Department of Education LANGUAGE LINK: An online screen of receptive language for children on...

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Department of Education

LANGUAGE LINK:

An online screen of receptive language for children on arrival at school – A comparison of United Kingdom data against data from one Australian state

Danielle Le Rossignol and Alison Henty (Dept. of Education, TASMANIA)Julia Ritchie and Pete Mc Leod (Language Link, UK)

Introduction/Disclaimer

• This research was initiated in response to Kinder screen data from Learning Services (North) which identified high percentages of children requiring follow-up assessment by SLPs

• This research reflects only one area of a range that are being investigated by, and tracked through, assessments by the Tasmanian Department of Education (DoE)

• Conclusions are drawn without reference to other banks of data being collected by the Dept. of Education

Background

• The Department of Education, Tasmania is divided into four learning services based on geographical factors:

a. Learning Services – North [LS (N)]b. Learning Services – North Westc. Learning Services – Southd. Learning Services – South East

Background

• LS (North) covers the northern part of Tasmania – “63” area code

• Approximately 16,900 students in Kinder to Grade 10 (44 Primary/District High)

• Language Link has been used with 16 schools within Learning Services (North) [LS (N)] over the past two years

Background

• Communication skills of all Kindergarten children within LS (North) have been screened over the past two years (approximately 1200 students per year)

• Kinder students are enrolled in DOE schools• Approximately 50% of these children have

been identified as requiring follow-up assessment by speech-language pathology (18.2% for language)

Background

• Language Link was therefore seen as a useful adjunct to Kinder screening in supporting teachers/schools with early identification of those students needing referral and/or support for receptive language difficulties

Language Link Data – LS (North)• 16 schools and a total of 662 students (347

boys and 323 girls) (ESL students removed from the data due to small numbers)

• Schools represent a mix of socioeconomic groups (ENI) (12 = low need, 108 = high need)

a. Tasmanian Mean 50.26b. LS (North) Mean 52.60c. Sample Mean 52.76

Language Link Data – LS (North)• 85% of these children were

identified as falling into the ‘age appropriate’ group

• 9.6% ‘support needed’ group• 5.4% ‘discuss with SLT/refer to

SLP’ group

Language Link Data – LS (North)

Language Link Data – UK

• 10 887 students (5479 boys and 5408 girls)

• Schools represent a mix of socioeconomic groups

• 89.2% ‘age appropriate’ group• 7.7% ‘support needed’ group• 3.1% ‘discuss with SLT/refer to SLP’

Language Link – UK Data

LS (North) - Boys

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

LS (North) - Boys

Language Link – UK Data (Boys)

LS (North) - Girls

Language Link – UK Data (Girls)

Discussion

• Similar patterns of difficulty across LS (North) and UK data

• General pattern – LS (North) students performed better on earlier sections and UK children performed better on the later sections

Discussion

• LS (North): three main areas of difficulty (not necessarily statistically significant)

a. Cause-Effectb. Basic Conceptsc. Pronouns

Discussion

• Implications for academic development and literacy attainment

• Consideration of receptive language issues from Language Link and Kinder screen data

• Teacher feedback and KDC

Discussion

• Test/Re-test Issues• Teacher Training• Spread of SLP Kinder screen

results

Summary

• Incidence of receptive language difficulties as measured by Language Link within LS (North) is similar to that identified from UK data

• Three main areas of difficulty for LS (North) data: basic concepts, cause-effect and pronouns

Summary

• Follow–up retest data for students who do not pass Language Link at start of Kinder

• Comparisons with ESL data not possible for LS (North) due to small numbers (8 out of 670 students)

Next Steps

• Continue to compare Language Link data with Kinder screen data

• Monitor students in Prep for literacy issues

• Seeking funding for Language Link as a universal screening tool for all students within Learning Services (North)

Contacts

Danielle Le Rossignoldanielle.le.rossignol@education.tas.gov.auAlison Hentyalison.henty@education.tas.gov.auJulia Ritchiejulia.ritchie@speechlink.co.uk

Bibliography• Bercow, J. (2008). The Bercow Report: A review of services for

young children and young people (0-19) with speech, language and communication needs. Nottingham: DCSF www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview

• Law, J., Boyle, J., Harris, F., Harkness, A., & Nye, C. (1998) Screening for speech and language delay: A systematic review of the literature. Health and Technology Assessment, 2, 1-184

• Law, J., Garrett, Z., & Nye,C. (2004). The efficacy of treatment for children with developmental speech and language delay/disorder. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 47, 924-943.

• Ritchie, J., Patterson, D., & Mc Leod, P. (2008). Language Link Trainer’s Manual: Issue 5 (online): 05.06.08. Speech Link: Multimedia Limited United Kingdom http://www.speechlink.co.uk

• Webb, G. (2003). A sharing profession. Australian Communication Quarterly, 5(2),76-78.

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