrum disorder. Students with autism also very commonly have pragmatic language goals.
Para support for pragmatic language:
Model appropriate conversational turns without calling out errors in front of peers
Provide explicit, specific feedback in private: in that conversation, Mia had finished her turn -- the next step is to ask her a question
Support the student in interpreting ambiguous social situations by providing a brief, factual explanation
Avoid over-coaching during natural interactions -- let the interaction happen and debrief afterward when possible
SLP collaboration and carryover
The SLP designs the student's speech-language goals and the intervention approach. The para's role is carryover -- practicing and supporting the skills the SLP is building during the times the SLP is not present. This is one of the most valuable things a para can do for a student with SLI.
Effective carryover requires:
A clear understanding from the SLP of what the student is working on and how to prompt for it
Knowing the correct model to provide when the student produces an error -- not all error correction is the same across goals
Consistent application across settings, not just during speech sessions
Data collection as specified by the SLP -- the carryover data the para collects is often the only generalization data the SLP receives
Ask the SLP for a brief written carryover plan that specifies: what to prompt, how to prompt, and what to record. This is standard practice in many schools, and any SLP who has a student with a para should be willing to provide it.
Scenario
The student who needs time
A para supports a third grader with an expressive language disorder. During class discussions, the teacher calls on the student and the student struggles to produce a complete sentence quickly. The para has learned from the SLP that the student needs approximately 8 seconds of processing time before responding -- far longer than the teacher typically waits. The para quietly signals the teacher to wait (a prearranged gesture) and the student successfully produces a response. After class, the para records whether the student used target sentence structures. This data goes to the SLP weekly. The SLP adjusts her session goals based on what the para observes in the classroom.
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Allow extra processing time without filling the silence -- 8-10 seconds is not unusual for students with language disorders | Finishing sentences for a student who stutters or has word-finding difficulty |
| Respond to the content of what a student who stutters says, not the fluency of how they said it | Telling a student to slow down or calm down when they are stuttering |
| Get a written carryover plan from the SLP so you know exactly what to prompt and how | Assuming a quiet, unresponsive student is inattentive rather than processing |
| Report what you observe in natural settings to the SLP -- this is often the only generalization data available | Correcting pragmatic errors in front of peers in real time -- this is more harmful than helpful |
Reading is useful, but recall is where it sticks. Three short scenarios, low-stakes, no scoring. About 3 minutes. You can stop any time.
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