Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools current issue

Oxford Dysfluency Conference: An International Gathering [From the Editor...]

Nippold, M. A. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Narrative Writing in Children and Adolescents: Examining the Literate Lexicon [Article]

Sun, L., Nippold, M. A. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

This study was designed primarily to examine the use of abstract nouns and metacognitive verbs in the narrative writing of school-age children and adolescents.

Method

Three groups of typically developing students ages 11, 14, and 17 years (n = 40 per group) were asked to write a story about something funny, sad, or scary that had happened to them and a friend. Each student's narrative essay was examined for the use of abstract nouns (e.g., accomplishment, loneliness, mystery) and metacognitive verbs (e.g., assume, discover, realize) and for the production of complex syntax as measured by mean length of T-unit (MLTU) and clausal density (CD).

Results

Age-related growth in narrative writing was documented for both types of words. Additionally, the use of abstract nouns and metacognitive verbs was associated with the production of complex syntax, reflecting the lexicon–syntax interface.

Conclusion

The narrative writing task employed in this study was effective in eliciting literate words and complex syntax in school-age children and adolescents.

Survey of High School Students' Perceptions About Their iPod Use, Knowledge of Hearing Health, and Need for Education [Article]

2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

High school students' knowledge about hearing health and their perceptions of how they use personal listening devices (PLDs) including iPods were surveyed to determine the need, content, and preferred format for educational outreach to them.

Method

This study was a descriptive convenience survey of students at a California high school. An 83-item questionnaire was administered in December 2009 to assess students' demographics, knowledge of hearing health, perceived iPod use, and risk activities.

Results

The response rate was 56%. Most of the students perceived that they used iPods safely. However, responses indicated that many of the respondents could be at risk of injury to themselves or others if they became unaware of their surroundings while listening to iPods. Some students were knowledgeable about hearing health and safe iPod use, but most needed information about hearing loss and hearing conservation.

Conclusion

Most of the students needed education (e.g., via health classes or the Internet) about hearing health, the warning signs of hearing loss, and how to prevent hearing loss. Resources for educational audiologists are provided.

How Grammatical Are 3-Year-Olds? [Article]

Eisenberg, S. L., Guo, L.-Y., Germezia, M. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

This study investigated the level of grammatical accuracy in typically developing 3-year-olds and the types of errors they produce.

Method

Twenty-two 3-year-olds participated in a picture description task. The percentage of grammatical utterances was computed and error types were analyzed.

Results

The mean level of grammatical accuracy in typical 3-year-olds was ~71%, with a wide range of variability. The current study revealed a variety of error types produced by 3-year-olds, most of which were produced by fewer than 5 children. The pattern observed for most of the children was to produce a scattering of errors with no more than a few of any 1 error type.

Conclusion

The level of grammatical accuracy in 3-year-olds was skewed toward the high end. Although tense marking errors were the most frequent error type, they accounted for only 1/3 of the errors produced by 3-year-olds. A more general measure of grammaticality that considers additional aspects of language might, therefore, be useful in assessing language at this age.

Acquiring Knowledge of Derived Nominals and Derived Adjectives in Context [Article]

Marinellie, S. A., Kneile, L. A. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

This research investigated children's ability to acquire semantic and syntactic knowledge of derived nominals and derived adjectives in the context of short passages. The study also investigated the relation of morphological awareness and the ability to acquire knowledge of derived words in context.

Method

A total of 106 children in Grade 4 were given an author-created evaluation, the Derivational Acquisition in Context Evaluation (DAICE), which consisted of several short passages. Each passage contained two instances of a target base word followed by one instance of a derived form of the base word. A multiple-choice measure was administered to assess the children's knowledge of 12 derived words (6 nominals and 6 adjectives). A measure of morphological awareness was given to assess the children's relational knowledge between root words and their suffixes.

Results

No significant differences were found for overall performance on derived nominals and derived adjectives. However, the acquisition of semantic and syntactic knowledge was dependent on target word type. A significant relation was found between performance on the measure of morphological awareness and performance on derived nominals.

Conclusion

This research provided evidence for fast mapping of derived nominals and derived adjectives within the context of short passages. Future directions of related research are suggested.

Overlap in Speech-Language and Reading Services for Kindergartners and First Graders [Article]

Gosse, C. S., Hoffman, L. M., Invernizzi, M. A. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and reading professionals provide educational services to children who are at risk for reading difficulties, although these professions do not necessarily coordinate efforts. To date, there is limited evidence regarding the proportion of children who receive services from both professionals. The current study reports the prevalence and overlap of speech-language and reading services provided to kindergartners and first graders in Virginia.

Method

This study analyzed a population-level database of reading screening scores from 74,730 kindergartners and 75,088 first graders. Information regarding the speech-language services received by these children was obtained. Prevalence rates of speech-language impairment, reading risk, and comorbidity were calculated. The distribution of children receiving speech-language services across categories of reading competence was examined.

Results

Findings indicated that ~6% of the children received speech-language services and 11.1% of the kindergartners and 13.7% of the first graders received reading services. One-quarter of the children receiving speech-language services also received reading services. Furthermore, children receiving speech-language services received reading services at twice the rate of children who were not receiving speech-language services in both kindergarten (23.1% vs. 9.1%) and first grade (25.2% vs. 11.3%).

Clinical Implications

This study provides empirical support for improving coordination between SLPs and reading professionals.

Dynamic Assessment of Word Learning Skills: Identifying Language Impairment in Bilingual Children [Article]

Kapantzoglou, M., Restrepo, M. A., Thompson, M. S. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

Bilingual children are often diagnosed with language impairment, although they may simply have fewer opportunities to learn English than English-speaking monolingual children. This study examined whether dynamic assessment (DA) of word learning skills is an effective method for identifying bilingual children with primary language impairment (PLI).

Method

Fifteen 4- and 5-year-old predominantly Spanish-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) and 13 with PLI each participated in a 30- to 40-min session of DA of word learning skills following a pretest–teach–posttest design.

Results

Results indicated that TLD children made associations between the phonological and semantic representations of the new words faster than children with PLI did, showing greater modifiability. Further, a combination of word learning in the receptive modality and the Learning Strategies Checklist (Lidz, 1991; Peña, 1993) provided the best accuracy in identifying PLI in these children.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that a brief DA is a promising method for accurately differentiating children with TLD from children with PLI.

Preliteracy Speech Sound Production Skill and Later Literacy Outcomes: A Study Using the Templin Archive [Article]

Overby, M. S., Trainin, G., Smit, A. B., Bernthal, J. E., Nelson, R. — 2012-01-03T09:26:36-08:00

Purpose

This archival study examined the relationship between the speech sound production skill of kindergarten children and literacy outcomes in Grades 1–3 in a data set where most children's vocabulary skills were within normal limits, speech therapy was not provided until 2nd grade, and phonological awareness instruction was discouraged at the time data were collected.

Method

Data were accessed from the Templin Archive (2004), and the speech sound production skill of 272 kindergartners were examined relative to literacy outcomes in 1st and 2nd grade (reading) and 3rd grade (spelling).

Results

Kindergartners in the 7th percentile for speech sound production skill scored more poorly in 1st- and 2nd-grade reading and 3rd-grade spelling than did kindergartners with average speech sound production skill; kindergartners in the 98th percentile achieved superior literacy skills compared to the mean. Phonological awareness mediated the effects of speech sound production skill on reading and spelling; vocabulary did not account for any unique variance.

Conclusion

Speech sound disorders appear to be an overt manifestation of a complex interaction among variables influencing literacy skills, including nonlanguage cognition, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. These interrelationships hold across the range of speech sound production skill, as children with superior speech sound production skill experience superior literacy outcomes.