Child Development:Language and Literacy

Dr. Cindy Vinson

Sept. 29, 2004

Audience Analysis

• Have a child 5 or under

• Have worked in a preschool

• Spend time with a friend or relatives child under 5

• Currently working in a preschool

• Plan on working as a professional in the child development field

Focus

• Identifying

• Assessing

• Treating

Scenario - Identifying

You have been hired by SCCOE to screen the speech and language development of preschool students. You want to identify those students who require a more in-depth assessment, because they exhibit delayed or abnormal speech and language.

You have 10 minutes to spend with each child and will be evaluating 30 students a day (5 hours).

Questions - Identifying• What information do you want from the

parents?

• What specific information do you want from each child?

• What behaviors indicate that a child may be language delayed.

• How might cultural differences affect the screening process?

Identifying Preschool Children

• Phonology (combining sounds)

• Syntax (sentence structure)

• Semantic (word meaning)

• Pragmatics (social use of language)

• Voice, fluency, volume, inflections

• Receptive/Expressive capabilities

Scenario - Assessing

•Out of the 300 students that you screened, 25 students did not pass the screening and require a more in-depth speech/language evaluation. You will have 15 minutes to interview the parent and two hours to conduct your s/l evaluation.

•The child will also be tested by a psychologist, audiologist, physical/occupational therapist, and a special education teacher. Your 3-5 page written evaluation needs to identify primary deficit area(s) and formulate a proposed treatment plan.

•The team evaluating the student will meet to determine eligibility for services and write an IEP (Individual Education Plan).

Questions - Assessing• What information would you want from the

parents?

• How would you test the child to determine the s/l disorder?

• How would you develop a treatment plan?

Assessing Preschool Children

• Language sample

• Formal testing (phonology, syntax, semantics)

• Parent interview

• Observation and informal testing

Scenario - Treating•A 3 year old boy named Adam is a new student who will be receiving services from you, the speech and language therapist at the Center. You will see him 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day.

•The team reported the folloswing about Adam:

•Age appropriate or above age level expressive language skills

•Below age level on receptive skills

•Highly distractible

•Does not often interact with other children

•Poor social communication skills

•Exhibits motor problems especially with balance

•Cannot reliably count to ten, identify primary colors, or match shapes

Questions - Treating• What are Adam’s strengths?

• What are Adam’s weaknesses?

• What are three goals you would have for Adam?

• What general strategies would you recommend for Adam?

Treating Preschool Children• Use the child’s strength to overcome a

weakness

• Structured play

• Word play, songs, rhymes, story telling

• Direct teaching of skills (numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc.)

• Coaching of social behaviors

Resources• San Andreas Regional Center

– http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/rc365.cfm

• Early Start– http://www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart/eshome.cfm

• Local school districts

• SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area)– http://www.sccoeorg/depts/selpa/

• California Speech and Hearing. Org.– http://www.caspeechhearing.org/