The Role of a Communication Barriers Miniscreening Tool in Speech-Language Preventive Practice for Neurodiverse Students in School Settings
Abstract
The concept of neurodiversity emphasizes the natural diversity of students’ cognitive, linguistic, and communicative functioning, which poses an important challenge for contemporary schooling and speech-language practice. In inclusive education, communication difficulties are increasingly understood as barriers emerging in the interaction between the student and the educational environment rather than solely as a result of individual developmental deficits. The aim of this article is to present and analyze a communication barriers miniscreening tool as an original, prediagnostic observational instrument used in speech-language preventive practice in school settings, with particular relevance for neurodiverse students. The article adopts a theoretical-methodological perspective and outlines the structure and intended use of the tool. It is situated within the classical three-tier model of prevention and within a framework of universal, selective, and indicated interventions, with a focus on the early identification of communication barriers in natural school situations. The miniscreening supports decisions regarding further forms of speech-language support and modifications of the educational environment. It is emphasized that the tool does not replace specialist assessment but constitutes an element of preventive practice aimed at reducing communication barriers and strengthening students’ participation in the educational process.
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