Language Disorders:from Infancy through Adolescence:

Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Rhea Paul, PhD, CCC-SLPProfessor, Yale Child Study Center

New Haven, Connecticut

Courtenay F. Norbury, PhD

Senior Research Fellow Department of Psychology Royal Holloway University of London London,England

pages 100-105

knowledge of different diagnostic groups can be useful in a number of ways.

first,a diagnostic label may be necessary to secure access to slp servives and educational support.

second ,althought the etiological classification associated with dld does not dictate the assessment and intervention strategies appropriate for each,knowing the classification often provides hints about what areas to look at in the assessment or what areas might receive priority in intervention.

third,the clinician reports and medical histories of client often contain information about the diagnostic categories.

definition and classification

intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior,which covers many everyday social and practical skills.this disability originates before the age of 18.

adaptive behavior comprise three skill types:

conceptual skills-language and literacy;money,time,and number concepts;and self-direction;

social skills-interpersonal skills,social responsibility,self-esteen,gullibility,naivete,social problem solving,and the ability to follow rules/obey laws and to avoid being victimized;

practical skills-activities of daily living (personal care),occupational skill, healthcare, travel/ transporta-tion , schedules/routines,safety,use of money,and use of the telephone.

clinicians need to determine the child's individual needs rather than focusing too much on diagnostic labels.

cognitive characteristics

language characteristics

form

content

use

literacy

each individual with require a thorough assessment of language abilities in different environmental contexts,supplemented by detailed discussion with families about successes and challenges in daily communication.

DLD associated with disorders of known genetic origin

down syndrome

cognitive characteristic

children wth DS experience global developmental delays in fine and gross motor skills.

language characteristic

expressive language is more severely impaired than receptive language abilities.

form

children with DS produce shorter and less complex sentences and fewer question/negation forms than typically developing peers matched for nonverbal mental age.

content

use

pragmatics is generally considered to be an area of strength for individuals with DS

when asked to narrate stories without picture support,individuals with DS may recall fewer important story elements.

literacy

oral language comprehension should form the foundations of educational interventions aimed at improving literacy skill for this population.

implications for clinical practice

the need to monitor hearing,because of recurrent ear infections,and the need to give detailed consideration to oral-motor structure and function,and how anomalies in oral-motor development may affect speech production and intelligibility.

the ultimate goal should be to improve functioning in communication,academic,social.and vocational areas.