Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Speech and Language: issues related to inclusion

Issues Related to Inclusion for Speech and Language Disorders



  • Literacy skills suffer and children with speech and language delays tend to have difficulty coping with academic subjects.
  • There are perceived bahaviour disorders since these children don't feel understood, they appear to not conform.
  • Withdrawal from social contact, embarrassment, guilt, anger, anxiety, low self-esteem and aggression all affect school performance
  • Poor self perception and lower school achievement are common with students having physical impairments, i.e. clefts  
Language problems are generally assessed by a team comprising of a psychologist, a speech clinician, a physician, an educator and possibly a neurologist. Ruling out low IQ and hearing loss then testing linguistic and cognitive skills. Most school boards have speech and language specialists that are available to provide direct intervention in the classroom. However availability is subject to the individual school board.

Clues to a Speech or Language Disorder
·         Does the student follow simple directions?
·         Does the student understand the meanings of words that others understand?
·         Does the student have a limited vocabulary compared with age peers?
·         Does the student understand longer, more complex sentences?
·         Does the student follow the general rules of grammar?
·         Does the student have more than normal difficulty finding the correct word?
 

General classroom instruction seems more appropriate for children with speech and language differences. Modelling functional communication and conversational skills.

·       Direct Teaching –Teachers respond to communicative attempts    to encourage more elaborate speech and language.

·       Naturalistic Approach – Through social interaction, using functional language that is useful and relevant in a child’s everyday activities.

Making the classroom an enjoyable  and comfortable place for the student to work on his/her speech and language  is key.

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