Learning Delay: Language/Speech

1. Learning Delay: Language/Speech By Sarah Dahl EDSP 6644 Autumn 2010

2. Definition and Introduction of Disability A basic background of Language/Speech Delay

3. Learning Delay: Language/Speech Definition Introduction • A term used to include the disabilities of infants or young children indicating that they are significantly behind the norm for development in language. • Language/Speech delay is a common disability that affects many students. By first grade, about 5% of children have noticeable speech disorders. (www.nlm.nih.gov)

4. Article Reviews A synopsis of three of my most frequently used articles.

5. Children’s History of Speech-Language Difficulties Article Review • This article is an examination of environmental as well as genetic influences on the articulation of a child. Through the many assumptions and findings presented in the book, one part that stood out to me was the statement “that children with histories of speech-language difficulties tended to score lower on early reading-related measures” (DeThorne et al.). This doesn’t seem too surprising, and there were implications that were suggested in regards to children with speech-language difficulties. Three suggestions were offered: (1) to monitor closely the history of children with speech-language development (family histories), (2) monitor and facilitate pre and literacy development, and to (3) counsel caregivers on speech-language difficulties to help reduce parental guilt associated with the childhood speech-language diagnosis.

6. The Efficacy of Phonological Awareness Intervention for Children with Spoken Language Impairment Article Review • Phonological awareness ability is dependent on a complete speech processing system and impairments may restrict literacy acquisition. • A direct approach to phonological awareness intervention has greater benefits for literacy development than an indirect approach. • An intense individual or small group model of delivery may be necessary for children with severe deficits. • Children with Spoken Language Impairment (SLI) have the potential to make accelerated gains in their reading development. • Phonological awareness skills are important for establishing links between speech and print. • Language intervention is effective in improving a child’s speech production. • It is crucial to address the phonological skills for successful reading acquisition early on in a child's school years.

7. The Integration of Speaker and Listener Responses: A Theory of Verbal Development Article Review • Protocol identified for the use of advancing children’s verbal development include the joining of speaker and listener (speaker-as-own-listener). • The speaker (a production response) and the listener (an observing response) are initially developmentally independent. • A person becomes verbal when the speaker and listener capabilities are joined. • The use and joining of these two roles need to be introduced and taught to children. (These roles continue to be joined by experiences of the individual). • Naming is the first strategy for verbal development in children. This is not labeling, but more so derived relations among the surrounding world. • Naming also is joined with reading and writing; a child beginning to say the sounds of letters (phonemes), they begin to hear what is said.

8. Recommendations Tips to try for children with Language/Speech Delay

9. What to do in the classroom… Recommendations • Encourage child to repeat simple directions • Use simple two and three step directions • Implementation of classroom acoustics. • Preferred placement or seating. • Implementation of an electronic device (teacher wears a microphone that is transmitted into a child’s headset or to a classroom speaker). • Encourage and increase language-building skills to increase words used in a child’s language base.

10. What to do at home… Recommendations • Give your full attention to your child when having a conversation. • Have your child’s attention before you speak. • Talk about spatial relationships (first, middle, last, left, right) and opposites (up, down, on, off). • Use descriptions or clues to have your child identify what is being described. • Help your child to follow to and three step directions. • Encourage your child to give directions and try to follow them. • Play games with your child, such as “house.” • Talk about and name the utensils, appliances, and furniture around the house. • While shopping for groceries, discuss what will be bought, how much is needed, and what will be made with it. Talk about the shape, size, and weight with him or her.

11. Recommendations Pros Cons • Student(s) will have age appropriate language being modeled and used throughout the day, in every subject matter, as well as social language (transition times, recess, lunch, etc.). • Potentially there could be too many students that will intimidate (unintentionally) or interfere with the direct, specific learning that a student with a learning delay needs. There is also the potential of other students’ poor speech (grammatically or vocabulary speaking) that could be learned.

12. Applications in the Classroom Ideas for the general education classroom

13. Classroom Applications These ideas come from references, colleagues, and my own personal experiences. • Offer visual cues for classroom directions and curricular lessons. • Use sight word cards. • Use a printed (visual) daily schedule with images. • Pre-teach lesson vocabulary that may be of difficulty/misunderstanding. • Use 2 and 3 step directions for students to follow. • Encourage students to listen to each other and their own speech.

14. Al Otaiba, S. and Smartt, S. (2003). Summer sound camp. Teaching Exceptional Children, Vol. 35, No. 3. Tallahassee, FL: Council for Exceptional Children. DeThorne, L. S. (2006). Children’s history of speech-language difficulties: Genetic influences and associations with reading-related measures. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Vol. 49. American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois. Fisher, K. and Haufe, T. (2009). Developing social skills in children who have disabilities through the use of social stories and visual supports. Chicago, IL: Saint Xavier University. Gillon, G. (2000). The efficacy of phonological awareness intervention for childern with spoken language impairment. Language, Speech, and Hearing Dervices in Schools. Vol. 31, No. 2. Greer, D. A. and Speckman, J. (2009). The integration of speaker and listener responses: a theory of verbal development. The Psychological Record, Vol. 59. Carbondale, IL: Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University. Hallahan, D.P. (2006). Exceptional learners: Introduction to special education, 11th Ed. San Francisco, CA: Allyn and Bacon. McLeod, S., Harrison, L. (2009). Epidemiology of speech and language impairments in a nationally representative sample of 4- to 5- year-old children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Vol. 52. American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois. Speech and communication disorders. National Library of Medicine. Bathesda, MD. National Institutes of Health. www.nlm.nih.gov. September 2010. HI Citations/References