Unit 4 Speech or Language Impairments Prepared by: Cicilia Evi GradDiplSc., M. Psi

Language is important! Foundation of learning  clarify our observation, engage others, express our needs and interact with others Impede success at school and in life Majority of students with LD and emotional or behavioral disorders also have co-occurring language impairments

Communication Process Communication  process of exchanging knowledge, ideas, opinions and feelings through the use of verbal/non verbal language Communication symbols  voice, letters of the alphabet, or gestures used to send message Communication signals  a variety of nonverbal cues that announce some immediate event, person, action or emotion

Definition Speech impairments  when the sender’s speech impairs the communication  articulation, fluency, voice (pitch or loudness) Language impairments  when the sender can’t employ the signs, symbols or rules that govern the form, content and use of language Speech/language pathologist  professional who diagnoses and treats speech/language impairments

Speech Impairments Articulation disorder  when the process of producing speech sounds is flawed, and resulting in incorrect speech sounds  related to age, culture and environment Fluency problems (dysfluencies)  involve hesitations or repetition of parts of words that interrupt the flow of speech Voice problems  abnormal spoken language production  pitch and loudness

Language Impairments There is a breakdown in one of three aspects of language and hinder effective communication Form  the rules system used in all language (oral, written and sign) Content  intent and meaning of spoken or written statements Use  beware with the use of language in different settings and social context

Language Differences, Delays, and Disorders Language differences  regional speech patterns, foreign accents or second language acquisition – are confused with language disorders (Salend, 2005)  dialects (Payne & Taylor, 2006) Important to identify procedures before applying to diverse groups of learners Cultural differences and family values Be cautious about: over and underidentifying ELLs

Cont … Language delays  evident when a child has not developed language skills at the same age as most children do  common indication of disabilities in very young children  BUT … not a characteristic of disabilities for every child

Receptive – Expressive Language Receptive language  understanding information that is received either through seeing, hearing or touching  create negative academic and social outcomes A student may only process the last thing she hears – from 3 or more instructions Expressive language  ability to convey thoughts, feelings, or information  usually worse than receptive language

Social Competence Effective communication is required to resolve conflicts and disagreements, solve problems, negotiate solutions, share and develop friendships Ability to apply complex language skills is the key to understanding others’ point of view and to clearly presenting one’s feelings P  problems experience by student

Reading and Academic Performance Children identified with language impairments during the preschool years are very likely to be identified as having learning disabilities by 3 rd or 4 th grade Difficulties in identifying or understanding the relationships between the sounds in words and the symbols that represent those sounds in print (Fletcher et al., 2002)  vulnerable to school failure

Challenges Affect interaction with others in every setting Affect success in school, social situations and employment Feeling  embarrass, guilty, frustration, anger Long term  overly aggressive, denying their disability, projecting their conditions to their listeners Socially withdrawn, avoid situation where they have to talk, isolated, avoid certain words

Characteristics Table 4.3  p. 128 Table 4.4  p. 131 Classroom Management  p. 129 Case Brandon  p. 134

Causes Speech Impairments  brain damage, malfunction of respiratory or speech mechanism, malformation of the articulators, don’t use the right physical movements to form sounds correctly Stuttering  unable to pinpoint on a single cause  related to stress, especially when situation is very complex or unpredictable Voice problems  symptomatic of medical problems, undue abuse of the voice

Causes (2) Language Impairments  genetic conditions, hearing impairments, illness, injury, and the existence of coexisting disabilities like autism (Plante & Beeson, 2008) Lack of experiences that stimulate language development is also a major factor contributing to language impairments Chronic otitis media (middle ear infections)  reduce opportunities for toddlers to hear and imitate others’ language

Prevalence Figure 4.6, p. 135  decline by 3 rd grade  why?

Prevention Early Identification  at age 2 Prereferral  by general education classroom teacher, with the help of special educators – What SLPs can do  p. 138 Identification  p. 139 Evaluation  p. 140

Early Intervention Home-based intervention with parents  scores higher than only clinic-based instructions by professionals (Cleminshaw et al., 1996; Hall et al., 2001) Tactics for effective preschool programs  – Language-rich environments – Integrated into every lesson throughout the day  read effective instruction p. 142

Language-rich environment

In General Education Curriculum Key elements for effective learning in the classroom  p. 143 The need of explicit instruction Hard to understand metaphor or analogies – Fajar merekah – Senjata makan tuan – Tangannya sehalus sutra Language-sensitive classrooms  p. 145

How to Help? Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)  p. 146 Technology – Communication boards – Speech synthesizers – Graphic organizers

Psychologists? During transition process Partnerships with Families and Communities