title: Do the symptoms of language disorder align with treatment goals? An exploratory study of primary-grade students' IEPs.
abstract: Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are legal documents that guide the treatment of students with language disorder (LD). This exploratory study investigated the extent to which students' symptoms of LD align with goals on their IEPs. A total of 99 kindergarten and first-grade students receiving treatment for LD in the public schools participated. IEPs were collected and coded for each student and norm-referenced measures were used to assess students' grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and literacy skills in the fall of the academic year. Results showed there to be alignment between students' symptoms and IEP goals only in the area of vocabulary, such that students who had an IEP goal for vocabulary had lower scores on a vocabulary assessment than those without a goal. In general, there is limited alignment between observed symptoms of LD and treated symptoms as identified on students' IEPs. The limited alignment found in this study suggests more investigation is needed to understand the extent to which IEP goals, as potential indicators of treatment foci, should map on to students' symptoms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Readers will be able to: (1) explain the theoretical and practical relevance of treatment goals aligning to symptoms for children with language impairment; (2) identify three analytic methods used to investigate alignment between treatment goals and symptoms; and (3) describe the extent to which IEP goals align to children's symptoms in a sample of children receiving services in the public schools.
authors: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, 220 Schoenbaum Family Center at Weinland Park, 175 E. 7th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, United States. Electronic address: marybeth.schmitt@ttuhsc.edu.
authors: Mary Beth
authors: MB
authors: Schmitt
authors: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, 220 Schoenbaum Family Center at Weinland Park, 175 E. 7th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, United States. Electronic address: justice.57@osu.edu.
authors: Laura M
authors: LM
authors: Justice
authors: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, 220 Schoenbaum Family Center at Weinland Park, 175 E. 7th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, United States. Electronic address: jarlogan@gmail.com.
authors: Jessica A R
authors: JA
authors: Logan
authors: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301, United States. Electronic address: schatschneider@psy.fsu.edu.
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Schatschneider
authors: Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University, JW3926, 7000 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, United States. Electronic address: christopher.bartlett@nationwidechildrens.org.
authors: Christopher W
authors: CW
authors: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D004519:Education, Special / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011932:Reading; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014825:Vocabulary
keywords: Alignment; IEPs; Individualized education plans; LD; Language disorder