studies in American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (ASHA) journals that examine the efficacy and effectiveness of various intervention approaches ...
LSHSS
From the Editor
Using Our Knowledge of Typical Language Development Marilyn A. Nippolda
Purpose: In this column, the editor introduces the articles in the April issue of LSHSS ( Volume 45, Issue 2). All are part of a Clinical Forum, with a thought-provoking lead article by Alan Kamhi and several response articles by Kamhi’s colleagues. In this introduction to the April issue, Marilyn A. Nippold summarizes Kamhi’s main points, directs readers to the various perspectives presented by authors of the other articles in this Clinical Forum, and
speaks to the importance of the ideas presented—and their potential relevance to clinicians. Nippold reminds readers that this Clinical Forum provides a stimulating platform for discussion and debate among clinicians and researchers.
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intervention for children and adolescents with language disorders. An example of this knowledge is the development of syntax, the structural foundation of language. Understanding how syntax develops in older children and adolescents and how it differs from early syntactic development can offer valuable insight into the spoken language skills of a middle school student. On the one hand, if an SLP believes that syntactic development is largely complete once a child is speaking in full sentences that are free of grammatical errors, he or she is likely to overlook syntactic deficits in a 14-year-old who has mastered Brown’s morphemes in conversational speech but who produces short and simple utterances with little clausal density when explaining a complex topic in school. This could occur, for example, in science class, when the student is giving an oral report on the question of how paleontologists have used fossilized human footprints to learn about early migration patterns across Africa. On the other hand, if the SLP is familiar with the level of syntactic complexity that can be expected of a typical 14-year-old during an expository task such as this, he or she is likely to be successful in planning intervention for spoken language deficits in adolescents who struggle academically because of underlying language disorders. Moreover, the SLP’s understanding of how topic knowledge can support the use of complex syntax is an additional element that is essential to the process of successfully building spoken language skills in older children and adolescents. As I frequently tell my university students, one of our most valuable clinical tools is our knowledge of how syntax develops during the school-age and adolescent
n this issue of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, we present a Clinical Forum that focuses on the question of how to improve the assessment and intervention services that children and adolescents with language disorders receive. The lead article, written by Alan Kamhi, raises a number of key points for us to consider, and several of Kamhi’s colleagues in developmental language disorders have written articles in response to his article. As you will see, this forum offers substantial intellectual stimulation to enhance our clinical services. One point that Kamhi raises is that professionals frequently bemoan the small number of intervention studies that are published in our scientific journals. As the editor of LSHSS, I certainly agree that we need to publish more studies in American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) journals that examine the efficacy and effectiveness of various intervention approaches designed for children and adolescents with language disorders. Nevertheless, as Kamhi points out, a great deal of research has already been published about the steps, stages, and processes of typical language development in children and adolescents. For more than 60 years, scholars from different disciplines and countries have been studying human language development. As a result, they have contributed to a solid and everexpanding body of knowledge that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can draw upon when evaluating and planning
a
University of Oregon, Eugene
DOI: 10.1044/2014_LSHSS-14-0031
Key Words: intervention, language development, language disorders
Disclosure: The author of this column is the Editor for Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (2014).
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools • Vol. 45 • 87–88 • April 2014 • A American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Downloaded From: http://journals.pubs.asha.org/ by University of Oregon - Library, Marilyn Nippold on 04/12/2016 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx
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years, how it differs quantitatively and qualitatively from early syntactic development, and how the speaker’s level of syntactic complexity can vary greatly in relation to the demands of the communicative situation. Operating from this type of knowledge-based perspective is quite different from consulting a prepackaged treatment program for language intervention, and it is usually more difficult to
implement. But, when the end result is that the client begins to succeed with complex speaking tasks, gains confidence, and makes genuine progress in school, the additional effort is justified.
88 Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools • Vol. 45 • 87–88 • April 2014 Downloaded From: http://journals.pubs.asha.org/ by University of Oregon - Library, Marilyn Nippold on 04/12/2016 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/rights_and_permissions.aspx
Marilyn A. Nippold Editor, LSHSS
