SLP 526 Final

developing language stage characteristics

Vocabulary: 200-2,000 words (typical range for ages 3-5).

MLU (Mean Length of Utterance): Around 2.0 to 5.0 morphemes.

Word Use: Children combine words into sentences and begin using grammatical markers like plurals and verb tenses.

characteristics of pragmatic difficulties

Trouble with conversational turn-taking.

Difficulty maintaining topics or understanding social cues.

Challenges using language for different purposes (e.g., requesting, greeting).

connection between oral language delays and reading/literacy

Strong link between early oral language delays and later difficulties in reading comprehension, phonological awareness, and decoding skills.

IEP

for children 3+; focused on school based educational goals

IFSP

for children 0-3; emphasizes family centered support and early intervention

developmental characteristics 0-6 months

cooing, vocal play, responding to voices

development characteristics 6-12 months

babbling, gestures, early word comprehension

development characteristics 12-24 months

first words, simple phrases, intentional communication

communication intent

when a child uses gestures, sounds, or words purposefully to interact

look for frequency, variety, and appropriateness of attempts

extension

adding info to a child’s sentence

expansion

making an utterance grammatically correct

recasting

reformulating an incorrect sentence into the correct form

broca’s area

speech production

wernicke’s area

language comprehension (auditory comprehension)

frontal lobe

executive functioning, speech production

temporal lobe

auditory processing, language comprehension

normative perspective of DLD

focuses on the impact of a disorder of a child’s daily life

naturalist perspective of DLD

identifies deficits based on standardized test results

stages of play

Exploratory (0-12 months): Focused on sensory exploration.

Symbolic (12-36 months): Using objects in pretend play.

phonology in developing stage

Address only if it significantly impacts intelligibility or word learning

Priorities for Goals (Fry et al., 2003)

Highest Priority: Skills the child uses inconsistently but correctly sometimes.

Lowest Priority: Skills not used at all or too easily performed.

Words Before Word Combinations

Children typically need 50 words before combining them

Communication Intents by Age

12 months: At least 2 communicative intents per minute.

24 months: 5-7 communicative intents per minute.