MATI 2020 Webinar Series - Preparing for Psychoeducational and Speech Pathology Interpretation Assignments in the Educational Setting: What Medical Interpreters Need to Know

According to The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), during an evaluation to determine whether a student has a disability, the school must use procedures that “are provided and administered in the child’s native language or other mode of communication and in the form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally…” [CFR 300.304 (c) (ii)] It is imperative and ethical that interpreters working in the educational setting and collaborating with special education eligibility teams, take the steps necessary to prepare and understand the assessment process since interpretation and cultural factors may influence or possibly invalidate standard scores. This presentation will provide interpreters with an overview of common psychoeducational and speech pathology assessments used in the educational setting, the implications of working with an untrained interpreter, and questions that the interpreter must ask during a pre-consultation meeting. We will conclude our presentation with resources to prepare for this type of interpretation
assignment and a glossary of terms commonly used in the special education evaluation process.

Certificate course. She remains an active medical and educational interpreter and translator.