Child Language Teaching and Therapy

The paper describes a scripted elicitation procedure for assessing the communication skills of nonspeaking physically disabled children. Preliminary data are reported for 16 children attending the Communica tion Aids Centre for children, London. Functions of communication, such as requests for clarification and expression of self, were more likely to be used by children during the scripted procedure with an unfamiliar adult than when they were observed in interaction with a parent.

This case study describes the speech development of a child (Edward) between the ages of 3;1 and 4;10, diagnosed with Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS). During that time, Edward received intensive speech and language services to facilitate his development of intelligible speech. Treatment techniques and documentation of Edward's remark able progress will be discussed. Implications of this case study for other children will also be considered.

The purpose of the present investigation was to design, implement, and measure the outcome of a language treatment programme for a school- age child with sensory integration dysfunction. Standardized tests and criterion-referenced measures were used to determine areas of difficulty and goals for treatment. Treatment was implemented on a twice-a-week basis for 32 weeks. Data were obtained every four weeks throughout the course of the treatment. Progress, although variable across objectives, was noted in each of the targeted areas. Results are discussed in terms of selecting targets from baseline data, how a sensory integration disorder can make an impact on language functions, and the importance of measuring outcomes.

Speech therapy conversations between five dyads, comprising senior speech pathology students and hearing-impaired adolescents enrolled in a Total Communication programme, were videorecorded for five weekly sessions. Samples over one-minute intervals at the start, middle and end of the sessions were analysed for topic initiations and initiators, conversational turns, and responses to questions according to the communication modes: speech; sign or gesture; and speech combined with sign or gesture. Statistical analyses explored differences between dyads, conversational partners, sessions, and intervals, and their inter actions, in relation to mode. The results are discussed with reference to changes in conversational competence with therapy.

Opportunities for teachers to undertake professional development to work with pupils with language and communication difficulties have increased recently in the UK. It is suggested that the competence to work in this field is likely to be over and above what is generally expected of teachers. This paper describes the process of agreeing what the outcomes of these courses should be.

The efficacy of signing to promote verbal comprehension and expres sion in children with learning difficulties has been considered frequently in the literature. This study examines the influence of signing on an individual teaching session. The teaching of big/little was investigated in eight children with severe learning difficulties between 3;6 and 6;0 years. Results indicate that it is a beneficial tool both for the child and for the adult which serves to improve the quality of a discourse approach to teaching.