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Margaret Dixon


Contact Me
Speech-Language Pathologist, Schwenksville Elementary
mdixon@pvsd.org
484-961-7064 x5221

I'm Margaret Dixon, one of PVSD's speech-language pathologists.  As part of the Special Education team, I diagnose and treat students with Speech and/or Language Disorders  I received my Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at West Chester University and my Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at James Madison University.  


My Classes
The mission of the Perkiomen Valley School District is to provide a rich academic and cultural learning environment that maximizes available resources to assure that all students grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally, attaining the skills necessary to become successful citizens. 

Students who have disorders in the areas of fluency, voice, articulation, and/or language may qualify to receive the Special Education service of Speech-Language Support services.  A speech and language disorder is recognized in the public school system if it impacts the child's ability to access their education.

Fluency Disorders
  • A fluency disorder is defined as interruptions in the flow of speech and is characterized by repetitions, prolongations, hesitations, and/or struggle behaviors.  This disorder is commonly referred to as stuttering.  
  • Eligibility Criteria - A typical dysfluency rate which exceeds norms according to selected rating scales and interferes with effective communication in the educational setting.
  • Exclusionary Criteria - Dysfluencies considered to be normal for the student's age and development

Articulation Disorders

  • An articulation disorder is characterized as having difficulty in forming and combining sounds.  Sounds may be substituted, omitted or distorted
  • Eligibility Criteria - The disorder must limit the student's ability to meet the communication demands of the classroom.  The student's speech must be significantly handicapping.
  • Exclusionary Criteria - Tongue thrust only; difference due to dialectal patterns, limited English proficiency, or cultural diversity; misarticulation of sounds which are within the normal development; facial, lingual, palatal or dental structures which prevent successful articulation therapy; articulation errors do not interfere with educational performance.
Language Disorders
  • The student with a language disorder demonstrates impaired and/or disordered development of understanding and/or use of language.  A variety of components of oral language may be affected including:
    • Language form - the portion of language that refers to the utterance/sentence structure of what is said
    • Language content - the portion of language that refers to the meanings of words and sentences including abstract concepts of language
    • Language use - the context in which language can be used and the purpose of communication. 
  • Eligibility Criteria - To be considered eligible in the area of language the following must be demonstrated:
    • Degree of impairment is "moderate" or greater as described on the severity rating scale
    • Language difficulty has an adverse impact on educational performance, which is documented.
  • The IEP team may not identify an impairment in language if any of the following are present:
    • Language characteristics that are a result of a dialectal difference, cultural diversity, or learning English as a second language.
    • Language deficits do not interfere with educational performance.
    • Errors which are developmental in nature.
    • Deficit in only one language composite score area
Voice Disorders
  • A voice disorder is characterized by abnormal vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration.  Parents are responsible for obtaining medical diagnosis and clearance from an ENT prior to the child being referred for therapy.  Voice differences may be handled on a consultative basis.  Children with allergies should not be selected for voice therapy.


Syllabus