Adolescent Language Therapy: Syntax and Semantics for Reasoning and Planning

Fahy, Jill K.; Browning, David K.

doi:10.1044/2021_persp-21-00017

Perspect ASHA SIGs

2021

DOI: 10.1044/2021_persp-21-00017

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Adolescent Language Therapy: Syntax and Semantics for Reasoning and Planning

Jill K. Fahy

David K. Browning

Abstract: Purpose Adolescent students face increased expectations to successfully navigate academic, social, and vocational transitions. As demands increase and support systems fade, adolescents with developmental language disorder and concomitant deficits in executive functions are particularly vulnerable to these high-stakes transitional moments. Limited language systems are not well suited for navigating the subtleties of social nuance, the abstraction of academic and vocational language, and the unfamili… Show more

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Cited by 3 publications

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Speech-Language Pathology Interventions for Children With Executive Function Deficits: A Systematic Literature Review

Senter

Chow

Willis

2023

LSHSS

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Purpose: The purpose of this synthesis was to systematically review the research and guidance for school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who provide intervention to children with developmental executive function (EF) deficits, particularly those children with co-occurring developmental language disorder (DLD). Method: We conducted a structured search of four major electronic databases, as well as a manual review of references and journals, which yielded 4,571 nonduplicate articles. We screened first titles and abstracts and then full texts to identify peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, and theses containing research or guidance for SLPs' interventions for children with co-occurring DLD and EF deficits; this process yielded 27 articles for analysis. We categorized these studies by type of publication and synthesized their contents to assess the evidence base for EF interventions in children with DLD and to evaluate the guidance for SLP-implemented direct and indirect interventions. Results: A small body of research explores the efficacy of SLPs' intervention for children with co-occurring DLD and EF deficits, generally finding modest but inconsistent effects of cognitive interventions and strategy training to improve language outcomes. Meanwhile, nonempirical articles (e.g., tutorials) offer guidance to SLPs to support students with EF deficits through direct and indirect services. Conclusions: A growing body of literature equips SLPs with the principles and strategies of EF intervention. Many of these articles are sourced from literature about children with EF deficits or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but few empirical studies measure the efficacy of these interventions for children with co-occurring DLD. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21401901

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Speech-Language Pathology Interventions for Children With Executive Function Deficits: A Systematic Literature Review

Senter

Chow

Willis

2023

LSHSS

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Sentences Are Key: Helping School-Age Children and Adolescents Build Sentence Skills Needed for Real Language

Balthazar,

Scott

2024

Am J Speech Lang Pathol

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Purpose: In this article, we present key concepts pointing to the importance of targeting complex sentences for school-age children and adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLD). Drawing on current treatment research, we argue that the sentence is a crucial but often neglected piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding relationships between DLD and academic outcomes. We provide detailed suggestions for how clinicians can focus on complex sentence structures in natural academic contexts to bridge this gap. Method: Background information on sentence complexity is presented, along with a rationale for targeting complex sentences with school-age children and adolescents with DLD. Intervention methods from a variety of studies targeting multiclausal sentences are discussed in relation to current accounts of language learning and language processing models. We provide a robust catalog of suggested strategies for targeting sentence complexity in a manner that is aligned with research findings to date and integrated into real academic contexts. Conclusions: Complex sentence structures are a key challenge for students with DLD as they tackle discipline-specific language and academic tasks. Sentence complexity treatment programs employ one or more treatment methods including priming, modeling, recasting, contextualization, metalinguistic instruction, and sentence combining. While studies have consistently shown a measurable improvement in complex sentence production on proximal outcomes regardless of treatment approach, evidence of durable, functional changes for students with DLD remains sparse. We encourage new treatments that target comprehension and production of complex sentences in real-life academic contexts in clinical practice and research. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23969103

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Maternal Question Use Relates to Syntactic Skills in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children

Buckalew,

Ramirez,

Schneider

2024

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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Purpose: This study examined how mothers' question-asking behavior relates to their child's syntactic skills. One important aspect of maternal question-asking behavior is the use of complex questions when speaking with children. These questions can differ based on both their purpose and structure. The purpose may be to seek out information, to teach, or to get a simple yes/no response. Questions may even be rhetorical, with no answer intended at all. Structurally, questions can include a wh -word ( who , what , when , where , why , and how ) or not; however, these wh -questions are important because they elicit utterances from the child and support vocabulary development. Despite wh -questions eliciting a response from children, it remains unknown how these questions relate to children's syntactic skills. Method: Thirty-four mother–child dyads participated in a 15-min seminaturalistic play session. Children were between the ages of 5 and 7 years ( M = 6.26 years, SD = 1.04 years; 20 girls/14 boys). The Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation (DELV) assessment was used to measure syntactic skills in children. Using the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts, questions were categorized based on structure ( wh -questions vs. non– wh -questions) and purpose (information-seeking, pedagogical, or yes/no and rhetorical questions). A repeated-measures analysis of covariance and a linear regression model were implemented to address the frequency of different questions asked by mothers, as well as what types of questions are most related to children's concurrent syntactic skills. Results: When controlling for total maternal utterances, results revealed that non– wh -questions and rhetorical/yes and no questions were the most frequent types of questions produced by mothers, in terms of structure and purpose, respectively. However, wh -questions were predominantly information-seeking questions. This is important, as the use of information-seeking wh -questions was positively associated with children's syntactic skills, as measured by the DELV, and resulted in children producing longer utterances in response to these questions, as determined by child mean length of utterance in words. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings suggest maternal use of wh -questions aids syntactic skills in children ages 5–7 years, likely because they require a more syntactically complex response on the child's behalf. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27276891

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Adolescent Language Therapy: Syntax and Semantics for Reasoning and Planning

Cited by 3 publications

References 57 publications

Speech-Language Pathology Interventions for Children With Executive Function Deficits: A Systematic Literature Review

Speech-Language Pathology Interventions for Children With Executive Function Deficits: A Systematic Literature Review

Sentences Are Key: Helping School-Age Children and Adolescents Build Sentence Skills Needed for Real Language

Maternal Question Use Relates to Syntactic Skills in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children

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