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This study examined the characteristics of 14 English Language Learners classified as having learning disabilities (LD) who were also identified as having speech and language impairments (SI) prior to, at, or after initial identification as LD. Data were collected under the auspices of a longitudinal study, Bilingual Exceptional Students: Effective Practices for Oral Language and Reading Instruction, conducted by multicultural special education faculty at the University of Texas at Austin between 1999 and 2002. Participants were served in bilingual education and bilingual special education programs in a large, central Texas school District. Archival data from students’ cumulative, bilingual and special education records were analyzed to profile student characteristics at the point of their initial LD and SI eligibility determinations. A clinical judgment panel comprised of bilingual special education experts analyzed student data and made independent eligibility recommendations for each participant. These recommendations were compared to the multidisciplinary teams (MDTs’) eligibility decisions. Findings revealed that MDTs based eligibility primary on the presence of an IQ-achievement discrepancy and did not adequately consider factors, other than the presence of LD that could explain student difficulties. When data other than the IQ-achievement discrepancy were considered, the clinical judgment panel classified 4 participants as LD and 9 as having disabilities other than LD; the panel felt that data for one student were insufficient to make an eligibility recommendation. Findings related to identification of SI for this population were limited because students were assessed using a Spanish translation of an English speech and language assessment developed by the district. Test results corroborated parents’ and teachers’ concerns that these students had significant communication problems. Implications for improving practices related to early intervention, referral, assessment, and eligibility determinations for ELLs are presented and suggestions for future research are delineated. / text

Šio darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti kalbos sutrikimų turinčių vaikų rišliuosius pasakojimus, taigi darbo objektas yra vaikų, turinčių kalbos sutrikimų, rišlieji pasakojimai. Šiame darbe buvo išanalizuoti dvidešimt trys priešmokyklinio amžiaus vaikų, turinčių kalbos sutrikimų, rišlieji pasakojimai. Darbą sudaro teorinė dalis, kurioje apžvelgiama kalbos sutrikimų klasifikaciją ir rišliojo pasakojimo metodika, bei tiriamoji dalis. Darbe buvo naudojami aprašomasis, teorinis ir analizės metodai. Tiriamojoje dalyje priešmokyklinio amžiaus vaikų, turinčių kalbos sutrikimų, rišlieji pasakojimai buvo išanalizuoti pirmiausiai pagal paveikslėlių sekos metodą. Išanalizavus rišliuosius pasakojimus pagal šį metodą, buvo pastebėta, kad papildomų klausimų uždavimas padeda vaikams geriau suprasti pasakojimo siužetą, todėl pasakojimai po užduotų papildomų klausimų tapo rišlesni, nuoseklesni ir ilgesni. Be to, vaikų pasakojimuose, kuriuose buvo rasta gramatinių netikslumų, po klausimų analizės šių gramatinių netikslumų neliko. Tolimesniuose teorinės dalies poskyriuose pasakojimai buvo analizuojami mikrostruktūros ir makrostruktūros lygmenyse. Šiose dalyse buvo tiriamas pasakojimų produktyvumas, sintaksės sudėtingumas, struktūrinių dalių subalansuotumas, pagrindinės minties atskleidimas ir teksto junglumas. Kalbos sutrikimų turinčių vaikų rišliojo pasakojimo darbo rezultatais galėtų pasinaudoti kalbininkai ir kiti mokslininkai, kurie domisi vaikų kalbos tyrimais. Tęsiant šį darbą, būtų galima... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this work is to analyse fictional narratives of children with specific language impairments (SLI), therefore, the fictional narratives of children with SLI is object of this paper work. Twenty three fictional narratives were analysed of pre-school children with SLI. This paper work consists of two main parts: theory and analysis. Classification of language disorders and methods of narratives were described in the theory part. Analytic, descriptive and theoretic methods have been used in the paper. First, pre-school children with SLI narratives were analysed by pictures sequence’s method. The results showed of this method analysis that additional questions help children to understand the main idea of the story. For this reason, children stories became more coherent, connected and longer after the additional questions’ analysis. Besides, grammatical imprecision disappeared in the children stories, which were told after the additional questions’ analysis. Second, pre-school children with SLI narratives were analysed by the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Narratives’ productivity, syntax complexity, balance of structural parts, the main idea of the story and text combinability were analysed in these sections. Results of the Fictional narratives of children with specific language impairments could be used by linguists and other scholars, who are interested in the children language analysis. Fallowing this work, this work results could be compared with... [to full text]

Magister Artium - MA / Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a global problem that affects various communities. FASD denotes a pattern of abnormalities intermittently seen in children born to women who consume huge quantities of alcohol during pregnancy (Church & Kaltenbach, 1997). Church and Kaltenbach (1997) suggest that FAS may be one of the primary causes of hearing, speech and other language problems in children. The two main approaches used to determine the effects of FASD on language are standardised language test (using a statistical approach to test some or all four domains of language, namely, phonology, syntax, morphology and semantics) applied to close-ended questionnaire answers and, to some extent, narrative analysis (in the course of which researchers use wordless picture books to analyse narratives in order to determine the social-communicative characteristics of individuals with FASD). Although the use of standardized measures of language might be helpful to determine problematic areas in relation to the different language domains (Wyper & Rasmussen, 2011), they do not show the difficulty with social-communicative functions which these children might be facing (Coggins, Friet, & Morgan, 1998). On the other hand, while narrative analysis addresses an important level of language (discourse level), it does not foreground the inherently interactive nature of language use and the problems that may be associated with communicative interactions. These shortcomings, in turn, suggest possible limitations in the interventions intended to address the language needs of children with FASD. There is, therefore, a need for complementary approaches that offer a more rounded picture of language impairment in children with FASD. In this study, three approaches are used in identifying features of the speech of children with FASD against the backdrop of comparisons with features in the speech of normally developing children. Firstly, conversational analysis (applied to spontaneous, open-ended speech) is introduced as a means to determine the more social-interactive aspects of speech impairment in children with FASD. Secondly, measures of linguistic aspects of speech (the mean length of utterance, Index of Productive Syntax and the number of different word roots) designed specifically for spontaneous speech are employed (they are applied to the same spontaneous data as the conversational analysis data). Thirdly, the more traditional standardized language test measures applied to non-spontaneous speech are used (covering the four domains of syntax, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics). The study’s objectives are to (1) compare patterns in the interactive speech of FASD children and normally developing children; (2) explore the relationship between FASD children and normally developing children in relation to both spontaneous speech measures and standardized measures of language; and (3) compare the impact of the primary caregiver's level of education on testing through spontaneous measures versus standardised measures. Using data from 14 children in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, the study finds that, on the conversational analysis measures, children with FASD, in contrast to normally developing children, tend to obey fewer rules of turn-taking, to overlap less, to engage less in self-repair and to struggle with management and maintenance of topics. The study also finds that children whose scores on the standardized language tests (with non-spontaneous data) suggest they have no language difficulty, especially in terms of phonology, obtained scores in measures of spontaneous speech that indicated language difficulty. The study also found that the socio-economic status of caregivers was a credible explanation for certain features in the speech of children with FASD is very similar to features in the speech of normally developing children. This finding highlights the role of family setting in mitigating the effects of FASD. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

The collaborative efforts of families, educators, and policy makers have merged vocational training with special education services for students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 introduced mandates for schools to provide transition services for students with disabilities based on three areas of need: a) education, b) employment, and independent living. This legislation has led to more work-based learning programs that meet the postsecondary needs for students with disabilities. Despite this increase in work-based learning programs many students with disabilities are still unable to make successful transitions into postsecondary outcomes. Using a mixed method design, this study examined the impact of a Job Experience Training (JET) program on the executive functioning skills of seven young men (15 to 18 years of age) over the course of seven weeks at an assisted living facility. Results of the teacher evaluations showed the students were capable of completing tasks, making individual goals, and increasing executive functioning skills while participating in the JET program. Conversely, the results from the parent and student assessments showed little to no change in executive functioning skills once the participants were outside the context of the assisted living facility. Future research is encouraged to examine a longitudinal study across multiple job sites that evaluates and measures the students’ ability to transfer executive functioning skills to other contexts and further investigate mentoring as the core teaching strategy of a JET program.

Previous research has shown that parent implemented intervention is effective in increasing the speech and language development of children with cleft lip and palate. To further determine the efficacy of this intervention, this study compared the speech and language development of children with CLP, who received parent implemented intervention, with a group of younger, typically developing children, matched for vocabulary size. This study also evaluated the language differences between the mothers of both groups of children. Speech and language assessments were administered to the typically developing children and their mothers at two times to mirror the time of assessment for the children with clefts who received a three-month intervention, in a prior study. The findings revealed that both groups of children demonstrated the same amount of speech and language growth as well as the cleft group exhibiting a decrease in compensatory articulation errors.

This article reviews the effectiveness of dose forms and the efficacy of dosage and distribution in morphosyntax intervention for children. Dose forms include the commonly used techniques, procedures, and intervention contexts that constitute teaching episodes; dosage includes the quantitative measures of dose, dose frequency, total intervention duration, and cumulative intervention intensity (S. F. Warren, M. E. Fey, & P. J. Yoder, 2007). Based on the literature, this article first outlines and evaluates the range of dose forms and intervention contexts that clinicians and researchers can employ to facilitate morphosyntactic acquisition. Then, it defines and evaluates research outcomes and provides examples of the dosage components. Current evidence, which focuses primarily on young children and early-developing morphology and sentence structures, suggests that some dose forms and dosage levels are more effective with some populations and some morphosyntactic forms than with others. Distributed practice within sessions and throughout the total period of treatment appears to be more facilitative than massed practice, at least for children with typical language development. The scant research concerning total intervention duration suggests that it affects children's developmental trajectory and that treatment attendance matters. What is missing from the research base is detailed information about the effectiveness and efficacy of intervention for the acquisition of particular morphosyntactic forms in specific populations. The article summarizes these gaps in 3 research goals that reflect the argument of S. F. Warren et al. that it is time to conduct systematic comparisons of specific dose forms while testing how each measure of dosage affects outcomes.

This study investigates the nature of Asperger's Syndrome and specifically the social impairments experienced by learners affected by this syndrome. The incorrect social language, narrow interests and repetitive routines, and the deficits of theory of mind, central coherence and executive functioning of learners with Asperger's Syndrome are also outlined, and an attempt is made to relate these impairments to the social difficulties that learners with Asperger's Syndrome may experience in any inclusive setting. Chapters two and three comprise an in-depth literature study on this specific subject, thus forming a basis for the empirical research reported in chapter five. A qualitative research design is used, first to gain information about and understanding of the nature of the social impairments that afflict learners with Asperger's Syndrome, and secondly to gauge the effectiveness of using social stories as a means to assist the social development of affected learners. More specifically, an ethnographic research design has been chosen for its flexibility which readily permits last-minute adjustments to suit any design, and also because it helps to give meaning to personal encounters. The sensitive nature of the topic is another important reason for choosing this approach (ie. interaction with the researcher could be "fine-tuned" to achieve the ends of this adapted interview situation effectively, circumspectly and safely without undue upset for all concerned). The interview responses of two mothers of learners with Asperger's Syndrome, as well as the observation of these learners are reported. The results of the interviews and observations are checked against the literature study for corroboration in order to bring about a more positive awareness of the impairments experienced by these learners. The technique of social stories was investigated as a method of enhancing the social development of learners with Asperger's Syndrome. Three specific social stories were developed for this research in order to test the effectiveness of this method. Positive outcomes were achieved after implementation of the stories. Results of this study indicated that knowledge and understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, as well as positive attitudes, are critical to ensure the acceptance and accommodation of learners with Asperger's Syndrome in the school environment and in society as a whole. Also, the issue of accommodating learners with Asperger's Syndrome in an inclusive setting should receive concerted attention since it can have major implications for their educational prospects. / Educational Studies / Thesis (D. Ed.)

This study investigates the nature of Asperger's Syndrome and specifically the social impairments experienced by learners affected by this syndrome. The incorrect social language, narrow interests and repetitive routines, and the deficits of theory of mind, central coherence and executive functioning of learners with Asperger's Syndrome are also outlined, and an attempt is made to relate these impairments to the social difficulties that learners with Asperger's Syndrome may experience in any inclusive setting. Chapters two and three comprise an in-depth literature study on this specific subject, thus forming a basis for the empirical research reported in chapter five. A qualitative research design is used, first to gain information about and understanding of the nature of the social impairments that afflict learners with Asperger's Syndrome, and secondly to gauge the effectiveness of using social stories as a means to assist the social development of affected learners. More specifically, an ethnographic research design has been chosen for its flexibility which readily permits last-minute adjustments to suit any design, and also because it helps to give meaning to personal encounters. The sensitive nature of the topic is another important reason for choosing this approach (ie. interaction with the researcher could be "fine-tuned" to achieve the ends of this adapted interview situation effectively, circumspectly and safely without undue upset for all concerned). The interview responses of two mothers of learners with Asperger's Syndrome, as well as the observation of these learners are reported. The results of the interviews and observations are checked against the literature study for corroboration in order to bring about a more positive awareness of the impairments experienced by these learners. The technique of social stories was investigated as a method of enhancing the social development of learners with Asperger's Syndrome. Three specific social stories were developed for this research in order to test the effectiveness of this method. Positive outcomes were achieved after implementation of the stories. Results of this study indicated that knowledge and understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, as well as positive attitudes, are critical to ensure the acceptance and accommodation of learners with Asperger's Syndrome in the school environment and in society as a whole. Also, the issue of accommodating learners with Asperger's Syndrome in an inclusive setting should receive concerted attention since it can have major implications for their educational prospects. / Educational Studies / Thesis (D. Ed.)