Unit 4 Speech or Language Impairments

Unit 4Speech or Language Impairments Prepared by: CiciliaEviGradDiplSc., M. Psi

Language is important! • Foundation of learning  clarify our observation, engage others, express our needs and interact with others • Impede success at school and in life • Majority of students with LD and emotional or behavioral disorders also have co-occurring language impairments

Communication Process • Communication  process of exchanging knowledge, ideas, opinions and feelings through the use of verbal/non verbal language • Communication symbols  voice, letters of the alphabet, or gestures used to send message • Communication signals  a variety of nonverbal cues that announce some immediate event, person, action or emotion

Definition • Speech impairments  when the sender’s speech impairs the communication  articulation, fluency, voice (pitch or loudness) • Language impairments  when the sender can’t employ the signs, symbols or rules that govern the form, content and use of language • Speech/language pathologist  professional who diagnoses and treats speech/language impairments

Speech Impairments • Articulation disorder  when the process of producing speech sounds is flawed, and resulting in incorrect speech sounds  related to age, culture and environment • Fluency problems (dysfluencies)  involve hesitations or repetition of parts of words that interrupt the flow of speech • Voice problems  abnormal spoken language production  pitch and loudness

Language Impairments • There is a breakdown in one of three aspects of language and hinder effective communication • Form  the rules system used in all language (oral, written and sign) • Content  intent and meaning of spoken or written statements • Use  beware with the use of language in different settings and social context

Language Differences, Delays, and Disorders • Language differences  regional speech patterns, foreign accents or second language acquisition – are confused with language disorders (Salend, 2005)  dialects (Payne & Taylor, 2006) • Important to identify procedures before applying to diverse groups of learners • Cultural differences and family values • Be cautious about: over and underidentifying ELLs

Cont … • Language delays  evident when a child has not developed language skills at the same age as most children do  common indication of disabilities in very young children  BUT … not a characteristic of disabilities for every child

Receptive – Expressive Language • Receptive language  understanding information that is received either through seeing, hearing or touching  create negative academic and social outcomes • A student may only process the last thing she hears – from 3 or more instructions • Expressive language  ability to convey thoughts, feelings, or information  usually worse than receptive language

Social Competence • Effective communication is required to resolve conflicts and disagreements, solve problems, negotiate solutions, share and develop friendships • Ability to apply complex language skills is the key to understanding others’ point of view and to clearly presenting one’s feelings • P. 132-133  problems experience by student

Reading and Academic Performance • Children identified with language impairments during the preschool years are very likely to be identified as having learning disabilities by 3rd or 4th grade • Difficulties in identifying or understanding the relationships between the sounds in words and the symbols that represent those sounds in print (Fletcher et al., 2002)  vulnerable to school failure

Challenges • Affect interaction with others in every setting • Affect success in school, social situations and employment • Feeling  embarrass, guilty, frustration, anger • Long term  overly aggressive, denying their disability, projecting their conditions to their listeners • Socially withdrawn, avoid situation where they have to talk, isolated, avoid certain words

Characteristics • Table 4.3  p. 128 • Table 4.4  p. 131 • Classroom Management  p. 129 • Case Brandon  p. 134

Causes • Speech Impairments  brain damage, malfunction of respiratory or speech mechanism, malformation of the articulators, don’t use the right physical movements to form sounds correctly • Stuttering  unable to pinpoint on a single cause  related to stress, especially when situation is very complex or unpredictable • Voice problems  symptomatic of medical problems, undue abuse of the voice

Causes (2) • Language Impairments  genetic conditions, hearing impairments, illness, injury, and the existence of coexisting disabilities like autism (Plante & Beeson, 2008) • Lack of experiences that stimulate language development is also a major factor contributing to language impairments • Chronic otitis media (middle ear infections)  reduce opportunities for toddlers to hear and imitate others’ language

Prevalence • Figure 4.6, p. 135  decline by 3rd grade  why?

Prevention • Early Identification  at age 2 • Prereferral  by general education classroom teacher, with the help of special educators • What SLPs can do  p. 138 • Identification  p. 139 • Evaluation  p. 140

Early Intervention • Home-based intervention with parents  scores higher than only clinic-based instructions by professionals (Cleminshaw et al., 1996; Hall et al., 2001) • Tactics for effective preschool programs  • Language-rich environments • Integrated into every lesson throughout the day  read effective instruction p. 142

Language-rich environment

In General Education Curriculum • Key elements for effective learning in the classroom  p. 143 • The need of explicit instruction • Hard to understand metaphor or analogies • Fajarmerekah • Senjatamakantuan • Tangannyasehalus sutra • Language-sensitive classrooms  p. 145

How to Help? • Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)  p. 146 • Technology • Communication boards • Speech synthesizers • Graphic organizers

Psychologists? • During transition process • Partnerships with Families and Communities

Unit 4 Speech or Language Impairments