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Complex syntactic difficulties and word finding

I spent the entire day recently listening to a great presentation from Cheryl Scott and Nicole Koonce, both certified speech language pathologists and Ph.D.s.   Their topic was “Complex Language:  Assessment and Treatment Considerations.”  It was a great reminder that other language difficulties might disguise themselves as word finding difficulties.  I had previously received a referral from a highly-regarded clinical psychologist, who felt the child in question was experiencing word finding problems.  Of course, I administered the Test of Word Finding -3:   Standard score = 99.  Hmmm.. must be word finding in discourse, right?  So I painstakingly transcribed the resulting language sample, and saw very, very few instances of WF.  What was going on?  Why was the student struggling to express herself when her word finding skills (and a variety of standardized language tests) tested within normal limits? She certainly presented as though she had a word finding problem.

I consulted with the psychologist, and we put our heads together to look at specific examples.  What behaviors were we seeing?

We looked at the specific examples of her circumlocutions and substitutions.   Her vocabulary and her word finding were fine.  However, when she tried to use complex sentences that included imbedded clauses, she struggled both receptively and expressively.  My continuing ed experience with Drs. Scott and Koonce jumped out at me.   This was a syntax problem, not a word finding problem.

My take away?  First, I need to be leery of beginning an evaluation with a pre-conceived notion of what I am looking for.   Secondly, it is valuable to confer with colleagues and look at the child as a whole.  What academic difficulties is the child experiencing?  What language does she use, in both social and academic contexts?  In this instance, the teen displayed very appropriate social language, but had difficulty with the expository language demands of her high school classroom.  Not a word finding issue, but a significant language disorder that needed intervention.

Holiday Word Finding Activities

Have you identified vocabulary that your speech kiddos need during the upcoming holidays?  Depending on the cultural and religious mix of your caseload, you might be practicing words for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.  I’m not aware of a Muslim holiday in December, so please correct me if I’m wrong.  Words like celebration, tradition, custom, decorations, and feast fit any situation.  Regardless of your kids’ background, it is important for them to learn words that can show respect for their neighbors’ practices.  Come up with a list of words that you want to be sure your kids use fluently.  Remember that frequency of use and recency of use will impact their ability to retrieve the words.

How can you practice those words without resorting to drill?  I like to create construction paper stockings, then have them select words from their stocking to practice.  I ask the kids to say the word 5 times, then create a meaningful sentence using the word. Try adding “ornaments” to a tree as they practice their words. Of course, Santa can always distribute packages that are full of word finding words.  Most of your favorite articulation games can be modified to practice holiday vocabulary.   I start with the following words (the mnemonic cues are in parentheses):

ornament (on a mint)                    greenery                     wreath  (ring)                  frost                    garland   (girl/land)                 celebrate                                          celebration                 custom                             tradition             holly

mistletoe (missile/toe)                  carol                            sleigh                                pine cone  (pie shaped)

candy cane                                      Advent                         poinsettia (point/set)    nativity                  Hanukkah  (on a cup)            menorah (many candles)              dreidl (dry the clay)            gelt                          blizzard                tinsel

mantle                                             Kwanzaa                       candy cane                       toy names that are on their “wish list”

Get up off your chair, move around, and use all your senses.  Make it fun!

 

 

Pull out the Halloween materials!

Somehow September has slipped away already.  It’s time to pull out the Halloween materials!  I am resurrecting one of my “oldies but goodies.”  One of my favorite ways to introduce word finding difficulties to kids (and their parents) is to use dialogs.  I sometimes read the dialogs with another adult and have the kids push a button to indicate their awareness of an instance of a word finding difficulty.  Older kids can read them in tandem (or with me) and let me know what they notice.  They love to have me video their “play” and watch themselves act out word finding problems.  However you want to use this dialog, adapt it to suit your own situation.

 

Student 1: Hey, guys, let’s get ready for trick or treat day!

Student 2: Trick or treat day? What’s that?

Student 1: You know, that day when we wear costumes and go trick or treating.

Student 2: Oh, you mean Halloween!

Student 1: Yeah, Halloween. I have a big thingamajig to put candy in.

Student 2: A thingamajig? What do you put your candy in?

Student 1: It’s one of those things on your bed.

Student 2: A sheet? A blanket? A pillow?

Student 1: No, the cover to a pillow…a pillow case.

Student 2: OK, so you’ll put your candy in a pillow case. What are you dressing up as?

Student 1: I have one of those things that wraps around your shoulders…like Batman wears.

Student 2: A cape?

Student 1: yeah, a cape. A black cape. And I’m going to wear fake hair.

Student 2: You mean a wig?

Student 1: A cape and a wig. And I think I’ll carry a sweeper thing.

Student 2: A sweeper thing. You mean a broom?

Student 1: Yeah, a broom. Don’t you think my costume will be scary? I want to be a

scary old ghost. I mean, a witch. What is your costume like?

Student 2: I’ll have a black cape, too. Only I won’t carry a broom. I’m going to wear a mask and pretend I have a Batmobile.

Student 1: A Batmobile! You must be dressing up as Spiderman. Oops, I mean Batman!

Back to School and to Mrs. What’s Her Name

It’s back to school time.   A child with word finding difficulties has new teachers’ names, new curricula, and new classmates’ names to retrieve.  How can we help him get through this stressful time?  Especially since stress itself is likely to contribute to additional word retrieval difficulties…

Remember that frequency of use and recency of use will impact ease of retrieval.  Simply practicing names aloud will improve word finding.  Try to associate a meaningful word with the teacher’s name.  To remember Mrs. Campbell, picture her ringing a bell at camp.  Make the syllables very precise.  Camp/bell, camp/bell, camp/bell. Associate the cue with the syllable.   Say the word aloud 5 times, then make up a meaningful sentence using the word.

Ms. Vygotsky?  got/skis.  Picture the teacher on skis.

Mr. Neiman?  the man has knees.

The more ridiculous the better.  Use your imagination!  Be sure your student repeats the target word aloud, NOT the cues.  The cues that he or she creates himself will probably be more meaningful than the ones you create.  And don’t forget to review frequently.  Make it fun!

 

Word Finding and Fitness

Did you notice the article in the July, 2018, ASHA Leader about word finding in older adults?  Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK found that the higher the older adults’ fitness level, the lower the probability of experiencing a tip of the tongue retrieval (ToT) difficulty.  Even accounting for age and vocabulary size, there was a relationship between ToT and aerobic fitness.  Here’s the original article:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24972-1.

“Word finding difficulties often surface as tip-of-the-tongue experiences. People in a tip-of-the-tongue state have a strong conviction that they know a word, but are unable to produce it” (from the introduction of the above-cited article).  Wouldn’t it be interesting to see if there is a similar correlation in children?  It wouldn’t surprise me at all!

World Cup word finding cues

OK, I admit it.  What I know about World Cup Soccer could fit in a teacup.  My kids grew up before soccer became a big sport in our suburb.  I never did learn the rules.  And when FIFA became well known, it took me a while to learn that FIFA actually stands for the Federation Internationale de Football Association.   So when my husband asked me why I hadn’t blogged about the world’s most popular sport, my defense was that I know nothing about it.

Aha!  Don’t we ask kids to do that all the time?  They know little about a topic, yet we teach facts to them once or twice and expect them to retrieve the information.  They need to understand first, then retrieve.  So we need a dual-focussed vocabulary approach.  We need to teach what the words mean AND how to retrieve the words.

Without explaining the intricacies of the game, what are some terms unique to soccer that a child needs to retrieve? Shinguard, forwards, defenders, midfielders, and goalkeepers.  The field is a “pitch.”  Ask your client to say the words ALOUD 5 times and use them in a meaningful sentence.

As the World Cup proceeds, we will probably hear a lot about Spartak Stadium in Moscow. Apparently it has been known as Otkrytiye Arena, but will be known as Spartak Stadium during the World Cup.  Otkrytiye Holding is a private holding company which holds the rights to the arena’s name until 2019, but Spartak is the name of the local football  (AKA soccer) club, named for the Roman Gladiator Spartacus.

To remember Spartak, how about “Sky Trek” as a cue?  And Otkrytiye (ot KRIT ee uh) sounds like “pretty.”  Full disclosure: I had to google that to know how to pronounce it.  I have made no attempt to develop cues for the names of the various countries in the tournament; they change almost daily.  Find out your client’s favorite team and develop cues for him or her.  Just hope it’s an easy name to pronounce!

 

 

 

PANDA-monium!

Feel like the end of the school year is pandemonium?  Do your speech kids have a cue to retrieve this word?  Panda/money: 

How to remember the names of the two Korean leaders

I have been racking my brain to think of word finding cues for the names of the leader of North Korea (Kim Jung-un) and president of South Korea (Moon Jae-in).  I typically wouldn’t waste my time on the names of foreign leaders, because they are in the news and then out again.  However, it appears that these two men will be in the news for at least the next few weeks.  Students in government or politics classes are likely to be discussing these leaders.  We need to remember their names!

Here are my feeble cues.  If you think of others, please share them:

Kim Jung-un (pronounced “oon”:  “Come to the junk room.”  Moon Jae-in  – a bluejay flying in to the moon. Remember to repeat the names ALOUD 5 times, then create a meaningful sentence using the words.

Please share your ideas! I hope one of my readers will be able to come up with better cues!

 

 

 

Classroom Accommodations for Word Finding

Comprehensive word finding intervention includes 3 prongs:  strategy instruction, self-advocacy, and classroom accommodations.* What accommodations are appropriate?  Of course, accommodations will vary from student to student and setting to setting.  These are the recommendations I typically make:

  1. Preferential seating:  Confirm that the student is seated so he/she can clearly see and hear his/her teachers and any teaching materials.
  2. Provide a context for learning.  The student will benefit from having an overview of how his/her learning fits into the “big picture.”
  3. Provide time for the student to organize his/her thoughts before expecting an oral response.  When possible, provide the questions ahead of time.
  4. Assess the student’s reading abilities with silent reading tasks instead of oral reading tasks.  Because of his or her retrieval difficulties, he/she may be a stronger reader than is apparent.

 

5.  Assess learning with recognition tasks instead of recall.  Use multiple choice, T/F, and matching.               When essay tests are used, provide a word bank of important words.

6.  Allow the student to use a written outline or scaffold for oral presentations.

7.  Allow extended time for all classroom and standardized assessments.

 

Notice the theme here?  We are looking for recognition, not recall.  Don’t let a child’s expressive language difficulties interfere with his or her ability to demonstrate knowledge.

 

*Dr. Diane German, Word Finding Intervention Program-Second Edition (WFIP-2), available from Pro-Ed.

 

 

Pulaski Day in Chicago

Huh?  Who is Casimir Pulaski?  If you live in the Chicago area, you know that Casimir Pulaski was a Polish nobleman who fought in the Revolutionary War and helped General George Washington defeat the British.  He is credited with saving Washington’s life. He is called the Father of the American Cavalry, and Pulaski Day is now an Illinois state holiday.

Many years ago I recall a colleague telling me that we should have a school holiday in honor of Pulaski.  I laughed at the time.  But many Chicago-area public school students now have the first Monday in March as a holiday.  To in-service my School Board about word finding, I used Pulaski Day as an example of using mnemonic cues to remember a multiple-syllable word.  I pulled out my jumble of keys and asked the superintendent to “pull the last key.”  With a puzzled look, she reached for my car key and gave it a tug.  She “pulled the last key.”  Pull/last/key for Pulaski.   Those Board members have never forgotten the name for Pulaski Day.  Neither have my word finding students!