Speech Disorder Resource Guide for K-12 Students

With a little help, K-12 students with speech and language disorders can find support and success in classroom settings. This guide includes organizations, support groups, articles and tools for middle school and high school students with speech disorders, as well as their parents and educators. These resources offer information for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), students who stutter, students with aphasia, students with apraxia and students with other communication disorders.

Click or tap the links below to jump to resources for educators, parents and students.

Speech Disorder Resources for K-12 Educators and School Staff

Speech disorders in children can affect academic performance. These resources can help educators who teach students with speech disorders.

General Resources for Educators

Australian Journal of Teacher Education: “Children with Speech Sound Disorders at School: Challenges for Children, Parents and Teachers” (PDF, 483KB)
This research explores how language disorders in children affect their classroom performance and the frustrations experienced by their parents and educators.

The Hanen Centre: Hanen Programs for Educators
This organization provides training for educators of young children with language delays and resources for parents and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). 

National Council for Special Education: Strategies for Learning and Teaching
These tips can help educators teach students with speech and language disorders.

National Science Teaching Association: Communication Disorders
This association offers resources and tips for science educators who teach students with communication disorders.

Resilient Educator: “Supporting Students with Communication Disorders in Schools”
This article outlines tips for educators who work with students with communication disorders, including being a role model, employing patience and using technology. 

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences: Teaching Students with Disabilities: Speech and Language Impairments (PDF, 508KB)
This paper explains different communication disorders in children and outlines strategies for agriculture teachers who work with students with speech and language impairments.

We Are Teachers: What Teachers Need to Know About Language Disorders 
This article underscores the challenges students with language disorders face in class and offers advice for how teachers can support them.

Resources For Educators of Students who Stutter

FRIENDS: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter: For Teachers
FRIENDS serves young people who stutter, their families and health care providers through education, outreach, workshops and conferences. Its resources for educators include stories and letters from children who stutter that shed light on how the speech disorder affects students in class.

National Stuttering Association (NSA): Stuttering: Answers for Educators (PDF, 3.2 MB)
The NSA serves children and adults who stutter. This brochure includes information about speech therapy, individualized education plans, bullying and suggestions to help students who stutter.

The Stuttering Foundation: For Teachers
This foundation serves people who stutter and their families and supports research into the causes of stuttering. Free resources for teachers include FAQs, handbooks and brochures to help students who stutter.

Resources For Educators of Students with Aphasia

Teachnology: Aphasia and Dysphagia in the Classroom
This article explains the effects of dysphagia and aphasia on students and offers tips for helping students with these conditions succeed.

The Edvocate: Assistive Technology to Help Students With Aphasia Succeed Academically
Tools and technology can help students with aphasia, and this article suggests some technology that may help, including calendar programs, apps to improve attention span and voice generators.

Resources For Educators of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Society: Academic Success
This page explains the rights of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in public schools, including information about individualized education.

Scholastic: Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
These 10 tips can help educators support students with ASD.

The Tech Edvocate: Assistive Technology to Help Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Succeed Academically
This article offers ideas for technology to help students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including apps for organization, alternative communication and teaching social skills. 

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Resources for Parents of K-12 Students with Speech Disorders

The following speech and language impairment resources for parents are designed to help parents of children with speech disorders, including those with specific conditions listed below.

General Resources for Parents

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): How to Help Children with Speech and Language Disorders in Virtual and Modified In-Person Classroom Settings
This article offers tips for parents to help children with specific challenges around speech and language disorders, including understanding and being understood in virtual settings, combating distractions and using masks for in-person learning.

ASHA: Speech and Language Services in Schools
This resource explains how speech and language problems affect learning and how SLPs can help students who struggle with communication in school. 

Bilinguistics: Communication Disorder Resources for Parents
This Austin, Texas, speech therapy clinic offers information for parents about different communication disorders in children, treatments and support.

The Hanen Centre
In addition to training for educators, the Hanen Centre offers resources for parents and SLPs to help children with language delays, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger Syndrome and other language development issues. Paid resources include programs for parents to help children with language delays, ASD and literacy and guidebooks and DVDs for parents. The Autism Corner features resources to build communication skills in children with ASD.

Mommy Speech Therapy: Free Downloads 
This blog created by mother and SLP Heidi Hanks offers worksheets and other free activities for parents of children with speech disorders.

Selective Mutism Foundation: Treatment and Resources
This Florida foundation offers free treatment, consultations and other resources for families and individuals with selective mutism. 

Speech Buddies
This paid speech therapy service offers resources for patients of different ages, from 0-3, 4-7, 8-17 and 18 and older. Speech Buddies helps connect parents to speech therapists and offers speech tools for use at home or in therapy. Articles specific to parents include:

Resources For Parents of Children who Stutter

FRIENDS, the National Association of Young People Who Stutter: For Parents
FRIENDS’ resources for parents of children who stutter include virtual parent groups for parents to learn how to support children who stutter and virtual kids groups facilitated by an adult and designed for children 6 to 11.

National Stuttering Association: Parents
This page helps parents learn about treatments for children who stutter, find local family chapters and connect with therapists.

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young
This nonprofit organization provides support and experiences for young people who stutter. SAY can help parents enroll young children in speech therapy. Programs for younger children include speech therapy for preschoolers (ages 2-6) and speech therapy for school-age children (ages 7-12).

The Stuttering Foundation
This organization’s pages for parents include resources for parents of preschoolersinformation for parents of school children and other resources for kids.

Resources For Parents of Children with Aphasia

Aphasia Institute: Family Support Groups
Monthly, online support groups for family members of people with aphasia are available through this group.

National Aphasia Association: Aphasia Caregiver Guide
This free guide offers information for caregivers of people with different types of aphasia in home or hospital settings.  

San Diego State University Aphasia Network: Information for Persons with Aphasia and Caregivers
This page includes information about aphasia and COVID-19; California, national and international organizations for aphasia support; and online resources for caring for people with aphasia. 

Resources For Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Parenting: Assistive Communication Devices for Children with Autism
This article outlines how assistive communication devices and strategies can help children with ASD communicate more effectively.

Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Supporting Communication and Social Skills
These resources discuss supporting communication for high schoolers on the autism spectrum, deepening support for teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other information for parents assisting adolescents with ASD.

Resources For Parents of Children with Apraxia

Apraxia Kids
This nonprofit organization works on education, community engagement, advocacy and research around apraxia. It offers a range of services for families and children with apraxia, including: 

Resources for Middle School and High School Students with Speech Disorders

These organizations, support groups and tools are geared to middle schoolers and high schoolers with speech disorders.

Resources For Students who Stutter

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young 
SAY’s services and resources for youth include the My Stutter video series, which highlights the stories of young people who stutter.

National Stuttering Association: Teens Who Stutter
This initiative helps teenagers (ages 13-17) connect with peers who stutter through local NSA chapters and social media communities and learn from adult mentors.

FRIENDS: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter
FRIENDS’ resources for students include inspirational videos, personal stories from teenagers who stutter, inspiration for classroom settings and virtual teen groups that allow teenagers who stutter to connect when in-person meetings are not possible.

The Stuttering Foundation: For Teens
This foundation offers readings, videos and guides for teens who stutter. 

Resources For Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The Autism Project: Social Groups
This organization hosts in-person and virtual social groups for children, teens and adults with ASD.

Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Peer-to-Peer Series
These resources were written by students with ASD and include information on planning for life after high school, communicating with professors, online dating and other topics.

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Apps and Supportive Technology for K-12 Students with Speech Disorders

The following apps and other technologies may help K-12 students with speech and language disorders communicate more easily. 

Apps and Devices for Students who Stutter

  • FluencyCoach is a free mobile and desktop app that provides Altered Auditory Feedback (AAF) for users. The mobile app requires headphones but does not support Bluetooth headphones.
  • Stamurai is a free mobile app offering therapy exercises and analytics for people who stutter.
  • DAF Pro is a paid app that helps people who stutter slow their speech.
  • Fluency SIS is a paid iPad app for SLPs to use with children 8 to 12 years old who stutter.
  • SpeechEasy uses an AAF device worn in one ear paired with support from an SLP to help reduce stuttering. The company offers four paid wearable models.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Apps

  • MyTalkTools offers a suite of AAC products for mobile and desktop devices, including free mobile app versions. 
  • iCommunicate is a paid iPad app that functions as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device and a platform for creating flashcards, visual schedules and other tools.
  • LAMP Words for Life is a paid AAC app for iPads.
  • Predictable offers a variety of paid AAC bundles for mobile, tablet and desktop use. 
  • Proloquo2Go is a paid AAC iOS app for children, teens and adults.
  • TouchVoice offers paid AAC apps for mobile devices, tablets and desktop computers.
  • Voice4U provides paid AAC and text-to-speech mobile apps.

Text-to-Speech Apps

  • iSpeech is a free text-to-speech app and interface that can improve accessibility for people with language-based learning disabilities.
  • Read&Write is a free text-to-speech app for iPad that can help students.
  • Talk for Me is a free text-to-speech app for iPad and iPhone that allows users to create custom phrases. 
  • ClaroSpeak is a reading and writing app that includes a text-to-speech function. There is  a free trial period and a paid premium version.

Other Apps for Students with Speech Disorders

  • Little Bee Speech offers free speech and language apps for parents and SLPs working with children, as well as some paid apps.
  • QuestionIt is a free app to teach children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other communication disorders how to answer different types of questions.
  • Conversation Builder is a paid app to help elementary school children practice conversing with peers.
  • Splingo offers paid speech and language apps for mobile devices and tablets to engage children around different aspects of language.

For a list of similar communication disorder resources for college students, see Speech Disorder Resources for College Students.

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Please note that this article is for informational purposes only. Individuals should consult their health care provider before following any of the information provided.