ASHA members in schools collaborate with allied health professionals to determine whether or not a child qualifies for speech-language services. In connection with a brand new resource on service eligibility from ASHA, our latest Special Collection provides a closer look at eligibility determination. Learn more below!
Eligibility Resources From ASHAWire
The collection opens with a selection of articles on service eligibility throughout the past decade. Articles explore expansive topics such as racial and socioeconomic bias in special education eligibility—and the tensions that may arise from, and SLPs’ job satisfaction related to, these determinations.
Featured articles from The ASHA Leader can help you prepare for eligibility determination and conduct dynamic assessments for multilingual students. Together, these articles can help you tackle unique issues that you face in your work.
Eligibility for School-Based Speech-Language Services
ASHA’s new Eligibility for School-Based Speech-Language Services landing page is the centerpiece of the remaining resources in this Special Collection. This page walks through key issues such as theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and resources from the U.S. Department of Education on service eligibility.
Because qualification criteria vary by state, a clickable map lets you easily find and review your state’s service eligibility guidelines. The map easily displays guidelines from more than 40 states and territories.
Additional Resources From ASHA
If you’re considering alternative service delivery methods in schools, the Further Reading section of the Special Collection provides you with a number of tools—from navigating IDEA requirements to selecting which service delivery model may help an individual student.
Once you’re done with this collection, check out our Special Collection on School Service Delivery for resources on even more issues in school-based practice. We hope you’ll find this Special Collection—and the new landing page—helpful as you determine which students are eligible for and can benefit from your services.

