LANGUAGE DISORDER PROGRAM

Northern Metropolitan Region
Language Support Program
Day 1
Tuesday 3rd May 2011
A teaching and learning program
designed to support students with
language difficulties in the classroom.
Northern Metropolitan Region:
Charmaine Tu (Speech & Language Pathologist)
Based on ……..
LANGUAGE SUPPORT PROGRAM
Professional Learning Guide
Developed by Dr John Munro
Melbourne University
Principles of N.M.R
2. The quality of teaching matters.
3. The best professional learning takes
place in the classroom.
4. Standards for teaching practice
matter.
5. Collaboration matters
6. Curriculum standards matter.
7. Accountability matters.
8. Reliable data informs the best
judgements about school improvement.
Language Support Program
Purpose:
Develop the capacity of schools and
teachers to provide appropriate
programs and learning experiences that
will improve the oral language skills of
children and young people.
Program Aims:
• increase learning opportunities for students
who have language difficulties
• bridge the gap between regular language
teaching and the provision of specialised
speech pathology services
• provide systematic and explicit language
support in a classroom context
• to build on and link with current, recognised,
best practice (Early Years/Middle Years
Literacy and Numeracy, Reading Recovery,
VELS, English Continuum,PoLT, e5)
Principles underpinning LSP
• Building awareness of oral language to
support literacy
• Awareness that texts are written for a
range of purposes
• Word meaning and vocabulary knowledge
• Orthographic and morphemic knowledge
• Reading aloud to achieve fluency and
phrasing
Principles underpinning LSP
• Literal, critical, inferential and creative
comprehension outcomes
• Recognising and using the forms, linguistic
structures and features of written texts
• Using metacognitive and self-management
strategies
Classroom
Language
Program
LANGUAGE
SUPPORT
PROGRAM
Specialised
Speech
Pathology
Why have a Language Support Program?
Most students…
•
know how to learn new vocabulary
•
believe they can learn language successfully
•
can integrate aspects of language use at once.
In each classroom there are students who do
not spontaneously acquire language skills.
Statistics
• 2.7 million Australians have a communication
disability which may range from mild to
severe (1 in 7)
• 577,000 school-aged children have
difficulties with language
The LSP
Professional Learning Guide
aims to:
•build on teacher understanding of language
development and difficulties
•develop a framework for understanding oral
language
•utilise a more systematic process for identifying
language difficulties in the classroom
•assist teachers to better cater for students with
language difficulties within their classroom
practices.
Aim of sessions
• An understanding of the development of
oral language and its linguistic structures
and features.
• Knowledge of language disorders and
difficulties.
• Knowledge and skills to identify and profile
students with language difficulties.
• Classroom teaching strategies that directly
address the identified difficulties.
• Advice for implementing a Language
Support Program
How much do we know about
Language Development?
Definition of a Language
Disorder:
The inability to acquire skills involved in
the reception, processing, or expression
of language to the extent that one is
unable to participate fully, without
special assistance, in the social and
educational life of the school.
(Ron Brynes, Speech Pathologist, 1984)
What is a Language Disorder?
Defined by exclusion:
A Language Disorder cannot be accounted for by:
•Intellectual Disability
•Hearing Impairment
•Neurological Damage
•Emotional Problems
•Cultural Factors
•Non-English Speaking Background
However, students classified under these
headings may have language difficulties that can
be catered for by this program.
What is a Language Disorder?
Receptive Language: The understanding of
language when it is conveyed by another
including the understanding of concepts,
grammar, vocabulary and sentence
structure.
Expressive Language: The use of
language to convey a message, including
the use of grammar, vocabulary and
sentence structure.
What is a Language Disorder?
Students can have difficulty in one or more areas of
language:
Phonology: Understanding the rules of how speech sounds go
together
Syntax: Understanding the rules for putting words together in
sentences
Semantics: Understanding the words we use to describe
things in the world around us
Morphology: Understanding the appropriate use of
grammatical structures ( eg house-houses)
Pragmatics: Understanding the rules of communication and
conversation, as well as the different functions of
communication.
Severity of Language Disorders
SEVERITY RATING DEVIATION FROM
COMPOSITE
THE MEAN
STANDARD SCORE
RANGE
Within –1 SD and
NORMAL
86 and above
above
-1 to –1.5 SD
MILD
78 to 85
-1.5 to –2 SD
MODERATE
71 to 77
- 2 SD and below
SEVERE
70 and below
Bell Curve
Language Disability
(2%)
Moderately
low range
(14%)
Proportion of Population
Low
“Normal” range (68%)
Ability Level
High
Do students grow out of
Language Disorder?
• NO.
• The implications/signs change as
students move through adolescence,
with ever increasing academic and social
language demands.
• The gap between these students and
their peers widens.
• It persists into their adult lives.
Study in 1995 by Hart &
Risley
• By the age of 3;
- a child from a professional family was hearing
an average of 2153 words an hour
- a child from a welfare benefit family was
hearing 616 words an hour
Difference of 3 ½ more words an hour !!
How do we currently identify a
Language Disorder?
Students not diagnosed in kindergarten or
primary school may come to our attention
as:
•performing well below average on Prep or
Year 7 literacy testing
•a behaviour problem and/or
•having a learning difficulty
A Speech Pathologist……
Assesses and provides assistance/therapy in
some or all of the following areas:
– Receptive Language Skills
– Expressive Language Skills
– Phonological Awareness
– Fluency
– Voice
– Articulation
– Eating/Swallowing
– Augmentative/Alternative Communication
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
Study of 30 male juvenile offenders
(13-19 years) completing community based
orders.
52% of the young offenders were found to
have a previously undiagnosed language
disorder.
Oral language disorder carries a more than
two fold increased risk in violent offending.
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
Performance on a range of oral language
processing and production skills was poorer
than that of a demographically similar
comparison group, particularly in:
• speed and accuracy of comprehension
• ability to understand abstract language e.g.
metaphors, figurative language
• narrative recounts
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
Several critical aspects of language
development are refined during adolescence,
including:
• turn-taking and conversational repair
• comprehension and use of irony and metaphor
• ability to ‘code-switch’ ie. Adjust
communicative style to the demands of the
context
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
Various research shows delayed language
development as a risk factor for development
of:
• violent antisocial behaviour in adolescence
• substance abuse and affective disorder in
early adulthood
• psychiatric disorder in young people
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
Challenging behaviours can serve as
communicative functions in students with
language learning disabilities, and these can
diminish after more socially appropriate
forms of communication are acquired
(Windsor,1995).
Snow & Powell Research
(2004-2005)
We need to look closely at students
displaying both learning and conduct
problems and be careful not to
overlook possible underlying
language disorder in our efforts to
manage behaviour.
Snow & Sanger Research
2010
Youth offenders are:
• more likely to have a learning disability
• 3 times more likely to display language
problems than non-offending peers
• more likely to disengage early from the
education system
Children identified in the early years with a
language disorder at higher risk of social
exclusion and bullying.
Snow & Sanger Research
2010
Language impairment in childhood
increases the risk of a range of mental
health problems and anti-social behaviour.
Young male offender: risk of death before
21 years of age is 9.2 times higher than
peers
Young female offender: risk of death before
21 years of age is 41. 3 times higher.
Snow & Sanger Research
2010
Therefore, promotion of strong oral
language competence is imperative to try
and reduce the occurence of antisocial
behaviour later.
Early language competence is a
public health issue.
It provides ‘psychosocial’ protection to
young people with respect to the
development of social skills, literacy and
overall academic achievement.
Failure to address deficiencies
in oral language learning
Lack of academic success
Disengagement
Behaviour problems
Receptive Language Disorder
Drawing
Activity
Expressive Language Disorder
Vocabulary
Activity
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
ORAL LANGUAGE
• Slow processing time
• Difficulty following instructions
• Limited understanding of complex sentences
• Poor sequencing skills
• Poor organisational skills
• Tend to tune out
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
AUDITORY MEMORY
• Difficulty remembering spoken instructions
• Poor memory for new information
• Often ask for repetitions / reluctant to ask
for repetitions
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
DIFFICULTY PROCESSING QUESTIONS
• Difficulty answering questions
• Difficulty with “who”, “where”, “when”, “why”
and “how” questions
• Difficulty with abstract questions
• Slow to respond to questions
Characteristics of Language Difficulties:
VOCABULARY
• Difficulty finding words
• Limited variety in vocabulary
• Poor understanding of double meaning
• Difficulty in describing
• Difficulty in getting to the point
• Poor understanding of abstract concepts
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
• Difficulty in identifying sounds in words
• Unable to break down spoken words into syllable
or sound sequences
• Difficulty with rhyming
• Difficulty discriminating between speech sounds
• Unaware they are pronouncing speech sounds
incorrectly
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
SENTENCE FORMATION
• Give inappropriately short answers
• Limited use of conjunctions and complex phrases
• Poor use of grammatical structures
• Produce disordered sentences
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
WRITING
• Ideas are repetitive, disorganised and
uninteresting
• Poor introductions, no conclusions
• Ideas not expressed in logical order
• Often short stories with little description
Characteristics of Language Difficulties
SOCIAL LANGUAGE
• Difficulty following the topic
• Difficulty initiating and taking turns in
conversations
• Difficulty understanding nonverbal cues
• Use inappropriate language with regard to
context
The LSP
Professional Learning Program
Aims to:
•build on teacher understanding of oral language
development and difficulties
•develop a framework for understanding oral
language
•utilise a more systematic process for identifying
language difficulties in the classroom
•assist teachers to better cater for students with
language difficulties within their classroom
practices.
To address the needs of the student with
language difficulties in a systematic way….
a language framework comprising….
IDEAS
CONVENTIONS
PURPOSES
ABILITY to
LEARN
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
Ideas… Messages… Meanings… Vocabulary...
Morphology… Semantics
Conventions… Rules… Grammar …
Phonology…Syntax … Prosody
Purpose... Functions of language… Pragmatics
Ability to learn… knowing how to learn..
Metalinguistics…Metacognition
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
1.
deas
words
sentences
discourses
topic
and their individual and
combined meanings
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
2.
onventions
Phonological Rules
•combining sound patterns into words
Grammatical Rules
• combining words into sentences
Genre Rules
•combining sentences into spoken or written
“text” (discourse)
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
3.
urposes
Manage & Direct Language
• how conversations are started, maintained & ended
Listen and Speak “between the lines”
• how intended meaning is communicated & understood
Adjust to Context and Audience
• selecting the type and amount of information
Use language for different goals
• using language and intonation to request, agree, confirm,
protest & comment etc.
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
bility to
earn
Ability to perceive oral language
• hearing, auditory discrimination, short term auditory
memory
Opportunity to learn language
•
experiences
Ways of learning
• ability to symbolise, categorise, link ideas, sequence,
transfer knowledge
The LSP
Professional Learning Program
Aims to:
•build on teacher understanding of oral language
development and difficulties
•develop a framework for understanding oral
language
•utilise a more systematic process for identifying
language difficulties in the classroom
•assist teachers to better cater for students with
language difficulties within their classroom
practices.
IDENTIFICATI0N
LSP Oral Language Observational Profile
IDENTIFICATION
The purpose of screening is to:
•
identify students’ oral language abilities and
difficulties
•
facilitate systematic targeted teaching
•
monitor in explicit ways student learning
progress
IDENTIFICATION
IDENTIFICATION
How does your school currently identify
students with language difficulties?
IDENTIFICATION
In secondary schools, students with language
disorders may be initially identified because
of associated difficulties with:
•
Literacy
•
Learning
•
Behaviour
Do you recognise this student?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Male
Easily distracted, short concentration span
Doesn’t ask questions
Hands in work consistently late or not at
all
Negative attitude to schooling
Class clown
Disorganised
Doesn’t understand jokes & humour
Says the wrong thing at the wrong time in
the wrong tone of voice
The LSP
Professional Learning Program
Aims to:
•build on teacher understanding of oral language
development and difficulties
•develop a framework for understanding oral
language
•utilise a more systematic process for identifying
language difficulties in the classroom
•assist teachers to better cater for students with
language difficulties within their classroom
practices.
The Teaching Framework and Resources reflect:
•
the ICPAL model
•
expressive and receptive modes
•
small group and whole class activities
•
strategies that enhance access to the
mainstream curriculum
•
indicators of progress in the Speaking
and Listening domain of the English
Continuum
The Teaching Framework and Resources
We need to remember the influence of oral language
across all VELS areas:
Eg: Domain – Physical, Personal & Social Learning
Standard – Civic and Citizenship
Level 5: …identify significant developments in the
governance and achievement of political rights in
Australia.
…explain key features of Australian
Government
… describe the purposes of laws and the
processes of creating and changing them.
General LSP Teaching Tips:
• be explicit and concise - ‘less is more’
• allow time for processing
• discuss “big picture” i.e. the purpose of
tasks or lessons
• pre-teach vocabulary
• emphasize keywords/ideas
• support spoken information visually
• use direct language
• explain the process involved in completing
a task
• request feedback from students
General LSP Teaching Tips:
• A Language Disorder is a complex set of
‘symptoms’ and affects learning across
the curriculum – including social
language and personal interactions
• It is not something able to be ‘fixed’
with a burst of therapy or 1 or 2
strategies
• It is something that requires
modification in ALL learning areas
What might the LSP look like in a…
Year 7 English class?
• The meanings of specific instructional vocabulary
such as “describe / define / argue” are explicitly
pre-taught
• Key vocabulary and concepts related to the
classroom theme are pre-taught
• Story plots or abstract concepts (such as
‘freedom’) are explored and represented visually
• The various essay genres are explicitly taught
• Assignments are set out clearly with the process
taught systematically i.e. using checklists,
criteria based assessment
Comparison of genre terminology
Year 9 Woodwork class?
• Create a word bank of woodwork specific words
• Pre-teach vocabulary for particular jobs i.e.
plane, taper etc.
• Write names of tools next to illustrations or real
tools
• Show real model of what the class is working
towards (big picture / purpose)
• Give students a visual flow chart to follow
• Demonstrate techniques / use of tools
• Breakdown sequences or processes into smaller
steps
• Ask students to repeat in their own words what
they have to do i.e. paraphrase
Reflection
What
What
What
What
is going well?
are the questions?
can we improve?
are the issues and ideas?
PREPARATION FOR DAY 2
• Select a unit of work or an activity to
bring to the next session.
• Schedule a simulation activity for a
future staff or team meeting
or
Provide feedback to staff on the Snow
research

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