A Practice-Based Interprofessional Emergent Writing Intervention: Impacts on Graduate Students and Preschoolers

Despite the importance of collaboration in schools, few studies have examined interprofessional education (IPE) interventions for graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) students designed to prepare them with the skills necessary to effectively work on school-based teams. The current pilot study implemented a five-week practice-based IPE intervention with six SLP graduate students and three occupational therapy (OT) graduate students. Three SLP students were randomly assigned to the ‘unpaired’ condition and delivered emergent writing activities independently to a small group of preschoolers (n = 10). The other three SLPs were each randomly assigned an OT student to collaborate with in a ‘paired’ condition and conducted the same activities together with their assigned small groups of preschoolers (n = 11). Graduate students’ emergent writing knowledge and interprofessional competencies were supported throughout the study by facilitated discussions and structured debrief sessions with their clinical educators using the DEAL model of critical reflection. Results indicated that SLP students from both conditions demonstrated positive gains in emergent writing knowledge, but the paired SLP students had a greater gain in self-reported interprofessional competencies. Preschoolers in both conditions demonstrated improvement on emergent writing tasks. Implications of practice-based IPE interventions for both graduate students and children are discussed

Examination of Morpho-Syntactic Production in Bahamian Creole English-Speaking Children

Introduction When speech-language pathologists (SLPs) evaluate for a language disorder (LD), they often assess a child’s syntax and morphology to identify LD associated clinical markers. These markers can vary from the mainstream language depending on the child’s language use or variation. Therefore, SLPs need to understand the features of children’s language systems when determining LD, as it reduces the risk of underdiagnosing or overdiagnosing children (Bland-Stewart, 2005). This method, however, is only possible for well-investigated variations such as African American English (Stockman, 2010), and proves difficult for SLPs servicing children who speak understudied language variations, such as Bahamian Creole English (BCE). Although understudied, descriptions of BCE are available for adult speakers (Hackert, 2013). However, information regarding developmental descriptions of BCE is limited. Research Question This study investigated the morpho-syntax of sixteen typically developing four and six-year-old children who speak BCE, addressing the following research question: What are the surface morpho-syntactic features of children who speak BCE? We hypothesized that differences in BCE syntax development will be observed between four- and six-year-old children. Further, we predicted that the frequency of creole features varies based on task demands (e.g., standardized measure versus conversation sample) and creole density (i.e., a measure of child’s creole-specific feature use). Methods Participants: Prior to recruitment, ethics approval was obtained from James Madison University and the Bahamas’ Ministry of Health. A convenience sample of nine four-year-old and seven six-year-old typically developing Bahamian children were recruited via flyers and word of mouth. Four children were excluded from data analysis due to failing one of the two screening measures (i.e., parent report of language difficulties via case history or nonword repetition task performance). Procedures: Study measures were administered during one 90-minute audio and video recorded assessment session at participant homes, schools, or community centers. Parents completed The Children’s Communication Checklist-2 (Bishop, 2003). Child measures included the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (Gagarina et al., 2012), a quasi-universal nonword repetition task (Chiat, 2015), the Rice Wexler Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (TEGI; Rice & Wexler, 2001), and a 30-minute play-based conversation language sample. Results and Analysis Samples were transcribed in the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT 16; Miller & Iglesias, 2016). Morpho-syntactic features of interest were coded and a percentage of feature use across sentences (i.e., creole density) and age and task differences was investigated. Results include developmental differences in the rates of creole and standard English (SE) features used on morphemes, such as copula be. However, differences were not observed in past tense verbs, as both groups consistently used BCE features. Additionally, both groups used consistent rates of creole features during conversation tasks, but code-switched more frequently between BCE and SE during narrative and structured tasks. Implications Study results provide the first developmental description of typically developing four-year-old and six-year-old BCE speakers. The long-term goal of this research program is to inform assessment procedures for the identification of LD in children who speak BCE. Study limitations include small sample size and unmatched age groups

Understanding cultural factors contributing to obesity in Head Start Hispanic preschoolers: Perceptions from one county Head Start

Obesity rates among low-income Hispanic preschoolers are higher than those of whites, highlighting the need for understanding the cultural factors that may contribute to obesity. A survey was distributed to Hispanic Head Start families; preschooler body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Two focus groups examined caregiver perceptions about obesity and meal practices. The rate of overweight/obesity in the preschoolers was 44%, whereas, 79.4% of caregivers reported child weight as “normal.†Caregivers perceived “thinness†as a disadvantage, favored home-cooked meals, and expressed a desire for children to assimilate to mainstream foods. Obesity prevention within Head Start must account for caregiver perceptions of healthy weight and incongruities between cultural values/ practices and guidelines. Head Start practitioners must understand the influence that school foods/meal styles have on cultural meal practices at home and the influence of social networks on home health behaviors. An opportunity exists to educate families within their cultural social networks

Quantitative and qualitative documentation of early literacy instruction

Quantitative and qualitative procedures were used in this pilot study to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a language and literacy instruction model for meeting the needs of children with impairments, delays, and differences in regular Head Start classrooms. Although the project addresses a variety of literacy domains, this article focuses on rhyming and letter naming. In the instruction model, children were exposed to motivating examples of rhyme and letter targets in different activity structures embedded across the curriculum. A crossover design compared two classrooms of children trained on letter and rhyme targets in a different order. Results of an analysis of variance revealed a significant Condition (rhyme first vs. letter first) x Task (rhyme generation vs. letter generation) x Time (Posttest 1 vs. Posttest 2) interaction. At the first posttest, children in the rhyme-first condition performed better than those in the letter-first condition on rhyme generation, whereas children in the letter first condition performed better on letter generation. At the second posttest, after the groups had experienced instruction in both areas, the children performed comparably on both tasks. In addition to the quantitative analyses, qualitative analyses were also conducted. A qualitative examination of children\u27s participation revealed their affective involvement and engagement in instructional activities. Changes in the children\u27s awareness of their capacity to rhyme and changes in their displayed abilities to participate in rhyming activities were also documented

Language use in social interactions of school-age children with language impairments: An evidence-based systematic review of treatment.

Introduction: Pragmatic models were first applied to the treatment of children with language impairment in the late 1970s. Since that time, the study of language use has had considerable impact on language assessment and treatment. Despite the need to address pragmatic language skills clinically, there has been no systematic examination of the efficacy of treatments developed for this purpose. Method: In accordance with the evidence-based practice policy agenda, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convened an ad hoc committee on language use in social interactions in school-age children. The committee\u27s charge was to develop an evidence-based systematic review of treatment for disorders of language use in social interactions. This charge was conducted in collaboration with ASHA\u27s National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders. Results: This systematic review provided preliminary support for the feasibility of various treatment procedures addressing social communication behaviors. Gains were reported in topic management skills, narrative production, and repairs of inadequate or ambiguous comments. Conclusion: Because further investigation of these treatments is warranted, the committee is unable to make empirically supported recommendations for changes in standard clinical practice based solely on this review. More research is needed to examine the feasibility of interventions that focus on children\u27s language use