Expressive+~+Receptive+Language

=**Receptive and Expressive Language Disability**=

The disorder may involve : (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1993) · 15-20% of the population have a language-based learning disability. · Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading. · Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. · Dyslexia affects males and females nearly equally, and people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds as well.
 * Lindsey Padlo and Sarah Laurens**
 * __Define it:__**
 * Language:** a socially shared code or conventional system for representing concepts through the use of arbitrary symbols and rule-governed combinations of those symbols. (Shames, Wiig, & Secord, 1994)
 * Language disorder:** impaired comprehension or use of spoken, written, or other symbol systems.
 * The form of language (structure) [phonology, morphology, syntax]
 * The content of language (semantics) [meaning, vocabulary]
 * The function of language (pragmatics) [social communication, discourse]
 * How Common Are Language-Based Learning Disabilities?**

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.
 * What is dyslexia?**


 * __Characteristics of Receptive & Expressive Language Disability:__**

A student with a mixed receptive-expressive language disability will generally be characterized by having a difficulty with spoken communication. The following characteristics may be evident in students with a receptive-expressive language disability :
 * Has difficulty in various social settings as s/he may not be able to process what is being said as well as be unable to coherently express her or himself.
 * Spoken language shows limited vocabulary, incomplete sentences, improper grammar, and confused or poorly sequenced thoughts.
 * Says one thing but writes something else.
 * Written work is unorganized and messy.
 * Has difficulty following oral directions and may require written directions.
 * Work shows poor coherence in the structure of sentences, paragraphs and longer passages.
 * Has difficulty understanding what others are saying to him/her and therefore responds innapropriately.


 * __Misconceptions to Address:__**


 * People with learning disabilities who can't use proper grammar are not very bright. ** The nature of a learning disability is such that the person performs at an average to above average level in all levels of functioning except for one or two specific areas. Therefore, a person's ability to write a grammatically correct sentence is independent of their ability to create and organize thoughts.


 * Dyslexia is like seeing things backwards.** A lot of people don't know that in most cases, Dyslexia involves phonological, auditory processing problems. Also a lot of people aren't aware that speech problems are //symptoms// of Dyslexia and that many have had a history of speech therapy in special education. A lot of Dyslexics benefit from early intervention special education, and so they can learn to read, write, and spell well. A lot of people think that speech problems indicate low intelligence.


 * __Accommodations for Individual Students:__**

Speak slowly and clearly at all times. Presentation of new material may be modified to meet the child’s comprehension needs. Model planning strategies the student uses to organize and focus written assignments.

//__An Example:__// Some instructional strategies for students’ processing/production errors : Instructor’s request : Use //lunge// in a sentence. Student’s response : The students //lunged// around all afternoon.


 * Provide some validation (that’s very close. I may not have said it clearly…)
 * Examine further : put the word into context and repeat the question
 * Introduce phonemic training : Put lunge & lounge on the board. Ask ‘where do these two words differ ? ‘u’ (short u) vs. ‘ou’ Present other similar sounding/appearing words : lunch / luge.
 * Clarify the miscue : What’s that room where the kids hang out ?
 * Use gestural cues (act out the words)
 * Use semantic cues (from context – sentences)
 * Present word families and word associations for meanings of each word.
 * Ask for synonyms and antonyms of each, where applicable.

(This student did not discriminate /ou/ from /u/ in medial positions of words. He had demonstrated decoding skills at an age-appropriate level, and was slated for a college prepatory course, which he did enter the next year. Yet, at age 14, he continued to demonstrate deficits in phonological awareness. This persistent difficulty surely compromised his comprehension, both in conversing and in reading literature. Had that question not been asked him orally, the error might have gone undetected. This is an example of how many students might pass pure-tone hearing screening tests, but fail speech discrimination tests.


 * __Resources for Additional Information :__**


 * American Speech-Language-Hearing Association : []
 * [|Learning Disabilities Association]
 * [|British Dyslexia Association]
 * [|Dyslexia Research Institute]
 * [|Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center]
 * [|International Dyslexia Organization]
 * // Succeeding Together: People With Disabilities in the Workplace //: // A Curriculum for Interaction // by Terri Goldstein, M.S., CRC, Michael Winkler, M.S., and Margaret Chun, M.S. A downloadable version of the Succeeding Together manual can be found at: [|www.csun.edu/~sp20558/dis/emcur.html]
 * Robbie Stacey (Landmark School for children with language-based learning disabilities, founded in 1971). Developed a manual for teachers to use (1999) : « Thinking About Language : Its form, meaning, and function » A Teacher’s Handbook for Oral Expression (rstacey13@yahoo.com). Skills are divided into 5 linguistic areas : phonology (speech sounds), morphology (meaningful word parts), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (meaning, vocabulary), and pragmatics (social communication, discourse). The order of skill goals are presented in the same manner as that of normal language development in children (Elisabeth Wiig and Eleanor Semel 1984 « Language Assessment & Intervention for the Learning Disabled, 2nd Edition.). Pragmatics goals from Barbara Weinrich, et al. « Pragmatics for Adolescents in the Classroom » and Charlann Simon’s « Evaluating Communicative Competence (1994).


 * __Instructional Materials :__**

Language Circle Enterprises: Project Read/Language Circle (phone 800-450-0343) [|http://www.projectread.com]

McCarthy, T. 1997. //Teaching literary elements.// NY : Scholastic Professional Books.

Bush, C. 1979. //Language remediation and expansion – 100 skill-building reference lists//. Tucson, AZ : Communication Skill Builders.

Gajewski, Nancy, et al. 1989. //Social skills strategies, books A & B//. Tucson, AZ : Thinking Publications.

Johnston, Elizabeth, et al. 1984. //A sourcebook of pragmatic activities//. Tucson, AZ : Communication Skill Builders.

Kisner, Rita, et al. //Warm-Up Exercises – Calisthenics for the brain, Books 1,2, 3//. Eau Claire, WI : Thinking Publications.

Mayo, Patty, et al. 1986 //Scripting : social communication for adolescents//. Eau Claire, WI : Thinking Publications.

Zachman, L. et al. 1982. //Manual of exercises for expressive reasoning//. Moline, IL : Lingui Systems.

Wiig, E. and Semel, E. 1984. //Language assessment & intervention for the learning disabled// (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH : Merrill.

Wiig, E. and Secord, W. 1989. //Test of Language Competence—Expanded//. San Antonio : The Psychological Corporation.

Cullinan, Bernice. 1993. //Children’s voices: talk in the classroom//. Newark, DE : Intl. Reading Association.

Semel, E., Wiig, E., and Secord, W. 1995. //Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals//

Palmer, Michelle O’Brian. 1997. //Great Graphic Organizers to Use with Any Book !// NY : Scholastic, Inc.


 * __Curricular Modifications:__**

Modifying the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners is very important. Modifications will vary based on the students and the grade level. Curricular modifications that have been successful for a kindergarten student with receptive-expressive language disability and have been helpful to all the students include the following:
 * Repeating oral directions and having the student follow what the other students are doing.
 * When introducing a new word, we point it out in the text and have the student point to it and read it (focusing on only one new word at a time).
 * We noticed that the student was particularly good at memorizing what he saw visually, so while teaching the alphabet, we had him memorize the letters.
 * We have our student point to the words as he is reading.
 * To assist him in phonological awareness, we play a sound game where he places a coin in a slot for every syllable/sound that he hears in the word, and we limit it to words with 2-3 syllables.
 * While learning the color words, we sent home flashcards for the student to practice memorizing the words. We also went over the words with him during reading groups. His strength is memorization, so he knows the words by memorizing them.
 * Repeating what the student says in a complete sentence, and having him repeat after us.