Charitee Verhelle, Christina Garza, Hercules Mugambi, and Rebekah Pain

How does language affect our students’ success in the classroom? A communication problem can be devastating because it directly affects the individual as well as others in the immediate environment as attempts are made to transmit ideas, facts, feelings, and desires. Language also is related directly to achievement and adjustment in school because it forms the basis for formulating questions, comprehending information, and facilitating understanding in new learning situations. Language is a medium through which information is taught and acquired. From: Teaching students with learning problems, p. 193

“A code whereby ideas about the world are expressed through a conventional system of arbitrary signals for communication” Speakers and Listeners both are involved in oral language because language is heard as well as spoken. A speaker’s use of this arbitrary vocal system to communicate ideas and thoughts is referred to as Expressive language, or production. In this process the listener uses receptive language, or comprehension. Students with expressive language difficulties may be reluctant to participate in verbal activities. Students with receptive language problems may have difficulty following directions or understanding content presented orally.

Components Of Language To understand the components of language one has to understand that language is not only spoken but also heard. For a better understanding they have been broken up into a classification system. Form Phonology Morphology Syntax Content Semantic Use pragmatics

Phonology  The sound system of a language and the linguistic rules that govern the sound combinations. Receptive Level Discrimination of speech sounds. Expressive Level Articulation of speech sounds Deficits The child may omit a consonant such as saying “oo” for you. Substitute one consonant for another such as saying “wabbit” for rabbit. Discrimination difficulty such as /m/ for /n/, /p/ for /b/, and /d/ for /t/. Vowels are acquired by age 3, whereas consonant clusters and blends are not acquired until age 7 or 8.

Morphology  The linguistic rule system that governs the structure of words and the construction of word forms from the basic elements of meaning. Receptive Level Understanding of grammatical structure of words Expressive Level Use of grammar in words Deficits Elementary age students may not use the third-person s on verbs. “he walk” May not use s on nouns and pronouns to show possession. “mommy coat” Older students may lack advanced use of past tense or irregular plurals. “drived for drove or mans for men”

Syntax  The linguistics rule system that governs the order and combination of words to form sentences, and the relationships among the elements within a sentence. Receptive Level Understanding of phrases and sentences Expressive Level Use of grammar in phrases and sentences Deficits Use sentences that lack the length complexity expected for their age. Example-6 yr old uses a sentences length of three words “where daddy go?” instead of “ where did daddy go?”

Semantics  The psycholinguistic system that patterns the content of an utterance, intent, and meanings of words and sentences. Receptive Level Understanding of word meanings and word relationships Expressive Level Use of word meanings and word relationships Deficits Understanding linguistic concepts such as before/after, if/then, many, some, and few. Perceiving logical relationships among words ( comparative, possessive, spatial, and temporal) Comprehending verbal analogies ( sandwich is to eat as is milk is to drink.)

Pragmatics  The sociolinguistic system that a patterns the use of language in communication, which may be expressed meteorically, vocally, or verbally. Receptive Level Understanding of contextual language cues Expressive Level Use of language in context Deficits Difficulty staying on a topic during conversation Inappropriate facial expressions and body posture Immature speech Difficulty interpreting verbal and nonverbal communication cues

Language Difficulties: Preschool and Kindergarten Students Delayed readiness skills Delayed articulation and sound development Inability to name common objects Inability to make one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds Difficulty responding to questions Deficits in play Behavior challenges

Language Difficulties: Elementary Students Limited ability to identify sounds Difficulty analyzing & synthesizing sound sequences Difficulty with longer & more complex sentences Difficulty sounding out & blending polysyllabic words Difficulty comprehending what is read Difficulty formulating & expressing spoken language Difficulties in use of language

Language Difficulties: Secondary Students Tend to be passive learners Inability to use & understand higher level syntax, semantics, & pragmatics Receptive & expressive language difficulties Difficulty comprehending auditory language Difficulty organizing information for retrieval later Difficulties in use of language Behavior challenges

Assessment What is Language Assessment? Language development assessment is an evaluation of the student’s receptive and expressive skills. Receptive Language: is the ability understand and comprehend what is being said or read. Expressive Language: is the ability to express wants and needs. The components assessed are: Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics.

The Five Major Reasons for Language Assessment: To identify students with potential language problems. To determine a student’s language developmental level. To plan educational objectives and design appropriate intervention programs. To monitor the student’s progress. To evaluate the language intervention program.

How does Assessment affect Classroom Teachers? Although most classroom teachers never conduct an in depth assessment of a student’s language skills, they should understand the implications of a language evaluation because language pervades the curriculum. In the past Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) were the specialist that worked independently to help a child with speech deficits and disorders. This is now changing because it should be a team effort of the SLP and general education teacher to help the child improve their language skills.

How are Children Assessed? Screening Tests The screening provides a general overview of a student’s performance. Diagnostic Tests They diagnose specific speech and language components. Informal Language Assessments The child’s language skills are evaluated in an informal setting to determine if the formal language assessment was an accurate assessment of the child’s abilities.

Language Screening Tests (pg.206) Adolescent Language Screening Test It measures phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. It measures receptive and expressive language skills. It is appropriate for ages Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation It measures phonology and it an expressive language skills. It is appropriate for ages Test of Adolescent and Adult Language-4 It measures syntax and semantics. It measures receptive and expressive language skills. It is appropriate for ages

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test It measures semantics and is a receptive language evaluation. It is appropriate for ages 2-90+

Strategy for increasing language comprehension Establish eye contact and maintain attention prior to presenting information Ask the student to repeat or paraphrase direction or instruction to the teacher or a peer to ensure comprehension. When introducing a new concept or skill, use vocabulary that is familiar to the student and explain new vocabulary words by using familiar words. Use introductory statements (i.e. “these are the main points” or “Before we begin” ) to provide an organization framework. Be sensitive to the student ‘linguistic sophistication and adjust the rate and complexity of instructional language accordingly. Use simple and relatively short sentences 5 – 10 words. Engage adolescents in concrete problem-solving activities to identity those who have difficulty thinking symbolically or using reasoning in nonsymbolic events.

Strategies for Increasing Language Production Teach language in various natural settings (e.g. classroom, cafeteria, and playground). Also teach language skills in connection with other curriculum content. Ask student to imitate what they hear. Use activities such as role playing and charades to improve a student’s use of language in different contexts and to enhance the ability to recognize the importance of nonverbal skills such as eye contact, facial expression, and gestures. Also, model and reinforce appropriate turn-taking in conversations. Use semantic training to improve to improve a student’s word retrieval skills and include strategy such as categorizing or classifying words and using associative clues. Story telling. Teach generalization of language through three phrase; Orientation phrase Different contexts applicable.

Strategies for Increasing Language Production An active phase Plenty of practice Maintenances phrase Periodic probes are conducted to ensure proficiency is maintained.