Stavroola Anderson

Dr David Hawes

Professor Pamela Snow

Features and Correlates of

Language Deficits in

Young Offenders

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

LANGUAGE

A means of communicating thoughts and feelings, using a

system of socially shared but arbitrary symbols

arranged according to rules or grammar.

Modalities

• Receptive

• Expressive

Skills

• Structural

• Pragmatic

EXPRESSIVE RECEPTIVE The use of

language to

convey

messages and

meaning to

others. The ability to

listen to and

understand

the language

of others.

STRUCTURAL LANGUAGE

PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE

When I said “Nuke the Chinese.”

I meant, put the take-away in the microwave.

METHOD

PARTICIPANTS

PARTICIPANTS

Sample size

• Group 1: Incarcerated youth offenders (N = 36)

• Group 2: Community-based youth offenders (N = 25)

Age range

• 14-21 years

Gender

• 100% male

Inclusion Criteria

• No known

• Intellectual impairment

• Hearing impairment

• Acute episode of mental illness

• English as a first language

MEASURES

LANGUAGE MEASURES

Structural

• Comprehensive Evaluation of Language Fundamentals

(CELF4)

• Intensive, comprehensive, performance based

• Norms for Australian adolescents

• Used extensively in research with youth offenders

Pragmatic

• Test of Language Competence (TLCE)

• Intensive, comprehensive, performance based

• Norms for adolescents

• Used extensively in research with youth offenders

OTHER MEASURES

Semi-Structured Interview • Demographics

• Education Experience

Language Self Perception • LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ)

• Designed for use with people with TBI

• Clear, brief questionnaire

Behaviour Problems • Youth Self Report (YSR)

• Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)

• Empirically derived scales including externalizing behaviour

• Designed for use with adolescents

• Widely used in research with young offenders

RESULTS

SELF

REPORT

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS Age 17.0

(14.4-19.1)

Cultural Identification

Aboriginal

TSI

NI Australian

54.1%

3.3%

42.6%

Language Background

SAE

AE

Other

70.5%

21.3%

8.2%

Regional Background

Metropolitan

Inner Regional

Outer Regional

Remote

18.0%

49.2%

23.0%

9.8%

Out of Home Care 27.9%

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE Last Full Year of School

Completed

8.64

Number of Suspensions

1

2-4

5+

1.6%

18.0%

77.0%

Alternative Education

Behaviour School

Other

27.9%

14.6%

VET

In custody

In the community

42.6%

27.9%

Employment

Formal

Informal

23.0%

39.3%

STRUCTURAL

LANGUAGE

SENTENCE REPETITION

• Example:

“ Today we must have lunch early, go to the library, and

finish our art projects”

•Purpose: • Evaluates ability to recall meaning, structure and intent

of communication

• Taps linguistic knowledge & phonological working

memory

•Implication of Deficit: • Difficulty following directions & complying with

instructions

• Difficulty note-taking, completing dictation tasks and

copying

RECALLING SENTENCES SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

Normal Range

CELF Subtests

SENTENCE FORMULATION

• Example:

Make up a sentence about this

picture using the word “before”.

•Purpose: • Evaluates ability to formulate complete, semantically &

grammatically correct sentences

• Taps syntactic & semantic knowledge

•Implication of Deficit: • Difficulty with sentence creation, completion or

combination tasks

• Difficulty developing narratives & editing texts

FORMULATING SENTENCES SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

Normal Range

CELF Subtests

WORD CLASSIFICATION

• Example:

Which two of these words go together or are related:

occupied relevant vacant complicated

Why do they go together or how are they related? • Purpose:

• Evaluates understanding and logical explanation of

relationships in meaning

• Taps semantic knowledge

• Implication of Deficit: • Difficulty understanding & explaining concept categories &

semantic networks

• Difficulty understanding, explaining & using antonyms &

synonyms, expressing meaning, comparing & contrasting

WORD CLASSES SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

Normal Range

CELF Subtests

WORD DEFINITION

• Example:

The word is “negotiation”, as in “The car dealer said –

‘Some people avoid negotiation’. • Purpose:

• Evaluates ability to analyse words for meaning and define

words appropriately

• Taps into ability to use words as concepts with broad

applications

• Implication of Deficit: • Using and understanding a limited vocabulary

• Difficulty comprehending verbal or written information

involving unfamiliar vocabulary

• Limited understanding of different word meanings

WORD DEFINITIONS SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

Normal Range

CELF Subtests

PRAGMATIC

LANGUAGE

AMBIGUITY

• Example

What 2 different things could this sentence mean?

“The roar of the fans disturbed the team” • Purpose:

• Evaluates understanding of multiple meanings of words and

comprehension of complex syntactic structures

• Implication of Deficit: • Limited use & understanding of words with multiple meanings

• Difficulty interpreting verbal/written communication containing

lexical/structural ambiguity

AMBIGUOUS SENTENCES SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

TLC Subtests

INFERENCE

• Example

“Fred and Ann met at the movie theatre. They were

unhappy when they didn’t get to see the movie.”

They didn’t get to see the movie because:

a) The projector broke down.

b) They were out of popcorn.

c) Movie theatres are closed in the afternoon.

d) The movie was sold out.

Which two of the four options above explain why they

didn’t get to see the movie?

INFERENCE

Purpose: • Evaluates ability to choose two plausible inferences, based

on incomplete information

• Implication of Deficit: • Difficulty understanding & expressing alternative outcomes,

cause & effect relationships, multiple event chains

MAKING INFERENCES SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

TLC Subtests

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

• Example

Situation: A student talking to his friend about a trip.

Expression: “It’s still up in the air.”

a) The plane hasn’t landed yet.

b) That’s a lot of hot air.

c) It’s up for grabs yet.

d) It’s actually settled.

Purpose: • Evaluates knowledge & understanding of widely used

figurative expressions

• Implication of Deficit: • Difficulty comprehending metaphors, sayings, jokes, sarcasm,

irony

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE SUBTEST

Sta

nd

ard

Sco

re

TLC Subtests

STRATEGIES

SKILL

DEVELOPMENT

Grammar:

The difference between knowing

your shit and knowing you’re shit.

DIRECT INSTRUCTION

• Pre-teach language skills related to specific topics/situations

• Vocabulary

• Grammar

• Language styles

• Abbreviations, acronyms

• Demonstrate and use a variety of memory strategies

• Mnemonics

• Charts and visuals

• Rehearsal

DIRECT INSTRUCTION

• Teach advanced language skills

• Vocabulary with multiple meanings

• Ambiguity

• Inference & evaluation

• Linguistic devices - sarcasm, irony, metaphor, figurative

language

• Model and discuss appropriate narrative structure

LANGUAGE STIMULATION

• Model

• Thinking aloud

• Problem solving in social contexts

• Use of language for internal goal setting

Discuss & rehearse/review

• Different types of jokes

• Communication scenarios

• Communication success/failure

MODIFICATION

My superpower is turning an

insignificant

misunderstanding into a

catastrophe of biblical

proportions.

MODIFICATION

To Environment

• Reduce distractions: auditory, physical, visual, movement

• Provide pictorial supports

• Vary length of tasks

• Look for language-based triggers to

frustration/anger/inappropriate behaviours

MODIFICATION

To Resources

• Provide visual cues and worked examples

• Use clear, consistent font & format

• Reduce clutter & unnecessary images/text

MODIFICATION

To Interaction

• Cue the young person to listen and attend

• Be explicit in communication – clear, unambiguous

• Repeat

• Restate and emphasise key points

• Slow the rate of presentation

• Use shorter units of explanation

• Allow time for the young person to process, organise and

structure a response

• Limit the amount of information presented

•Provide single step instructions

•Provide additional modeling and concrete examples

MODIFICATION

To Interaction (cont)

• Use gesture and/or action to enhance meaning

• Explain the purpose of tasks

• Prepare for transition and change

• Request feedback

• Request rating of acceptability of content and speed of

communication

• Request summary/paraphrase of information

• Ask random open questions to check for understanding

• Encourage and reward the young person for seeking help

and clarification

ACTIVITY

Giasou. Me leme Stauroula. Apo tin

kentrikh Xueenslant. Alla tora, menw

sto Sydnei. Eimai daskalh kai n foithth

sto Panepisthmio . Ecw kastana mallia

kai kastana matia, kai eimui arketa

suntomh. Agaphmeno faghto mou einai

sokolata.

“So,

will you be

gettin’ a

certificate for

doin’ this?”

Questions