Intervention for mixed receptive-expressive language impairment : a review

Children with receptive-expressive language impairment (RELI), also referred to as 'receptive language disorder' or 'mixed receptive-expressive disorder',2 form a subset of those with speech, language, and communication needs who commonly have problems understanding both spoken and written language; they have particular difficulties in comprehending vocabulary and grammar and inferring meaning. They will have problems with expressive language and some will also have difficulties in pragmatics, i.e. the use of language in social contexts

Deaf children need language, not (just) speech

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children need to master at least one language (spoken or signed) to reach their full potential. Providing access to a natural sign language supports this goal. Despite evidence that natural sign languages are beneficial to DHH children, many researchers and practitioners advise families to focus exclusively on spoken language. We critique the Pediatrics article ‘Early Sign Language Exposure and Cochlear Implants’ (Geers et al., 2017) as an example of research that makes unsupported claims against the inclusion of natural sign languages. We refute claims that (1) there are harmful effects of sign language and (2) that listening and spoken language are necessary for optimal development of deaf children. While practical challenges remain (and are discussed) for providing a sign language-rich environment, research evidence suggests that such challenges are worth tackling in light of natural sign languages providing a host of benefits for DHH children – especially in the prevention and reduction of language deprivation.Accepted manuscrip

Training Caregivers of Young Children Who Are Deaf / Hard of Hearing To Implement Communication Facilitation Strategies

Caregiver-implemented communication intervention can result in increased communication skills in young children. Parents/caregivers are the first teachers of their children and are in natural positions to provide naturalistic communication intervention throughout their child’s daily life within their home. Professionals who work with young children with communication delays can coach parents in strategies to help facilitate increased communication skills in their children and help incorporate therapeutic techniques into the family’s regular routines. The current study examined the impact of training and coaching on caregivers’ implementation of naturalistic language facilitation strategies with their children who are deaf or hard of hearing using a single case experimental multiple probe design. Two caregivers and their children who are hard of hearing participated in this study. The caregivers each received a training session and one caregiver received a coaching session, all via videoconferencing. Results indicated a potential relationship between training and the caregivers’ use of the naturalistic language facilitation strategies as evidenced by caregivers showing increased ability to use a target skill - reciprocity. In addition, participants stated overall positive perceptions toward their participation in the study, both pre- and post-participation. Discussion of the study’s key findings, limitations, future research, and practical implications is included.KEYWORDS: deaf/hard of hearing, preschool, early childhood, early intervention, communication facilitation, language strategies, language development, vocabulary, speech-language pathology, deaf education, parent coachin

Increasing Speech Ability of the Autistic Children by an Interactive Computer Game

Autism is one of the most common development disorders in the world, which affects about one in every 150 kids. It is a lifelong disability with no known cure at this time. It affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around him. They face problem to communicate with other people. Speech disorder is one of the most common complexities of autistic children. Most of the children are unable to speak like normal children. They speak repeated, meaningless word, which is very harmful for their communication skills. Now a day2019;s computer plays an important role for teaching. So we proposed a method which increases the speech ability of autistic children by an interactive computer game. Our game helps autistic children to improve his verbal communication ability. As children likes to play computer games, so our game will be the perfect way to teach new words to autistic children or increase their fluency of known words. We provide a module with that helps children to also learn mathematics. Their progress can be evaluated through our game module

Social Functioning Characteristics of a Young Adult with a History of Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a pediatric speech sound disorder (SSD) that results from a motor planning impairment for volitional speech movements. This underlying impairment causes pervasive errors in speech sound production and often leads to problems with intelligibility, thus inhibiting effective communication. Longitudinal studies have found children with various communication impairments to be less successful in social interactions compared to their typically developing peers, and that this can lead to poor social functioning outcomes (Beitchman et al., 1996; Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood, & Rutter, 2005; Craig, 1993; Durkin & Conti-Ramsden, 2007). Yet, there is no research to date on what the particular effects are for individuals with CAS. This mixed methods single subject case study examined, first, the speech production characteristics of a young adult with a history of CAS, and, second, whether or not her earlier experiences with inefficient communication had long-term effects on her pragmatic skills, self-esteem, friendships, and/or selection of occupation. Speech tasks from the Madison Speech Assessment Protocol (MSAP) – such as nonword and multisyllabic word repetition, lexical stress, and diadochokinesis tasks – were used to assess the participant’s precision and consistency of speech sound production and prosody. Measures of personality, nonverbal intelligence, and language abilities were also taken to further describe the participant and provide a context to interpret the subsequent results. The participant’s pragmatic skills and self-esteem were assessed by triangulating data collected from quantitative measures as well as two separate semi-structured interviews with the participant and her mother. The effects of the participant’s communication impairment on the formation of friendships and her selection of future career were examined through the semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis included comparing the participant’s performance to available norms in the research literature, and qualitative analysis was conducted using a grounded theory approach. Overall, the participant’s conversational speech was 100% intelligible with a mild /s/ distortion noted. The participant demonstrated further errors associated with CAS when she attempted the more challenging speech tasks of the MSAP. Results revealed the participant’s overall pragmatic skills to be within normal limits but deficits were expressed in specific social situations. The participant’s self-esteem was scaled on the low end of the average range, and maintaining her self-esteem has been a continuous process that has necessitated outside support at times. Also, the participant’s speech sound disorder hindered her ability to form a high number of friendships, but her few close friendships are of high quality. Lastly, the qualitative results demonstrated how the participant’s past experiences with inefficient communication have driven her to find a career path in which she can advocate for children facing similar challenges

One Drug, Two Drugs, Three Drugs, More: A Critical Habilitative Narrative Inquiry into Autism Spectrum Disorder

With increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) being diagnosed since its inception, there is reason for significant concern in regards to the cause, treatment, and prognosis of the disorder. This work investigates some of the political, economic and social factors that impact treatment for persons identified with ASD in the context of public education. Utilizing a grounded theory approach to critically analyze current legislation and practices governing special education services in the public school setting, a disturbing picture is revealed of not only how we educate persons labeled as disordered, but also how we respond to them socially. Future implications to our society, as a result of those perceptions, are also pondered. Through an interview process, the concepts of care, social justice, personal advocacy, and fear are deliberated in respect to those identified as the ASD other

The Inclusion of Vocal Health in the School Curriculum: A National Survey of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists and Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

The human voice is an important tool of expression and a defining quality of self. Additionally, many occupations require, at least in part, a functioning voice for job completion (Titze et al., 1997). It is not surprising, then, that a dysfunctional voice may be disruptive and have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life. Unfortunately, disorders of voice are common, and perhaps even more so than many may realize (Bhattacharyya, 2014; Hartley et al., 2016; Roy, 2003; Roy et al., 2005). Several voice disorders, however, are preventable through the very same vocal health education means used in voice rehabilitation (ASHA, n.d.; Pannbacker, 1998; Van Houtte et al., 2011). This invites the question: why not deliver vocal health education to the populace as a means of preventing these disorders? General wellness and primary prevention education in the United States occurs, at least in part, in the schools. National Health Education Standards (NHES), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and used as reference for health education in many states, include the knowledge of concepts which promote health and prevent disease (Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards, 2007). Vocal health education may be a significant health concept covered in schools. Established at an early age and carried into adulthood, habits which promote a functioning voice may save many the disruption and discomfort of future, preventable voice disorders. This research surveys school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and speech-language pathology assistants on current practices and attitudes surrounding vocal health education in the school curriculum. These speech and language professionals are primary voice specialists in the schools, may have insight into vocal heath in the curriculum, and are therefore important groups to survey for this research. Descriptive data analysis of 115 responses to the researcher-created Vocal Health Education Questionnaire provides insight into the thoughts and feelings of these voice professionals on the inclusion of vocal health in the school curriculum. Results show most respondents (97.4%) report vocal health is not currently included in schools in which they work. Attitude statements measured via Likert-type responses indicated respondents understand the benefits of vocal health education but also find multiple barriers to its inclusion in the schools at this time. These coupled with responses to the open-ended “Additional thoughts about the inclusion of vocal health in the schools” further indicated that schools either would not or could not include vocal health in the schools due to time or further resource constraints, other priorities in the schools such as academic standards or other curriculum requirements, and a belief that voice health is not significant for students. The findings have implications for SLPs and other vocal health professionals. A program of this kind may indeed reduce the number of speakers suffering from voice disorders yet may face numerous challenges in implementation. This study contributes to research which supports primary prevention education for vocal health by discovering some of the possible obstacles to including such a program in the school curriculum and provides suggestions for future research

A Question Of Language Disorder: Studies Of Assessment, Management And Parent Attitude.

Children labelled "language disordered" failed to make academic progress in schools promoting investigations into the nature of their problems, attendant attitudes and contextual influences. Studies find differences in haptic, auditory and visual processing between normal and language disordered children. Individual management does not acknowledge this range of modality input problems and selectively targets language form for systematic development. The approach does not result in better school attainments. Perhaps the label "language disorder" limits perception of the extent of difficulties in other areas. In contrast, an interactive method is described, taking account of "inside" and "outside" the child factors. Educational success is produced by inter-relating the language system with the learning context. Full implementation of the interactive model seems unlikely given the present styles of professional training and existing institutional constraints. However, consumer dissatisfaction with current language Learning provision suggests this procedure offers a promising alternative