ASHA Schools 2014

CS09 - Phonological Complexity Principles: Promoting Efficient Change in Overall Intelligibility

This session introduces SLPs to complexity principles that will lead to efficient changes in a child's phonological system (rather than one sound at a time). Attendees will learn about linguistic universals that facilitate maximal changes in both treated and untreated sounds, which result in significant gains in overall intelligibility in the least amount of time. In particular, powerful research and anecdotal evidence about teaching complex clusters will be shared, along with examples of system-wide changes that occurred for several preschool and school-age students in San Diego Unified School District. Furthermore, SLPs will apply these principles when selecting treatment targets for children featured in two case studies: a young child with a phonological disorder and a school-age child with several later-developing singletons in error. After this 2-hour session, SLPs will also have the opportunity to access additional resources for both assessment and treatment.

CS14 - Systematic RTl: Collaborating With Families, Teachers, and Other Professionals

San Diego Unified School District has offered two, long-term successful Response to Intervention (RTI) programs since 2004, including the Speech Improvement Class model for children with mild articulation errors and preschool RTI for children at risk for language disorders. Many school-based SLPs provide services for both school-age and preschool-age students; therefore, the principles will be applicable to a large percentage of attendees. This workshop will feature information about both service delivery models as well as numerous resources for other districts and Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) to implement similar services. For both, SLPs will walk away with a well-organized set of procedures and strategies for partnering effectively with parents and teachers in supporting communication development. In a recent meta-analysis, Law, Garrett, and Nye (2010) found that trained parents facilitated language development as effectively as SLPs. Therefore, SLPs can empower all adults to promote better communication skills in the naturalistic contexts of the home and the classroom. If districts and individual SLPs apply these principles, this will support the short-term support of speech and language development of children who demonstrate speech and language differences and will allow proper identification of students who require long-term support due to speech and language disorders. This will result in a more efficient use of time, energy, and resources.