R. Owens, 5th Edition Chapter 2: Language Impairments

1. R. Owens, 5th EditionChapter 2: Language Impairments Harold Johnson Michigan State University

2. H. Johnson/MSU 2 What constitutes a language problem? Language Problem: Definition: any behavior that consistently impedes an individual to understand, or be understood, e.g., a persistent occurrence of communication breakdowns, a lack of communicative attempts, an usually restrictive range of conversational topics and tasks, a significantly reduced ability to comprehend and convey information in a written format, etc.

3. H. Johnson/MSU 3 Typical language learning requires individuals to.... effectively perceive 'x� effectively attend, respond & anticipate 'x� use symbols effectively use syntax effectively interact & communicate effectively with others �Many of the children described in the following section have problems in one or more of these areas.� (p. 23)

4. H. Johnson/MSU 4 While the presence of a disability will often cause language problems, so to can the environment, i.e., how other individuals interact with the child with a disability. Nature & Nurture Small Group Questions: What do you consider to be the characteristics of an environment/context that does not nurture a child�s development of language? How might the presence of a disability serve to exacerbate such negative characteristics?

5. H. Johnson/MSU 5 Small Group Questions: What experiences have you had with children with: Mentally Retarded/Intellectual Disability? Language Learning Disability? Specific Language Impairments? Autism Spectrum Disorder? Deaf/Hard of Hearing? What insights and questions did these experiences generate for you?

6. H. Johnson/MSU 6 Concept... while we can not eliminate a child�s disability, we CAN enhance the child�s learning environment. This course will focus upon how to enhance the learning environment in such a way as to facilitate their development and use of effective interpersonal and academic language skills. Your task will be to create such an environment for your students. In preparing for this task, please keep in mind that 40-60% of children who are d/hh, are considered to have additional disabilities. This chapter identifies the linguistic characteristics of such additional disabilities.

7. H. Johnson/MSU 7 Owens: Language problems within and across disabilities: Mental Retardation/Intellectual Disability language problems common... ...frequently cause behavior problems Table 2.2 p. 28, common language characteristics Pragmatics: limited, often passive conversational skills & poor presuppositional knowledge Semantics: over reliance upon signals vs. symbols & restricted vocabulary Syntax/Morphology: short, simple & restricted Phonology: similar to those of younger children Comprehension: limited comprehension & recall of inf

8. H. Johnson/MSU 8 Language Learning Disability has normal, or near normal, intelligence six major categories/types: motor; attention; perception; symbols; memory; emotion ...Note: problems are due to perceptual, vs. sensory issues Table 2.5, p. 36 Pragmatics: poor conversational maintenance, questioning & communicational breakdown skills Semantics: restricted learning of new vocabulary, poor use of figurative language, difficulty in word retrieval and correct use of �function� words Syntax/Morphology: limited understanding and use of complex sentence forms & tense markers Phonology: inconsistent pronunciation of multi-syllable words Comprehension: difficulty with �Wh� questions, limited receptive vocabulary, poor reading skills, poor retrival skills, & confusion with letter/sound relationships Frequent occurrence of emotional and behavioral problems

9. H. Johnson/MSU 9 Specific Language Impairment ...defined as "significant limitations in language functioning that cannot be attributed to deficits in hearing, oral structure and function, or general intelligence." p. 41 = no apparent cause for the language problems = have more learning potential than reflected by their language performance �In general, children with SLI have difficulty ( a) learning language rules, ( b) registering different contexts for language, and ( c) constructing word- referent associations for lexical growth...� (p. 42)

10. H. Johnson/MSU 10 Specific Language Impairment (cont.) Table 2.8, p. 43 Pragmatics: poor conversational skills, i.e., poor choice of topics, ineffective presuppositional knowledge, limited register shift and repair of communication breakdown Semantics: slow rate of vocab. dev., i.e., poor use of �fast mapping� of new words & limited understanding of similar word meanings Syntax/Morphology: overly simplistic sentence structures, limited use of morphemes and function words Phonology: speech patterns of younger children Comprehension: limited checking of understanding, use of content words/morphemes to add understanding

11. H. Johnson/MSU 11 Autism Spectrum Disorders �The Autism Society of America further defines ASD as a disorder that has an onset prior to 30 months of age and that consists of disturbances in the following areas: Developmental rates and the sequence of motor, social- adaptive, and cognitive skills Responses to sensory stimuli� hyper- and hyposensitivity in audition, vision, tactile stimulation, motor, olfactory, and taste, including self- stimulatory behaviors Speech and language, cognition, and nonverbal communication, including mutism, echolalia, and difficulty with abstract terms Capacity to appropriately relate to people, events, and objects, including lack of social behaviors, affection, and appropriate play.� (p. 48)

12. H. Johnson/MSU 12 Autism Spectrum Disorders (cont.) Current rate of diagnosis of 1 in a 150 Represents a very a group of children with very diverse characteristics The more intensely involved, the greater the language problems �Children with ASD exhibit sensory modulation dysfunction ( SMD). Sensory modulation occurs within the central nervous system ( CNS) as it attempts to balance excitation and inhibition inputs arising within one�s sensory mechanism with those occurring external to the body.� (p. 50)

13. H. Johnson/MSU 13 Autism Spectrum Disorders (cont.) �...children with ASD often avert their gaze or stare emptily and lack a social smile, responsiveness to sound, and anticipation of the approach of others. Parents often are treated as � things� or, at best, no different from other people.� (p. 50) = difficulty with social interactions �Asperger�s syndrome ( AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder less severe than ASD in which cognitive, language, and self- help skills...manifested in subtle language impairments with little delay, along with social interaction difficulties, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors.� (p. 50)

14. H. Johnson/MSU 14 Autism Spectrum Disorders (cont.) Figure 2.3, p. 51 Comparison of the language skills of Asperger�s Syndrom vs. High Functioning Autism Children Common areas = interactional/conversational skills �Communication problems are often one of the first indicators of possible ASD.� (p. 51) = poor social interactions = poor language (semantics) and communication (pragmatic) skills Yet OK speech skills, albeit often demonstrate echolalia Table 2.10, p. 53 - Language Characteristics of Children with ASD

15. H. Johnson/MSU 15 Maltreatment: Neglect & Abuse See previous presentation �OUR Children� and related wiki site, i.e., Deaf Education �Community of Learners Concerning CA/N� Children with disabilities are over three times more likely to experience neglect and abuse than their nondisabled peers Sullivan, P.M., & Knuton, J.F. (2000). Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(10), 1257-1273. Younger children with limited communication skills are at the greatest risk for maltreatment.

16. H. Johnson/MSU 16 Maltreatment: Neglect & Abuse (cont.) p. 59, Table 2.13 - Language characteristics of children who are neglected and abused Pragmatics: Poor conversational skills. Inability to discuss feelings. Shorter conversations. Fewer descriptive utterances. Language used to get things done with little social exchange or affect. Semantics: Limited expressive vocabulary. Fewer decontextualized utterances, more talk about the here and now. Syntax/Morphology: Shorter, less complex utterances. Phonology: (no difference) Comprehension: Auditory and reading comprehension problems.

17. H. Johnson/MSU 17 Children who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh) Common Language Characteristics Variables When the child lost their hearing The degree and type of hearing loss The age at which they began to receive early intervention services and appropriate amplification The age at which they began to have consistent and meaningful access to effective language models, either spoken or signed The presence of any additional disabilities The degree of parental involvement, understanding, and acceptance of the child�s differences The quantity, quality, and diversity of enjoyable, age appropriate interactions the child experiences The level of expectations for the child to succeed The quality of the child�s PreK-12 educational experiences

18. H. Johnson/MSU 18 Children who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh) Common Language Characteristics Patterns: Receptive & Expressive Less vocabulary More concrete language Restricted sentence structures Limited conversational sophistication Inadequate communication repair strategies Poor reading skills Fewer opportunities and reasons to use and develop sophisticated language More limited academic language skills

19. H. Johnson/MSU 19 At the start of this lecture a language problem was defined as: any behavior that consistently impedes an individual to understand, or be understood, e.g., a persistent occurrence of communication breakdowns, a lack of communicative attempts, an usually restrictive range of conversational topics and tasks, a significantly reduced ability to comprehend and convey information in a written format, etc. We have just discussed the common language problems of a wide range of children with disabilities. Small Group Questions: Given all of the possible language problems how will you decide which to focus upon? What knowledge do you yet need to know to formally make this decision?

20. H. Johnson/MSU 20 A few concluding points of information: �Language is rarely taught formally. Instead, children acquire language by hypothesizing the rules from the give- and- take of conversational speech.� (p. 64) = need to use/experience language within informal conversational exchanges, with appropriate expectations, feedback, and support to learn language �Children with LI initiate little verbal interaction, are less responsive, use more short and non-verbal responses, and are less able to maintain a conversation ( Rice, Snell, & Hadley, 1991). The result is fewer interactions with others...� (p. 64) = all language problems include difficulties in the pragmatic use of language forms, start with �function,� then move to �form� �Language impairments are not outgrown. Even with intervention, they are rarely � cured.� Typically, language impairments change and become more subtle...� (p. 64) = less atypical + individual becomes more competent to solve problems w/o assistance

21. H. Johnson/MSU 21 The purpose of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills that you will need to design, implement and evaluate language intervention programs for the children you will teach. Initially we will focus upon language alone, in the final section of the course, we will focus upon the use of context of academic instruction for our language assessment and intervention work.