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SERVICE DELIVERY TO LOW-SES CHILDREN WITH POTENTIAL AND IDENTIFIED LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS

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Lisa Cabiale O'Connor, M.A. Progressus Therapy of Marin. Many thanks... Ogston, Roberts-Fiati, & Swenson, 1995; Loeb, Fuller, Kagan, & Chang, 2004) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: SERVICE DELIVERY TO LOW-SES CHILDREN WITH POTENTIAL AND IDENTIFIED LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS


1
SERVICE DELIVERY TO LOW-SES CHILDREN WITH
POTENTIAL AND IDENTIFIED LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS
  • Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin, Ph.D.
  • Professor, California State University,
    Sacramento
  • Lisa Cabiale OConnor, M.A.
  • Progressus Therapy of Marin

2
Many thanks.
  • To Plural Publishing for permission to cite from
  • Roseberry-McKibbin, C. (2008). Increasing
    language skills of students from low income
    backgrounds Practical strategies for
    professionals.

3
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDWe have a great deal
of diversity at the first authors elementary
school1/3 of our students are ELLs (English
Language Learners). 60 are on free/reduced
lunch, and 9 are White the other 91 are
children of color
4
In any discussion of service delivery, we want to
follow principles of evidence-based practice
  • Requires an integration of best research evidence
    for clinical procedures with sound judgment and
    clinical expertise (Roseberry-McKibbin Hegde,
    2006).
  • Means that as much as possible, we as clinicians
    should use only those procedures that are
    supported by research.

5
No Child Left Behind
  • Addresses inequities in our educational system in
    several ways
  • Students with disabilities must participate in
    state accountability systems for reading and math
    in grades 3-8
  • Accommodations are allowed for these students as
    necessary
  • Schools must show adequate annual progress toward
    all students being proficient in math and
    reading, or the school will face penalties.

6
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA
2004)
  • LEAs (local education agencies) are allowed to
    eliminate the IQ-achievement discrepancy gap that
    formerly was mandated in order to qualify
    students for many special education services
  • There is a greater emphasis on pre-referral
    services

7
Schools may now use more funds for early
interventionSome schools are utilizing an
RtI (response to intervention) model to support
low-SES children, especially in the early grades.
8
II. UNDERSTANDING VARIABLES AFFECTING LOW-SES
STUDENTS PERFORMANCE
  • A. Background
  • Never equate poverty with dysfunction

9
  • Remember (Woolfolk, 2004, p. 157)
  • Social class is a significant dimension of
    cultural differences, often overpowering other
    differences such as ethnicity or gender. For
    example, upper class Anglo-European Americans,
    African Americans, and Hispanic Americans often
    find that they have more in common with each
    other than they have with lower-class individuals
    from their own ethnic groups

10
  • Poverty in the U.S. has grown in both extent and
    magnitude.
  • The Reagan administration guaranteed that the
    truly needy would be provided for by the
    social safety net.
  • Despite these assurances, social welfare programs
    were deeply slashed in the 1980s and 1990s.
    Homelessness, poverty, and hunger reached levels
    unknown in the U.S. since the Great Depression
    (de Fazio, 2006).

11
  • In the 21st century, the U.S. has the highest
    rate of poverty for children of all developed
    nationsas much as five to eight times higher
    than other industrialized countries.
  • Poverty continues to plague our society despite
    decades of national effort and trillions of
    federal dollars spent trying to combat it
    (National Center for Policy Analysis, 2009).

12
Potential psychological and physical effects of
poverty include
  • Malnutrition
  • Illness
  • Hearing and vision problems
  • Housing problems (e.g., lead poisoning,
    homeless, frequent moving, crowded conditions,
    no place to play outside)
  • Neighborhood problems (e.g., violence)
  • Family stress
  • Fewer learning resources
  • Lack of cognitive and linguistic stimulation

13
B. Situational vs. Generational Poverty(Payne,
2003 Roseberry-McKibbin, 2008a)
  • Situational poverty (common for immigrants)
  • Occurs for a shorter period of time
  • Usually is the result of circumstances (divorce,
    illness, death)
  • People have a sense of pride, and a belief in
    their ability to rise above their circumstances
    through hard work
  • They may refuse to accept offers of help as
    charity

14
Generational poverty
  • Poverty affects a family for two generations or
    longer
  • Usually welfare is involved
  • A common attitude is I am stuck, and the world
    owes me.
  • There is a short-term value system, which
    emphasizes survival in the presentnot planning
    for the future (e.g., long-range educational
    plans)

15
  • The values of persons in situational and
    generational poverty may differ in a number of
    areas

16
  • SITUATIONAL POV.
  • Time is to be valued punctuality is critical
    the future is important
  • Destiny is in our hands we all have choices
    internal locus of control
  • Education is crucial for getting ahead in life,
    making good , being respected
  • GENERATIONAL POV.
  • You get there when you get there the present
    is most important survival
  • you cant fight city hall learned
    helplessness external locus of control
  • Valued in the abstract not emphasized as a
    reality or obtainable goal

17
  • SITUATIONAL POV.
  • Life priorities include achievement, possessions,
    status
  • Money is to be saved, managed, invested
  • Religion is one of the accoutrements of life
    fits into the persons schedule
  • GENERATIONAL POV.
  • Survival, entertainment, relationships its all
    about the PRESENT
  • Money is to be spent, especially on things that
    bring pleasure in the moment
  • May be the center of much of life a great deal
    of time may be spent at the church

18
  • SITUATIONAL POV.
  • With language, formal register is used language
  • is used to meet needs, get ahead in life
  • Interaction style quiet is valued
    conversational partners do not interrupt, but
    politely wait their turn
  • GENERATIONAL POV.
  • Casual register is used language is used for
    entertainment and for survival
  • There is constant background noise interruptions
    during conversation are common and expected

19
  • SITUATIONAL POV.
  • Entertainment is a reward for hard work money is
    used for education and life comforts leftover
    is used for entertainment after other priorities
    are met
  • Discipline is important punishment/negative
    consequences are about change dont be sorry,
    be different
  • GENERATIONAL POV.
  • Entertainment plays crucial role highly valued
    may take precedence over education the present
    is all we havewhy not enjoy life right now? Live
    in the moment
  • Punishment is not about change it is about
    penance and forgiveness the persons behavior
    continues as before

20
  • SITUATIONAL POV.
  • Organization and planning are very important.
    Life is carefully scheduled into structured time
    slots. Structure is crucial. Calendars, iPhones,
    and other organizational devices proliferate
  • GENERATIONAL POV.
  • Organizational/planning devices are virtually
    nonexistent. Clutter is common structure is not
    valued. Planning ahead is not common living by
    the seat of your pants is typical

21
Most professionals
  • Are either from the middle class or from
    backgrounds of situational poverty
  • They may have value clashes with families who
    experience generational poverty

22
III. FACTORS IMPACTING ORAL LANGUAGE
CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW-SES CHILDREN
23
LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS CORRELATED WITH LOW SES
  • Being poor does not cause children to have
    language and behavioral impairments as stated,
    we should never equate poverty with dysfunction
  • However, certain language and behavioral
    characteristics are associated with being from a
    low-SES background

24
Limited access to health care
  • Can impact language skills
  • If the mother is malnourished during pregnancy,
    this impacts brain development
  • Children who are often sick miss school

25
If children come to school sick or hungry
  • They have difficulty learning
  • It is hard to concentrate
  • If they have middle ear infections, this can
    impact listening and even written language (e.g.,
    reading, spelling)

26
Research has documented
  • A strong correlation between adults education
    and their income levels.
  • Long-term welfare dependency is associated with
    low literacy skills and a lack of a high school
    diploma

27
Caretakers who have little formal education
  • May not provide adequate oral language
    stimulation for their children
  • They may not believe that it is important to talk
    with babies and young children (who are not
    treated as conversational partners)

28
Again, research shows that
  • Low-SES parents tend to provide less language
    stimulation than middle- and upper-income parents
  • One study showed that the amount of verbal
    stimulation provided to children, along with SES,
    significantly related to the childrens verbal
    skills at 5 years of age

29
An example in working a puzzle (Woolfolk, 2004)
  • Low-SES mother No, that piece goes here!
  • Middle-SES mother What shape is that piece? Can
    you find a spot that is straight like that piece?
    Does the color match Nolook again for a
    straight, red piece. Yes, try that onegood for
    you!

30
The middle-SES child
  • Is benefiting from verbal elaboration,
    problem-solving opportunities, conceptual
    development, and encouragement to take initiative
  • The low-SES child is getting no opportunities to
    gain these skills, which are so important in
    school

31
In terms of educational levels of caregivers
  • Research has found that SES is more critical to a
    childs language development than ethnic
    background
  • The factor most highly related to SES is the
    mothers educational level

32
Hart Risley 1995
  • Conducted longitudinal studies of families from
    various ethnic and SES backgrounds.
  • Over several years, they observed in the homes of
    3 groups of 1-2 year old children from 3 groups
    1) welfare, 2) working class, 3) professional.
  • Hart, B., Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful
    differences in the everyday experiences of young
    American children. Baltimore Paul H. Brookes
    Publishing Co.

33
Hart Risley concluded that
  • SES made an overwhelming difference in how much
    talking went on in a family.
  • The family factor most strongly associated with
    the amount of talking in the home was not
    ethnicity, but SES

34
Hart Risley extrapolated thatIn a 365-day
year, children from professional families would
have heard 4 million utterancesChildren from
welfare families would have heard 250,000
utterancesChildren from working class families
fell somewhere in between
35
  • Even by 3 years of age, the difference in
    vocabulary knowledge between children from
    welfare and middle class homes was so great that
    in order for the welfare children to gain a
    vocabulary equivalent to that of children from
    working class homes, these welfare children would
    need to attend a preschool program for 40 hours
    per week where they heard language at a level
    used in the homes of professional families.

36
IV. SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE LANGUAGE
STIMULATION FOR LOW-SES BABIES
  • Research shows that high-quality preschool
    programs portend the best short- and long-term
    results for at-risk children from low-SES homes
  • It is especially ideal if these programs can
    begin in infancy (The Carolina Abecedarian
    Project, 2006 Hart Risley, 1995 Fowler,
    Ogston, Roberts-Fiati, Swenson, 1995 Loeb,
    Fuller, Kagan, Chang, 2004)

37
  • Researchers have found that many times, parents
    do not look at books with their infants
  • Parents also do not imitate sounds their babies
    make
  • An important developmental window is being missed

38
  • Fowler et al. (1995) studied 2 groups of infants
    from various cultural groups
  • In group A, language stimulation was begun at 4
    months of age
  • In group B, language stimulation was begun at 12
    months of age

39
  • Fowler and colleagues followed these infants into
    adolescence
  • They found that in high school, group A students
    surpassed group B students on almost all
    cognitive, linguistic, and social measures
  • The first 6 months of life is a very critical
    window for infant linguistic and cognitive
    stimulation

40
  • We can encourage caregivers to
  • 1. Read to babies (simple books with colorful
    pictures are best)
  • 2. Talk to the babyface-to-face contact is ideal
  • 3. Label common objects
  • 4. Introduce music and singing

41
  • 5. Let the baby have a safe-glass mirror to look
    in
  • 6. Point out and label body parts during
    activities such as dressing and bathing
  • 7. Use short utterances with simple syntax
  • 8. Heighten facial expressions, gestures, and
    intonation

42
  • 9. Play turntaking games such as pattycake and
    peek-a-boo
  • 10. In very early infancy, introduce
    black-and-white objects
  • 11. Imitate sounds the baby makes, and make new
    sounds
  • 12. Make a habit of using greetings and
    leavetakings (Bye bye, Allison!)

43
  • 13. Provide many opportunities for babies to put
    simple objects into containers and then take them
    out
  • 14. While doing household chores and errands,
    bring the baby along and describe what is
    happening
  • 15. Introduce 2 languages from birth if possible

44
  • We can provide caregivers with lists of these
    suggestions
  • Payne (2003) has also shown that sending home
    short DVDs with techniques demonstrated is highly
    effective, as most people own DVD players

45
  • V. SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR
    LOW-SES PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

46
To increase expressive language skills.
  • Talking with the child as much as possible is
    very helpful
  • Extensions are quite powerful
  • Child Kitty!
  • Adult Yes, there is a black kitty sitting on
    the sidewalk.

47
When we use extensions
  • We add new grammatic and semantic information to
    the childs utterance
  • Another example
  • Child I see bus!
  • Adult Yes, look at that big yellow bus going
    down the road.

48
Caregivers can also use self-talk
  • Where they describe their own activities during
    interaction
  • For example Look, I have to start the car. I
    better turn on the heat because it is cold
    outside. Its winter, and we need to get warm!

49
In the technique of parallel talk
  • The caregiver talks about what the child is doing
  • Look, you have a tricycle! I bet you will go
    really fast around the playground. That red
    tricycle is fun!

50
Increasing Literacy Skills
  • Reading, writing, spelling
  • ?
  • Phonological awareness
  • ?
  • Oral language (including narrative skills)
  • ?
  • Foundation is environmental experiences and
    exposure

51
Bloom and Lahey stated that
  • Language is a system of symbols used to represent
    concepts that are formed through exposure and
    experience

52
Begin with phonological awareness
  • Phonological awareness is the ability to
    consciously reflect on and manipulate the sound
    system of a language.
  • It is foundational to success in reading,
    writing, and spelling.
  • Low-SES preschoolers especially need to develop
    phonological awareness skills (Roseberry- McKib
    bin, 2007).

53
Use the following hierarchy
  • 1. Count the of words in a sentence
  • 2. Count the number of syllables in a word
  • 3. Count the number of sounds in a word
  • 4. Identify rhyming words
  • 5. Use sound blending skills (e.g., What word is
    this? S-u-n
  • 6. Identify the first sound in a word
  • 7. Identify the last sound in a word

54
Other ideas include
  • Use rhythm sticks and clapping to facilitate
    knowledge of how many syllables there are in a
    given word. Students can clap out the syllables
    or use rhythm sticks to tap or shake for each
    syllable.
  • Use a grab bag where students pull an object/toy
    out of the bag and tell the beginning or ending
    sound in the word.
  • Use rhymes such as Dr. Seuss. Many low-SES
    preschoolers with LLD have underdeveloped
    rhyming skills.

55
We can also
  • Use stories with Rebus-style pictures and ask
    students to read the pictures
  • Read a familiar story or poem and have students
    fill in missing words

56
If books are read many times..
  • Children obtain more vocabulary and information
    each time they read the story.
  • When they are familiar with a story, they can be
    encouraged to read it to peers and family
    members. This increases their confidence with
    reading.

57
  • Researchers such as Fey, Windsor, and Warren
    (1995) and Kaderavek and Boucher (2006) caution
    that some children may not be motivated to read.
    This can be due to lack of exposure to books in
    the home, lack of desire to sit still and focus,
    and other variables.
  • Thus, it is extremely important for professionals
    to make reading books motivating and enjoyable.

58
Ideas to make book reading enjoyable and
motivating include
  • Keep book reading time short.
  • Use predictable books because they have
    simplified and repetitive text that engage
    childrens interest.
  • For example, a predictable book might start off
    with 10 little monkeys, sitting in a
    treeteasing Mr. Alligatorcant catch me! Along
    comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be, and
    SNAPS that monkey right out of that tree. 9
    little monkeys etc.

59
Professionals can use books that
  • Have highly exciting or dramatic story themes
  • Have manipulative parts like flaps and movable
    tabs to engage children.
  • Have buttons to press that make noises (e.g., a
    choo-choo noise for a train) or play music.
  • Have many colorful pictures that accompany the
    words. Often, children who have limited
  • exposure to books will become
    disinterested in books that have many words
    on each page.

60
And we know that we should encourage caregivers
to read, read, read!
61
Written Language Attainments Preschool Period
  • We need to be sure that before they enter
    kindergarten, our preschool students can
  • 1. Display interest in reading sharing books
  • 2. Hold a book right side up
  • 3. Identify the front and back of the book
  • 4. Identify the top and bottom of a page
  • 5. Look at and turn pages from left to right
  • 6. Identify the title on the book cover

62
  • 7. Identify titles of favorite books
  • 8. Distinguish between pictures and print on a
    page
  • 9. Know where the story begins in the book
  • 10. Identify letters that occur in their
    own names
  • 11. Print the first letter of their name
  • 12. Recite the first 10 letters of the alphabet

63
  • 13. Point to the first letter in a word14.
    Differentiate uppercase from lowercase
    letters15. Use terms such as letter, word,
    alphabet
  • 16. Point to words individually as they are read
  • 17. Respond to signs in the classroom
  • 18. Recognize common environmental signs (e.g.,
    stop sign)

64
VI. GENERAL PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR USE BY
PROFESSIONALS
65
Teachers and other professionals such as SLPs can
increase the number of childrens conversational
experiences in the classroommany low-SES
children need this, especially when they are in
the early elementary grades (Weiner, 2001)
66
Ways to increase childrens conversational
experiences in therapy rooms and especially
classrooms include
  • Talk to individual students as they complete
    their work (e.g., You finished cutting out the
    picture of the rabbitnice job.)
  • Allow children to converse nonverbally if they
    still are uncomfortable speaking (e.g., If the
    sun is shining, clap your hands. If it is
    recess time, stand up.

67
Other ways to increase childrens conversational
experiences include
  • Bring in volunteers to have conversations with
    children about their interests or what they are
    doing in school
  • Give all students opportunities to practice
    various forms of language. For example, students
    need many opportunities to practice negotiating,
    making requests, explaining things to others, and
    problem-solving.

68
  • Arrange the physical setting of the classroom so
    that it promotes talking and interaction.
    Teachers, SLPs, and other professionals can
    provide learning centers, interactive classroom
    displays, and large tables for group work.

69
In addition to having many conversational
experiences
  • Many low-SES students, especially if they are
    older, need to learn how to take notes
    effectively
  • They may never have been taught to do this

70
With regard to notetaking, students often need to
be explicitly taught to
  • Focus on key/content words and write them
    downdont write down all the function words that
    are not semantically relevant.
  • Distinguish between content and function
    wordsbig and little words
  • Students may need a review of the parts of speech
    (adjectives, nouns, verbs, and articles)
  • In this way, they can remember that most key
    words are adjectives, nouns, and verbs articles
    are the little words

71
Students can underline or highlight the
key/content words in sentences.
  • The weather is hot in the summer.
  • Abraham Lincoln was a president of the United
    States.
  • Many people think that dogs are mans best
    friend.
  • When they learn to do this, they can then be
    taught to take notes, writing down just the
    key/content words.

72
With regard to notetaking, we can also
  • Allow students to use a variety of writing
    instruments. Allowing students to choose their
    own writing instruments heightens their interest
    in the writing process and in the information
    they are hearing.
  • Some children with illegible handwriting benefit
    from using mechanical pencils (from personal
    experience, I recommend 0.9 millimeter leads, as
    these do not break as easily as 0.5 millimeter
    leads!)

73
We can encourage students to
  • Use a highlighter pen when reviewing notes. The
    color will add interest and contrast.
  • They need to be taught to only highlight key
    words and phrases, not whole sentences, as this
    will aid in quick skimming/review later on
  • Rewrite their notes by hand. Handwriting notes
    again helps embed these notes in memory

74
Students can also be encouraged to
  • Copy notesespecially definitions of termson the
    backs of colorful index cards. Students can carry
    these cards with them and review them during down
    time
  • Explain their notes to another person. Talking
    about the information contained in notes and
    trying to teach this information to another
    person is extremely helpful in increasing
    students retention of the material

75
To increase overall comprehension for notetaking,
general listening, and reading, we can use
visualization to help students form pictures of
information that they read or hear.
  • Tell them that they can picture a TV in their
    brain/mind/head when they hear or read things,
    they can make pictures on this TV.
  • Help them with this process by beginning with
    familiar items in their homes (pet, sibling,
    living room). For example, I will ask a student
    to tell me about his dog. When he has done so, I
    will tell him that his dog is not present he was
    able to describe the dog by using a picture in
    his brain.

76
  • Nanci Bell (1991) has a comprehensive program
    called Visualize and Verbalize. This program
    helps students learn to form detailed mental
    images to build skills in vocabulary, reading,
    and writing.

77
VII. DEVELOPING VOCABULARY SKILLS
  • It is important for students of all ages to build
    their content knowledge/ conceptual foundation
    within meaningful contexts. Drill without context
    is usually ineffective (Roseberry-McKibbin,
    2008b).
  • Develop knowledge of classroom/ curriculum
    vocabulary. We can ask teachers to provide us
    information about what vocabulary they are
    teaching in the classroom.

78
For example, if I have students from a classroom
where they are learning about the ocean and
marine life
  • I use materials about the ocean and marine life
    as part of my therapy session.
  • In this way, students are getting classroom
    vocabulary and concepts reinforced.

79
New words need to be learned in context
  • Ideally, students should have concrete
    experiences when they learn new information
  • For example, if they are being taught about
    horses, it is ideal to actually see and touch one
  • If actual experiences are not available, objects
    and then pictures can work well

80
We can ask students to describe pictures and give
word definitionsthese skills are predictive of
success in literacy and school achievement
81
If students draw pictures of new words they are
learning.
  • Then they will remember the words much better
  • Payne (2003) If you can sketch a picture of it,
    then you know it!

82
  • It is helpful for students to write out
    vocabulary words.
  • Some students struggle so much with
    writingespecially spelling--that in order to
    save time, I have them verbally tell me the
    sentence they want to write. I write the sentence
    on an erasable white board and they copy it.
  • In this way, they cement the vocabulary word
    even more firmly into their minds. They also get
    to practice writing words out correctly. In
    addition, they practice the important skill of
    sentence formulation.

83
  • When possible, I have classroom teachers give me
    lists of spelling words the class is working on
    that week. I try to incorporate these words into
    therapy as much as possible. The children benefit
    greatly, and teachers love it!

84
We can use context-embedded strategies to teach
vocabulary
  • An example follows, where the professional such
    as the SLP or regular education teacher teaches
    low-SES students about the moon

85
1. The professional brainstorms with students
about what they already know, building on their
previous knowledge
  • What do you know about the moon?
  • Students might answer It is up in the sky or
    It shines at night.
  • The professional can record all these answers on
    a paper or whiteboard.

86
2. The professional uses visuals to focus on the
topic
  • For example, the professional might use a
    PowerPoint presentation, video, or pictures to
    show the first landing on the moon
  • The professional can then ask students to
    describe what they see

87
3. The professional provides hands-on experiences
to reinforce the information
  • For example, using a lamp or projector as the sun
    and a tennis ball as the moon, the processional
    demonstrates how the shape of the moon appears to
    change.
  • The students sit in a circle and help move the
    moon around the circle in the light of the
    sun.
  • The professional might also have the students
    jump two or three times to demonstrate the
    effects of gravity. S/he can discuss the moons
    gravity and how it affects tides.

88
4. The professional has students record
experiences in their notebooks.
  • For students with writing issues, these
    experiences might be typed onto a computer
  • It is ideal if students can keep logs or journals
    for review of concepts that they have learned

89
5. The professional reviews test vocabulary and
concepts with games and worksheets.
  • There are many options here. I have found from
    clinical experience that many students really
    enjoy Bingo and Charades. They may also enjoy
    Pictionary, where they have to draw a
    word/concept and have other students guess what
    it is.

90
For many low-SES students
  • Learning vocabulary is difficult because it is
    taught auditorily in an abstract way with no
    visuals or movement
  • Using strategies such as those just reviewed can
    help new vocabulary words become
    context-embedded, and therefore much easier to
    learn and remember

91
VIII. WORKING WITH LOW-SES ELEMENTARY-AGED AND
ADOLESCENT STUDENTS ENHANCING LITERACY SKILLS
92
Many SLPs do not view literacy as something that
is our job. Many of us in public schools work
with students who have oral language problems,
and literacy is viewed as the province of other
professionals such as Resource Specialists.
  • However, ASHA (2004) has been increasingly
    emphasizing the role of the SLP in supporting
    students with written language problems.
  • Low-SES students are particularly vulnerable to
    written language difficulties

93
There are many easy, simple, inexpensive
activities that SLPs can incorporate into therapy
to provide additional support to these students.
  • In this section, we shall discuss some of these
    activities that cost practically nothing and
    potentially make a big, positive difference for
    low-SES students.

94
SUPPORTING LOW-SES STUDENTS WITH
  • WRITING, FINE MOTOR, TRACKING, AND SPELLING
    PROBLEMS

95
Writing can be difficult
  • Today in the U.S., most special education
  • referrals involve students who have difficulty
    with writing.

96
Students may have difficulty because1. They
have poor composition skills
  • 2. They have weak hand/finger muscles and poor
    finger dexterity
  • 3. They may come from environments where writing
    and other pre-readiness fine motor skills have
    not been emphasized.

97
Teachers assume that
  • Children come to school ready for paper-pencil
    tasks they should start writing immediately
  • In fact, many are not ready and need to do
    activities like painting and playing with clay
  • In todays kindergartens, there is no time for
    this children are asked to write before they are
    ready

98
Handwriting without Tears
  • Is a multisensory, developmental approach that is
    virtually 100 successful.
  • It is excellent for ELL children it is very
    visual and tactile
  • It is also good for children who are left-handed,
    who reverse their letters, and who have
    difficulty forming their letters.
  • www.hwtears.com

99
  • There are many simple, inexpensive activities
    that can be used to help children who have
    difficulty with writing and fine motor skills

100
These include
  • Use small pencilse.g. golf or bowling sizethe
    ensure an accurate grip
  • Put a ? in the upper left hand corner to orient
    students as to where to begin writing.
  • Have the child make letters in clay or playdough
  • Have the child trace letters in a salt or sand
    tray to enhance the kinesthetic feel of the
    letter.

101
  • Overteach right vs. left. Many low-SES students
    confuse right and left. I have pre-adolescents
    who are still inaccurate with these concepts!
  • Make sure the child is sitting at 90 degree
    angles. Her feet should be flat on the floor, her
    posture straight, and her stomach touching the
    table. Her nonwriting hand should be flat and
    should support the paper as she writes.

102
Have the child pick up small objects with
tweezers. If we are teaching vocabulary through
small objects, we can kill 2 birds with one
stone by having children use tweezers to pick up
these objects this will help develop fine motor
skills.
  • Encourage the child to squeeze a squishy ball
    during listening activities. This enhances
    attention and helps strengthen hand and finger
    muscles.

103
  • Have the child write letters in the air, writing
    from the shoulder
  • Have the child wake up her body by stomping on
    the floor, moving aroundthis will enhance
    concentration.
  • If the child is a leftie, the paper is turned in
    the opposite direction

104
  • Make sure the child can easily write the letters
    A STONE these are the most frequently used in
    the Dolch list
  • Teach spacing by having children overexaggerate
    spacing when they are first learning to write
  • Use the Skittle test! If there is enough space
    for a Skittle to be placed between words, the
    child gets to eat the Skittle.

105
  • Enhancing Reading Comprehension Skills

106
We Can Teach Basic Sight Words
  • The of and a
  • To in you is
  • That it at he
  • For on are as
  • With his they be

107
  • If low-SES students sound out basic sight words
    each time they encounter these words, reading
    comprehension and fluency will be slowed down
    greatly.
  • Professionals can drill these sight words with
    students until the students can read them quickly
    and automatically.
  • I use index cards and write the words down, one
    word per index card.
  • When students can read the words quickly and with
    automaticity, reading comprehension and fluency
    are greatly enhanced!

108
PREVIEW-VIEW-REVIEW APPROACH
  • Use classroom textbooks to teach students this
    approach
  • This helps teach class curriculum content and
    enhance reading skills

109
BEGIN WITH PREVIEW
  • 1. Get an overview of the chapter
  • 2. Read the main idea sentence of key paragraphs
  • Highlight key vocabulary words
  • Read the concluding paragraph or summary

110
VIEW THE CHAPTER
  • 1. Read the text aloud and have students follow
    along
  • 2. Stop and have students explain content in
    their own words
  • 3. Help the student organize and outline notes
    and readings

111
  • 4. Review class notes which pertain to the
    chapter
  • 5. Scaffold for the student
  • 6. Help the student use context to enhance
    comprehension of words

112
Help the student visualize what is being read
113
REVIEW
  • 1. Look over chapter headings and divisions again
  • 2. Ask questions about the content
  • 3. Help the student answer questions at the end
    of the chapter

114
Also review by
  • 4. Have the student summarize the chapter in her
    own words
  • 5. Ask the student for his opinions about what
    was read
  • 6. Ask the student if she has any questions
    about the chapter
  • 7. Help the student make up test questions about
    the content they have just read.

115
Again, SLPs can incorporate these ideas.
  • To support low-SES students of all ages as they
    learn to read, write, and spell.
  • These ideas can be used as adjuncts to therapy
    for increasing the students oral language
    skills.

116
IX. INCREASING LOW-SES STUDENTS EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING SKILLS
117
What is executive functioning?
  • Executive functioning (EF) has to do with
    goal-directed behavior that is important for
    success in lifes activities
  • EF can be likened to an air traffic controller
    that monitors and coordinates all activities it
    can also be likened to a maestro that conducts an
    orchestra (Eberle, 2003)

118
EF is critical in terms of
  • Thinking about the future
  • Being able to evaluate potential consequences of
    ones choices

119
We enlist EF when we.
  • Set goals to achieve what we want
  • Determine what is necessary to attain those goals
  • For example, if we want a certain job, we think
    What job do I want to obtain? (goal) What skills
    do I have, and are they pertinent to that job?
    What steps do I need to take to attain my goal of
    obtaining this particular job? (determining what
    is necessary to obtain those goals)

120
Fundamentally, characteristics of EF include
  • Developing plans for future actions
  • Holding those action sequences and plans in
    working memory until they are executed
  • Inhibiting actions that are not relevant

121
EFs are
  • The problem-solving processes that are utilized
    at the outset of a novel, non-automatic task
  • Fundamentally intertwined with working memory and
    inhibition

122
  • EF deficits can inhibit the learning of social
    and academic language, and dramatically slow down
    students progress in school
  • Ultimately, EF deficits can negatively impact
    students academic, linguistic, and career paths

123
  • Children with executive functioning deficits have
    difficulty solving personal problems,
    communicating effectively and creating
    organizational structures that allow for
    flexibility and prioritization.
  • Impacts their ability to succeed throughout the
    school day.
  • As the child gets older, problems continue as
    they have difficulty learning the complex skills
    of managing homework, and school projects.

124
  • Executive functioning skills are taken for
    granted by teachers and caregivers.
  • It is assumed that students with normal to above
    normal intelligence have the ability to
    prioritize, organize and solve problems.
  • Often when EF problems occur, the teacher will
    describe the child as having weak organizational
    skills.

125
Low-SES students may be vulnerable to EF
deficits(Farah, Noble, Hurt, 2006)
  • If they are from homes where they have been
    socialized toward interdependent behavior and
    external control of behavior by authority rather
    than to self-regulation and independent,
    internalized self-control. These types of homes
    are typical in many cultures (Lynch Hanson,
    2004 Roseberry-McKibbin, 2008b Chan Lee,
    2004 Sharifzadeh, 2004)
  • Because many have been shown to have working
    memory deficits again, successful EF is directly
    related to working memory

126
  • There are few assessments available to explore
    students abilities in this realm.
  • Problems associated with organizational
    challenges include
  • Difficulty tracking homework assignments
  • Difficulty organizing materials in class
  • Difficulty planning and executing steps toward
    completing class homework projects

127
  • Students with EF problems generally need direct
    intervention to address their executive
    functioning or organizational weaknesses.
  • School districts are beginning to recognize that
    many students need these skills directly taught
    to them, whether or not they have a known
    disability.
  • As a result, some schools have recognized the
    need to include study skills as part of the
    curriculum

128
Components of EF that we may need to teach
directly include (Eberle, 2003 Packer, 2004
Singer Bashir, 1999)
  • Inhibiting irrelevant actions
  • Attending selectively
  • Demonstrating emotional control
  • Restraining and delaying responses till an
    appropriate time
  • Setting goals and planning steps to achieve those
    goals
  • Planning for the future
  • Shifting flexibly between activities

129
We need to especially emphasize teaching students
to
  • Inhibit their immediate responses to stimuli,
    thereby allowing themselves time to plan and
    organize and set goals
  • Pause for self-reflection and self-analysis

130
3 Simple Questions We Can Teach Students to Ask
Are
  • 1. What is the problem I am having right now?
    (take time to analyze the problem)
  • 2. Why am I having this problem? (identify cause)
  • 3. What can I choose to do about it? (behavioral
    adjustment)
  • An example of a simple choice chart follows
    on the next slide.

131
My Choice Chart
  • Student Name________ _________Date________
  • What I wanted was_____________________________
  • The choice I made was The consequence of my
    ___________________ choice was
  • ___________________ ______________________
  • Next time, I could choose to The consequence of
    that ___________________ choice would be
  • ___________________ _____________________
  • I will remember that each choice I make leads
    to a
  • consequence.
  • I will try to make good choices so that I can
    experience good consequences!

132
Another example of an EF chart for low-SES
students
  • Is illustrated on the next slide
  • This can be printed, laminated, and put on or in
    the students desk as a reminder of utilizing EF
    strategies in the classroom
  • Most teachers are very open to having students
    use this type of chart, and may even find the
    principles/steps useful for the whole class

133
Executive Functioning Strategies
  • 1. Stop, breathe, and think ahead
  • 2. Allow myself enough time to get things done
  • 3. Be organized and neatwrite things down
  • 4. Set goals
  • 5. Create and carry out steps to achieve my
    goals
  • 6. Focus, pay attention, stay on track
  • 7. Evaluate my actions did I do what I needed to
    do to achieve my goals?
  • 8. Ask myself What could I do differently next
    time to improve upon my performance?

134
If SLPs and other professionals can help low-SES
increase their EF skills
  • They can help these students take a giant step
    toward success in all realms academic, social,
    and ultimately, career

135
It takes a village to raise a child.
  • Thank you for all your hard work as an integral
    part of that village.

136
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