Language Intervention Program Research Articles

Identity Texts and Literacy Development among Preschool English Language Learners: Enhancing Learning Opportunities for Children at Risk for Learning Disabilities

There is little research on English language learners (ELLs) in relation to learning disability (LD) assessment and identification. More important, there is a scarcity of research on models and strategies that enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for ELLs prior to an LD diagnosis. We describe in this article an innovative language intervention program involving the creation of bilingual, student self-authored identity texts. Called the Early Authors Program (EAP), the intervention stands as an example of how spaces and opportunities for literacy development among young ELLs can be created in a classroom instructional environment. The EAP, which reached 800 families, was evaluated using a combination of methods and instruments. The goal of the evaluation component was to collect data spanning one year from 325 randomly selected participating children in both control and experimental groups. Among its several beneficial outcomes, the EAP had demonstrably positive effects on children's language scores and appears to have strengthened their identities and fostered their self-esteem. Because a proportion of these students would be at risk for LD, we propose the implementation of programs of this type generally for ELL children, and especially for those considered likely to have future school-related difficulties.

Schools Conference Puts Clinicians in The Winners Circle

Schools Conference Puts Clinicians in The Winners Circle

Sprachförderung im Kindergarten im Landkreis Biberach - Ein mit Mitteln der Landesstiftung gefördertes Projekt

The Programme Sprachförderung im Kindergarten was carried out in 83 nursery-schools in the Landkreis Biberach/Germany from fall 2003 till summer 2004. The Programme was offered by the Kreisgesundheitsamt des Landkreises Biberach in cooperation with the Sozial- und Jugendamt and the Hör-Sprachzentrum Ravensburg and contained a language-intervention programme and a training for the nursery-school teachers. Language screenings where conducted at the beginning and the end of the programme including 1479 Children of the age of 4 - 6 years. 23 % of the native German and 62 % of the migrant children showed a need for intervention. These children where fostered with the Ravensburger Modell for 6 months. The increase in performance was highly significant. Nevertheless the fostered children could not achieve the performance level of the native German children without language retardation with the exception of two tasks (word families and understanding of questions). The most significant increase in performance showed the poorest performers of the intervention-group. According to the increase in performance the programme was successful, but also obviously too short for the poorer performers to catch up. Therefore we advise further language-intervention programmes in nursery-schools to be conducted as early as possible. Furthermore analytical observation and supervision must be standard to maintain a high level of effectiveness.

Evaluation of a Language Intervention Programme for Pupils attending the Nursery and the Reception Class of a Mainstream School. An EPiT’s point of view

Evaluation of a Language Intervention Programme for Pupils attending the Nursery and the Reception Class of a Mainstream School. An EPiT’s point of view

From preschool to home: processes of generalisation in language acquisition from an indigenous language recovery programme

Processes of generalising bilingual expertise from Te Kohanga Reo (an indigenous preschool for the revitalisation of Maori language) to home are analysed. Observations at the preschool and home settings revealed several features. The active and strategic role of the child in transferring expertise was evident. So too were the presence of complementary activities at home, sensitive responding to generalised language and shared cultural commitments. These processes were present in a range of activities. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical approaches to generalisation and the effectiveness of indigenous language intervention programmes.

Collaborative pretend play: From theory to therapy

Collaborative pretend play provides an important cognitive, linguistic, and social intervention context. In this paper, the nature of collaborative pretend play is discussed and a rationale is provided for its inclusion in an overall language intervention programme. The development of pretend play is reviewed, highlighting prerequisite skills necessary to succeed in this context. A protocol is presented for identifying specific strengths and needs in collaborative pretend, which leads to goal setting and intervention strategies. A child study is used to illustrate the assessment and intervention process.

Pragmatic Language Intervention for Children with Language and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Children diagnosed with emotional/behavioral disorders experience expressive and pragmatic language disorders that can negatively affect educational success. This article describes a classroom-based pragmatic language intervention program that was conducted with children diagnosed as having an emotional/ behavioral disorder. Results of the program suggested that the classroom-based pragmatic language intervention may have positively influenced the ability of the participants to employ pragmatic skills, such as providing sufficient and detailed information, stating opinions, and using verbal language to negotiate with others.

Backward and Simultaneous Masking Measured in Children With Language-Learning Impairments Who Received Intervention With Fast ForWord or Laureate Learning Systems Software

The developers of a computer-assisted language intervention program called Fast ForWord (FFW) have claimed that their software changes temporal processing abilities as a result of specialized modifications to the acoustic and temporal properties of the speech signal within the program. This pilot study compared changes in auditory temporal processing in children who received FFW training and in children who received training with computer-assisted language intervention programs that were not designed to improve auditory perceptual skills. Four boys with Language-Learning Impairments (LLI) and 3 boys with typical language participated. Two of the boys with LLI received the FFW program, and the other 2 received a bundle of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programs published by Laureate Language Systems (LLS). The FFW and LLS programs were presented on the same schedule. To assess temporal processing, signal thresholds in backward and simultaneous masking conditions were evaluated just before, during, and immediately after language training. The boys with typically developing language received no training. Children with typical language produced signal thresholds in the backward masking condition that were markedly lower than those in the simultaneous masking condition. This disparity is indicative of normal temporal processing. Conversely, 3 of 4 children with LLI failed to demonstrate a simultaneous-backward difference during baseline. The lack of a difference implies that temporal processing was not normal in these children. The fourth child with LLI had signal thresholds that paralleled those of the children with normal language development. This child also had the mildest form of LLI. Of the 3 children whose temporal processing was abnormal, 2 boys showed decreased signal thresholds in the backward masking condition. However, the improvement was sudden, occurring relatively early in the training sequence, and observed with both treatment programs. The third child with abnormal temporal processing failed to show a change in backward masking at any time during treatment. Over the course of the experiment, signal thresholds for all listeners decreased by similar amounts in both backward and simultaneous masking. Taken together, these results do not support the presence of a program-specific improvement in temporal processing. In addition to the temporal processing deficits revealed by backward masking, group differences in response patterns implicate auditory memory involvement or differences in maintaining attention.

Case Studies of Children Using Fast ForWord

We report five case studies in which the children were enrolled in Fast ForWord (FFW). The purpose of the case studies was twofold: (a) to obtain independent objective data with the commercially available computer-based language intervention program, FFW; and (b) to identify patterns of performance with FFW related to the children's pre-intervention language profiles. Five children (3 boys, 2 girls) between the ages of 5;10 and 9;2 (years; months) enrolled in a private school for children with language-learning difficulties participated. Outcome measures included both standard scores from general tests of language and measures taken from language-sample analyses. There were modest changes in standardized measures of language after experience with FFW for 3 of the 5 children using the criterion of 95 % confidence interval. There were no clinically significant changes in language sample measures. Several interesting patterns of response to FFW intervention are discussed.

Growth of Language Skills in Preschool Children With Specific Language Impairment: Implications for Assessment and Intervention

A retrospective longitudinal study of 9 preschool-aged children, all meeting the criteria for specific language impairment (SLI), was conducted. Language growth was documented while the children were between the ages of 3 and 5 years and enrolled in a language intervention program. Three language measures were obtained across this period, including mean length of utterance (MLU) in morphemes, lexical diversity (i.e., number of different words used per 50 utterances), and a finite verb morphology composite (i.e., percent correct production of regular past - ed , present third person singular - s , and both the copula and auxiliary forms of is , are , and am ) . These longitudinal data were compared with cross-sectional data from 99 normally developing children who resided in the same community. Age-based comparisons revealed that, for most children with SLI, lexical diversity approached normal levels by the second year of data collection, whereas the production of finite verb morphology continued to be significantly delayed. A second set of comparisons, in which the children with SLI were compared with younger controls matched for MLU, further accentuated the persistence of difficulties with finite verb morphology. Applications of these language growth measures to assessment and intervention are discussed.

Using Intraverbal Prompts to Establish Tacts for Children with Autism

Some children with autism have difficulty acquiring tacts, despite their ability to mand, echo words, and imitate actions. The current study focused on 2 nonvocal children who had acquired a few mands using sign language, but had repeatedly failed to acquire signed tacts. Two procedures were compared to determine the most effective approach for training tacts to these participants. One procedure (the standard condition) used the general verbal prompt "What is that?" The other procedure (the intraverbal condition) used a specific intraverbal prompt "Sign [spoken word]." The results showed that both participants acquired nonimitative verbal responses during the intraverbal condition but not during the standard condition. One participant demonstrated complete transfer to pure tacts, and the other participant showed a partial transfer to pure tacts. These results have implications for the design of language intervention programs for children with autism who have difficulty acquiring tacts.

Impact of Symbolic Gesturing on Early Language Development

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect on verbal language development of purposefully encouraging hearing infants to use simple gestures as symbols for objects, requests, and conditions. To this end, 103, 11-month-old infants were divided into three groups, all of whom were seen in the laboratory for a variety of assessments, including standardized language tests at 15, 19, 24, 30, and 36 months. Parents of those in the Sign Training group modeled symbolic gestures and encouraged their infants to use them. Parents of infants in the Non-intervention Control group knew nothing about symbolic gestures or our special interest in language development. As a control for “training effects” (i.e., effects attributable to families being engaged in a language intervention program), parents of a second control group of infants (the Verbal Training group) were asked to make special efforts to model verbal labels. After comparisons of the two control groups minimized concerns about training effects, comparisons between the Sign Training and the Non-intervention Control group indicated an advantage for the Sign Training group on the vast majority of language acquisition measures. These results provide strong evidence that symbolic gesturing does not hamper verbal development and may even facilitate it. A variety of possible explanations for such an effect are discussed.

Application of stimulus equivalence to language intervention for individuals with severe linguistic disabilities

Over the past decade, theoretical advances in our understanding of stimulus equivalence have highlighted a close relationship between the formation of equivalence classes and language. This paper highlights these theoretical concepts and describes studies which have applied an equivalence framework to different aspects of language formation in persons with intellectual and linguistic disabilities. The findings in these studies have contributed substantially to an understanding of fundamental processes that appear to underlie language development. Additionally, they have yielded some promising results in beginning to overcome problems that have beleaguered language intervention for individuals with severe linguistic disabilties. On the basis of this literature, it is suggested that an equivalence framework could have a wide range of applications in current language intervention programmes, including identification of specific linguistic defects in individuals, establishing, expanding and integrating receptive and expressive vocabularies, acquisition and use of signs or graphic symbols and promoting more sophisticated linguistic concepts, e.g. syntax and categorisation.

Computer-Assisted Language Intervention Using Fast ForWord®: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations for Clinical Decision-Making.

A computer-assisted language intervention program called Fast ForWord® (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1998) has received a great deal of attention at professional meetings and in the popular media. Newspaper and magazine articles about this program contain statements like, "On average, after only 6 to 7 weeks of training, language-learning impaired children ages 4 to 12 showed improvement of more than one and a half years in speech processing and language ability." (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1997). Are the claims that are being made about this intervention approach just a matter of product promotion, or is this really a scientifically proven remedy for language-learning impairments? This article critiques the theoretical basis of Fast ForWord®, the documented treatment outcomes, and the clinical methods associated with the procedure. Fifteen cautionary statements are provided that clinicians may want to consider before they recommend Fast ForWord® intervention for the children they serve.

言語発達遅滞児の検査・訓練法の検討 総合的な言語訓練プログラムの追求

言語発達遅滞児の検査・訓練法の検討 総合的な言語訓練プログラムの追求

Literacy Socialization in the Homes of Preschool Children

For parents of children with speech-language impairments, the assumption that their children will become literate is a natural, but not always fulfilled, expectation. This study explored the literacy experiences reported to be available in the homes of three groups of preschool children. Surveys were sent to the families of children aged 3 to 5 years who had (a) a speech-language impairment, (b) a disability other than speech-language impairment, and (c) no disability or delay. Respondents described the literacy-related materials and activities that were made available to the children at home. Respondents also described the children’s and adult’s reading and writing behaviors at home. Despite similarities in socioeconomic status, age, access to materials, and parental expectations for the children’s literacy abilities at age 21, the results suggested significantly different activities and interactions with print for the group of children with speech-language impairments. Implications for the design of early literacy and language intervention programs are discussed. The importance of considering the child’s literacy experiences at home in the assessment of the child’s language and literacy needs is also highlighted.

On Language Deficits and Modality in Children With Down Syndrome: A Case Study of Twins Bilingual in BSL and English

It has been suggested that there may be an age advantage for the acquisition of sign language relative to spoken language for two reasons: (1) language in the visual-motor modality may be easier to access, recall, and produce than language in the auditory-vocal modality and (2) the continuity in form between gesture and sign language may promote the transi tion from prelinguistic to linguistic communication. These suggestions have provided the impetus for many language in tervention programs for children with intellectual impair ments. This article reports on hearing identical twins with Down syndrome who have Deaf parents. The twins are bilin gual, having been exposed since infancy to both English and British Sign Language. Analyses of tests and spontaneous data reveal a high degree of fluency in gesture but impair ments in both languages, suggesting that the fundamental problems of children with Down syndrome are not modality specific and that there are discontinuities between gesture and language.

The Adelaide preschool language unit: Results of follow‐up

To determine educational, social and behavioural functioning of children who had been involved in a preschool language intervention programme between 1982 and 1990. Fifty children who attended the Unit were available for follow-up. The children were divided into three groups: (i) language disorder; (ii) speech disorder; and (iii) mixed speech and language disorder. A psychologist administered educational, cognitive and social behavioural tests. Speech, language and articulation were assessed by a speech pathologist. Cognitively, the 'mixed' speech and language group obtained lower scores than the speech and language disorder children; results on educational tests were also generally lower. All three groups were significantly underachieving in areas of language, reading, spelling and arithmetic relative to their performance IQ. No socialization problems were found. Severe speech and language disorders in young children, even after periods of intensive intervention, have a significant effect on later educational achievement even when children appear to be 'coping' in their educational settings.

Improving the expressive language skills of teenagers with Down syndrome

This article reports on the effectiveness of an intervention programme designed to improve the morpho-syntax used by teenagers with Down syndrome in their speech. The intervention used reading to teach the language. All but one of the teenagers were using longer, more complex sentences, in their conversation at the end of the year's training. The extent of individual progress was significantly related to speech production ability and comprehension of grammar at the start of the year. Future language intervention programmes should focus on both phonology and grammar.

Consumer-Oriented Evaluation of Interactive Language Intervention

Thirty-two mothers of preschool-aged children with developmental delay participated in a parent-focused language intervention program that espoused an interactive approach. Consumer satisfaction data (i.e., subjective measures [parent ratings] and objective measures [attendance, home assignment completion]) revealed parental satisfaction with the quality of service, thus confirming the social validity of this treatment approach. All parents reported improvements in their interactions with their children, but were equivocal about improvements in their children’s communication skills. Developmental level of the child at entry did not influence program acceptability or outcome ratings. No significant associations were found between what the parents subjectively reported and objective change data coded from pre- and post-intervention videotapes. We conclude that while consumer satisfaction surveys provide valuable information on the quality of service offered, they are inadequate as sole measures of treatment outcome.