Child Language Teaching and Therapy

This case study describes the investigation and treatment of a child with abnormal production of /s/ and lzl, using the instrumental technique of electropalatography (EPG). Children such as the one described can be resistant to treatment using conventional approaches, with the result that the difficulties may persist for years. EPG appears to be a potentially valuable tool that provides the clinician with more detailed information on tongue/palate contact, and offers the client important visual feedback for instantaneous monitoring, which helps to establish permanent modification of tongue placement patterns.

This paper discusses the importance of idioms to communicative competence, and their comprehension among unimpaired children. It also deals with systems for differentiating idioms, and suggests activities for teaching idioms to language-impaired children.

The purpose of this study was to provide a qualitative description of the similarities and differences in the observed social communicative be haviours of three Mexican-American children, aged 7 to 9 years, identified as language handicapped. This research used primarily diary notes of daily observations, language samples of the children in their daily classroom interactions, and interviews with significant informants over a four-month period. Results indicated that two of the children had social communicative abilities that were different from the third child. These two children had friends who were from diverse achievement groups and who initiated conversations with them; they had the ability to initiate games, and used discreet gestures during communication with peers; and they had numerous group interactions. These two children's communication skills were not like those described in the literature for children interacting within the classroom and who have a language disorder.

The Pre-school Project on group therapy arose from the perceived needs of therapists to evaluate this part of the service across the North West Hertfordshire Health Authority. Many of the Project's aims were achieved, although small sample sizes mean that results are subjective. The study has, however, given the District a number of useful indicators to help therapists improve the service to the pre-school population. Guidelines are being drawn up concerning methods of assessment and selection, parental involvement, efficient use of therapists' time, and structuring the service of group therapy.

This paper presents some of the findings of a study undertaken by the Beginning Writing Enquiry Group, the members of which were mostly classroom teachers. The project included a study both of children's language awareness and of their writing. The language awareness enquiry was conducted twice with the same group of children, once at each end of a school year. It is the findings of the first part of this enquiry which are analysed here. The children were selected from the classes of the teachers in the group, and a questionnaire designed by the teachers themselves was presented to them. It was hoped that the children's responses to the various items would help the teachers gain a deeper understanding of how certain metalinguistic terms such as SENTENCE, WORD, and LETTER were understood. The children were also asked what they thought a good writer needed to know. The way in which the questionnaire was designed and the children's responses to each item are presented here in the hope that they will be of value to other teachers and therapists interested in the relationship between children's awareness of language and their ability to use it both in speech and in writing.

Children who are severely physically handicapped and non-speaking may be assessed for recommendation of an augmentative communica tion system. A working model of assessment, developed at the Com munication Aids Centre at The Wolfson Centre, London, is presented and illustrated with three case studies. The paper includes discussion of the prerequisite skills for use of a communication aid, and consideration of important factors in the child's environment, such as training opportunities and the expectations of communication partners, which affect the success of the outcome.

The second annual Curriculum Swap-Shop for language schools (here, interpreted as those for pupils with specific speech and language disorders) was held in June 1990 in Newcastle-on-Tyne. The 60 participants represented 10 schools. Broad National Curriculum sub jects addressed were English and Science. An English sub-group contributed two sessions on drama. Information Technology and Photography spanned both subjects. There was a definite cross curricular approach within most presentations.