The Contribution of Socioeconomic Status to Children's Performance on Three Grammatical Measures in the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument

Home language variation in the narratives of urban First Nations Australian children in their first year of school

First Nations children may speak a dialect of English that has different grammatical rules from Standard Australian English (school language). Limited studies have investigated Aboriginal English (home language) dialect in First Nations children and its impact on differential diagnosis of language disorder. This study measured the density of home language dialect and grammatical accuracy in oral narratives produced by typically developing First Nations children. Non-standardised assessment narrative protocols were used to elicit language samples from 27 Australian First Nations children aged 4.5-6 years. Local home language dialectal features were coded into the sample and grammatical accuracy was calculated separately for school language and home language. All children displayed some use of home language features. The most common home language features used were alternative use of regular past tense and irregular past tense, zero use of regular and irregular past tense, and alternative use of pronouns. Dialect density varied highly amongst participants. Grammatical accuracy was higher for home language than school language. Speech pathologists and teachers need to be aware of differences between home and school language for First Nations children to avoid misdiagnosis of language disorder. More research is required to gain normative data that informs culturally appropriate assessment practices for this population.

Maximizing Student Outcomes in Schools: Data-Driven Individualized Education Program Goals and Objectives Aligned to the Standards

PURPOSE

Federal and state laws require schools to be accountable for student performance on measures of academic achievement in literacy, mathematics, and science skills; monitor high school graduation rates; and track student growth and academic progression throughout the grade levels. Success on these measures gives students pathways to postsecondary options in the workforce, technical education, or college/university education. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can utilize existing data sources in the school in conjunction with their knowledge of diagnostics and treatment of cognition, language, and culture to maximize student outcomes beyond the therapy room and in the curriculum standards.

METHOD

This clinical focus article will review methods of data collection from existing sources in the students' grade level and academic content curriculum. Utilization of information and input from parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and others who support the student's academic endeavors will be discussed for Individualized Education Program Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance and goal development. Procedures for the SLP to collect independent data aligned to standards-based curriculum will be explored. Consideration will be given for utilizing data to develop future goals and objectives. The benefits of data collection for monitoring student progress and success in the grade-level or alternate standards will be highlighted through case examples. Techniques for classroom-based services, model lessons, coaching, and co-teaching will be presented.

CONCLUSIONS

SLPs are recognized as specialized instructional support personnel who have unique knowledge and expertise for diagnosing and treating speech/language impairments (S/LI) disabilities. By understanding how they can use existing data and apply it to developing intervention plans, SLPs can ensure students with S/LI disabilities experience the maximum potential for outcomes in academic and functional success. Data-driven tools and methods aligned to the grade-level standards and curriculum are one of the most powerful tools in an SLP's toolbox.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24869592.

Adversity Exposure, Syntax, and Specific Language Impairment: An Exploratory Study

PURPOSE

Children exposed to adversity (e.g., chronic poverty, traumatic events, and maltreatment) are at increased risk for performing below age expectations on norm-referenced language assessments, but it is unknown whether the risk is higher for specific language impairment (SLI). This exploratory study investigated whether adversity exposure is associated with reduced grammar knowledge and SLI.

METHOD

The syntax subtest of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Norm-Referenced (DELV-NR) assessment was administered to 30 school-age children with known histories of adversity exposure. Their primary caregiver also completed a comprehensive adversity exposure measure, which captured adverse event type, frequency, chronicity, and severity. Analyses included t tests, correlations, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square.

RESULTS

Overall, the sample performed below age expectations on the DELV-NR Syntax subtest, and a higher percentage of participants (20%) met diagnostic criteria for SLI than expected. The SLI and typical language (TL) groups did not significantly differ in adversity dosage, frequency, chronicity, or severity; however, participants in the SLI group were 1.46 times more likely to have experienced physical trauma than the participants in the TL group.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with known histories of adversity exposure presented with grammatical deficits and SLI more often than expected based on the DELV-NR normative sample; however, features of the adverse event did not associate with SLI status except for exposure to physical trauma (e.g., physical abuse and victimization). Future research is needed to investigate the prevalence and potential causal pathways of SLI in this population.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20483706.