Language Disorders

Definition.
     The term language disorder indicates a difficulty in understanding and using speech, the written word, or another symbol system. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a language disorder is “the impairment or deviant development of comprehension and/or use of a spoken, written, and/or other symbol system” (Bernthal and Bankson, 1993). The disorder may involve any of the following elements of language:

    1. Form 

Phonology: the sound system of a language and the rules that cover sound combinations: in English, for instance, a short a sounds like “ahhh”; an x usually sounds like “ks”; a ph sounds like “f.” 

Morphology: the structural system for words and word construction in a language. For example, the verb run can become the participle running. One way to remember the meaning of morphology is to think about how words “morph” into other words when the meaning changes. 

Syntax: the system in a given language for combining words to form sentences. English sentences typically put the subject first, then the verb, then the direct object, and so on. 

    2. Content 

Semantics: the meaning of words and sentences in a language. Skill in semantics includes the ability to visualize or interpret what someone has said or what you have read and to understand it. 

Analysis of Strategies That Assist Students Facing Trouble With Semantics 

   3. Function 

Pragmatics: the ability to combine form and content to communicate functionally and in socially acceptable ways—for example, knowing when to say what to whom. 

A student with a language disorder may be unable to understand spoken language or to produce sentences and share ideas in an age-appropriate way. The roots of these comprehension and production difficulties may reside in any of the areas of language just named. 

http://sped.wikidot.com/communication-disorders 

Identifying Language Disorders

It is important to distinguish speech and language impairment from language delay and language difference. Language delay is characterized by the emergence of language that is relatively late albeit typical in its pattern of development. In contrast to an impairment or a delay, a language difference is associated with systematic variation in vocabulary, grammar, or sound structures. Such variation is “used by a group of individuals [and] reflects and is determined by shared regional, social, or cultural and ethnic factors” and is not considered a disorder.

Unfortunately, non-native speakers of English, speakers of various dialects (whose language also varies within dialect), and bilingual or multilingual speakers are frequently classified as language delayed or disordered when, in fact, they are language different–although problems of under-identification also occur. This is particularly important in an increasingly pluralistic society such as ours in which 1 of 4 people identify as other than white non-Hispanic, approximately 17% of the population is bilingual (mostly speaking Spanish and English), and where minorities represent more than 50% of the population in several cities and counties.

The over-identification of culturally and linguistically diverse populations commonly occurs when a mismatch is observed and incorrectly interpreted between a language used in a particular community and that of the majority culture. This may be seen most clearly in the improper use of formal tests of speech and language to assess the competencies of speakers who are dissimilar to the sample upon which the test was formed and developed.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2491683/

When teaching students with a speech or language impairment there are certain modifications and adjustments that can be made in various aspects of the classroom to make the teaching process have more of an impact.

Adjustments in planning:

• Plan with others - speech language pathologists, AVTs, special education staff, year level teams and subject area teams to incorporate the priorities for the student.
• Consider the IEP as a way of prioritizing adjustments needed to access the curriculum e.g. communication goal - student to ask for help from peers as well as the teacher.
• Make instruction and activities multimodal - use as much visual and kinaesthetic as possible.
• Directly teach routines and structures of the school and classroom.

Modifications for teaching:

• Use teamwork for task completion with a range of responsibilities within the student team such as recorder, designer, store person, encourager, researcher, explainer and speaker.
• Provide an outline of what is to be learnt - focus on key concepts.
• Teach use of organizers such as color coding, pictorial labels, visual timetables and sequences, now/later charts.
• Reduce the amount and complexity of materials where appropriate - break into small, achievable steps.
• Increase the opportunities to practice new skills and concepts - teaching younger child, demonstrating to other adults, practicing on the computer with a peer.
• Use available human resources - adults & peers.
• Teach other class members to use communication devices with the student.

Adjustments in assessments:

• Use technology to record students work; for example, digital photography.
• Collect annotated work samples over time.
• Reduce quantity of work required.
• Conduct one-to-one conferences.
• Organize additional breaks and extra time, if required.
• Organize for the student to point/identify rather than formulate answers.
• Use pictures to support text: diagrams, flow charts, and timelines.
• Use alternative communication system to demonstrate student learning.

Modifying the class environment:

• Reduce distractions: auditory, physical, movement.
• Provide space to enable flexible learning areas - focus activity, quiet and listening areas.
• Consider incorporating a visible outside or wet area learning space.
• Personalize learning spaces with pictorial sequences or reminders.
• Provide pictorial rule reminder charts, and book and storage labels.
• Provide space for students to work quietly with an adult volunteer or aide.
• Seat the student to enable work with a peer to cue them to task and clarify instructions.
• Enhance listening environment: close to teacher, reduction in noise, sound field amplification.

Adjusting resources:

• Provide a range of source materials such as readers, magazines, posters, at various levels.
• Obtain copies of materials from other year levels, such as workbooks.
• Use computers to provide additional practise of concepts and skills.
• Explore local resources - Library Services, AVTs, Districts and Therapists.
• Create resources with symbol/visual support - using specialised software or digital photos.
• Use Assistive Technology specialised software programs for literacy and visual support - text to speech, word prediction, visual organisers etc.

http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/learning/diversity/educational/sli.html

Here is a short video a Professor from the University of Arizona published.

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Language Disabilities

Learning disabilities come in all shapes and sizes from sever difficulty in areas to mild difficulty.  This is true when talking about language disabilities.  When diagnosing a child with language disabilities, there are certain indicators that teachers and administrators aalike should be watching for. Here is a list of a few indicators that show what the children may have difficulties with.

• Expressing ideas clearly, as if the words needed are on the tip of the tongue but won't come out. What the child says can be vague and difficult to understand (e.g., using unspecific vocabulary, such as "thing" or "stuff" to replace words that cannot be remembered). Filler words like "um" may be used to take up time while the child tries to remember a word.
• Learning new vocabulary that the child hears and/or sees 
• Understanding questions and following directions that are heard and/or read
• Recalling numbers in sequence (e.g., telephone numbers and addresses)
• Understanding and retaining the details of a story's plot or a classroom lecture
• Reading and comprehending material
• Learning words to songs and rhymes
• Telling left from right, making it hard to read and write since both skills require this directionality
• Letters and numbers
• Learning the alphabet
• Identifying the sounds that correspond to letters, making learning to read difficult
• Mixing up the order of letters in words while writing
• Mixing up the order of numbers that are a part of math calculations
• Spelling
• Memorizing the times tables
• Telling time

Many times these issues are discovered over time in the classroom, there are certain activities that teachers can do to help facilitate learning with language disabled students. The students are given a more individualized approach to learning language through different intervention technique.

http://www.ldanatl.org/

http://www.ldonline.org/

Above are 2 online resources to help with the understanding of language disabilittime