Why Collect Outcomes Data?
Aggregated national outcomes data can be invaluable in assisting clinicians and administrators in caseload planning and management, meeting the IDEA guidelines, and demonstrating the effectiveness and value of speech-language pathology services. As the national database becomes more robust, the data can answer a variety of questions about speech and language services. The following are a few examples of the types of questions that could be answered:
- What are the entrance and dismissal criteria for students with language disorders?
- When is the most opportune time to intervene?
- How much progress can be expected over the course of an academic year?
- What is the most effective service delivery model for preschoolers with a phonological disorder?
- What is the optimal intensity and frequency of SLP services for 3rd graders with articulation disorders?
- What is the ideal caseload size for a speech-language pathologist?
Additionally, the recently passed IDEA law emphasizes outcomes and the effectiveness of education. NOMS outcomes data can help you address many of the regulations included in the law:
- Data on student's functioning in general education
- Data on student's functioning in academic settings
- Outcomes and effectiveness of education
- Ability to benchmark or demonstrate progress towards annual goals
- Reports to parents of child's progress in accomplishing IEP goals
Outcomes vs. Objectives
Outcomes is a term that really means results of care or intervention regardless of the method of treatment. That is, what is the outcome for a student who has been on your caseload for six months? In terms of functionality, is the student better able to:
- Communicate/perform in the classroom?
- Participate more in physical education activities because of improved communication skills?
- Interact with peers on the playground and in extracurricular activities?
- Demonstrate improved literacy skills as a result of improved functional communication?
Objectives can be written in nonfunctional or functional terms. Too often, we have written objectives in terminology that only speech-language pathologists can understand. For instance, the following are examples of nonfunctional goals:
- Student will increase vocabulary by 25–50 words.
- Student will decrease use of phonological processes of consonant sequences to increase intelligibility.
These same types of objective statements can be written in more functional terms such as:
- Student will exhibit expanded curriculum-related vocabulary needed to participate in daily classroom activities/discussion during reading and social studies groups.
- Student's speech will be intelligible to peers and teachers during structured classroom activities on 4 out of 5 observed days.
- Student will independently self-correct speech production during "show and tell" when his/her speech is not understood by teachers or peers.
These are examples of objectives and what you intend will happen as a result of your care.
Outcomes measures help assess whether you really reached the objective. For instance, an outcomes statement for a student to be discharged from articulation intervention might be student is intelligible in all situations. Outcomes statements sound very much like objectives. The difference is that objectives are written before intervention is provided and help guide you in your treatments. Outcomes are assessments after the intervention has been provided.
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