Integration of children with specific language impairments

Abstract

Current knowledge of the integration of children with specific language impairment (SLI) is examined. The paper begins by defining this group of children and the nature of their difficulties. The heterogeneous characteristics of SLI children are discussed. It then addresses the educational provisions made for SLI children and the opportunities for integration present in different models of provision. Research on the integration of SLI children is evaluated with particular emphasis on the difficulties encountered by this group of children. The paper concludes with some thoughts for future research.     

Early childhood special education pictorial literacy activities for young children with disabilities

Summary Alternative literacy activities can be adapted to complement the speech and language programs that have been developed to assist learners with disabilities. Pictorially based alternative literacy programs may involve rebus symbols, augmentative and alternative communication devices, or picture reading. Because these programs do not assume extensive language development, they can be appropriate for children with severe learning problems as a foundation or replacement for typical early reading activities.     

Early childhood family education

If they came with instructions, then you wouldn't need us reads the poster on the classroom door. It is a pleasant morning in early September and my twelve-month-old daughter, Laura, and I are going to our first day of school. Laura and I enter the infant and toddler room with anticipation.Barb Rose is a free lance writer living in St. Paul, MN, and the mother of a 2-year-old named Laura.     

Early childhood education in Guyana

Conclusion The problems of adequate housing for children's programs remain. Many teachers will not catch up with prevailing theories and practice in early childhood education in more technologically advanced countries for a while. Curriculum implementation at classroom level still needs much attention. The budget provided for early education keeps shrinking due to high inflation. Despite the problems, however, the introduction of a national early childhood education program was good for families who could not afford fee-paying schools for their children. “Going national” at the outset was problematic because of the number of issues that needed attention simultaneously. It however, removed the need for lobbying, which can be a long and arduous process before success is achieved. A national program of early childhood education also enabled nursery teachers to surmount many of the problems associated with their image as mere childminders and the low-liest on the rungs of the education ladder. For children, this program also performed an important socialisation and cognitive-developmental function and it forced parents to take another look at early childhood as a definite learning period in the life of the child. Liloutie Christina Taharally was closely involved in the administration of the national early education program, and the training and supervision of nursery teachers in Guyana. An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the 1985 Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children with Meg Barden Cline of the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.     

The number skills of children with specific language difficulties

This research, undertaken by Dr Gina Conti-Ramsden and her team at the University of Manchester, involved investigating three groups of children: children with specific language difficulties; 'maths poor' children; and a control group (n = 15, 12 and 15 respectively). These three groups of children were compared on a task of processing two and three digit numbers. Few differences were found between the children who had language difficulties and those who were 'maths poor'. These findings suggest that both groups of children may have some form of language difficulty that contributes to a delayed performance on some maths related tasks.     

Intervention for children with language impairments: a model of evidence-based outcome research

Over the past 30 years successive governments in the UK have endeavoured to make the statutory framework suitable for children with special educational needs (SEN). More recently, efforts have been made to personalise children's learning, making educational experience more innovative and responsive to the diversity of needs in schools. A drive is emerging in health and education to develop and evaluate intervention strategies for children with language impairments (LIs), which is both methodologically challenging and rewarding. The current review demonstrates difficulties encountered with using evidence-based (evidence-related) outcome research involving children with LIs. Many studies have inherent methodological problems such as small sample sizes, ill-matched groups and designs that are difficult to replicate or compare. Such approaches are unlikely to yield significant results, or if they do, it is difficult to devise clear guidance regarding choice of intervention strategies. In the light of these difficulties, theoretical, methodological and practical issues are discussed herein and a model is proposed to assist in enabling interventions to be identified, evaluated in a robust manner, and the results shared with educators. We suggest that the use of a process-driven model ensures a more rigorous approach when undertaking large-scale systematic, evidence-based research into the effective approaches to teaching children not only with LIs but across the field of special needs education.     

The effects of speech and language therapy intervention on children with pragmatic language impairments in mainstream school

In this article, Catherine Adams, clinical senior lecturer in speech and language therapy at the University of Manchester, and Julian Lloyd, senior lecturer in psychology at Newman College, Birmingham, describe the implementation and effects of an intensive programme of speech and language therapy for children who have pragmatic language impairment (PLI) attending mainstream education in the north west of England. An intervention which focused on aspects of pragmatic language such as conversation, inference and narrative was developed. Six children who have PLI (mean age=7;10 years), all with a Statement of special educational needs, participated in a single case study series in which they each received 20 sessions of the speech and language therapy programme in their own school. Guidance and specific training was provided for learning support assistants and classroom teachers. Despite showing heterogeneity in their initial profiles of impairment, progress in conversation skills was seen in all six children and some significant changes in language test performance were found. These findings suggest that intensive speech and language therapy intervention has the potential to produce generalis-able gains in language and communication skills in children who have PLI and indicate appropriate outcome measures for future effectiveness studies.     

Early childhood special education dental and oral hygiene procedures for young children with special needs

Summary The provision of dental services, including dental treatment and oral hygiene maintenance, to special-needs children presents unique challenges to health care professionals as well as to the parents and guardians of these special patients. A knowledge of dental care and of the implications of the various disorders common to these patients is vital to the long-term dental health of children with special needs. Limitations in treatment choices must be carefully explained to parents or guardians if inappropriate expectations are to be avoided. Many of the techniques of delivering quality dental services are difficult, time-consuming, and complicated. Yet it should be noted that the restoration of a diseased mouth takes more time and is more costly both monetarily and psychologically than efforts to provide adequate maintenance and prevention. When caregivers take the time to offer assistance to the young child with special needs, the best form of health care is being provided: prevention.     

论基于童年文化特征的幼儿教育

对童年期和童年文化本质的认识是早期 (幼儿 )教育理论研究的一个重要课题 ,因为早期(幼儿 )教育理论只有建立在对童年期和童年文化本质的跨学科探索的基础上 ,才能努力摆脱当前的肤浅和狭隘 ,才能谈得上真正尊重幼儿。文章试图从幼态持续这一问题入手 ,对童年期和童年文化的本质进行初步探讨 ,同时 ,强调童年文化的核心是儿童在其身心发育的原发性基础上 ,在其生活的微环境中 ,通过与父母及周围人的对话、交往 ,积极、主动地建构自己的心理世界。儿童的发展是一个自然历史和文化历史两条发展路线相互交织、融合和建构的过程。     

Spoken language development in oral preschool children with permanent childhood deafness

This article documented spoken language outcomes for preschool children with hearing loss and examined the relationships between language abilities and characteristics of children such as degree of hearing loss, cognitive abilities, age at entry to early intervention, and parent involvement in children's intervention programs. Participants were evaluated using a combination of the Child Development Inventory, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Preschool Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals depending on their age at the time of assessment. Maternal education, cognitive ability, and family involvement were also measured. Over half of the children who participated in this study had poor language outcomes overall. No significant differences were found in language outcomes on any of the measures for children who were diagnosed early and those diagnosed later. Multiple regression analyses showed that family participation, degree of hearing loss, and cognitive ability significantly predicted language outcomes and together accounted for almost 60% of the variance in scores. This article highlights the importance of family participation in intervention programs to enable children to achieve optimal language outcomes. Further work may clarify the effects of early diagnosis on language outcomes for preschool children.     

Meeting the needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties

Clinical and diagnostic approaches to special educational needs do not translate easily into educational models. In some cases, these approaches can serve to limit understanding of children's wider needs. Children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) are a case in point. Clear criteria exist for identification, but identification mechanisms may not relate to the child's wider educational needs. This paper addresses the ways that children with SSLD present in mainstream educational settings. The study aimed to identify all Year 3 children with SSLD in two English local education authorities. One hundred and thirty-three children (95 boys and 37 girls were identified). Sixty-five per cent of the children were in mainstream schools, 14.3 per cent in mainstream schools with designated units and the remainder in special schools. Half were at stage 5 of the Code of Practice, with most of the remaining participants at stage 3. Children experienced a wide range of difficulties, in addition to their primary speech and language problems. Patterns of difficulties varied across children, and associations existed between particular forms of language problems and learning and relationship problems. Professionals (teachers, educational psychologists and speech and language therapists) varied in their understanding of the children's needs. The data highlight the range and diversity of the needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties and the need for a multi-professional approach to these children. It is argued that ‘best practice’ for these children must consider the impact of speech and language problems on children's access to the curriculum and their social and behavioural needs. Narrow diagnostic models do not provide the appropriate information to inform educational practice and support inclusive policies.     

Early childhood care and education in India

A brief history of the development of Early Childhood Care and Education in pre and post Independent India has been given first. The current situation of ECCE, teacher training and research has been described and the Research — Policy — Program interface has been delineated.

Among the myriad issues confronting ECCE in the country a few have been selected for discussion.     

儿童早期教育价值——基于心理学视角

早期教育是人生教育、终身教育的起点。早期教育对一个人以后的习惯、道德、能力有着深远的影响,对早期教育价值的科学探讨和研究已成为教育研究的重要领域。本文试从心理学角度分析早期教育对儿童的价值,以及如何正确应用早期教育理念。