Montgomery County Intermediate Unit

Local Education Agency (LEA)

The term local education agency means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State to either provide administrative control or direction of, or perform a service function for public schools serving individuals ages 0 - 21 in a state, city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision including a combination of school districts or counties recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public schools. An LEA may provide, or employ professional who provide, services to children included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), such services may include, but are not limited to, such medical services as physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

Speech-Language Pathology

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit is a Speech-Language Pathology practice in Norristown, PA with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in preventing, assessing, diagnosing, and treating speech, language, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders arising from illness, injury, deficiency, or congenital birth defect. Speech-Language Pathologists at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit perform testing, evaluation, and treatment of disorders relating to how patients form words, communicate, and process the speech of others. Speech-Language Pathology is a medical specialty that deals with disorders related to how patients form words, speak, and understand what others are saying to them. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Speech-Language Pathology practices include speech disorders like stuttering and dysarthia, language disorders like articulation and phonological processing disorders, social communication disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, voice disorders, and swallowing disorders that may arise from conditions like stroke, dementia, brain injury, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, autism, hearing loss, or congenital birth defects. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Speech-Language Pathology practices include speech and language assessment, hearing assessment, developing treatment plans based on assessment and test results, developing communications strategies for patients and caregivers, working with patients to achieve communication goals, and providing patient and parent education.

The speech-language pathologist is the professional who engages in clinical services, prevention, advocacy, education, administration, and research in the areas of communication and swallowing across the life span from infancy through geriatrics. Speech-language pathologists address typical and atypical impairments and disorders related to communication and swallowing in the areas of speech sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language (comprehension and expression), cognition, and feeding and swallowing.

Audiology

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit is an Audiology practice in Norristown, PA with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in diagnosing, treating, and preventing conditions and injuries that affect the sense of sound and balance. Audiologists at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit perform diagnostic tests to detect issues with hearing and balance, and provides preventative and treatment options to address them. Audiology is the field of medicine concerned with the sense of hearing and how it affects the rest of the mind and body. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Audiology practices include hearing loss, balance issues, tinnitus, vertigo, barotrauma, and auditory processing disorder. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Audiology practices include conducting hearing assessments, providing hearing aids and cochlear implant, and teaching methods of speech like lip-reading.

A specialist in evaluation, habilitation and rehabilitation of those whose communication disorders center in whole or in part in hearing function. Audiologists are autonomous professionals who identify, assess, and manage disorders of the auditory, balance and other neural systems. Audiologists provide audiological (aural) rehabilitation to children and adults across the entire age span. Audiologists select, fit and dispense amplification systems such as hearing aids and related devices. (2) An audiologist is a person qualified by a master's degree in audiology, licensed by the state, where applicable, and practicing within the scope of that license. Audiologists evaluate and treat patients with impaired hearing. They plan, direct and conduct rehabilitative programs with audiotry substitutional devises (hearing aids) and other therapy.

Early Intervention Provider Agency

Early intervention services are an effective way to address the needs of infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities. The services are made available through a federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA provides states and territories with specific requirements for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with special needs. In turn, each state and territory develops its own policies for carrying out IDEA and its requirements. Broadly speaking, early intervention services are special services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families. These services are designed to identify and meet children's needs in five developmental areas. These areas are: physical development, cognitive development, communication, social or emotional development, and adaptive development.