CEP 432 Midterm Review

Harold A. Johnson

Michigan State University

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9/04/09 Class Session Guiding Concept

Here vs. See vs. Do Language Development Theory

Essential developmental progression from reflexive, to signal, to symbolic communicative behaviors…all driven by communicative needs and supported by an effective learning environment

Three theoretical perspectives re. how and why language is developed, i.e., Behavioral, Linguistic and Interactionist

Use of Interactionist perspective to guide our decision re. how to design and implement language assessment and intervention programs for our students.

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9/04/09 Class Session Ch. 1: Functional Language Approach

Consistent with an Interactionist perspective re. language development

Focus upon the use of conversational exchanges as the essential context for both language assessments and interventions

Contrasts between the focus/strategies of traditional vs. functional approaches

Essential goal of a functional approach Critical need to create an environment that supports and

encourages language growth “Student first,” identification of language goals Teacher’s role as “facilitator”

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9/04/09 Class Session Ch. 1: Functional Language Approach (cont.)

Essential “indicators” of the success of a language intervention program

Primacy of pragmatics, over other forms of language Planning for generalization of language competencies

outside of the school setting Impact of “context” upon language learning and use Use of daily activities, routines, scripts as assessment

and intervention opportunities

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9/11/09 Class Session Prevalence

Birth- 5 yrs: 2005 – U.S. – 25 million children 30,000 children with bilateral moderate, severe, or

profound HL = Incidence rate of roughly 1.11 per 1,000 Functional Impact of HL

“Deaf” = Rate of 0.81 per 1,000 = 67,000 “Lot of Trouble” = Rate of 301 per 1,000 = 260,000

Newborn infant screening for hearing loss Use and impact of early intervention (IFSP) upon

children’s level of performance by age three

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9/11/09 Class Session Multihandicapped

Ch 2 - Language Impairements.ppt Functional definition of a language problem Owens: language problems due to an individuals difficulty

with one or more of these...perceive 'x‘……interact & communicate with others by attending, responding & anticipating 'x‘ via the use of signals and symbols that confirm to expected patterns of morphology, syntax, and semantics

Pattern of language problems demonstrated by students with different types of disabilities

Variables that determine the extent of language problems demonstrated by students who are d/hh and the resulting pattern of language problems

Impact of the disability vs. how “others” interact with individuals with disabilities

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9/11/09 Class Session Students With Multiple Disabilities.ppt

“deaf +” Unique pattern of language problems demonstrated by

each student vs. the common “guiding assumptions” that should be used with all students and the resulting instructional guidelines

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9/18/09 Class Session Conversational Model.ppt

Frequency with which individuals have conversations throughout the day

Conversational tasks that must be sequentially accomplished during each conversation

Three types of conversational behaviors, i.e., reflexive, signal, and symbolic + when they occur

Three channels of conversational behaviors, i.e., visual, motorical, and verbal

Culturally different patterns of conversational behaviors & resulting communication breakdowns Children with disabilities comprise groups of individuals

who frequently do not use, or understand, the expected patterns of conversational behaviors = resulting patterns of language comprehension and performance

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9/18/09 Class Session Sociolinguistic/Functional Perspective

Language problems occur when there is a “mismatch” between the language comprehension and performance of parents and children Sequence of problems experienced by many parents and

their children who are disabled = resulting language problems, i.e., passive learning style + communication system vs. language, and instructional implications

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9/18/09 Class Session Development of Communicative Competence

What, why and how language is developed and resulting instructional implications

Definition of Communicative Competence communication competence can be defined as the

extent to which an individual can both comprehend and convey information

communication competence can be measured through examination of the number of contexts (both physical and interpersonal), modalities, languages, topics, tasks, conversational repair strategies and languages that an individual can understand and convey communicative intent

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9/18/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 3 - Assessment of Preschool and School Age

d Children with Language Impairments** Purpose of language assessments

…document and understand what students …can do in their “best” context, then work to increase the use

of existing skills in new contexts …are experiencing GREAT frustration in doing, then use “best”

context to develop needed skill, and then work to increase the use of the new skill in new contexts

Normalists vs. criterion-referenced approach to tracking student progress Restricted usefulness of normalists assessments + why Criterion-referenced approach relies upon an observational, or

descriptive approach of the student's conversational use of language = our observational studies

Accommodations used with “high-stakes” testing

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9/18/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 4 - Assessment of Preschool and Sc

hool Aged Children with Language Differences** Grician Principles

Quantity – Quality – Relevance – Manner Impact of cultural/linguistic “mismatch” between teachers

and their students Integrated (all elements of language) vs. “discrete point”

(one element of language) models of assessment As teachers of students who are d/hh, we do not have to

“screen” to find those students with language problems, we simply need to observe, understand, document, and effectively respond to the language problems (their vs. our perspective) of our students demonstrate.

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9/25/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 5 - Language Sampling

Impact of context upon language comprehension and performance

Identification and use of student’s “best” language use and learning context & use to: identify what students can do Establish what they need to do

Characteristics of a student’s “best” context Language sampling in “natural”/”representative” vs.

“contrived” interactional contexts Use of “evocative techniques” within language sampling Use of their topics to accomplish your language

sampling tasks

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9/25/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 5 - Language Sampling (cont.)

Use of information from a child’s caregiver to assist in the language sampling process

Impact of the “sampling environment”/context upon the resulting patterns of language comprehension and use

Use of “low structure,” high predictability context for language sampling, e.g., routinized events or routines

The need for the teacher to establish “joint attention” with the child and be attentive/responsive during language sampling

Differences between adult-to-child, vs. child-to-child interactions and the resulting impact upon language sampling

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9/25/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 5 - Language Sampling (cont.)

Consider the pragmatic function of the linguistic forms you are attempting to elicit. Use this information to structure the situation

“Illocutionary functions are the intentions of each utterance.” vs. the overall conversational task – see p. 131, table 5.4 for a list of these functions

Assessment = What the students can do + where Assessment = What the students want to do, + where,

but are experiencing frequent and substantial difficulty accomplishing

Presuppositional & Deictic Skills of students: importance Discourse Organization = Assessment focuses upon

how well/effectively the child accomplishes each of the conversational tasks.

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9/25/09 Class Session Owens - Ch. 5 - Language Sampling (cont.)

Language function dictates language form Students experiencing difficulty in effectively using a

language form may not understand its language function P. 138, table 5.6 “Elicitation of Some Language Features”

Transcription requirement for language sampling, but the lack of an established transcription protocol for nonverbal behaviors and/or sign languages

Guidelines for carrying out a language sample

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances

& Patterns & by Communication Event" “Traditional analysis has focused exclusively on the

utterance or sentence as the unit of analysis.” p. 146 p. 146, Table 6.1 “Types of Analysis Beyond the Utterance”

“To analyze language only at the utterance level is to miss many of a child’s language skills, especially those aspects that govern cohesion and conversational manipulation.” p. 146 i.e., focus upon language form/performance, vs.

function/competence

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances & Pattern

s & by Communication Event" (cont.) Children’s development and use of “register shifts”

Children with language difficulties often fail to make expected register shifts, either because they do not know when, or how such shifts should be made Impact upon language competence

Language problems due to “interlanguage/Code Switching” mistakes and “channel availability”

Referential Communication… i.e., to describe ‘x’ in a way that ‘y’ can understand

Presuppositional Skills…this is how well the speaker/signer understands and then uses that understanding, to interact with the listener/”looker” in a way that they can understand For most children, the receptive and expressive ability to consider

a partner’s perspective is well established by age 10.” (p. 149)

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances

& Patterns & by Communication Event" (cont.) Both referential and presuppositional skills requires

adherence to the Grician Principles Deitics “…linguistic elements that must be interpreted

from the perspective of the speaker in order to be understood as the speaker intended.” (p. 150)

Cohesion....:next” sentence relates to the previous sentence

Coherence....all of the sentences relate to the same topic and/or conversational task/goal

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances

& Patterns & by Communication Event" (cont.) 4 categories of conversational behavior, i.e.,

active conversationalist [+/+] passive conversationalist [‑/+] inactive communicator [‑/‑] verbal noncommunicator [+/‑]

Use of “backchannel” during conversations Culturally specific patterns of turn taking and topic

establishment behaviors Concepts of topic maintenance vs. “topic shading” vs.

"discontinuous discourse” Developmental progression of topics discussed and

topic establishment

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances

& Patterns & by Communication Event" (cont.) Differential patterns of language required to maintain a

topical discussion over multiple turns Communication breakdowns

Who initiates vs. who repairs Language use, problems and intervention goals &

strategies Repair strategies

Language use, problems and intervention goals & strategies

Developmental progression Latency of Contingency…impact and causes

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10/02/09 Ch. 6 of course text - Analysis Across Utterances

& Patterns & by Communication Event" (cont.) Patterns of conversational language problems

demonstrated by students “rule-of-thumb” concerning what constitutes a language

problem = frequency/degree to which ‘x’ frustrates child in understanding or being understood

Impact of interruptions/”over speech” upon language use Strategies to facilitate the development of turn taking

skills

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10/9/09 Class Session Traditional Language Intervention Work in Deaf E

ducation Kretschmer-lang intervention methods.ppt

Language intervention techniques have mirrored our understanding of language development & use, i.e., historical focus upon language form, most recent focus upon language function as the determiner of form

 MI - EHDI Presentation - Functional Model of Language Intervention w Families.ppt Bromwich six levels of parent/child interactions Strategies that should be used to establish an effective

language learning environment for children who are d/hh

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10/9/09 Class Session Ch. 9 - A Functional Intervention Model

“A functional language intervention model attempts to target language features that a child uses in the everyday context, such as the home or the classroom, and to adapt that context so that it facilitates the learning of language.” (p. 242) p. 243 – Table 9.1 “Comparison of Traditional and Functional

Intervention Models Key principles of a functional intervention model Generalization variables “The best way to determine need is through environmental

observation. If, for example, a child frequently requests items in the environment but is generally ineffective, then requesting might be chosen as a target.” (p. 250) = our observational study

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10/9/09 Class Session Ch. 9 - A Functional Intervention Model (cont.)

Impact of frequency of need/use upon the development of ‘x’ language skill

Students need to not only learn ‘x,’ but also when and why to use ‘x’

Use of “content” vs. “function” words in language Muma’s instructional strategies: what, where, and why to

use “Because a young child lacks metalinguistic awareness,

rule explanation is not a viable clinical tool. An SLP must structure the environment so that linguistic regularities are obvious.” (p. 251)

Use of “contrast training” to assist generalization of student’s developing language skills

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10/9/09 Class Session Ch. 9 - A Functional Intervention Model (cont.)

Method of Training…Key information to keep in mind “Successful use of the language taught in intervention

programs depends, in part, on the expectations of these significant others in the child’s environment.” (p. 255) Intervention must not simply focus upon the student, but

also the individuals who interact with the student Need for students to learn the “cues” of when they

should use ‘x’ language skills Students should be taught to both recognize and use

natural contingencies in all their language intervention work.

Impact of frequent topical changes upon both comprehension and language development

Guidelines for language facilitators

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10/16/09 Class Session Ch. 10: Manipulating Context

Categories of “speech acts” and their impact upon language development

Developmental progression of “illocutionary functions” tables 7.5 & 7.6, p. 182-183 Implications

If language function drives language forms Then language intervention efforts should be designed to

foster the student’s development of increasingly sophisticated language functions

= manipulating the context to foster the student’s development of “speech acts,” “illocutionary functions,” “conversational tasks”

= the more direct the teaching, the less the learning + the more the student may avoid interactions with you

Nine techniques for manipulating the linguistic context to foster language development

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10/23/09 Class Session Ch. 11: Specific Intervention Techniques

Linguistic forms should be taught within the context of the functional purpose they serve to accomplish, e.g., why we use adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, etc.

Intervention…establishing a learning environments, i.e., both physical and interpersonal, in which students have the opportunity and need to observe, comprehend, use increasingly effective forms of communicative behaviors to accomplish their increasingly complex language “speech acts,” “illocutionary functions,” conversational tasks.

Students must demonstrate ‘x’ language skills in face-to-face interactions before you expect them to demonstrate the same language skill via reading or writing.

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10/23/09 Class Session Ch. 11: Specific Intervention Techniques

(cont.) Narration…Intervention

Focus upon helping students to understand how stories are structured via story telling, scripts, plays …. READING to students and pointing out the cues, e.g., pictures, headings, punctuation marks, etc., used to infer meaning & the constant need to check for comprehension = build on student’s topical knowledge and interests = develop their desire/ability to recognize & repair com.

Breakdowns + expect to understand = give them both reasons and opportunities to read

increasingly formal reading material

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10/23/09 Class Session Ch. 11: Specific Intervention Techniques

(cont.) Student’s expecting story cohesion and learning to

recognize cohesion “cues” \ Semantics

“Word meanings form relationships with other words that help categorize and organize not only the language system but also cognitive processes, particularly for older children.” (p. 299) = categories of words/concepts/meanings that do vs. do

not go together- See p. 304 for examples = an increasingly “rich” vocabulary Use of graphic organizers to assist students in making

the conceptual links between words

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10/23/09 Class Session Ch. 11: Specific Intervention Techniques

(cont.) Vocabulary learning by students who are d/hh and the

empirical evidence concerning which instructional strategies improve vocabulary

The role of letter-to-sound recognition in vocabulary development

“At its core, word meaning consists of concepts or knowledge of the world. Words do not name things, but rather refer to these concepts. What is lacking in the experiences of students who are d/hh

that impedes the development of such conceptual knowledge?

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10/23/09 Class Session Ch. 11: Specific Intervention Techniques

(cont.) New words/word meaning must be linked with students

current words/word meaning = all learning occurs from old information to new

information Four strategies for vocabulary development…