Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools最新文献

Purpose: Vocabulary skills in children are typically measured with norm-referenced assessments of receptive and expressive vocabulary. Language sample analysis is an alternative method of examining vocabulary actually produced in communicative events and may be better suited to exposing subtle vocabulary weaknesses. Here, we examine the relationship between norm-referenced vocabulary testing and language sample analysis in preschool children, both children with typical hearing (CTH) and children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH).

Method: Expressive and receptive vocabulary and spontaneous language samples were collected. Language samples were analyzed for complexity (mean length of utterance in words [MLUw]) and variability (number of different noun and verb types produced).

Results: CTH had significantly higher scores on both expressive and receptive norm-referenced tests and produced sentences with greater syntactic complexity and semantic variability. Relationships between expressive test scores and MLUw were seen in both groups; the number of noun/verb types produced was related for children who are DHH only. Receptive vocabulary was not related to spontaneous spoken language for CTH. Receptive vocabulary was significantly related to MLUw and noun/verb types for children who are DHH. However, when the DHH group was subdivided into performance above and performance below the 50th percentile, relationships held only for the group with below-average performance.

Conclusions: Results suggest that single-word vocabulary, norm-referenced measures indicating performance above the 50th percentile may not be sufficient to capture nuanced difficulties with vocabulary in children who are DHH. For children who are DHH, performance in the "range of normal" on a norm-referenced test may not capture ways in which their language performance differs from that of peers with typical hearing.

Purpose: This exploratory study examines the intersection of teletherapy and multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) in school-based speech-language services and explores ways in which the challenges related to MTSS vary by service delivery modality.

Method: This study involved 10 interviews with five speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who have had experience in both in-person and teletherapy-based positions and were working for the same educational agency as teletherapists during the 2023-2024 school year. Qualitative data were collected about unique facilitators and barriers teletherapists face concerning MTSS and how the defining features of teletherapy (e.g., technology and on-site facilitation with a remote SLP) impact their engagement with MTSS in both helpful and constraining ways.

Results: Participants, all of whom worked remotely with students attending schools in person, identified a number of opportunities and challenges related to engagement with MTSS. Some challenges were identified as common to both face-to-face and remote work (e.g., misunderstandings related to the role of SLPs in MTSS). Others were unique to teletherapy in ways that made implementation easier (e.g., intentionally planned and focused conversations) as well as harder (e.g., lack of visibility and spontaneity). There were pros and cons of how technology and on-site facilitation impacted MTSS implementation.

Conclusion: As teletherapy and prevention-oriented work gain prominence in the postpandemic reality, this study offers initial insights into the synergies and challenges of engaging with the MTSS as a school-based teletherapist.

Purpose: This study evaluates the initial efficacy of Chaining SPeech Lessons in Intensive Ten-minute Sessions (SPLITS), an alternative service delivery model for the Speech Motor Chaining treatment approach. We hypothesized that Chaining SPLITS would result in improvements in /ɹ/ accuracy on syllables and untrained words when compared to a no-treatment condition.

Method: Within a randomized controlled trial, thirteen 7-9-year-old children with difficulty producing /ɹ/ were randomized to receive treatment either immediately or after an 8-week delay. Treatment sessions were conducted 4 times a week over 8 weeks. Syllable and word-level recordings were collected at the baseline, 8-week, and 16-week time points. Recordings were rated along a 5-point scale by three masked, independent listeners. The primary outcome was changed score from the baseline to 8-week time point (Interval 1) and 8-week to 16-week time point (Interval 2).

Results: Linear mixed modeling revealed that Chaining SPLITS led to significantly greater improvement in /ɹ/ accuracy at the syllable level for active treatment compared to a period of no treatment. This improvement was replicated in both groups. There was not sufficient evidence of an effect of Chaining SPLITS on untrained words after 8 weeks of treatment.

Conclusions: The current study provides initial evidence of the effectiveness of 8 weeks of Chaining SPLITS on improvement in /ɹ/ accuracy in syllables. Short, frequent sessions may be a viable approach to promote acquisition of /ɹ/ among school-age children; however, longer courses of treatment may be needed to observe further improvement at the word level.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27868800.

Purpose: The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel multi-tiered narrative intervention program-the multimodal narrative (MMN) program-in Catalan that was co-created to boost preschool children's narrative and pragmatic skills.

Method: First, we describe here in detail the novel program, which consisted of a set of interventions oriented around the retelling of a narrative in a multimodal fashion, that is, with an abundant use of appropriate gesture and facial expression and careful attention to the pragmatic aspects of communication. We then describe the results of a self-reported feasibility study (Study 1) after this program was trial-implemented by 31 preschool teachers and speech-language therapists in their respective professional contexts. A pre- and post-intervention pilot study (Study 2) was conducted in which the researchers measured the effect of the MMN intervention on the 51 children who participated in the trial implementation.

Results: Results from Study 1 revealed that most professionals adhered to the intervention protocol, that they found it enjoyable and easy to implement, and that it fostered active participation on the part of children. Results from Study 2 revealed that after the intervention, the narrative and pragmatic skills of all the children had improved.

Conclusion: These results suggest that a full-fledged implementation of the MMN intervention program is feasible and has the potential to improve children's narrative and pragmatic skills in both clinical and educational contexts.

Purpose: This study examined science achievement; science vocabulary knowledge; and the relationship between science vocabulary, language skills, and science achievement in school-age children with language/literacy disorders (LLDs) and typical language development (TD).

Method: Thirty-nine sixth graders (11 with LLDs) completed standardized assessments and researcher-designed science vocabulary measures over Zoom. Scores for the AIMS Science, a standardized science assessment administered to all fourth-grade public-school students in Arizona, served as the outcome measure for science achievement. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships among science achievement, general language skills, and science vocabulary knowledge. Group comparisons (TD vs. LLD) were also completed for science achievement and science vocabulary measures.

Results: General language skills, science vocabulary breadth, and science vocabulary definition scores uniquely predicted science achievement, as measured by AIMS Science scores. General language skills predicted performance on the science vocabulary breadth and definition tasks. Participants with LLDs scored significantly lower on science achievement and vocabulary measures relative to their peers with TD.

Conclusions: Students with LLDs demonstrated poorer science achievement outcomes and more limited knowledge of science vocabulary breadth and semantic depth. Greater science vocabulary knowledge was associated with higher science test scores for children with LLDs and TD. These findings indicate that increasing science vocabulary knowledge may improve science achievement outcomes for students with LLDs or TD.

Purpose: Parent engagement is a critical component of optimizing services for young children with disabilities, including those with language disorders. Without training, however, many parents may lack the knowledge and skills to effectively facilitate their children's language development during the essential early childhood years. The Parents Plus intervention was designed to support parents, through online training and coaching, in using focused stimulation, an evidence-based strategy for fostering early language development.

Method: Thirty-one parents and their children with developmental language disorder participated in a small-scale randomized controlled trial to provide a preliminary test of Parents Plus. Sixteen parent-child dyads completed the Parents Plus intervention, while 15 parent-child dyads were in the control condition.

Results: Findings indicate that Parents Plus shows promise in improving children's vocabulary and morphosyntactic skills. Additionally, Parents Plus emerged as a socially valid approach, with parents reporting that its goals, content, procedures, and outcomes were acceptable.

Conclusion: Implications for education and directions for future research are discussed.

Purpose: The study investigated the social-emotional functioning of children with typical hearing and deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children from diverse cultural backgrounds in Israel through parental reports.

Method: A total of 242 parents from both Arabic and Jewish communities participated: 130 were parents of D/HH children and 112 were parents of children with typical hearing. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and a background questionnaire were used.

Results: Results revealed increased total difficulties, emotional symptoms, and peer problems as reported by parents of D/HH children. Jewish parents of D/HH children reported greater total difficulties, conduct problems, and peer problems than Arab parents. Significant gender differences were found, with parents of boys reporting higher levels of hyperactivity/inattention and lower prosocial behavior. Among D/HH children, Arab parents reported higher peer problems among hearing aid users compared to cochlear implant users, whereas Jewish parents reported the opposite trend.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the significant social-emotional challenges faced by D/HH children, particularly in peer interactions, and underscore the need for tailored interventions that consider cultural differences.

Purpose: The Parent-Enhanced Moved by Reading to Accelerate Comprehension in English (Parent EMBRACE) program offers a bilingual parent-training literacy intervention for Latino families. Within the context of shared book reading, the application leverages both the home language and technology to increase parent question-asking during shared reading. Research goals were to (a) examine the potential of the Parent EMBRACE tutoring system at teaching parents to increase the quantity and variety of their question-asking during shared book reading, (b) examine changes to parents' reading attitudes or motivation, and (c) examine whether children's reading attitude is correlated with parent interactions.

Method: Twenty-one participants were randomized into three conditions: a digital storybook (DS) group (n = 7), an interactive storybook (EMBRACE) group (n = 6), and a parent-teaching interactive storybook (Parent EMBRACE) group (n = 8). Participants received iPads with digital storybooks for use during the intervention (in which the parent-teaching group received prompts from the app to ask questions while reading). Shared book reading assessments before and after the intervention involved hard-copy books, and behaviors were analyzed using video-recorded reading sessions before and after the intervention. Group differences were explored using descriptive analysis. Reading attitude and motivation were measured through pre- and post-intervention surveys. The relationship between parent interactions and reading attitudes was explored through regression.

Results: Results indicate that after the intervention, four out of seven parents in the parent-teaching interactive storybook group asked more questions to their children. Parents' reading attitudes and motivations did not significantly change. There was a nonlinear relationship with parent interactions and children's reading attitude.

Conclusion: Overall, the Parent EMBRACE tool shows feasibility and warrants further study on its efficacy as a linguistically responsive literacy-based language intervention for Latino parents to develop shared book reading strategies.

Purpose: This mixed-methods study examined how differences in parental time, knowledge, and economic constraints, as well as community socioeconomic contexts, may contribute to differences in home language environment and child language ability outcomes between peri-urban and rural households in China.

Method: We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods analysis using data from 158 children aged 18-24 months among peri-urban and rural households with low socioeconomic status (SES) in southwestern China. Audio recordings were collected from each household and analyzed using the Language ENvironment Analysis system. The Mandarin version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories was administered to each child's primary caregiver. We also conducted qualitative interviews with primary caregivers in 31 peri-urban and 32 rural households. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded.

Results: The quantitative results reveal that children in peri-urban households heard less adult speech and had lower language ability than children in rural households. Directed content analysis of interviews found that peri-urban caregivers faced more severe time constraints and less favorable community socioeconomic contexts than rural primary caregivers. Taken together, these findings suggest that differences in time constraints and community socioeconomic contexts between the two populations are the most likely factors contributing to the inferior language environment and language ability among children in peri-urban households.

Conclusion: The mixed-methods study indicated that parental time constraints and community socioeconomic contexts should be considered alongside SES for a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing parental investment in the home language environment in China.