Language impairment and language

difference in EAL pre-schoolers

Kommunika Centre for early intervention in Communication PathologyUniversity of Pretoria

Negotiating the program

• The research

• The materials

• The methods

• The collaborative process

• Distinguishing between difference and impairment

The context and the questions

• Multilingual urban context – how multi?

• Mother tongue education?• Assessment in primary language?

Language data from 32 preLanguage data from 32 pre--school classes in theschool classes in the Sunnyside/Pretoria CBD geographical area (n=760Sunnyside/Pretoria CBD geographical area (n=760))

Language data for 32 teachers Language data for 760 pre-

, schoolers

L1 L2/3

LoLT in 32 multilingual pre-

school classes

Home language unknown to teachers (36.9%)

Afrikaans (84%)

English (88%)

English only 31%

Official languages of South Africa

English (9%)

Afrikaans (19%)

Afrikaans only 3%

SeSotho (3%)

SeSotho (9%)

English and Afrikaans 66%

10%+ representation Afrikaans, Sesotho, English, and Setswana IsiZulu

(3%) German

(6%) Other 0%

2% - 10% representation Xhosa, Sesotho sa Leboa (the

Northern Sotho varieties), Zulu

1%-

Tshivenda, IsiNdebele, Siswati, Xitsonga

IsiXhosa, SePedi, SeSwati, IsiZulu,

XiTsonga, Dutch, Sign

language (3% each)

Other languages

African languages from other African countries (e.g. Swahili), French, Portuguese, other languages (non - African)

Language assessment is complex and multifaceted

• Language form– Phonology– Morphology– Syntax

• Language content– Words (vocabulary items)– Figurative language– Meaning of longer units

• Language use– Functions– Adaptations– Rules

The stove blood me here

That sounds like fun! And how do you play

with the jumping castle?

You jump and you bump

I went to the doctor.He’s checking me.

Language areas

Research - outline

• Research question: can a typical language profile be identified for a small group of EAL pre-school learners in a circumscribed urban area, from which a set of boundaries may be construed for the profile of EAL pre-school learners with potential language learning disorders?

Problem Statement – the South African urban

context• Large multilingual pre-school classes• Multilingual/linguistically diverse teachers• Few speech-language therapists, and even

fewer speak African languages• English is the language of mutual

understanding• Children will be placed in schools with

ELoLT• Dearth of data on language

behaviours

“Sticky issues” in the multilingual urban pre-school

“Language assessment should take place in L1”

• What happens if no teacher or therapist can speak the child’s L1?

“The child speaks English as Additional Language”

• Does the child’s English resemble that of the other EAL pre-schoolers, or are there non-typical characteristics?

Research projectAim: to determine the feasibility

of constructing a language profile for pre-school EAL

learners in a circumscribed urban area

• Select a pre-school with representative demographics

• Select materials and methods to elicit a language sample

• Transcribe and analyse language samples

• Compare typical language behaviours to behaviours typical of children with language impairment

Three age groups:• 4-0 to 4-11 (Junior group)• 5-0 to 5-11 (Middle group)• 6-0 to 6-11 (Senior group)

Developmental progress:• Generally speaking, a great leap forward from

middle to senior group• Literature: EAL speakers eventually develop

towards more EL1-like language behaviours

But Early intervention is essential in cases

of SLI

Are the results of any practical use?

• Elicitation materials to use Table• Analyses to perform Table +

info• Designing language development

programs in collaboration with teachers Profile of typical language behaviour (2 forms)

• Identifying learners with LIRisk profile

Elicitation materials

Activities/material 

Language aspects elicited

Language form

Language content

Language use

Conversation

Discussing a picture of a birthday party(Minskoff, Wiseman & Minskoff, 1972)

Syntactic complexity Syntactic structures Morphology  MLU

Word counts:TNWTDWTTRTNVTDVTNN

UtterancesMazesConnectivesFunctions, intents anddevices Appropriate-nessTurns taken

Conversation

Story map for personal narrative about Going to the doctor(Rollins, McCabe & Bliss, 2000)

Syntactic complexity Syntactic structures Morphology  MLU

TNWTDWTTRTNVTDVTNN

Variety of utterances producedMazesDiscourse devices(connectives)Communicativefunctions, intents anddevices Appropriate-nessTurns taken

Narratives

Activities suggested for eliciting pragmatic behaviours (Creaghead, 1984)

   

Communicative functions, intents and devices

Pictures and sentence completion (Subtest 9 – Grammatic Closure, from the Illinois Test of Psycho-linguistic Abilities [ITPA] [revised edition.] Kirk, McCarthy and Kirk, 1968).)

Morphology

   

Story based onpicture cards, as well as additional response utterances to Items 11-14, from the KLST-2 (Gauthier & Madison, 1998).

Syntactic complexity MLU

   

Syntax - examples

S subjectV verbO objectOd direct objectOi indirect object

C complementA adverbialc connectiveQ question/question

wordComm command

D/det determinerPrep prepositionN nounV verbV part. verb particleAux auxiliary verbCop copulaAdj adjectivePron pronounNeg negative

Personal narrative – Rollins, McCabe & Bliss, 2000

High point analysis of personal narratives

We were playing outsideBut my mother’s friend was inside.Now, I was playing with my mother’s friend’s son. He was holding a stick.I looked in the dog’s eyeThen I ranAnd then the dog bit me in the arm.That was a cruel dog

Three-step process for narrative assessment

1. Eliciting the narrative – conversation map

2. Coding the narrative

Transcribed one clause on a line.

Each clause assigned with appropriate element:

orientation, action, evaluation, resolution, and coda.

One clause may be multiply coded.

3. Scoring the narrative.

Series of questions:

If the answer to a question on the left hand side is no, the narrative structure employed is

indicated in the adjacent text box. If the answer to a question is yes, proceed to the next

question. • Are there two past tense

events?• Are there more than two

past tense events?• In the real world is there

a logical or causal sequence to these events?

• Does the narrator’s order of the events mirror the sequence in which the events must have logically occurred?

• Is there a high point?• Is there a resolution?

If yes

• One-event narrative• Two-event

narrative• Miscellaneous

narrative• Leap-frog narrative• Chronological narr.• End-at-high-point• Classic narrative

no

no

no

no

no

yes

no

Language functions in young children-

HallidayInterpersonal• Instrumental –

satisfy needs• Regulatory – control

actions of others• Interactional –

establish interactions• Personal – express

feelings, attitudes, interest

Ideational • Heuristic – explore

and organise environment

• Imaginative – create imaginary environment

• Informative – provide information

Creaghead’s protocol (1984)- Strategies for evaluating and

targeting pragmatic behaviours in young children

• Communicative intents - examples

• Request object• Request action• Request

information• Comment• Make choices• Give reasons

• Conversational devices – examples

• Answer• Take turns• Specify topic• Change topic• Maintain topic• Request

clarification

Suggested classroom activities for

• Language form - morphosyntax• Language content - meaning• Language use – conversations and

narratives

Language form

• Use LARSP/Language Therapy (Lewis & Penn) or some developmental scheme to know what to stimulate. Lewis & Penn also provide ideas on how to stimulate and elicit– Forced alternative– Verbal absurdities– Silence!– Manual code as cue

• Focus stimulation• Expanding MLU: the expanding story

Language content

• Developing TDW: list types of descriptives one can use, put into practice

• Developing TDV: cognitive state verbs (theory of mind) after age 5

• Creating similes from experience

Language use

• Narratives:– Story charts for personal experience– Story glove etc. for story grammar– Reflecting and alternatives

• Conversations – Playing out stories– Role play and discuss

Identifying learners at risk for SLI

• What is SLI?

• How many risk indicators are needed to indicate risk?

• A practice run

Picture sequence cards

Stimulus Response

Card 1 Drinking the juice

What else? Drinking coffee

Card 2 Fall down

And then? NR

Card 3 Mess

What else is happening?

Eating

And? Drinking water

Picture sequence cards

Card 1 The dog is on the floor

This one is folding his arms

Card 2 This one, he’s doing like this with his hands

This one is drinking cold drink

The juice is falling

Card 3 This one, the doggie, drinking juice

And this one is so sad

Picture discussion

No. Adult Type

Child Remarks

1 Doesn’t this look nice?

QR Nice Picture

2 What’s happening here?

QR Is the party

3 Why are they having a party?

QR Because…

4 Why? QR I don’t know

5 Do you think somebody is having a birthday?

QR Yes

6 Who is having the birthday party?

QR A girl in my class, his name is Giani

7 Is she having a birthday?

QR Yes

8 What’s happening in the picture?

QR They are playing

9 With what? QR With the, with this things

Picture discussion10 And this one? QR He’s blowing a

candles

11 And that one? QR He’s playing

12 Ooh look there QR The dog he… the dog is open a present

13 And what will be inside? What do you think?

QR NR

14 What’s inside? QR NR

15 What are they going to do now?

QR They’re going to eat a cake

16 And then? QR I think eh…

17 Have you ever had a birthday party?

QR No

18 Did you get a cake? QR Yes

Picture discussion

19 And what did your cake look like?

QR A teddybear

20 Who made that cake? QR My mother

21 Did you invite some friends to come and play with you?

QR Yes

22 And what did you do at your party?

QR I eated

23 I eated? QR Yes

24 What? QR A party

25 Did you play any games then?

QR Yes

26 What? QR Snakes- a snakes game

27 How do you play that?

QR NR

Picture discussionNo. Adult Type Child

1 What’s happening here? QR NR

2 What did the boy bring to the party?

QR He did bring nothing

3 Why not? QR I don’t know

4 Why is the girl wearing a crown?

QR Because it’s her birthday

5 What are they going to do now?

QR They are going to drink some cooldrink

6 What else are they goingto do?

QR I don’t know

7 What are they going to do when they’ve finished eating?

QR They are going to play

8 With what? QR With their swing

9 And what else? QR With the toys

10 What do you like to play with?

QR We play with the swings and the sand

Personal narrativeNo. Adult Type Child Remarks

1 Have you ever been to the doctor?

QR NR

2 Have you ever been to the doctor?

QR No

3 Have you ever been sick?

QR No

4 Have you ever had a cold or hurt yourself?

QR Nods

5 So did your mommy take you to the doctor?

QR Yes

6 What did the doctor do? What happened?

QR He give me a medicine

7 And then? QR I’m going home

8 And what did the doctor do to you?

QR Eh..

9 Tell me, what did the doctor do?

QR He put me injection

10 Was it sore? QR Yes

11 What was wrong with you that day?

QR Mm .. I was…

12 What was wrong? QR My head was sore

13 What made your head sore?

QR Mm .. my mother

14 How did that happen?

QR Mm …

15 Do you have a brother or a sister?

QR A brother and a sister

16 You lucky girl! Do you ever fight with them?

QR No

17 What do you do with them?

QR I play with them

18 What do you play? QR With the hula-hoops

19 Tell me how to play that

QR Nicely

20 But what do I do with the hulas?

QR You run with it around

21 And then? QR You play with it

22 Have you ever been for X-rays?

QR No

23 Did you ever get a plaster?

QR No

24 Did Mommy ever put a plaster on your finger?

QR He gave me

25 What happened – why did you need a plaster?

QR Because is sore

26 What made it so sore?

QR A shoe

27 A shoe! Tell me about it

CR NR

Personal narrativeNo. Adult Child Remarks

1 VSR

Who birthday?

2 Whose birthday is it? I don’t know. Tell me.

CR This one

3 And what’s happening in this picture?

QR A cat

3.1 Sf I see a cat

4 And what are the children doing?

QR They play

5 What are they going to do next?

QR The eat a lot of food

6 And then? QR And the present

7 What do you think is in there?

QR A car

8 Do you think this girl will play with a car?

QR No, a “pop” Laughs

9 She’ll get a doll, a “pop”. What will they do when they’ve finished eating cake?

QR They, this girl going to play

10 What games will they play?

QR And swing

11 What did you do at your party?

QR We are going to play, eat the cake, going to play

12 Where are you going to play?

QR In home

13 Do you like playing in the park?

QR Yes

14 What can we do in the park?

QR Can eat, and drink, and drink water and play and swing and do and play with the sand and anything

15 Have you ever played in the sand?

QR No

15.1 My mommy said I don’t play with the sand

15.2 Because another one, they take to me the sand

16 And then? QR I told my mommy to hit others

17 What did she do? QR She hit

18 Did you also tell your teacher?

QR Yes

19 Did it happen at school or in the park?

QR At school

The end…..or is it?or is it?