No description available.

Background: This study formed part of a larger longitudinal research study by Jordaan (2009), who tracked the development of language for academic purposes in grade 1- 3 English Additional Language (EAL) and English First Language (EFL) learners attending English only programmes in Gauteng over a period of three years. These learners attended schools in two different educational contexts where there is a marked heterogeneity in the linguistic backgrounds of both the learners and teachers investigated. Results from Jordaan’s (2009) study revealed that some EAL and EFL learners appeared to be slow in the development of their academic language abilities (as no progress was evident over the period of three years), relative to their peers, and thus these learners may have a language impairment. Purpose: This study investigated in detail, these “slow to learn” EAL and EFL learners in the foundation phase, in order to determine whether they have a language impairment and to determine how the language impairment manifests in these learners. Participants: Sixteen learners (5 EFL learners and 16 EAL learners) who demonstrated no improvement in their academic language abilities from grade one to grade two as determined by their performance on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation Criterion Referenced (DELV-CR) test were the participants of this study. Method: The participants were assessed on the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA) test, a Non Word Repetition test (Dollaghan & Campbell, 1998), a Sentence Repetition test (Redmond, 2005) and the Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT-4). Educators were also asked to rate these learners’ oral language, written language and reading comprehension abilities on a scale of 0- 5. The research design utilized was a non experimental, descriptive quantitative design, involving both correlational and comparative components. The data obtained was then analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to establish whether there was a relationship between the cognitive processing and the language proficiency measures as well as the teacher ratings in order to provide information regarding these tests as assessment tools for EAL learners as well as to further enhance the validity of this study. Independent sample t-tests were also conducted to determine whether there were any significant differences between the EFL and EAL learners’ performance in the two different educational contexts, so as to establish whether bilingual learners with language impairment are more severely impaired than monolingual learners with language impairment. Results: Based on the analysis of these learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test, results indicated that all sixteen participants presented with SLI and were not just “slow to learn”. The EAL-SLI learners in both contexts performed poorly on the reading comprehension test and were rated lower than their aged matched peers on the teacher rating scales. Furthermore, when comparing these EAL-SLI learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test to the performance of the EFL-SLI learners, the EAL-SLI learners as a group appeared to have performed more poorly than the EFL-SLI learners on all three subtests. As significant differences were found between the EAL and EFL learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test, the results suggested that bilingual learners with SLI, who acquire a second language sequentially, are more impaired than monolingual learners with SLI. The EAL-SLI learners also presented with visuo-spatial short term and working memory deficits and even though a large majority of the learners presented with verbal short term and working memory difficulties, not all the learners presented with cognitive processing difficulties. This finding has implications for the theories of SLI. However, the sentence repetition task was found to be a useful tool in differentiating between the “slow to learn” EAL learners and EAL-SLI learners and furthermore this test also positively correlated with various sections of the DELV-CR test which adds to the value of this test as an assessment tool in EAL learners. Positive correlations were also found between the teacher ratings of the EAL-SLI learners and the subtests of the DELV-CR test which indicates that teachers have the ability to correctly identify learners with language learning difficulties. Positive correlations were also found between the digit repetition subtest, the non word repetition test and the sentence repetition test which adds to the validity of this study. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study demonstrated that bilingual learners with SLI who acquire a second language sequentially are additionally disadvantaged compared to their EFL-SLI peers in the acquisition of certain aspects of academic language. Furthermore, although research has shown that cognitive processing measures are less biased in the assessment of linguistically diverse learners, results indicated that the DELV-CR test identified more accurately, learners with language impairment whereas the cognitive processing measures provided contradictory and biased results with the verbal working memory subtest over identifying learners “at risk” for language impairment. Finally, the use of sentence repetition tasks in the differentiation between “slow to learn” and language impaired EAL learners proves to be promising.

Problemområdet i denna uppsats rör matematiksvårigheter hos elever med språkstörning på gymnasiet. Bakgrunden är bland annat den rapport från SPSM (2018) som visar att rutiner kring elever med språkstörning på gymnasiet är bristfälliga samt en stor mängd forskning som konstaterar att det finns ett samband mellan språkstörning och matematik. Uppsatsens syfte är att synliggöra denna grupp genom att undersöka hur några elever med språkstörning på gymnasiet upplever och har upplevt sina matematiksvårigheter. Eftersom undersökningen utgår ifrån elevperspektivet valdes semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod. De fem deltagarna har alla diagnosen språkstörning, går på gymnasiet och har inte klarat gymnasiets första matematikkurs på utsatt tid.        Elevernas berättelser och upplevelser diskuteras utifrån attributionsteorins modell om hur vi attribuerar våra motgångar och framgångar. Det framkommer att alla eleverna har fått kämpa med matematiken genom hela sin skolgång. Eleverna förklarar sina svårigheter till övervägande del med stabila, det vill säga oföränderliga, faktorer, både sådana som ligger utanför dem själva (externa) och sådana som ligger inom dem själva (interna). Varken eleverna själva eller lärare de mött, har kopplat ihop matematiksvårigheterna med diagnosen språkstörning.        Utifrån resultaten diskuteras bland annat vikten av kunskap om sambandet mellan språkstörning och matematiksvårigheter hos matematiklärare samt samarbetet mellan denne och specialläraren med inriktning språk-, skriv- och läsutveckling. Vidare diskuteras organisatoriska förändringar som skulle kunna underlätta för den här elevgruppen och att man bör ha i beaktande hur upprepade misslyckanden resulterar i minskad motivation. Detta är särskilt relevant för elever, som förklarar sina motgångar med stabila, oföränderliga faktorer, då det minskar möjligheten att ta vara på den kapacitet de har. / The research problem in this thesis concerns mathematical difficulties in pupils with specific language impairment (SLI) in upper secondary school. A large amount of research shows that there is a connection between specific language impairment and mathematical difficulties and a report from SPSM (2018) states that routines concerning pupils with SLI in upper secondary school are deficient. The purpose of the thesis is to make this group more visible by examining how some pupils with SLI in upper secondary school experience, and have experienced, their mathematical difficulties. Since the study is based on the student perspective, semi-structured interviews were chosen as a method. The five participants have all been diagnosed with SLI and attend upper secondary school.        The students' stories and experiences are discussed based on the model of attribution theory, which describe how we attribute our adversities and successes. It appears that all the students have been struggling with mathematics throughout their schooling. Students explain their difficulties predominantly with stable, i.e. unchanging, factors, external as well as internal. Neither the students themselves nor the teachers they encountered have linked the mathematical difficulties with the diagnosis SLI.        Based on the results, the importance of more knowledge among mathematics teachers about the relationship between SLI and mathematical difficulties is discussed, as well as the importance of collaboration between mathematics teachers and special education teachers. Furthermore, organizational changes that could facilitate this student group are discussed and moreover that one should consider how repeated failures result in reduced motivation. This is particularly relevant for students, who explain their setbacks with stable, unchanging factors, as it reduces the ability to take advantage of their capacity.

No description available.

Bakgrund: Testmaterialet Bedömning av Subtila Språkstörningar (BeSS) togs fram för att bedöma subtila språkliga svårigheter hos bland annat personer med neurodegenerativa sjukdomar. Testet har sedan använts bland annat i dyslexiutredningar då subtila språkliga svårigheter kan förekomma även vid dyslexi.  BeSS saknar dock referensmaterial för flera åldersgrupper vilket behövs för att logopeder ska kunna göra tillförlitliga bedömningar med materialet.   Mål: Att låta gymnasieungdomar genomgå BeSS och sammanställa ett referensmaterial. Att se om det föreligger några prestationsskillnader mellan deltesten och könsskillnader.   Metod: I studien deltog 28 gymnasieungdomar, 16 flickor och 12 pojkar, vilka testades enskilt med BeSS. Deltagarna fick inte ha några kända språkliga svårigheter eller läs-/skrivsvårigheter. Övriga krav var att deltagarna gått i svensk skolklass och fått svensk undervisning på svenska under minst 8 år.   Resultat: Det totala medelvärdet för testgruppen (alla deltesten sammanräknade) var 172 poäng av 210 möjliga med standardavvikelsen 14,5. I studien presenteras även medelvärde och standardavvikelse för var och ett av deltesten: Repetition av långa meningar M=20,8 (SD 4,6), Meningskonstruktion M=27,3 (SD 2,3), Inferens M=25,5 (SD 3,5), Förståelse av logikogrammatiska meningar M=25,2 (SD 3,4), Tvetydigheter M=22,1 (SD 5,0), Förståelse av metaforer M=25,5 (SD 3,9) och Definitioner av ord M=25,6 (SD 3,2). Det förelåg inga könsskillnader.   Slutsats: Denna studie har resultat för 28 gymnasieungdomar vilket är början till ett referensmaterial som behövs för att BeSS fortsatt ska kunna användas kliniskt i logopedisk verksamhet. Deltesten Repetition av långa meningar och Meningskonstruktion blev de deltest där gymnasieungdomarna presterade lägst respektive högst poäng. Det förelåg inga signifikanta könsskillnader. / Background: The test material BeSS was developed to assess subtle language difficulties in people with neurodegenerative diseases. The test has also been used in dyslexia evaluations since subtle language difficulties also can occur with dyslexia. The material lacks reference material for several age groups which is needed to give safer assessments with the material.   Aim: To collect reference material for the BeSS test for high school students. To see if there is differences in performance between the test sections and if there is a gender difference.   Method: The study had 28 participants, 16 girls and 12 boys, who were tested individually with BeSS. The participants did not have any known language difficulties or reading/writing problems and they were required to have attended a Swedish class with Swedish education in Swedish for at least 8 years.   Results: For each of the test sections means and standard deviations are presented. For the individual test sections the students performed as follows: Repetition of long sentences mean 20.8 (SD 4.6), Sentence construction 27.3 (SD 2.3), Inference 25.5 (SD 3.5), Understanding of grammatically logical sentences 25.2 (SD 3.4), Ambiguities 22.1 (SD 5.0), Understanding of metaphors 25.5 (SD 3.9) and Definitions of words 25.6 (SD 3.2). There was not a significant gender difference.   Conclusions: This study presents results for 28 students which is the beginning of a reference material that is needed for the continued use of the test in clinical speech and language pathology work. In the test sections Repetition of long sentences and Sentence construction the students performed the lowest and the highest scores. There was not a significant gender difference.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka kunskapen kring hur några lärare undervisar elever med språkstörning på låg-, mellan- och högstadiet. Syftet uppnås genom att intervjua lärare och på så sätt få svar på frågeställningarna: Hur anpassar lärarna undervisningen för elever med språkstörning samt vilka utmaningar upplever lärarna att eleverna har? Vilka assisterande verktyg har lärarna tillgång till och använder? I vilken utsträckning anser lärarna att de har kunskaper och tillgång till stöd för att anpassa undervisningen för elever med språkstörning? I undersökningen framkommer att lärarna gör anpassningar i klassrummet för att elever med språkstörning ska kunna nå kunskapsmålen, men att de känner sig osäkra på hur de på bästa sätt skall göra lämpliga anpassningar. De assisterande verktyg som eleverna har tillgång till är bland annat inläsningstjänst och talsyntes. Dessa assisterande verktyg upplevs av lärarna både som framgångsrika men samtidigt som problematiska då de kan innebära praktiska hinder och avleda uppmärksamheten. Trots att språkstörning påverkar både sociala relationer, skolnärvaro och självbild hos dessa elever upplever många lärare att de har bristande kunskap kring diagnosen språkstörning och framgångsrika arbetssätt.

Diploma thesis Assessment of language skills of specific language impaired children deals with children with specific language impairment in preschool and early school age (6-8 years). The thesis is to map the resources that are dealing with this issue and define the concept of specific language impairment in our country and foreign environment, because it is a very problematic term The theoretical part describes the status of speech therapy and special education diagnosis of children with specific language impairment in Czech Republic and foreign countries. It maps out how this developmental disorder speech therapists and special educators diagnose, what tools to use and what diagnostic criteria used in their practices. The aim of our research activities in the framework of this thesis is to determine whether and what value could have a Battery of tests of phonological skills (Seidlová Málková, Caravolas 2013) for the diagnostic process of specific language impairment. And also try to detect whether the battery includes tests to detect potential child with specific language impairment and thus contribute to the differential diagnosis. Keywords: Specific language impairment, language assessment, diagnostic markers, Battery of tests of phonological skills

This thesis solves deals with special pedagogical problems of primary literacy acquisition of the children with specific language impairment. The aim is to analyze the phenomena, which disrupt the process of acquiring written language forms of the pupils with this diagnosis and to record factors, which help to streamline this process. Another task is to propose the steps to help overcome the problems caused by impaired communication skills by teaching analytic-synthetic method. The theoretical part is the basis for meeting the targets. It describes specific language impairment as one of the categories of impaired communication skills and its consequences for education. Attention is given to the topic of literacy. Emphasis is particularly given on the initial reading literacy. This period is seen in the context of the speech development and the psycholinguistic concept of literacy is introduced, where the skill of phonemic awareness has a central position. At the end of the theoretical part, the methods of teaching of reading are described. The practical part presents the research study, which was carried out in several consecutive phases: initial diagnostic phase, observation of pupils in various stages of teaching of reading, implementation of methodical support measures and the final assessment of the...

Die Studie verfolgte das Ziel, die Zusammenhänge zwischen einer unzureichenden grammatischen Entwicklung und den Fähigkeiten Texte zu verstehen, aufzudecken. Hierfür wurden in 3 Experimenten zum Verstehen und Verwenden von satzübergreifenden pronominalen Bezügen und Konnektoren (Konjunktionen & Adverbien) querschnittliche und längsschnittliche Daten von Kindern mit eine spezifischen Sprachentwicklungsstörung (SSES), von typisch entwickelten Kindern des gleichen chronologischen Alters und von Kindern des gleichen Sprachentwicklungsalters erhoben. Insgesamt wurden 120 Kinder mit einer Altersspanne von 3;0 – 10;11 Jahren getestet. Es wurde untersucht, ob Kinder mit einer SSES die grammatischen Voraussetzungen mitbringen, Kohäsionsmittel zu verstehen oder einzubinden. Die wesentliche Grundlage bot die Minimal Default Grammar – Annahme (Penner & Roeper, 1998), die besagt, dass Kinder mit einer SSES in einem Zwischenstadium der grammatischen Entwicklung stagnieren. Diese konnte in der vorliegenden Studie bestätigt werden. In Experiment 1 wurde das Verständnis intersententialer Pronomen in nichtkanonischen Sätzen untersucht. Diese Leistung wurde zum einen mit kanonischen Sätzen mit Pronomen im Nominativ im Vorfeld und zum anderen mit adverbinitialen Sätzen mit Pronomen sowohl im Nominativ als auch im Akkusativ im Vor-und Mittelfeld verglichen. In Experiment 2 wurde das Verständnis der Konjunktionen weil und aber untersucht, welche die die grammatischen Positionen Vorvor- und Vorfeld besetzen. Schließlich wurde in Experiment 3 die Produktion von referentiellen und relationalen Kohäsionsmitteln in Erzählungen untersucht. Hierfür wurden von jedem Kind vier Geschichten hinsichtlich der Verwendung von Pronomen und Konnektoren in sämtlichen grammatischen Positionen analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigten hochsignifikante Gruppenunterschiede zwischen Kindern der SSES-Gruppe und beiden Kontrollgruppen (SSES < EA p < .001; SSES < CA p < .001). Die Leistungen unterschieden sich qualitativ und quantitativ. Kohäsionsmittel konnten von Kindern mit SSES weder verstanden noch aktiv verwendet werden. Dabei konnte ein enger Zusammenhang zwischen der grammatischen Entwicklung und der Verfügbarkeit von Kohäsionsmitteln nachgewiesen werden. / The availability of cohesive means in children with developmental language disorder. The aim of the study was to disentangle the interrelation between deficits in the grammatical development and the ability to understand texts. In 3 experiments the comprehension and production of intersentential pronoun resolution as well as connectives were assessed. A large cohort of n= 120 with n= 40 children with specific language impairment (SLI/DLD) (age of 3;0 to 10;11 years) was compared to control groups with chronological age matched and language age matched children. There were cross-sectional and longitudinal data collected. The main question was: Do children with DLD have the preconditions to understand intersentential pronoun resolution and connectives in discourse? Most of the theoretical background was provided by the Minimal Default Grammar – Hypothesis (Penner & Roeper, 1998). The framework postulates that children with DLD adhere to an interim grammar without CP- shell. So the account predicts a considerable deficit at the level or the syntax-discourse interface. In experiment 1 the comprehension of intersentential pronoun resolution in noncanonical clauses was tested and compared with the performance in canonical and adverb initial clauses. In experiment 2 the children had to judge the truth of the sentences with weil and aber. The connective weil is syntactically embedded within the matrix clause. The connectiv aber however is syntactically nonembedded within the sentences, it introduces a co-ordinate clause. Finally in experiment 3 the children tell stories. The focus of the analyses was on the production of referential and relational devices in all syntactical positions. The results show highly significant differences between the performance of the DLD group as compared to the control groups (SSES < EA p < .001; SSES < CA p < .001). Grammatically impaired children neither understand nor use referential and relational cohesive devices within the CP-position. Strong correlations were found between the grammatical development of the children and the availability of cohesive means.

Der vorliegende Tagungsband enthält alle Beiträge des 1. Herbsttreffens Patholinguistik, das am 24.11.2007 an der Universität Potsdam stattgefunden hat. Sowohl die drei Hauptvorträge zum Thema „Der Erwerb von Lexikon und Semantik – Meilensteine, Störungen und Therapie“ als auch die Kurzvorträge promovierter Patholinguisten sind ausführlich dokumentiert. Außerdem enthält der Tagungsband die Abstracts der präsentierten Poster. / These proceedings contain the contributions presented at the “1st Herbsttreffen Patholinguistik” that took place on November 24, 2007 at the University of Potsdam. Three main lectures focused on "The acquisition of lexicon and semantics - milestones, impairments, and intervention". In addition, the proceedings contain short presentations on patholinguistic research and the abstracts of the presented posters.