The classification, diagnosis, and treatment of children with language disorders should reflect hypotheses about the different levels of cause-effect relationships that exist among the structures, processes, and behaviors involved in language. Clinical examples are presented to illustrate the way in which classification, diagnosis, and treatment…

The article addresses issues facing speech-language clinicians in selecting, serving, and setting priorities for lanaguage intervention with elementary mildly and moderately retarded students. (CL)

The use of nonspeech symbol sets (including manual signs and Blyssymbols) in language intervention with mentally retarded students is discussed. The selection and use of aided or unaided nonspeech symbol sets are considered, along with cognitive, sociocommunicative, technological, and motoric factors. (CL)

This manual describes auditory training activities that de-emphasize production work for articulation-impaired preschoolers. The goal of these activities is to remove the burden of producing sounds so that the clinician can train the child's ear so that the child will eventually be ready and able to produce sounds at an age-appropriate level. The…

A three-dimensional framework for defining different aspects of natural learning environments is used to organize and describe natural communication intervention practices. Seven applicable communication intervention methods and strategies easily implemented in natural environments by speech therapists are described, as are reflective procedures.…

Ten factors that school clinicians should consider in determining treatment of children who stutter include, among others, increasing clinicians' confidence in treating stuttering, setting long-term and short-term goals, involving parents and teachers in treatment, and determining when the child is ready to be dismissed from treatment. (SW)

This article outlines some critical skills needed in referential communication (the ability to provide and understand specific information) and reviews some of the deficits found in referential communication skills of learning disabled and/or language impaired children. Suggested therapy procedures based on training studies are also provided.…

The presentation examines information on the issue of language-reading dependency and the roles that speech language pathologists (SLPs) can play to address both skills. The relationship of oral language and reading development is examined in terms of models (such as the Top-Down/Bottom-Up model) and hypotheses and research etiology. Studies on…

A fluency therapy process for adolescents who stutter is described and illustrated by a case history that applies a four-stage process for structuring, targeting, adjusting, and regulating behaviors. The affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of fluency are considered, along with behavior techniques for eliciting a feeling of fluency…

This volume contains five papers presented at a conference on developmental and environmental factors related to the onset of stuttering, evaluation and treatment procedures, and the measurement of therapy outcomes. In "The Development of Fluency in Normal Children," C. W. Starkweather considers evaluation of the fluency of young…

This article describes a cognitive-behavioral treatment package for relapse management in adolescents who stutter. The package includes game-based training techniques in problem solving, communication skills, and assertiveness; coping responses for stuttering episodes; and realistic expectations for fluency and relapse. Follow-up results with…