Child Development: Language and Literacy

Child Development:Language and Literacy Dr. Cindy Vinson Sept. 29, 2004

Audience Analysis • Have a child 5 or under • Have worked in a preschool • Spend time with a friend or relatives child under 5 • Currently working in a preschool • Plan on working as a professional in the child development field

Focus • Identifying • Assessing • Treating

Scenario - Identifying You have been hired by SCCOE to screen the speech and language development of preschool students. You want to identify those students who require a more in-depth assessment, because they exhibit delayed or abnormal speech and language. You have 10 minutes to spend with each child and will be evaluating 30 students a day (5 hours).

Questions - Identifying • What information do you want from the parents? • What specific information do you want from each child? • What behaviors indicate that a child may be language delayed. • How might cultural differences affect the screening process?

Identifying Preschool Children • Phonology (combining sounds) • Syntax (sentence structure) • Semantic (word meaning) • Pragmatics (social use of language) • Voice, fluency, volume, inflections • Receptive/Expressive capabilities

Scenario - Assessing • Out of the 300 students that you screened, 25 students did not pass the screening and require a more in-depth speech/language evaluation. You will have 15 minutes to interview the parent and two hours to conduct your s/l evaluation. • The child will also be tested by a psychologist, audiologist, physical/occupational therapist, and a special education teacher. Your 3-5 page written evaluation needs to identify primary deficit area(s) and formulate a proposed treatment plan. • The team evaluating the student will meet to determine eligibility for services and write an IEP (Individual Education Plan).

Questions - Assessing • What information would you want from the parents? • How would you test the child to determine the s/l disorder? • How would you develop a treatment plan?

Assessing Preschool Children • Language sample • Formal testing (phonology, syntax, semantics) • Parent interview • Observation and informal testing

Scenario - Treating • A 3 year old boy named Adam is a new student who will be receiving services from you, the speech and language therapist at the Center. You will see him 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day. • The team reported the folloswing about Adam: • Age appropriate or above age level expressive language skills • Below age level on receptive skills • Highly distractible • Does not often interact with other children • Poor social communication skills • Exhibits motor problems especially with balance • Cannot reliably count to ten, identify primary colors, or match shapes

Questions - Treating • What are Adam’s strengths? • What are Adam’s weaknesses? • What are three goals you would have for Adam? • What general strategies would you recommend for Adam?

Treating Preschool Children • Use the child’s strength to overcome a weakness • Structured play • Word play, songs, rhymes, story telling • Direct teaching of skills (numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc.) • Coaching of social behaviors

Resources • San Andreas Regional Center • http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/rc365.cfm • Early Start • http://www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart/eshome.cfm • Local school districts • SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area) • http://www.sccoeorg/depts/selpa/ • California Speech and Hearing. Org. • http://www.caspeechhearing.org/

Child Development: Language and Literacy