Language Exam 1

Naturalist Diagnosis Framework

Measures language deficits relative to average expected skills for a child's age.

Normative Diagnosis Framework

Focuses on how language deficits impact overall development and daily social functioning.

Traditional Language Approach

Drill-based learning focusing on specific language units as separate, structured skills.

Functional Language Approach

Focuses on the effectiveness of communication within natural conversational exchanges.

Four Stages of Treatment

Establishment, Mastery, Generalization, and Maintenance.

Psychometric Evaluation Approach

Uses standardized, normed scores to represent typical language functioning.

Descriptive Evaluation Approach

Compares current language use to past performance or observed peer skills.

MLU (Mean Length of Utterance)

A language analysis metric measuring average utterance length in morphemes.

PGU (Percentage of Grammatical Utterances)

A language analysis metric calculating the proportion of grammatically correct sentences.

Habilitative Speech-Language Therapy

Intervention focused on teaching entirely new language skills to a client.

Working Memory (WM) in DLD

An active process of storing and organizing verbal information, typically deficient in DLD.

Educational vs. Medical Diagnosis

Educational requires academic impact; medical relies heavily on clinical or parent reports.

OHI (Other Health Impaired)

An eligibility category under IDEA for conditions impacting a child's school functioning.

FAPE (IDEA)

Free and Appropriate Public Education.

LRE (IDEA)

Least Restrictive Environment.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

A multi-tiered preventative framework to support struggling students before special education referral.

Cognitive Referencing

Comparing language scores to IQ to determine eligibility; strongly discouraged by ASHA.

1.5 Standard Deviations Below the Mean

A common qualification benchmark translating to a standard score of 77 or lower.

2.0 Standard Deviations Below the Mean

A strict qualification benchmark translating to a standard score of 70 or lower.

Dynamic Assessment

Measures language-learning potential and modifiability in real-time, distinguishing disorder from difference.

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Measures mastery of specific skills rather than comparing performance to peers.

High Impact Skills

Foundational language skills that make other language skills easier to acquire.

Push-In Service Delivery

An integrated, direct model where the SLP provides therapy within the classroom.

Priming Strategy

Prepping a client by sharing content or language models prior to a task.

Focused Stimulation

Providing high-density modeling of a target without expecting an immediate response.

Mand-Model Cue

The clinician elicits interest, demands a response, and prompts if needed.

Expansion (No-Response Contingency)

Repeating the child's utterance without errors and with more advanced sentence structure.

Extension (No-Response Contingency)

Repeating the child's utterance and adding new semantic information.

Reduced Error Repetition

Repeating the child's error with changed intonation to prompt self-correction.

Contrast Teaching

Teaching targets using comparable situations or contrasting pairs to build comprehension.

Parallel Talk

The SLP narrates what the child is doing during play or an activity.

Self-Talk

The SLP narrates their own actions to model language without requiring a response.

Imitation Strategy

The SLP prompts the child to repeat a modeled word or phrase directly.

Carrier Phrases

Phrases like "I want " or "I see " used to promote expanded utterances.

Sabotage Strategy

Creating a problem or withholding an item to force the child to request help.

Pacing Technique

Using rhythmic, slowed speech or physical markers to elicit increased verbalizations.

Recasting

Correcting a child's grammatical error by repeating the utterance with correct grammar.

Reflecting Strategy

Responding to a child's statement by labeling and validating their emotional state.

Semantic Feature Analysis (EET)

Describing an object using categories like group, appearance, parts, function, and location.

Anticipatory Set

Generating ideas or predictions associated with a task before initiating the task.

Delayed Processing Time

Waiting 5-10 seconds after a prompt before providing assistance or cues.

Milieu Teaching

Prompting and waiting for language attempts within naturally occurring, interest-led contexts.

Cloze Procedure

Leaving a blank at the end of a sentence for the student to fill in.

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

Directly teaching a word using definitions, examples, nonexamples, visuals, and practice.

Semantic Mapping

A visual support that builds on and systematically targets concepts or ideas.