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National Behaviour Support Service
Speech, Language and Communication Needs in Adolescence
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
2
National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS)
Navan Education Centre
Athlumney
Navan
Co. Meath
Telephone: +353 46 9093355
Fax: +353 46 9093354
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.nbss.ie
The National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) was established by the
Department of Education & Skills in 2006 in response to the
recommendation in School Matters: The Report of the Task Force on
Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools (2006).
The NBSS is funded by the Department of Education and Skills under the
National Development Plan 2007 – 2013
This information leaflet for teachers and schools was written by Aoife
Murphy, Senior Speech and Language Therapist NBSS, in conjunction with
Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Limerick.
© 2011 National Behaviour Support Service
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
3
Contents
Introduction Page 4
What is Speech and Language Therapy? Page 5
What is the Role of the Speech and
Language Therapist in Schools? Page 5
What are Speech and Language
and Communication Needs? Page 6
Identifying Speech and Language and
Communication Needs in the Classroom Page 13
References Page 15
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
4
Every child and adolescent requires good
skills in speech, language and
communication to achieve their potential
academically and socially.
They use speech, language and
communication skills on a daily basis to:
• interact appropriately with peers
and other adults.
• express their opinions.
• clarify information.
• understand instructions and
messages.
Introduction
This list is by no means exhaustive. Speech, language and communication are the
foundation and building blocks for basic literacy and numeracy skills and are integral
to understanding, learning and achievement in all curriculum subjects.
Many people associate the speech and language development process with younger
children but language and communication development continues throughout
adolescence and into adulthood (Nippold, 2007). Good language and literacy skills
are predictive of later academic and other attainments. There is a growing body of
research which has identified students with behavioural difficulties as having
undetected speech, language or communication needs. Speech, language and
communication needs in adolescents are associated with poor academic
performance, social and emotional difficulties and poor peer relationships.
This leaflet provides information for Principals, teachers and other school staff who
work with adolescents on the importance of speech, language and communication in
adolescence.
• read and fill out forms (paper and
online).
• learn new information.
• read and understand books.
• tell and understand stories and jokes.
• send and receive e-‐mails, letters and
texts.
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
5
What is Speech and Language Therapy? Speech and language therapy is concerned with the management of disorders of
speech, language, communication and swallowing in children and adults.
• Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are allied health professionals.
• SLTs work collaboratively with individuals, parents, teachers, Special Needs
Assistants (SNAs), Occupational Therapists (OTs) and other relevant
professionals.
• The aim of SLT is to provide holistic, client centred management of speech,
language and communication needs which reduces the impact of those
needs on the well-‐being of individuals and their ability to participate in
everyday life.
Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) provide assessment, diagnosis, intervention
and management of speech, language and communication needs. SLTs work with
both individuals and small groups.
The focus of SLT is to develop and maximise student’s speech, language and
communication abilities (see Table 1) to support learning and socialization,
socialisation, within an appropriate context relevant to the individuals everyday life.
SLTs work collaboratively with teachers/SNAs/learning support staff /OT in order to
maximise successful communication and learning. Their joint focus is to adapt the physical, social, sensory and linguistic components in an individual’s environment and
reduce the resulting demands that are placed on the individual.
What is the Role of the Speech and Language Therapist in Schools?
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
6
Speech: speech sounds, tone, speed and fluency
Language: talking and
understanding
Communication: how we interact with others
Speaking clearly and fluently without too many hesitations. Speaking with a clear voice, using pitch, tone, volume and intonation to express meaning. Correctly producing speech sounds. Using speech to clearly convey an argument or message.
Having a range of appropriate vocabulary to support subject specific learning. Having organised sentences and narratives to demonstrate understanding and express views. Understanding instructions from teaching staff. Having emotional language to support emotional literacy. Using verbal reasoning to analyse information and learning. Being able to retrieve (say) a word with speed, clarity and accuracy.
Knowing how to adapt communication style to suit the situation and audience. Following non-‐verbal rules of communication, listening, taking conversational turns. Using language to persuade, negotiate, predict and account for consequences. Using language to enable conflict resolution and collaboration. Using augmentative and alternative forms of communication where words are difficult.
* It is important to note that each component of speech, language and communication can interact with each other. A problem with grammar or word retrieval may present as a lack of fluency.
Table 1: What are ‘Speech’, ‘Language’ and ‘Communication’?
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
7
What are Speech and Language and Communication Needs? Terminology:
There is huge variability in the terms used to
describe difficulties with speech, language and
communication (Paul, 2007) in part because they
often occur in the presence of other noticeable
difficulties.
TABLE 2 – SLCN is associated with:
Specific Speech and Language Impairment (SSLI)
Sensory impairment (hearing, visual or multi-‐sensory)
General learning difficulty (mild, moderate, severe, profound)
Cerebral palsy
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) /Attention
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Syndromes (Down’s Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Worcester-‐Drought
Dyslexia
The term most widely used to describe children and young people with difficulties
with speech, language or communication is Speech, Language and Communication
Needs (SLCN). SLCN is an umbrella term which encompasses multiple different
profiles of young people. It includes students with SLCN secondary to a general
learning difficulty, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, etc. as well as those
students with a specific speech and language impairment as their primary difficulty
(see Table 2).
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
8
Causes and Correlates:
The cause of SLCN is sometimes clear e.g. neurological impairment, intellectual
impairment, hearing impairment, cleft palate or severe social deprivation impacting
on language acquisition and development. More often there is often no identifiable
cause.
Specific Speech and Language Impairment refers to students who have difficulties
with understanding and/or expressing themselves through speech and language as
their primary difficulty. These students often present with co-‐occurring difficulties
(behaviour, social, emotional, sensory, or physical).
Variability and Risk Factors:
Each adolescent with SLCN will have a different profile of needs. Language and
communication do not develop in isolation but are influenced by a myriad of factors
(personal, social, behavioural, educational opportunities, etc). It is important to look
at the individual and the difficulties they have as well as their respective
environments and how they participate in those environments.
Social Disadvantage: There is a growing evidence base identifying social
disadvantage as a risk factor for SLCN (Sage, 2005; Stringer, 2006; Locke, Ginsburg &
Peers, 2002). Students from areas of social deprivation are at risk of less language
input from an early age, poor language and communication modelling within their
environment, lack of language stimulation (including shared reading and
conversation/interaction) and multiple familial stresses (financial and social). These
may or may not impact on student’s development of speech, language and
communication.
Gender: Significantly more boys than girls present with SLCN (approximately 3:1).
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
9
1. Speech, Language and Communication are Life Long Skills
Good communication skills are integral to all aspects of a
student’s development not only in school but also in the
workplace and the wider community. This includes
learning, emotional development and socialising.
Adolescents need effective speech, language and
communication skills in order to have a wide range of life
choices.
Why are Speech and Language and Communication Important for Adolescents?
2. Language Development continues throughout Adolescence Despite the common belief that by adolescence the brain has completed most of its
growth, there is a wealth of research identifying huge amounts of activity, pruning,
growth and development in the adolescent brain, this includes language and
communication (Nippold, 2007).
Language continues to develop throughout adolescence. Key to that development is
wide reading, social experiences (Reed, 2005) and exposure to education (Locke &
Bogin, 2006).
Poor oral language skills are significantly linked to poor literacy (Snowling, 2005).
SLCN is linked to poor peer relationships and poor social emotional well-‐being
(Brinton & Fujiki, 1996). Therefore young people with SLCN may struggle significantly
to develop a sophisticated language in adolescence without appropriate intervention
and support.
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
10
Some different aspects of language development during the secondary school years
• Complex verbal reasoning (problem solving).
• Learning new and complex vocabulary.
• Understanding increasingly more complex instruction words (explain, evaluate, describe, find themes, estimate, research).
• Understanding and using figurative language (jokes, idioms).
• Understanding inferences.
• Telling more involved stories – Having well structured (beginning, middle, end) narratives, creating or developing characters throughout the story, using interesting language, having the ability to tell stories within stories.
• Using and understanding increasingly complex conjunctions to create longer, more complex sentences (and, but, because….even though, similarly, provided that).
• Using increasingly sophisticated social communication skills – Understanding others point of view, negotiating, verbal arguing, using different styles (formal/informal) of communication, keeping on topic and changing topic appropriately.
I-‐Can: What’s Typical talk at Secondary?
Table 3: Typical Language Development in Adolescence
3. Language is the medium through which the curriculum is taught
Language is fundamental for, participation in and access to, the majority of the
school life. At post-‐primary the language demands of the classroom increase
significantly.
• Oral language skills significantly impact many aspects of written language (e.g.
story-‐telling, understanding language in books) through which students learn
and are assessed (written tests).
• There is an increasing amount of figurative language in curriculum texts.
EXAMPLE 2 (Multiple Meaning Words): Science
EXAMPLE 1 (Idioms): English Text
‘She was as white as a sheet’ Student: ‘Is she wearing a sheet? ‘He kicked the bucket’ Student: What bucket did he kick?
Text: A magnetic field is the space around a magnet where a magnetic force can be detected Student: Why is the magnet in a field?
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
11
• 37% of teacher instructions contain expressions with multiple or non-‐literal
meanings, 20% of that being Idioms e.g. it was raining cats and dogs.
Teacher: You’re skating on thin ice young man. Student: There is no ice Sir?
Teacher: I want you to all go on with your work. Student: Where do you want us to go?
EXAMPLE 3 (Idioms): Teacher Instruction
EXAMPLE 4 (Non-Literal Meaning): Teacher Instruction
• At post primary level there is an increasing emphasis on independent study
and learning. Language is used to plan, sequence, organise and problem
solve; all integral to independent study.
• In adolescence, social interactions become more complex and sophisticated -‐
negotiating norms, status and trust, using slang and jargon.
• Adolescents are increasingly expected to become more independent -‐ texting,
e-‐mailing, writing down homework, ordering food, arranging train travel,
making appointments, for all of which language is integral.
4. Language and Communication are linked to Social, Emotional and
Behavioural Difficulties in Adolescence
Between 50-‐80% of young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
have undetected speech, language or communication needs (Cohen et al. 1998,
Bryan et al, 2007). That means that over half of the students you work with may
have unidentified difficulties expressing themselves, understanding what you say
and interacting appropriately with peers and adults.
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
12
Many studies have investigated the prevalence of undetected SLCN in different
populations, outlining the potential negative impact of SLCN on an adolescent’s life
trajectory and choices:
• 74% of students with identified social, emotional and behavioural disorders
(including ADHD) (Stringer & Lozano 2007).
• 66% of excluded males (Clegg et al, 2009).
• 46-‐67% of youth offenders (Bryan et al, 2007).
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
13
Speech, language and communication needs are not always easily recognised. There
may be no overt physical manifestations of a specific speech and language
impairment. Consequently many adolescents may have an undetected or hidden
difficulty with language and communication.
WHY?
·∙ Difficulties with understanding and processing language and information can
often be hidden by a student who has good expressive language skills.
·∙ Children and adolescents will often develop compensatory strategies (such as
responding using learned phrases, always agreeing/disagreeing with their
conversation partner, remaining silent) to hide their language difficulties.
·∙ Poor pragmatic skills (poor understanding of turn taking in conversation,
interrupting and talking over people) are often viewed/labelled as disruptive
or poor behaviour. (Stringer & Clegg in Clegg & Ginsburg 2006)
·∙ Children can often cope with their SLCN in the relatively organised daily
structure of primary school. However, the social and academic expectations
and demands of post-‐primary school are significantly higher and can serve to
highlight students SLCN. This occurs for students who may have had
intervention at primary level and those that have never had identified SLCN
(Larson & McKinley, 2003).
Identifying Speech and Language and Communication Needs in the Classroom
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
14
POOR SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION SK ILLS
• Overreacts to jokes or sarcasm. • Becomes angry for unknown reasons. • Very quiet, doesn’t speak in groups. • Pretends to laugh and join in but cannot explain details
of stories or why a joke was funny. • Avoids/doesn’t contribute to group situations and
conversations. • Chooses to be alone (eating, break times), likes having
sanctions where they can be alone. • Averse to one on one contact with adults.
P O O R U N D E R S T A N D I N G
• Cannot follow instructions correctly, remembers the last thing you told them or looks blank.
• Consistently breaks the rules despite being reminded numerous times by staff.
• Poor understanding of sanctions, feels they are being treated unfairly.
• Unable to summarise written text.
The following chart (based on ‘Sentence Trouble -‐ Signs of Communication Needs’—
The Communication Trust) illustrates the ‘hidden nature’ of SLCN for adolescents and
identifies typical behaviours a teenager with SLCN might have in a typical day.
POOR ORGANISATIONAL SK ILLS
• Disorganised and chaotic. • Regularly forget what they are
supposed to be doing, will continuously ask for repetition.
• Forget different appointments and materials.
• Difficulty sequencing events. P OO R N UMB E R S K I L L S
• Has difficulty remembering strings of number e.g. phone numbers, bank pins.
• Confuses dates and times.
•
POOR READING OR WRIT ING SK ILLS
• Pretends to be able to read. • Avoids reading and writing. • Has slow speed of reading and/or writing, difficulties
filling out forms or homework sheets. • Handwriting is poor. • Misreads words which look/sound similar.
POOR LANGUAGE SK ILLS
• Repeats points when telling a story. • Gets lost and trails off when telling you something. • Mixes up the sequence of events when explaining
something. • Explanations, descriptions or stories are confusing/hard to
follow. • Uses lots of pausing and hesitations when speaking. Will
contradict themselves when speaking which may appear as though the student is lying.
Indicators that a student may have SLCN Some students will display more of the above behaviours than others. It is important to
remember that these are indicators of speech, language and/or communication difficulties. Some
students might present with these behaviours in the absence of any SLCN.
UNCLEAR SPEECH
• Difficult to understand due to an articulation problem (e.g. a lisp or stammer).
Information Leaflet for Teachers and Schools
15
UNCLEAR SPEECH
• The student might be difficult to understand due to a lisp, stammer or the student might mumble
POOR LANGUAGE SKILLS
• Students might repeat themselves when telling a story or student might get lost and trail off when telling you something.
• Students might mix up the sequence of
events when explaining something • You might find it confusing to follow
students explanations, descriptions or stories
• Students might seem to be lying due to
pausing, hesitations and contradictions
POOR NUMBER SKILLS
• Students may have difficulties remembering strings of number e.g. phone numbers, bank pins
• Student may confuse dates
and times
References: Brinton & Fujiki, (1996). Social Skills of Children With Specific Language Impairment. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Vol.27 195-‐202 Bryan K. Freer J, Furlong C. (2007). Language and communication difficulties in juvenile offenders. International Journal of language and Communication Difficulties; 42, 505-‐520. Clegg, J, Hollis, C, Mawhood, L and Rutter, M (2005) Developmental language disorders – a follow up in later adult life: cognitive, language and psychosocial outcomes Journal: Child Psychology and Psychiatry Vol 46 Clegg, J., Stackhouse, J., Finch, K., Murphy, C. and Nicholls, S. (2009). Language abilities of secondary age pupils at risk of school exclusion: A preliminary report. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 2009 25: 123 Cohen, N. J., Barwick, M. A., Horodezky, N. B., Vallence, D. D.& Im, N. (1998) Language, Achievement and Cognitive Processing in Psychiatrically Disturbed Children with previously identified and unidentified Language Impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 39, 6, 865-‐877 Cook, C., Gresham, F., Kern, L., Barreras, R., Thornton, S. & Crews, S. D. (2008). Social Skills Training for Secondaary Students with Emotional and/or Behavioural Disorders: A Review and Analysis of the Meta-‐Analytic Literature. Journal of emotional and behavioural Disorders; 16:3,131-‐144 Cross, M. (2007) I CAN Talk: Language and Social Exclusion: Issue 4 Hartshorne, M. (2011). ICAN Talk: Speech, Language and Communication in Secondary Aged Pupils: Issue 10 Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) Position Paper (2007). Specific Speech and Language Impairment in Children: Definition, Service Provision and Recommendations for Change Larson, VL and McKinley, NL (2003) Service Delivery Options for Secondary Students with Language Disorders: Seminars in Speech and Language Vol 24 (3) Locke, JL and Bogin, B (2006) Language and Life History: A new perspective on the development and evolution of human language: Behavioural and Brain Sciences Vol 29 Locke, A., Ginsborg, J. and Peers, I. (2002) Development and Disadvantage: Implications for the early years. International Journal of Communication Disorders Vol 27 No 1 Nippold, Marilyn A. (2007) Later Language Development: School-‐age Children, Adolescents, And Young Adults. 2nd ed. Publ. Pro Ed. Paul, R. (2007). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: assessment & intervention. 3rd Ed. Elsevier Health Sciences Reed, VA (2005). An Introduction to children with language disorders, 3rd edition Allyn and Bacon/Pearson 6 Sage, R. (2005) Communicating with Students Who Have Learning and Behaviour Difficulties: A continuing professional development programme. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties 10 4 281-‐297 Snow, P.C. & Powell, M.B. (2005). What's the story? An exploration of narrative language abilities in male juvenile offenders. Psychology, Crime and Law 11(3) 239-‐253 Snowling, M. J. (2005). Literacy outcomes for children with oral language impairments: Developmental interactions between language skills and learning to read. In Catts, H. W. & Kamhi, A. G. (2005). The connections between language and reading disabilities. Snowling M., Bishop, D.V.M., Stothard, S., Chipchase, B. and Kaplan, C. (2006) Psychosocial outcomes at 15 years of children with a preschool history of speech-‐language impairment: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Vol 47 Stringer, H (2006) Facilitating Narrative and Social Skills in Secondary School Students with Language an Behaviour Difficulties in Clegg, J and Ginsborg, J. (eds) Language and Social Disadvantage: theory into practice. Wiley
Websites: www.sentencetrouble.info The Communication Trust, The Dyslexia SpLD Trust and the Autism
National Behaviour Support Service National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) Navan Education Centre Athlumney Navan Co. Meath Telephone: +353 46 909 3355 Fax: +353 46 909 3354 Email: [email protected]
Speech, Language & Communication Needs in Adolescence