ABSTRACT
Speech and language therapy as an independent profession is relatively young in Turkey, and, as a result, identification of children with language impairments/developmental language disorder (DLD) has only recently begun to be appreciated. DLD was either subsumed under developmental disabilities secondary to hearing impairment, mental retardation, learning disabilities, autism and other organic, neurological or psychiatric disorders, or disregarded altogether, frequently adopting a wait-and-see approach. The obligations to provide supportive services to persons/children with speech and language disorders are considered within the scope of special education under the regulations of Ministry of National Education (MoNE). MoNE uses its own budget to cover the educational costs of persons with disabilities. Three main sources of financing are state funding through social security insurance, private health insurance and personal funds of the individuals. Segregated state special education schools provide educational services to children with hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, autism, visual impairment and physical impairments.
