LYNDA WILSONEARLY LITERACY SPECIALIST 519-821-6638 EXT 203

Lets Talk About Language

Schedule

The Communication Tree

Language

Speech

Other Communication Skills

Who am I?

I am not a Registered Speech Pathologist in OntarioBSc Clinical Speech and Language Studies, Trinity

College Dublin (2001-2005)Worked for Health Service Executive for 7 years as a

Speech and Language Pathologist (2005-2012) in Dublin.

Worked with children aged 0-18 with a wide range of communication difficulties – speech, language delays, cleft palate, ASD, selective mutism, Specific language impairment, Dyspraxia etc.

Worked in different location– inner city, affluent areas, multilingual populations, traveller populations. Worked in clinics and schools and preschools.

Communication Activity

Everyone stand up Split into 2 groupsWithout talking or writing, organise

yourselves in order of you birthdays (day and month)

E.g. Jan 3, Jan 27, Feb 8 etc

Communication

Communicating is not only about what we say but it is also about the way we say it.

The three components of communication are:

Verbal (what we say - 7% of any message is communicated through words

Vocal (how we say it)- 38% of a message is communicated by our voice

Visual (what our body says)- 55% is conveyed by non-verbal body language

Adapted from "Communication Role of Language" - University of Michigan

The Communication Tree

Speech & Grammar

Receptive Language

Underlying Abilities

Expressive Language

Communication Partners

Opportunities to Learn

Roots

Roots: factors contributing to communication development.

Cognitive skills – underlying IQMemory Skills – Short term and long term ListeningAttentionHearingVisionMotivation Interest

Trunk

Receptive language skills Understanding Language

Non verbal: interpreting non verbal communication such as gestures, facial expressions, signs etcVerbal: comprehension of what is being said – words and sentencesUnderstanding ideasRemembering informationConsolidating information

Branches

Expressive Language SkillsUsing Language

Ability to convey messages through spoken language. Skills in this area include:

Using appropriate words/vocabulary (semantics)Using appropriate combinations of words and grammatical structures (syntax and morphology)

Leaves & Apples

Speech & Grammar

The ‘fine tuning’Features that don’t take away from the meaning of the message. Speaking clearly – using all correct speech sounds, following the speech sound patterns (articulation & phonological skills)Using good grammar i.e. tenses, plurals, pronounsBeing fluent in speech

Sun & Rain

The Environment of Growth

Things a child needs in order for their language skills to growCommunication partners to learn from – Children and AdultsGood role modelsRepetitionBite size learningSomeone to listen and shape language

The Communication Tree

Speech & Grammar

Receptive Language

Underlying Abilities

Expressive Language

Communication Partners

Opportunities to Learn

Attention and Listening

Attention and Listening

Turn-Taking: ‘Roll the Ball’ Building clocks together

Listening: Introduce ‘Stop/Go’: Using a musical instrument. Pass the parcel Matching two pairs of sounds: Sound containers Can child identify which has a sound inside? Sorting noises into quiet and loud noises Changing the words/outcome in a common

storybook/nursery rhyme

Attention and Listening

Eye contact: Use funny face shapes – naming parts of face together.

Emphasis on eyes and positive reinforcement when eye contact made by children.

What colour of eyes do people have

Memory: Shopping list game Name game Reciting songs and rhymes

Language

Ages and Stages

Terminology

Delayed Language – language is slow to develop but it follows the normal sequence of development

Disordered Language – language is developing atypically, there is an uneven scatter in language abilities. Development does not follow the normal sequence of development

Specific Language Impairment – Disordered language skills specifically in 1 area of language

Semantics – knowledge of the meanings of wordsSyntax & Morphology – knowledge of the

structure/grammar of languagePragmatics – being socially appropriate and

flexible

I hate it when…..

I really hate it when I’m talking with someone and

they…………….

General Language Tips

‘Its not what you do its the way that you do it’Be face to face

Create eye (face) contact, observe what they are looking at

Change the way you talk Maintain interest, use gestures and props, make your

language easier to understand, slow down.

Take turns Questions and Comments, wait on a response.

General Language Tips

Follow the child’s lead Comment on their interests, encourage the child to

initiate and develop the communication

Watch, wait and respond Communicate about what the child is interested in

Expand what the child says Repeat what they say and add a little more. Use a

variety of words not just names (nouns)

General Language Tips

Language Therapy is very ‘emergent’ Not testingNot teaching

Follow child’s lead, learn from the child and shape their communication

Vocabulary Development

Reproduced with permission — Torstar Syndication Services. Copyright King Features Syndicate.

Vocabulary Development

Children need to learn lots of kinds of words

Naming words – nounsDescribing wordsWords about belonging toLocation wordsFeeling wordsAction words

Vocabulary Development

Receptive and ExpressiveUnderstanding and Use of new words

The key to vocabulary development is ……….

Repetition is Key

Semantic links

To learn a new word a child may be helped by thinking about its semantic links or meaning

links with other wordsWhat is it called? What does it feel like?

What do you do with it? What is it made of?

Where would you find it? What parts does it have?

What group (category) does it belong to?

What does it look like?

What is the first sound and last sound in the word?

How many syllables?

SPEECH

Speech Development

Speech develops following a patternVowels first – eeee, oooo, ahhhh

Early Sounds include ‘d’, ‘m’ ‘t’, ‘b’, ‘p’Then ‘k’, ‘g’, ‘f’, ‘v’, ‘l’

Finally ‘r’ ‘s’ ‘sh’ ‘ch’ ‘j’All sounds generally in place by age 6.

Ages and Stages

Ages and Stages

Please remember Speech Development Norms are not exact.

They are meant to be used as a guide

Different organisational policy follow different norms

Different SLPs follow different normsDifferent backgrounds affect ages and stages

International Phonetics Alphabet

Terminology

Articulation – how we make sounds in isolation or in words e.g. Say ‘k’ – ‘t’

Phonology - a pattern of development of sounds e.g. Say ‘k’ – ‘k’, say car – tar. Appling rules to speech sounds

Delayed – Slow to develop but it follows the normal sequence of development

Disordered – Developing atypically, there is an uneven scatter in abilities. Not following the normal sequence of development.

Dyspraxia/Apraxia/DVD/DAS – difficulty in planning and executing motor speech movement. No muscle problems. When asked cannot say some words, but can say the word spontaneously

Cleft Palate – a gap in the oral cavity, air doesn’t flow through the mouth and nose as it should.

General Speech Help

Reinforcing Concepts Same/different Up/down Front/back First/last

Clapping out syllables in wordsListening activities – what do you hear?Rhyming

Nursery rhymes Rhyming books

How to help a Child with Speech Problem

Use ages and stages to keep decide if a referral to a Speech Pathologist is needed.

Talk with the SLP about what kind of speech problem the child has. Child who says ‘tat’ for ‘cat’ can have either an articulation

or a phonology problem which require different therapy techniques

Working on speech is quite prescriptive.What is working well for 1 child may not help

another (it may even cause more problems)

Stuttering

Stammering is characterized by interruptions in the flow of speech, such as: Repeating words & phrases eg. Is the is the is the door shut Fillers eg. Um, er, uh, eh Repeating sounds eg. B b b book Blocks eg. ...............I want Prolonging sounds eg. Sssssssssome

Stammering usually begins between the ages of three and six. It usually starts gradually but may be quite sudden.

Stammering is highly variable – sometimes in a day a child will stammer a lot and sometimes they won’t stammer at all in a day.

Stuttering

•.

Multilingualism

Contrary to our natural intuition, it is actually not more difficult to learn two languages than it is to learn one.

Never encourage parents who have a poor standard of English to speak only English to their child as this will lead to an impoverished language model.

Never discourage the use of any non-English language. Remember that learning to speak the (non-English) family language connects the child to a rich social and cultural heritage. It aids the building of family bonds as the child can communicate with grandparents and extended family members and makes a large contribution to the developing child’s identity and self-esteem.

Working with Speech & Language Pathologists

Know the SLP – Names and Numbers Check to see if information/handouts/activities

they provided is for one particular child or can be used with everyone

Can the SLP do a school visit to give you advice on what to do? If not- arrange a phone consult, ask to join an appointment with mum

Document how the child is getting on – what they said and did, any questions you have. Send your notes along to the child’s next appointment – ask for a response

Bibliography

From Birth to Five years – Children’s Developmental Progress. Third edition. Mary D Sheridan, revised and updated by Ajay Sharma and Helen Cockerill. 2008.

Useful Websites

www.superduperinc.comwww.ican.org.ukwww.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbabywww.hanen.orgwww.talkingpoint.org.ukwww.asha.orgwww.speech-language-therapy.com