Case Study #4: Kirk

This last of the four case studies is adapted from a working paper completed by Rhea Paul. It was one of the first attempts to use the NPA procedure as a research tool. This extended case study is more lengthy than the previous three case studies and organized differently. It is included here because it nicely illustrates the discovery procedures that clinical researchers must undertake to more fully understand associations between speech and language

Patterns of Development in Late Talkers: Preschool Years

A group of children was identified as “late talkers” (LT) on the basis of small expressive vocabulary size at 20–34 months of age and matched to a group of normally speaking age-mates. The subjects were followed yearly throughout the preschool period in order to track growth in language and related skills. Results showed that although significant improvement in speech and language skill occurred during the preschool period in the late talkers, a substantial minority of children retained deficits throughout the preschool years. By kindergarten age, these children, as a group, scored within, but at the low end of the normal range in terms of reading readiness. Data suggest that the longer a language delay persists into the third year of life, the less the chance of spontaneous recovery during the preschool period. Late talking girls seem to have less chance for spontaneous recovery than do late talking boys. The implications of these findings for making early intervention decisions will be discussed

Talk to Me: Issues in Acquiring Spoken Language for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) because communication deficits are a primary component of both the diagnostic criteria and the focus of educational services for children with these conditions. Children with ASD almost always are delayed in speech acquisition (Tager-Flusberg, Paul, & Lord, 2005), as well as in other areas of communication. Lack of speech is often the most obvious symptom and greatest cause for concern of parents of toddlers who are eventually diagnosed with ASD, even though closer observation usually reveals additional problems

Parents Ask: Am I Risking Autism If I Vaccinate My Children?

There is no evidence that autism is caused by any vaccine or any additive or preservative ever used in one. There have been large, well-controlled studies done all over the Western world that have confirmed this finding over and over again. There is no reason for any parent to deny a child the crucial protection today’s vaccines offer out of misguided fear that doing so would increase the risk for autism

Eight Simple Rules for Talking with Preschoolers

The article offers eight simple rules that teachers can use to help preschoolers build their vocabularies. It suggests teachers to talk with children to identify topics that interest them. It also recommends teachers to accompany all the routines and activities of the preschool day to enhance the language experience of children. Moreover, it proposes that open-ended questions invites preschoolers to offer lengthier and more detailed responses, thus stimulating their language growth

Invented Spelling in Kindergarten

Confirms findings of previous studies by linguists C. Chomsky and C. Read on spontaneous spelling by preschoolers. Four basic stages of this process in logical developmental sequence are described. This activity is seen as giving some children a chance to express their ideas independently, and as stimulating purposeful thinking about sounds and symbols. It is concluded that this activity is interesting and suitable for young children before formal writing or spelling instruction, and does not interfere with the later learning of correct spelling

85.4 What Works for Treating Language Disorders in Children

The goal of this session is to provide an overview of the principles of language intervention for children from ages 3–18 years of age and review the evidence base for selection of treatments for language disorders in preschool-aged and school-aged children, with special attention to interventions aimed at addressing pragmatic and social communication disorders

Language Outcomes in Late-Talkers: Kindergarten

To examine language outcomes related to language acquisition and academic readiness, this study followed a group of toddlers with slow expressive language development (SELD) through their kindergarten year. Subjects were 27 children between 20 and 34 months who produced fewer than 50 words or no 2-word combinations on L. Resconla\u27s (1989) Language Development Survey. This group was matched with a control group of 25 children with expressive vocabularies larger than 50 words. All subjects were given an intensive battery of assessments for receptive language, cognitive development, oral motor function, and adaptive behavior. A videotaped free play interaction between parent and child was analyzed for maternal linguistic input, child communicative behavior, and child phonological characteristics. Subjects received follow-up assessments during their kindergarten year. A conversational speech sample was analyzed for mean length of morpheme utterance, and a narrative sample was collected using a wordless picture book. Findings suggested that children with SELD as toddlers: (1) performed on par with children who exhibited normal patterns of language acquisition, in terms of general and nonverbal intelligence, daily living and motor skills, and receptive language; and (2) demonstrated deficits in phonological awareness and narrative ability, two areas related to language acquisition