Page 85 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Draft Part C: Early Identification, Assessment, and Transition Planning Health Assessment
Health assessments are administered by legally qualified medical practitioners or specialists (such as audiologists or ophthalmologists). Parental consent must be obtained in the exchange of assessment information with the school.
Should a health assessment result in suggestions for treatment, it is important that valid consent be obtained before any treatment is provided. The Health Care Consent Act sets out the elements of a valid consent with respect to any medical treatment. These include the following:
• Consent must relate to the treatment.
• Consent must be informed.
• Consent must be given voluntarily.
• Consent must not be obtained through misrepresentation or fraud.
Speech and Language Assessment
A speech and language assessment, also known as a communication assessment, is conducted by a speech-language pathologist. Under the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Audiology and Speech- Language Pathology Act, all speech and language assessments must
be performed by or under the supervision of a qualified member of the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists, with informed consent from the parent(s).
A speech and language assessment will:
• provide a professional opinion about the student’s communicative ability;
• determine whether a communication difficulty exists and, if so, its severity and how the difficulty interferes with the learning process;
• determine whether communication programming would be appropriate;
• assist in determining an appropriate placement;
• provide screening for referral to an outside agency;
• determine whether a more in-depth assessment is necessary.
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