A practical, easy-to-use guide designed to help educators, caregivers, and professionals confidently determine when a child may benefit from a speech-language evaluation.
 
This resource outlines key indicators across articulation, language, fluency, and voice, along with real-life signs to look for in everyday settings. It also includes developmental expectations and reminders to support accurate, equitable referral decisions. 
 
Whether you’re noticing difficulty with communication, participation, or learning, this guide helps you move from uncertainty to clarity.
 
Perfect for:
• Teachers and school staff
• Daycare providers and directors
• Parents and caregivers
• Early intervention professionals
 
Use this guide to:
• Identify red flags in speech and language development
• Understand what’s typical vs. when to refer
• Avoid over- or under-referring students
• Support more informed conversations with families and teams
 
What makes this different:
This guide centers a culturally responsive lens, emphasizing that language differences (including dialects and multilingual development) are not disorders and should not automatically result in referral. 
It also highlights the broader scope of communication, including cognition, pragmatics, and alternative communication, so you can take a whole-child approach.