A study of an 11-year-old boy with speech-language disorders investigated the effectiveness of an intervention protocol designed to increase the child's elaborative word knowledge of sets of words for which he demonstrated naming problems but comprehended. The child was able to decrease his naming response time and error rate. (Author/CR)

This article identifies the different approaches to speech and language difficulties commonly used by speech and language therapists and by teachers and suggests that an integration of these frameworks could provide more comprehensive support for a wider range of children with language and communication difficulties. (Author/CR)

This article proposes a synergistic, interactive model of cluttering, a fluency disorder manifested in rapid or erratic speech rates, reduced intelligibility, and language deviations. Clinical strategies are presented in a framework of several working assumptions about cluttering. Despite encouraging reports, further research into the nature and…

This article provides information on elective mutism, a persistent refusal to talk despite the ability to speak and comprehend spoken language. It covers the history, characteristics, classification, differential diagnosis, and treatment of elective mutism. Treatments covered include psychodynamic, family intervention, behavior modification, drug…

This article reviews the research leading up to the Fast ForWord program, a language intervention protocol that uses computer games to train specific auditory or phonological skills related to the acquisition of speech and language. It also describes the therapeutic protocol and client selection processes, discusses the pros and cons of clinical…

Phonological awareness is a term that refers to one's knowledge of the sound structure of spoken language. Children who understand that sounds in language represent the letters used in reading and writing typically learn to read more easily than children who do not. Children with language and/or speech impairments often demonstrate a lack of…

A survey of 241 school-based speech-language pathologists examined numbers of confirmed and suspected concomitant speech/language disorders in children who stutter and the preferred intervention approaches. Of 467 children, 44 percent had a verified concomitant phonological and/or language disorder with additional children suspected of having such…

This article reviews issues in speech motor control and a class of communication disorders known as motor speech disorders that include dysarthrias, apraxia of speech, developmental apraxia of speech, developmental stuttering, acquired (neurogenic and psychogenic) stuttering, and cluttering. Assessment, classification, and treatment of these…

This article reviews the legislative/regulatory, societal, professional, and demographic influences that shaped and defined school-based speech-language practice as it is today. Emphasis is on the fundamental elements of contextually based assessments, educationally relevant intervention plans, and increased collaboration/consultation. Strategies…

This case study follows Casey, a child with significant speech and language deficits, from age 4 years 2 months until 9 years 9 months. It focuses on a 9-month period starting at age 5 years 9 months during which a meaning-based phonological intervention was used to improve his intelligibility and language skills. Clinicians evoked frequent word…

This article explores a form of separation that is neither the result of physical disconnection between child and caregiver nor the product of emotional separation associated with parental psychopathology. Underscoring the central role that language and communication play in the development and maintenance of positive parent-child …

The true impact of speech and language difficulties (SaLD) on children's lives and the effectiveness of intervention is unknown. Within other fields of paediatric healthcare, clinicians and policy-makers are increasingly emphasizing the utility of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) studies and measures. SaLT has a variety of measures to assess…

Comparison of the pragmatic performance of 40 Latino bilingual adolescents receiving English-as-a-Second-Language instruction or speech-language therapy found that students receiving speech-language therapy scored more poorly in expressing themselves, establishing greetings, initiating and maintaining conversations, and other topics. The group…

There are a number of clinical options available for speech-language pathologists to choose from to analyze a child's phonological system, select treatment targets, and design intervention. Frequently, each of these areas of clinical options is viewed independently of one another or approached within an eclectic framework. In this article, an…

Presents the symptoms of selective mutism and historical background for treatment. It provides a case study which illustrates successful multidisciplinary treatment outcomes for a child who was selectively mute. Issues relevant to speech-language pathologists working with elementary school children are discussed and treatment guidelines provided.…